[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
Shielded by the State: Assad’s monopoly over Syria’s public institutions In Syria, the regime remains in control of the public goods and services distributed by the Syrian state.
Teachers in Daraa risk regime’s interrogation to get monthly paychecks Despite the 2014 deal for government to fund schools in Deraa rebel towns, teachers are too afraid of military interference to get their salaries.
As civil war rages on, `life in Syria has crumbled` Syrians are desperate to get out of the country as conditions in Syria worsen. Joshua Landis gives his thoughts on the refugee crisis.
If we do nothing about Syria, then the refugees will keep on coming “With its economy in shreds and its heritage in ruins, the country’s past and its future are both in jeopardy.”
Chemical weapons ‘opening door to hell’ in Syria: MSF Allegations of chemical weapons on civilians in Syria continues, many civilians are killed not through direct clashes but rather through the impact of bombings.
Endless Agony: Syria’s ‘Disappeared’ People More than 240,000 people have lost their lives in more than four years of civil war in Syria. Many of displaced Syrians have “disappeared”.
Who`s Who: Zahran Alloush Zahran is known as “Sheikh Zahran” for his Islamist credentials. As one of the most influential figures in Syria, he is a product of the ongoing civil war: a warlord.
U.S. launches secret drone campaign to hunt Islamic State leaders in Syria According to U.S. officials, the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) are flying drones over Syria in a collaboration responsible for several recent strikes against senior Islamic State operatives.
Allan`s father to Rozana: my son is a symbol of Syrian suffering This is an interview with the father of Aylan and Galip Kurdi. The image of the dead 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi on a Turkish beach went viral via social media. Aylan father shares his tragic experience.
Vladimir Putin confirms Russian military involvement in Syria`s civil war Russian president talks of desire for "international coalition" to fight terrorism and extremism and does not rule out possibility of direct military intervention in Syria
Britain `moving closer` to military action in Syria A senior government minister has signalled Britain is moving closer to military action in war-torn Syria, as Syria`s foreign ministry accuses Britain and France of a `colonialist` agenda.
Blasted to bits: Now ISIS blows up three 2,000-year-old tomb towers in Palmyra Satellite images show that ISIS has blown up three ancient tower tombs in Palmyra. Syrian antiquities chief says that the tombs were best preserved and most beautiful. This tragic event comes after the destruction of Baal Shamin shrine and the Temple of Bel.
Regional and International Perspectives
10,000 Syrian companies operating in Turkey Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations is preparing a report on the impact of Syrian immigration in 18 states of Turkey.
The Gulf countries are doing virtually nothing to help with the Syrian refugee crisis Gulf countries have been doing very little to assist Syrian refugees as the crisis looms larger.
Russia Puts Boots on the Ground in Syria “The numbers are small, but Moscow may be looking at its own version of mission creep in the treacherous Middle East.”
U.S. warns Russia over military support for Assad Secretary of State John Kerry warns Russia that a move in Syria could lead to a confrontation with the U.S.-led coalition.
Chris Christie: Obama `allowed` Syrians` slaughter Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie on Thursday (September, 3rd) tied the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Syrians to President Barack Obama, alleging his inaction contributed to the crisis gripping Syria and its refugees flooding Europe.
Greek vacationers rescue Syrian man after 13 hours lost at sea Syrian man saved by Greek vacationers after 13 hours lost at sea. Sandra Tsiligeridu`s photo of her embracing Mohammed Besmar has gone viral. More than 200,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece this year.
Migrant crisis: Why Syrians do not flee to Gulf states As the crisis brews over Syrian refugees trying to enter European countries, questions have been raised over why they are not heading to wealthy Gulf states closer to home.
The Arab world’s wealthiest nations are doing next to nothing for Syria’s refugees "six Gulf countries — Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain — have offered zero resettlement places to Syrian refugees."
Thousands in UK pledge to help resettle refugees Citizens UK and Avaaz campaign opens way for public to urge local councils to offer sanctuary to Syrians under UNHCR scheme.
Pope calls for every European parish to take in refugee family Pope Francis on Sunday (September 6th) called on every Catholic parish in Europe to take in a refugee family, saying the Vatican’s two parishes would lead by example by taking in two families “fleeing death.”
