[This is a collection of news updates on Syria compiled from multiple sources by the editors.]
Developments
Tensions Escalate as US and Israel Test Missiles Over Mediterranean A few hours before the hearing on Syria, many outlets reported that the United States was already testing its missiles.
Syrian Official Seeks Dialogue, Warns Against U.S. Action Sam Dagher interviewed Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad in Damascus.
New York Times Deletes This Paragraph in Which White House Says AIPAC is Key to War “One administration official, who, like others, declined to be identified discussing White House strategy, called Aipac ‘the 800-pound gorilla in the room,’”
Number of Syrian Refugees Tops 2 Million Mark With More on the Way UNHCR releases these numbers, which might dramatically increase in the next few days.
Syria Suspected in Tripoli Bombs
Opinions
Noam Chomsky Weighs in on Syria Strike Noam Chomsky wrote “"[T]hat aggression without UN authorization would be a war crime, a very serious one, is quite clear, despite tortured efforts to invoke other crimes as precedents."
Time Ripe for Syria Political Deal, Says Ex Rebel Leader Former Syrian opposition chief contends that a strike will not have much impact on the situation, and he stresses the need for a political settlement of the crisis.
Syria: The Method and the Madness Assuming that “the fate of Syria as a whole has already been determined,” Ammar Abdulhamid suggests that “it`s about time in our modern existence we adopted interest-based approaches to managing our problems rather than ideological ones.”
Le Peuple Syrien Fait Les Frais d’Une Nevrose Collective Historian Marie Peltier is disappointed at the similar positions taken by many with usually “diametrically opposed” views, adding that (rough translation) “in this fight against the Invisible Enemy, the Syrian case seems to have become an emblematic “cause”, rendering all alliances and compromises possible.”
Analysis
How Intelligence Was Twisted to Support an Attack on Syria Gareth Porter says the unclassified summary of the intelligence gathered on Syria “displays multiple indications that the integrity of the assessment process was seriously compromised by using language that distorted the intelligence in ways that would justify an attack on Syria.”
Government Assessment of the Syrian Government’s Use of Chemical Weapons on Aug 21, 2013 The document Porter is referring to.
A Detailed Summary of the Evidence On Munitions Linked to the August 21 Attacks Brown Moses provides a pertinent analysis on the events, using pictures and videos that emerged on social media.
Les Huit Regles de l’Interview d’Un Dictateur au Bord du Gouffre Zineb Dryef analyzes the Figaro interview with Assad and draws eight parallels with the responses Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.
Le Figaro Interviews Bashar al-Assad Here’s a sample of Le Figaro interview she was referring to.
4 Essential Questions Before We Rush to War
Policy, Reports, Statements
Urgent Appeal to Support Eastern Ghouta Razan Zeitouneh says Eastern Ghouta is relatively calm compared to other ‘liberated’ areas, but that this will not last for long if there are no efforts in “collecting garbage from residential areas, and supporting projects that provide food from inside the besieged area exposed to hunger, witnessing a very sharp bread crisis since several months.”
Syria Chemical Attacks: The Intelligence Dossiers Very useful piece on the intelligence gathered by France, the US, and Britain on Syria.
Resources
Syria: The Executive Summary, 09/03 Syria Deeply has started its own daily summary of major developments.
Qassem Suleimani: the Man Who Governs Syria A brief profile of a security decision-maker in Syria.
Contradictions and Carelessness in the Syrian Situation Genevieve Theodorakis concludes that “violence begets violence, and more violence is unlikely to bring this crisis to a timely and manageable conclusion. Comprehensive and inclusive diplomatic talks with the Assad regime, Iran, and a disillusioned Russia likely stand as the only viable solution.”
Arabic
وسط الدماء أسماء الأسد منشغلة بتوريث ابنها و برشافتها
Al-Arabiya on a British report about Mrs. Al-Assad, Asmaa’s preoccupation with fashion and physique while Syria suffers from blood and the possibility of a foreign military attack.
بين ضجيج الضربات و جحيم المخيمات: الدكتور هيثم مناع
Program on France24 about Syrian refugees and their status in neighbouring countries.
Razan Zeitouna’s urgent call for support to Eastern Ghouta.
CNN :ماذا يستفيد الأسد من تأجيل الضربة العسكرية
CNN report on the discussion in the US about military intervention in Syria.
اللواء فايز الدويري و تحليل استراتيجي لمرحلة ما بعد الضربة الأمريكية للأسد
Lieutenant Fayez ad-Duweiri provides a strategic analysis of the ramifications of a U.S military strike on Assad.