[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
Death continues to rain from above in Aleppo After two and a half months of relative quiet in the liberated, opposition-controlled areas in the city of Aleppo, the government’s air force started a new shelling campaign on Aleppo.
Latakia is Assad`s Achilles Heel “In light of its large Sunni population, the coastal city and its environs are not secure for the Syrian regime, possibly explaining why Russian forces are concentrating there.”
Syria confirms receipt of Russian jets to target ISIS “Air force takes delivery of fighter planes and reconnaissance aircraft, and US officials say Moscow plans to send 2,000 personnel to airbase near Latakia”
We must compromise with evil in Syria Ending the war in Syria is a stepping stone to an end to the migrant crisis and a peace process in Syria.
Militants execute 56 Syrian regime soldiers at captured airbase Islamist insurgents shoot dead 56 members of Syrian government forces in a mass execution at airbase captured from the army earlier this month in north-west Syria, says monitor.
Syria: Cartoonist Akram Raslan confirmed dead under torture Akram Raslan, the Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)`s 2013 winner of the Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning, died under torture in a government detention center a few months after being arrested in October 2012 at his workplace in Hama.
Young Uzbek suicide bomber filmed crying before carrying out final mission in Syria Footage has emerged of a young Uzbeck suicide bomber weeping in his final moments before he is sent on his final mission. The young jihadist, reportedly in his 20s, has been named as Jafar al-Tayyar. He was fighting with al-Qaeda aligned rebels, the al-Nusra Front.
Syrian army uses new Russian jets to strike Islamic State: monitor Syrian government forces used newly arrived Russian warplanes to bombard Islamic State insurgents in Aleppo province in northern Syria.
Syrian baby `born with shrapnel lodged in head after mother injured in Aleppo airstrike` A baby girl has been born with shrapnel lodged in her head in Syria after her pregnant mother suffered horrific injuries in a rocket attack (Graphic footage showed the child being delivered in an emergency caesarean section).
Regional and International Perspectives
De Mistura Plan: green light on `Parallel Negotiations` UN envoy earns approval from Syrian government and opposition to launch parallel negotiations on a number of issues in an effort to end the four year crisis.
Ceasefire deal is testimony of Iranian power Hassan Hassan argues that if the current ceasefire in Syria holds, it will freeze the conflict in several hotspots.
Finding Obama’s missing Syrian fighters The Pentagon’s efforts to clarify allegations about U.S.-trained fighters who defected to an al Qaeda affiliate shows just how confused Washington really is.
On Syria, Putin is catering to an audience at home Putin’s future address to the UN will be “an attempt to maintain the level of propaganda that proved so successful with the Ukraine Crisis.”
Syrian refugees flee to Palestinian Gaza: `World`s largest open air prison` unlikely sanctuary for Syria`s dispossessed In a coffee shop in Gaza City, Syrian refugee Anas Katerji bursts into a well-known Palestinian song: "Palestine my homeland, my victory bath, Palestine stays my heart`s passion."
Like the Syrians, I fled my country. Here’s what you don’t understand about refugees. Mikra Krasniqi shares his story when sixteen years ago, he was forced to flee Kosovo after the Serbian military burned his house to the ground. In relation to Syrian refugees, he emphasizes "abandoning your home during wartime is not a choice or a political opportunity. It’s a survival instinct."
Foreigners arrested in Turkey for abetting refugees Five people, including a German and a French national, were arrested Monday in Istanbul for encouraging Syrian refugees to head for Turkey`s border with the EU.
Spending the night on the Serbia-Hungary border with refugee women Priyali Sur highlights that when Hungary shut its border with Serbia earlier this month, many of the 3,000 refugees who spent night on the Serbian side of the Roszke Horgos border were women and children.
Policy and Reports
It`s time to rethink Syria Philip Gordon on the dramatic developments that have shaped the tragic trajectory of the conflict in Syria.
