Syria Media Roundup (November 10)

[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.]

Inside Syria 

Why did Jund Al-Aqsa join Nusra Front in taking out `moderate` rebels in Idlib? Tam Hussein on Jund Al-Aqsa’s indicative position on the practices of the Syrian Rebel Front and U.S. intervention.  

Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to elect new supreme leader The Syrian Brotherhood has taken initiative in order to select their leader, and their participation and objectives in Syria are questioned.  

Nusra’s Offensive in Idlib & its Attempt to Destroy Washington’s Allies A well informed source in the Jabal al-Zawiya region provided Joshua Landis with information about Jabhat al-Nusra’s offensive against the Syrian Revolutionaries’ Front and Hazm Movement in the area. 

Islamic Front control staves off opposition infighting in Aleppo Shelly Kittleson reports about the coordination among the disparate anti-regime forces in the Aleppo area thanks to control by the Islamic Front and the common threat of the Islamic State, though tension has risen because of rebel infighting in the bordering region. 

Why arming rebels will fuel Syria`s inferno Edward Dark provides an insight about why arming Syria’s rebels is a dangerous move. According to Dark, that “will only result in prolonging the war and potentially empowering extremists”.  

Activist: Civilians `prefer` Nusra to US-backed SRF `stealing, looting` After Jabhat a-Nusra routed the US-backed Syrian Revolutionaries Front (SRF) over the weekend, “citizen journalist Ala a-Din al-Khatib, who lives in Jabal a-Zawiya, says “the street in general” prefers Nusra rule to that of the SRF.” 

Assad`s Syria Truncated, Battered but Defiant Diaa Hadid reports that " It also highlights the fact that Sunnis, who form the country`s majority faith group, form Assad`s chief power base, even as the rebellion is dominated by Sunnis. Minorities, like the Alawites, Shiites and Christians, mostly support the government or have remained neutral." 

A frank look at America’s interests, values and mistakes, in Syria Camille Otrakji provides a comprehensive analysis of the American foreign policy towards Syria.

The Arabic version of this article can be found here:
 المصالح والقيم والأخطاء الأمريكية في سورية 

Syrian foreign minister: our diplomatic priorities are to ensure resilience, secure more arms al-Akbar interviews the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem who provides his perspectives on regional and international policies towards Syria.-

The Arabic version of this article can be found here:
المقابلة | المعلّم: سنحصل على «اس 300» قريباً

`My Name is Dr. Majed and I Am Another Syrian Doctor Killed During Duty` Zaher Sahloul، President of The Syrian American Medical Society, SAMS, writes a lament for his friend Dr. Dr. Mohamad Majed Bari who was killed in Syria.

Regional and International Perspectives     

Spies warned White House: don’t hit Al Qaeda in Syria The U.S. military campaign in Syria has become a more prominent, despite intentions of a limited operation.

Who did the United States just attack in Syria and why? Aron Lund on the United States motive behind their military campaign in Syria and the current counterterrorist focus.

How U.S. Led Strikes on Syria May be Helping Assad The rise of the Islamic State has created an open-ended conflict within Syria, and the regime has benefitted from U.S. taking the fight to IS. Dominique Soguel reports that Assad`s regime is profiting at the expense of his fractured opposition since the US decided to take the fight to IS in Syria.

Double or Nothing on the Islamic State James Traub analyzes Obama`s foreign policy towards Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Security Council hears plan to clear Syria of chemical weapons Lorenzo Ferrigno reports for CNN that "The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is in the capital of Damascus this week to sort out the plan for the destruction of 12 facilities used to make chemical weapons"

 Northern Ireland man charged with attending training camp in Syria “A Northern Ireland man charged with possessing weapons and explosives while in Syria told police he was involved in battles against both Islamic State (Isis) and the Assad regime, a court has heard”. 

Policy and Reports

Borderline Warfare Alex Rowell claims that the Syrian conflict is a battle for territory rather than just borders.

Syrian official: negotiations with US blocked by Saudi Arabia Jean Aziz interviews Syrian official who "spoke on the continued gains of the Syrian army, the failings of the international coalition and chances of talks between the opposing parties".

The Arabic version of this article can be found here:
حوار بين دمشق وواشنطن ورهان على ما بعد 24 تشرين الثاني

Why Can`t the Pentagon Kill the Islamic State`s Top Commanders? Kate Brannen analyzes obstacles that confront Obama administration`s bombing campaign, known as "decapitation strike", to eliminate the Islamic State`s top leaders.

Exclusive: Washington Cuts Funds for Investigating Bashar al-Assad`s War Crimes Colum Lynch reports that "The U.S. State Department plans to cut its entire $500,000 in annual funding next year to an organization dedicated to sneaking into abandoned Syrian military bases, prisons, and government facilities to collect documents and other evidence linking Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s regime and its proxies to war crimes and other mass atrocities during the country`s brutal civil war.

Economy and Agriculture

A Booming Business for Firewood, as Syrians Seek Ways to Keep Warm this Winter Syria Deeply interviews Yousef, a woodcutter in Damascus, who has made a robust business out of selling lumber to keep Syrians warm. 

Understanding the oil money that`s fueling ISIS David Butter on the key source of income for the Islamic state and what this means for Syria at large. 

Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media 

Syria video dispatch: inside al-Waer, safe haven under siege “As the world looks to the threat of extremist fighters in Syria, the residents of al-Waer, once a safe haven, find themselves under siege from President Bashar al-Assad`s forces.”

Fareed Zakaria goes 1-on-1 with Syria expert Joshua Landis to discuss an innovative solution to the ongoing Syrian crisis Fareed Zakaria and Joshua Landis discuss the situation on ground and the US policy towards the region as well as what might be a solution to the ongoing Syrian crisis.

Inside Kobane: ISIL militants release shocking images of destruction Video showing the destruction on the streets of Kobane as belligerence continues.

Syrian refugees` art project goes global This video highlights a recent Syrian activist global campaign that aims at bringing visibility to the Syrian refugee children "through the eyes of children in the form of a giant canvas covered with their original art." 

Arabic: 

خط ساخن بين عين العرب وأربيل و«جبهة النصرة» تكتسح معقلاً للمعتدلين
Peshmerga forces arrived in Kobane to fight against ISIS.

اشتباكات عنيفة في عين العرب بعد وصول «البيشمركة»
Violent clashes in Kobani after the arrival of Peshmerga forces.   

«جهاد النكاح» بين زيارتين: ليس خرافة مشرقية
Hazem al-Amin writes about Jihad Al-Nikah (Sex jihad) of Tunisian jihadists in Syria.

«النصرة» تنافس «داعش» ... على حدود تركيا
In defiance of «Islamic State», Jabhat al- Nusra mobilized its forces near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey. 

معارك حماه توقف عمليات حلب: «النمر» يسافر لمواجهة «النصرة»
Alaa Halabi reports about recent battles that "still rage around Aleppo as Suhail al-Hassan, aka the Tiger, leaves the siege to oversee the defense of the Christian town of Mhardeh".

The English version of this article can be found here:
Syrian regime forces fight on multiple fronts around Aleppo 

الجيش يمنع تمدد النار السورية إلى العرقوب                   
Tareq Abu Hamdan reports that the Lebanese army intercepted a convoy of mules that was transporting 11 wounded combatants of the «Free Syrian Army» to be hospitalized in Lebanon following their clashes with Druze in Quneitra. 

سوريا: اغتيال 5 مهندسين نوويين ومقاتلو المعارضة يسيطرون على نوى
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that "Five engineers working in the field of nuclear energy have been assassinated by unknowns in an attack on a bus near Barzeh neighborhood" 

«النصرة» تنافس «داعش» ... في حصار الأكراد
While the Islamic State`s fighters attack the Kurds in Kobani, Jabhat al Nusra moves to attack Afrin (another large Kurdish city in Northern Syria). 

المرأة السورية وجرائم النظام وداعش
Rima Fleihan writes about the current challenges that face Syrian women from the sides of both the Syrian regime and ISIS.  

حملة إعادة تفعيل المجتمع المدني
This article highlights a new campaign that was launched by The Day After Organization under the title "Let`s Reactivate Civil Society," which aims "to re-activate the role of civil society, and focus on its importance in Syria today."

The English version of this article can be found here:
Let`s Reactivate Civil Society Campaign 

نقطتان حاسمتان في الوضع السوري
Hazem Nahar discusses two points about the current situation in Syria. The first point is about the American intervention in Syria. The second point tackles the structure of the Syrian opposition.  

سلمية... بوابة النظام السوري لكسب ود التحالف الدولي
Absi Sumaisem writes about Al-Salamiyah city (which is located in western Syria, in Hama Governorate) as a strategic point for the Syrian regime to win the International Alliance`s acknowledgment of the regime as a partner in fighting ISIS. 

بلدية دده تنذر السوريين برفع خيمهم العشوائية
Fadi Da`aboul writes about the implications of a new decision of the municipality of Dedde, Lebanon. The decision warns Syrian refugees who live in camps around the Oasis Mall to evacuate their camps before Nov 10, 2014. 

«معركة حلب» تقرر مستقبل الحل السوري ودي ميستورا في دمشق لـ «تجميد الصراع»
Ibrahim Hamidi explores the future of the Syrian conflict resolution in light of the implication of "Aleppo`s battle."

عن "بلدنا الرهيب"
Hayfa Bitar reviews Mohammad Ali Atassi and Ziad Homsi new documentary "Our Terrible Country," which focuses on the life and experince of the 52-year-old Syrian writer Yassin Al Haj Saleh and his close circles.  

الأسرة السورية تنفق ثلث الراتب على أجور النقل
This article shows the current severe economic conditions inside the Syrian regime-held areas in which the Syrian families spend third of their income on transportations.

أطفال سوريا “ملائكة” في أكبر لوحات العالم
This article highlights the efforts of a group of Syrian Fine Artists in Istanbul city who worked on a painting called "the angels of Syria", which is considered as the largest painting in the world. The painting documents nearly 12 thousand Syrian children names who were victims of the ongoing war. 

من الذي سلّم المنبر للرجل
Afra Jalabi reflects on the religious gender roles in Islam and the continuing controversy that resulted from her Eid sermon  at the Noor Cultural Centre in Toronto, Canada during the first day of the latest Eid al-Adha.

أوباما يعلن عن "مرحلة جديدة" في الحرب ضد تنظيم "الدولة الإسلامية"
This article outlines Obama comments on sending additional 1,500 US troops to Iraq, and news of wounding some ISIS leaders including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by American airstrikes.