[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Perspectives
Saudi Arabia Takes Over From Qatar to Solve Syria’s Crisis Hassan Hassan on a surprising two-day meeting held in Riyadh that gathered some elements of the opposition.
Khameini to Assad: Full and Unlimited Support Elie Chalhoub on Iran’s stance following the Israeli airstrike
Hezbollah’s Ill-Advised Foray Into Syria Regarding Nasrallah’s latest speech, Hassan Hassan wonders whether Hezbollah needed this publicity and whether it embarrassed Syria.
Hezbollah Leader Defends Involvement in Syria Jean Aziz speculates on the rationale behind Hezbollah’s decision to publicly confirm its involvement in Syria.
Syrian Refugee Numbers Top 450 000 In April in Lebanon only.
New Texts Out Now: Simon Jackson, Diaspora Politics and Developmental Empire: The Syro-Lebanese at the League of Nations By Simon Jackson
The Deep Read: How the World’s Largest Democracy Is Handling the “Syrian Issue” Anika Gupta on India’s silence on Syria
Syria Narratives
We Cannot Fix The National Problems of Syria Joshua Landis remains opposed to a U.S. intervention in Syria, pointing to many examples of past interventions that have failed.
New Addition to the Syrian Islamic Front Aron Lund on this latest military development
Major Salafi Faction Criticizes Jabhat al-Nosra Aron Lund on the latest source of fragmentation among extremist groups fighting in Syria
How Much Would a No Fly Zone Over Syria Cost? Kevin Baron provides an interventionist perspective by evaluating the feasibility of a no-fly zone.
Syria: What’s Really Happening? Aaron David Miller says “before we succumb to the talking points of the liberal interventionists and neoconservatives who are pushing the president to save Syria, let’s consider for a moment what Syria is not.”
Series on Syria: Angry Arab Interviews Rania Abouzeid of Time Asad AbuKhalil asks her questions about the challenges of reporting the Syria crisis in Western outlets.
Syria is Not Iraq Advocating for an intervention in Syria, Bill Keller says “[in Syria] we have a genuine, imperiled national interest, not just a fabricated one.”
How Syria Ruined the Arab Spring Marc Lynch says “it is sobering to step back and take account of how dramatically and radically the Syrian conflict has reshaped the world that the Arab uprisings created.”
Al Bayda
Lessons From a Massacre that Assad Looks to Exploit Hassan Hassan argues that “ sectarian cleansing is not being conducted for the purpose of establishing a potential state but for other strategic reasons to ensure the flow of Alawite fighters from and into this area.”
Sectarian Cleansing in Syria’s Coastal Region? Hassan Hassan complements his article with a blog entry, adding that, to his knowledge, “this is the first time Alawite religious leaders associate themselves so openly with pro-regime informal militias that carry out acts of sectarian cleansing.”
Video featuring Mihraç Ural, seemingly responsible for the events, after he advocated for a plan to “clean Banias from its traitors”
Chemical Weapons
Comments on the Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria Eliot Higgins (Brown Moses) is skeptical about three incidents that the media presented as chemical weapons attacks, events that he deconstructs in an accessible way.
Chemical Claims Should be Investigated, not Used as Pretext for War
Was the Chemical Weapons Prove “Torpedoed” by the West? Adam Larson provides a useful timeline of events regarding the chemical weapons allegations, which have increased over the past six weeks.
Turkish Doctors Say No Nerve Gas in Syrian Victims’ Blood Tracey Shelton reports on Turkey’s investigation that proved negative.
Israel’s Attack on Syria
Timeline: Israel Attacks on Syrian Targets
Azmi Bishara on Repeated Israeli Strikes Against Syria
Syrians React to Israeli Airstrikes While some completely reject both the regime and Israel, others welcomed the latest move by Syria’s neihgbor.
Israel Bombs Syria, Again Asad AbuKhalil pessimistically argues that “the conflict in Syria has long been outside of the hands of the Syrian people.”
Statement Regarding the Israeli Attack on Syria The Syrian coalition media office releases a statement condemning the Israeli attack.
Inside Syria
Inside Syria’s Siege Economy reporting from Aleppo, Keith Proctor writes: “in effect, regime and opposition forces have established procedures that allow life in the city to continue, even as they work tirelessly to kill one another.”
Escalation in Khan al-Sheeh Palestinian Refugee Camp Anas Zarzar reports on this camp southwest of Damascus, once more under fire from both sides.