Economy and Agriculture
Officials deny Syria oil field captured by ISIS “Syria government officials have denied that ISIS fighters captured an oil field which a monitoring group reported had been seized from government forces.”
ISIS takes Syrian state’s last oilfield Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters have seized the last major oilfield under Syrian government control during battles over a vast central desert zone, a group monitoring the conflict said on Monday (September 7th).
Similar news article can be read in Arabic here:«داعش» يسيطر على أجزاء من حقل جزل النفطي السوري
Policy and Reports
The nations that sent the most arms to Syria have accepted the fewest refugees Combined, the 8 countries that sent the most weapons to Syria since 2011 only accepted 2 percent of the refugees Germany has taken in.
The Islamic State’s Game in Egypt The Islamic State claimed responsibility for last week’s car bomb attack near the national security building in downtown Cairo. The Islamic State seeks to send a strong message to the Egyptian government that, despite the recently-passed terror act, armed resistance to President Sisi’s secular government will continue with full power.
UN Text Messages Over 200,000 Syrian Refugees: Food Aid To Be Cut Off More than 200,000 Syrian refugees living in Jordan learned via text message that the U.N. food aid they rely on to survive is getting completely cut.
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
New ISIS in Sinai video documents use of advanced weaponry A new video released by “State of Sinai”, the peninsula’s “Islamic State”-affiliated militant group, documents a number of sophisticated operations on Egyptian army targets and appears to show the group’s capacity to move with alarming freedom through areas of North Sinai.
Canada Under Fire After Photo Of Drowned Syrian Boy Goes Viral After a photo of a drowned 3-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi went viral, Canada has come under fire for not doing enough to welcome refugees. The image touched the world`s nerve with the hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik, or “Humanity washed ashore.” The boy`s family had hopes of going to Canada.
صور | ردا للجميل.. لاجؤو سوريا ينظفون شوارع ألمانيا A group of Syrian refugees in Saalfeld town in Germany launched an initiative to clean the streets of the town as a thank you note for the country hospitality.
Arabic:
المازوت والأزمة في سورية: السوق السوداء ملاذاً وحيداً Rim Turkmani argues that the lack of availability of Mazut (type of diesel fuel) in the regions under the opposition control led to the destruction of the agriculture economy in these regions.
لجنة التحقيق الدولية بشأن سوريا تنفي “تهجير” الوحدات الكوردية للعرب A report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria denied that the People`s Protection Units (which are the main armed service of the Kurdish Supreme Committee) committed "forced displacement" of Arab residents in the provinces of Hasaka and Al-Raqqah.
خنق شمال الرقة والرشوة تعود من جديد This report indicates that corruption and restrictions on movement by People`s Protection Units and some units of the Free Syrian Army in northern Al-Raqqah discourage many displaced people from going back to their homes.
“مجموعة الموت” انشقت عن “داعش” ونفذت اغتيالًا في حماة A violent group that names itself "the secret death group" executed an explosion in Hama city on Sept 5th. The group is speculated to be a split off ISIS.
زيارة “مفاجئة” لأسماء الأسد إلى ملعب تشرين Asma al-Assad visited on Saturday 5 September, a training session for special olympics athletes in October Stadium, Damascus.
شاب يغامر بحياته لتصوير جهاديي تنظيم "الدولة الإسلامية" في الرقة A Syrian activist that use the fake name "Abu Sham Al-Raqqah" on social media risks his life while documenting ISIS in Al-Raqqah.
الإعلام السوري الرسمي يكتشف اللاجئين Sama Rahbi criticizes the recent use of the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe by the Syrian regime media to whitewash the regime from this suffering and blame it only of terrorists.
شبكات تهريب اللاجئين السوريين..4 طرق محفوفة بالمخاطر إلى أوروبا Ayham Al-Fares reviews four ways that endanger the lives of Syrian refugees in their way to Europe.
فرنسا تستبعد التدخل البري في سوريا وتقرر إرسال طائرات استطلاع François Hollande, president of France, announced that his country will send reconnaissance planes over Syria against ISIS.
أهالي السويداء يشيعون البلعوس ويتظاهرون أمام المحافظة People of Sweida, on Monday September 7th, mourned Sheikh Wahed Belaos and the victims of the explosions that targeted Sweida last Friday, coinciding with demonstrations through the streets of the city that centered in front of the governorate building.