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Q&A: Marwan Muasher on Syria’s Impact on Jordan
On Feb. 16, a Jordanian army spokesman said that Jordan border patrols killed a gunman who opened fire at them as he attempted to cross in from Syria.
Articles
Features, analysis and in-depth coverage from Syria Deeply’s network of on-the-ground and remote correspondents and individual voices from Syria.
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Why the Government Has Resumed Its Use of Cluster Munitions
Human Rights Watch said that Bashar al-Assad’s forces have resumed their use of cluster bombs in Hama.
- Civil Society
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Neighborhood by Neighborhood, Mapping a ‘Politically Heterogenous’ Aleppo
Caerus Associates, a strategic consulting firm that focuses on fragile and conflict states, has released a set of what it calls “time-series” data collected from the streets of Aleppo.
- Civil Society
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After Homs Evacuations, Freed Families Hoping To Return To ‘Normal’
Last week, more than 700 civilians were evacuated from Homs, an outcome of concessions between opposition and government delegations made during peace talks in Geneva.
- Human Rights
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Will The Cease-fires in the Southern Suburbs of Damascus Hold?
Earlier this week, a cease-fire was struck between the government and opposition groups in the southern Damascus suburb of Babila.
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How the Kurdish PYD Operates Its Own Autonomous Government
The PYD, a Syrian Kurdish militant group, has established its own autonomous government in the largely Kurdish province of Hassakeh. .
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Eye on the Battle: In Deir Ezzor, Nusra Maintains Upper Hand over ISIS
Rebel infighting in Deir Ezzor province has reignited, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) struggling to displace its extremist rival, Jabhat al-Nusra.
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As Barrel Bombs Fall, Aleppo’s Families Flee
ALEPPO – It has been three months since the Syrian government launched its offensive on this city’s opposition neighborhoods using barrels packed with explosives.
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Week in Review: Geneva Talks Hit an Impasse, Amid Other Moving Parts
The second round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva closed with an air of failure this weekend.
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Why Humanitarian Ceasefires Could Be a Viable Option
This week, more than 700 civilians were evacuated from besieged areas of Homs city, under the cover of a ceasefire that was the only tangible concession made during the first week of Geneva II peace talks.
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Analyzing Russia’s Support For Assad
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been Bashar al-Assad’s vital political ally since the start of the Syrian conflict three years ago.
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Eye on the Battle: Yabroud
Today, Syrian government forces stepped up their offensive on Yabroud, a village near the Lebanese border, as part of its ongoing campaign to secure the mountainous, strategically important Qalamoun region.
- Human Rights
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What Concessions Do Aid Groups Want from Geneva?
This week, hundreds of civilians were evacuated from besieged areas of Homs, the result of concessions made during the first round of Geneva II peace talks.
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Eye on the Battle: Air Attacks on Aleppo Escalate During Peace Talks
As peace talks resumed this week in Geneva, the government escalated aerial bombardment of Aleppo in a continued siege of rebel-held areas.
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One on One: David Kenner, Middle East Editor, Foreign Policy
As the security situation in Syria deteriorates, the way editors choose to cover the story changes. For Foreign Policy’s David Kenner, it has meant more coverage from the borders, and an “ethical, legal and moral” refusal to send writers into the country.
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Should Assad’s Chemical Weapons Be Destroyed In-Country?
Plans to remove the Syrian government’s chemical weapons cache by transporting them from Damascus to ships off the coast of Latakia province have missed deadlines throughout December and January. .
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Attack on Maan Scares Alawites, Bolsters Assad
On Monday, activists said 40 people had been killed in a weekend attack on the Alawite village of Maan, in central Hama province.
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What to Expect From This Round of Geneva Talks
A new round of peace talks kicked off today in Geneva, as aid efforts continued in Homs. More than 700 civilians were evacuated from Homs this weekend, despite an attack on the United Nations convoy carrying out the mission.
- Human Rights
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How Syrian Children Are Recruited Into Battle
Last week, the United Nations released a report detailing the myriad abuses of Syrian children by those on each side of the conflict.
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Week in Review: While Geneva Talks Move Forward, US Policy Falters and Syria Falls Apart
Geneva II peace talks resume on Monday, after a one-week pause. They pick up on a sense of positive momentum, despite limited grains of concrete progress.
