Assad is already counting on soldiers still at school to fill the gaps left by 30,000 casualties – by Robert Fisk: We were driving down the main road from Homs – fast, of course, as the Syrian war now requires – when, just outside the Damascus suburb of Harasta, a government soldier asked for a ride into town. I have

The US is paying the cost of supporting the House of Saud as cracks begin to appear – by Patrick Cockburn:   President Obama flew to Saudi Arabia to patch up relations with King Abdullah at the end of last week in his first visit in five years. The alliance had been strained by Saudi anger over US negotiations with

Sunni and Shia are united in Bashar Al Assad’s army – by Robert Fisk:   General Yussef Swaidan was doing the Syrian army version of hearts and minds, standing behind a fruit stall surrounded by a couple of dozen shopkeepers on the very edge of Daraya. See how well the army treats you.

Whose sarin? – by Seymour M. Hersh: Barack Obama did not tell the whole story this autumn when he tried to make the case that Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August. In some instances, he omitted important intelligence,

Good bargain? Saudi Arabia sends 1,239 death row inmates to fight in Syria with full pardon: Editor’s note: We are publishing this story as it corroborates our earlier story about the release of terrorist prayer leaders to Pakistan.  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia with French President Francois Hollande, who went to the desert kingdom in

Seeking Legitimacy for Syrian WAR – by Alizeh Khaleeli: The reason Obama is waiting for Congress to consider the military strike is to appear to exhaust all avenues to legitimize the war on Syria.This begs the question as to why does approval matter to the US, after all

The World’s Red Line? – by Rusty Walker: Obama’s red line amounted to a “green light.” It was AFTER Obama drew a red line that Syria used chemical weapons, (or, al Qaeda used chems). Subsequently, Obama lied about his clear statement, and smoothly reframed it as a

In Focus: Why does the US want to attack Syria? – by Tahir Mehdi:   The United States is at war once again and in its favorite battleground, the Middle East. This is despite the fact that they are facing a lot of trouble in withdrawing from Afghanistan in a respectable manner after

Obama’s self-aggrandisement and potential victories for al-Assad – by Dr. M.R. Nakvisson: Avoiding single-factor explanations and taking into account Obama’s personal ambitions, one can see self-aggrandisement attempts in his decision to seek congressional approval for strike on Syria. As regards al-Assad, he may very well emerge victorious in the long-run. Much has

Syria intervention plan fueled by oil interests, not chemical weapon concern – by Nafeez Ahmed: U.N. chemical weapons experts visit people affected by an apparent gas attack, at a hospital in the southwestern Damascus suburb of Mouadamiya. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters On 21 August, hundreds – perhaps over a thousand – people were killed in a

The Syrian stumble – by Zeeshan Shah: The war on terror has changed the landscape of the Middle East. It has brought in a new world order and created divide between the East and the West. In this context, the UN Security Council set a line

Deleted Daily Mail Online Article: “US Backed Plan for Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria to Be Blamed on Assad: In January 29, 2013, Britain’s most popular Daily Newspaper, in its online version Dailymail.co.uk published an article titled: U.S. ‘backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad’s regime’ A few days later they pulled the

Syria’s War, Another Tragedy on Euphrates that nobody wants to end – by A Z: PROLOGUE It has been well over two years since the Syrian opposition, propelled by long-held and varying grievances, rose against Bashar al Assad. With Assad’s long autocratic reign under serious threat, the regime responded with force, arresting protesters and

Syria’s War, Another Tragedy on Euphrates: Who is Looking for What? by A Z: It has been over two years since the Syrian opposition, propelled by long-held and varying grievances, rose against Bashar al Assad. With Assad’s long autocratic reign under serious threat, the regime responded with force, arresting protesters and torturing some