A Grandmother’s Return to Damascus
« En Syrie, la Capacite de se Projeter Dans le Futur a Disparu » Audrey Magis, a Belgian psychologist, is back from a two-month mission in Syria and tells stories of people who lost their sense of purpose.
Chatting About “Game of Thrones” With Syria’s Most Feared Islamic Militants Danny Gold’s covert encounter with two members of Jabhat al-Nusra
Kurdish Group Gaining Autonomy in Northern Syria Andrea Glioti says “the appearance of Qamishli, the main city of Syrian Kurdistan, brings evidence to the thesis of a tacit agreement between the PYD and the regime”
Two Syrian Women, Two Very Different Perspectives on War Melissa Block speaks to one woman in Damascus and one woman in Lattakia, following Israel’s attack on the Syrian capital.
A Female Fighter, Under a Man’s Name Sasha Ghosh-Siminoff recalls his encounter with a Damascene activist turned opposition fighter
Arts and Social Media
The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution An archive of various mediums used for artistic resistance, including film, music, underground publications, banners,etc.
Social Media Buzz: “Cleansing” Sunnis on Syria’s Coast Mohammed Sergie’s weekly social media buzz, this time focusing on the alleged massacre in al-Bayda village and the Israeli airstrikes in Damascus.
Syria’s Music Wars Omar Adam Sayfo on how the Syrian regime and its opposition have used music as a weapon of war throughout the uprising.
Journalism and Jihad in Bab Touma The author writes about an aspiring journalist Tunisian Salafi who seems to have relocated in Bab Touma, and asks: “how can he reconcile his journalistic training with this political purpose?”
Delights of the Syria Revolution: Magazines, Films, Writings and Images Scented with Freedom Rayan Majed provides another survey of artistic resistance
Syrian Refugees “Roaming” in Search of Cell Coverage Usama al-Qadiri on a Syrian man who makes money by helping Syrian refugees call their families with Syrian phone carriers from Lebanon.
Beyond the Banality of Evil: The Challenge of Professional Photography in Syria About the Pullitzers prizes won by journalists covering Syria, Line Zouhour writes : “ by turning mud into gold, these professional photographers have forced us to look straight into the eyes of Syrians again, and just for that reason, they fully deserve the Pulitzer Prize.”
Why Did Syria Shut Down the Internet? Nicholas Thompson speculates on the need of the Syrian regime to cut, once more, its fiber-optics cables.
Policy and Reports
Senator Mendez Introduces Syria Stabilization Act of 2013 The legislation “plans for a post-Assad Syria by providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while providing limited lethal and non-lethal weapons to vetted Syrian groups.”
Month-by-Month Summary of Developments in Syria (Updated) The International Crisis Group’s monthly update
Blurring the Borders: Syrian Spillover Risks for Turkey An International Crisis Group Report giving recommendations to the Syrian government, the opposition, aid agencies, the international community and the government of Turkey.
Widespread Middle East Fears that Syrian Violence Will Spread A Report by the Pew Research Global Attitudes Project
Arabic
اتفاق روسي أمريكي لتصفية جبهة النصرة؟
Abdel Bari Atwan writes about the Russian-US negotiations and reiterates his warning against a possible regional war (according to his analysis of the situation).
Wael Assawwah writes about the recent Bayda massacre.
من احتمال الثورة إلى ممكنات الثورة المضادة
Munther Khaddam on the Syrian revolution, the counter revolution, and the complexities of the Syrian struggle.
الدكتور هيثم مناع: مسار الأزمة السورية في ظل التفاهم الروسي الأمريكي
Haytham Mannaa on the Russian-US negotiations.
أسئلة قديمة و راهنة بخصوص المخابرات السورية
Yasser Nadeem Said asks questions on the security state in Syrian and the intelligence service (mukhabarat).
The April issue of the leftist marxist newspaper, Tareeq Al-Yassar (the Way of the Left).
Michel Kilo writes about a famous slogan "Syria wants freedom", which some have recently turned into "Syria wants tenderness."
أبواب طهران مفتوحة للجميع لإعادة الأمل إلى سوريا و أهلها
Ali Akbar Salehi uses the latest Israeli strikes on Damascus in order to "preach" to the international community.
السيدة زينب عليها السلام… لمن لا يعلم
Sheikh Shafiq Jaradi writes about Sayyida Zaynab Mosque in Syria and its importance to the Shiites.