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How Turkey Is Facing the Challenges of a Syrian Escalation
Last week, the Turkish army attacked a convoy of al-Qaida-linked vehicles in Syria, destroying three. The escalation triggered speculation that Turkey now considers the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) a bigger enemy in Syria than the Assad regime. .
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In Tartous, a Family Split By Politics
TARTOUS — Political and sectarian divisions created by Syria’s three-year conflict have affected most everyone in the country, even families far removed from the front lines.
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One on One: Martin Chulov, Middle East Correspondent, The Guardian
Since 2005, Guardian correspondent Martin Chulov has covered crises across the Arab world, but none, he says, are as “emotionally exhausting” as the Syrian civil war.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Far From Yarmouk, Economic Hardship for A Palestinian Patriarch
JDEIDET ARTOUZ—Abu Nidal, 65, is not used to rising early in the morning to the sound of a ringing phone.
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How Does the Regime Stand in Aleppo and Homs?
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has released a report on the regime’s campaign in Aleppo and Homs cities in 2013 and the military situation on the ground in each situation going into 2014. .
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Why Did al-Qaida Disavow ISIS in Syria?
On Feb. 2, [al-Qaida disavowed the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant][1]. In May 2013, al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered ISIS to leave Syria and return to Iraq, and said that Jabhat al-Nusra, which is more popular with both civilians and other rebel fighting groups, was its [official branch in the country.[2].
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How Do You Measure Geneva’s Success?
The second round of Syrian peace talks concluded in Switzerland on Friday Jan. 31, leaving experts underwhelmed by what they say were inadequate humanitarian aid concessions and open hostility between the government and opposition delegations.
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Conversations: Snapshots of Civilian Life in Hama
As part of our effort to highlight civilian stories, below is a conversation between Syria Deeply and Noor, a 30-year-old woman who lives in a regime-held neighborhood of Hama, about the hardships of life in the city.
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Week in Review: Talks Inch Ahead, Stirring Power Politics Towards an End Game
There was more rhetorical sparring than there was actual negotiating this week in Geneva.
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In Homs, Civilians Want More Than Aid
HOMS – Nearly 600 days have passed since the Syrian government laid siege to neighborhoods in Homs. Now residents of those areas hope that concessions made this week in Geneva conference will help the approximately 250 families who need to be evacuated.
- Human Rights
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Why the Government Razed Whole Neighborhoods in Hama and Damascus
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch released a 38-page report on the Syrian government’s illegal demolition of neighborhoods in opposition-held areas.
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Geneva II Elicits Hopes and Hopelessness in Aleppo
ALEPPO – While negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition inch forward in Geneva, little has changed for civilians on the ground.
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Q+A: Josh Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma
On the opening day of peace talks in Switzerland, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came out stronger than predicted against the Syrian government, calling for regime change. .
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Eye On the Battle: ISIS Reclaims Raqqa But Loses Ground in Aleppo
Earlier this month, rebel fighting groups led by the Islamic Front (IF) battled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Raqqa, the first Syrian city to come under extremist control. The clash quickly spread to neighboring Aleppo and Idlib province.
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Survey of Syrian Attitudes Finds Both Sides Seek Peace, Unified Country
Today, polling veteran Craig Charney launched a new report, Syrian Perspectives on Transitional Justice, looking at the views of Syrian civilians still living in the country. .
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Conversations: A Jihadi, Praising Jabhat al-Nusra
Mohammad, a jihadi rebel from northern Syria, is describing his wedding night. His family had insisted on a non-religious ceremony. At the reception, just as his relatives began to dance and celebrate, he went home.
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Assessing the Latest Developments from Geneva
As the second round of Geneva peace talks enter their first full week, the Syrian government agreed to let women and children leave the besieged old city of Homs, one of the country’s hardest-hit areas. .
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Week in Review: Small Steps Forward in Geneva, as Powerful Patrons Force Talks
After the long road to Geneva II came a small win: an agreement to deliver food, and release women and children from the besieged areas of Homs.
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An Activist in Montreux
Rami Jarrah is one of Syria’s original media activists and organizers. In 2011, he spent time in Syrian government detention before fleeing to Cairo and then to the U.K., where he has continued to be one of the conflict’s most vocal activists.
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Eye On: Fighting in Deraa
The Syrian government began to barrel bomb the southern province of Deraa last month, which had previously been overshadowed by attention on Aleppo and rebel infighting in Raqqa. .