ISIS, Heritage, and the Spectacles of Destruction in the Global Media This paper focuses on ISIS`s recent destruction of archaeological heritage in Iraq and its (self-) representation in the global media. It is argued that the Islamic State`s destruction of archaeological sites and museums as well as historical monuments and local shrines can be seen as a form of place-based violence that aims to annihilate the local sense of belonging, and the collective sense of memory among local communities, to whom the heritage belongs.
Russian troops in Syria could end up helping Isis, report claims Analysts say involvement ‘underlines contradictions of Kremlin’ as troops are in areas where they are likely to fight groups opposed to Isis
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
Inside the Islamic State kidnap machine Kidnapping generated $25m for Islamic State last year, according to one US intelligence estimate. It`s also a powerful propaganda tool. The business relies on spies, informers, kidnappers, jailers and negotiators who arrange the deals when a captive is released. Syrian journalist Omar Al-Maqdud went to meet some of those who have been involved.
An Arabic related article can be found here: وثائقي بي بي سي: صناعة الخطف لدى تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية
Interview: Dr Bouthaina Shaaban, President Assad`s key advisor Dr Bouthaina Shaaban denies that Russian forces could escalate the conflict in Syria. She also denies that President Assad`s forces have been involved in crimes against humanity.
University of York launches package of funded initiatives to help refugees The University of York today announces it is establishing a package of initiatives worth up to £500,000, over three years, to help refugees who are escaping the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria, North Africa and the Middle East.
أين النساء من طاولة التفاوض والحوار؟ A group of Syrian women discuss women`s political participation in negotiations.
سوريا : هل قبل الغرب بقاء الأسد؟ This France 24 (Arabic) commentary video discusses the progress in the Western attitude toward including Bashar al-Assad as part of Syria transition process.
Arabic:
تنظيم "الدولة الاسلامية" يدعو اللاجئين إلى الهجرة للمناطق التي يسيطر عليها ISIS published a series of video clips urges Muslims to stop migration to Europe, calling them to move to the "Caliphate State".
جماعة أحرار الشام ينتظرها دور أكبر في سوريا Mariam Karouny discusses how Ahrar al-Sham, after an explosion taht killed almost all of its leaders in a single blow last year, re-emerged stronger. It replaced its leader and chose new military commanders. A few months later, it joined a coalition of insurgent groups that seized the city of Idlib with at least 2,000 fighters, making it the most influential group in the Fatah Army (Army of Conquest), which includes al Qaeda`s Syria wing, the Nusra Front.
An English version of this article can be found here: Resilient insurgent group Ahrar al-Sham to play bigger role in Syria
أردوغان: الأسد يمكن أن يشارك بمرحلة انتقالية Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the 12th and current President of Turkey, states that Bashar al-Assad can stay in power and participate in a transitional phase.
ميركل: يجب إشراك الأسد في محادثات إنهاء أزمة سوريا Angela Merkel states that Bashar al-Assad can stay in power and participate in the transition process.
«هندسة اجتماعية» ترسم ملامح «سورية المفيدة»… أرضاً وشعباً Ibrahim Hamidi discusses what he calls "useful Syria" and the roles of Iran and Russia in "social engineering" of a new Syria.
ثلاثة سوريين شغلوا وسائل الإعلام، وغيَّر اللجوء حياتهم Abadah Cogan discusses three refugee stories that dominated media recently and how the media coverage changed their lives.
تقرير: الجنود الروس يرفضون إرسالهم للقتال في سوريا According to a lawyer, a group of Russian soldiers refused to obey military orders to go to Syria to take part in the fighting there.
الهروب من حكم "الدولة الإسلامية" في سوريا BBC interview a young Syrian man who has recently left ISIS-controlled Al-Raqqa city. He shares insights about ISIS governing.
An English version of this article can be found here: Migrant crisis: Fleeing life under Islamic State in Syria
الرئيس الأسد معايداً السوريين في الأضحى المبارك 2015 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun congrats Syrians on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
وزارة الدفاع الروسية: سفن حربية روسية ستجري تدريبات شرق المتوسط Syrian army use for the first time Russian drones.