[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.]
English Links
Inside Syria
The New Arab: New COVID Wave Hits NW Syria as Health Supplies Run Out (15 September 2021)
Northwest Syria faces dwindling supplies of oxygen and COVID testing kits amid an influx of cases.
Al Monitor: Turkey-Backed Syrian Opposition Groups Merge Under New Banner (16 September 2021)
Factions affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army joined together to form a new alliance called the Syrian Liberation Front. Factions include the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, Jamza Division al-Mutasim Brigade, Suqour al-Shamal Brigades, and the 20th Division.
Al Monitor: Syrian Jihadist Group in Idlib Replaces Security Squad with ‘Moral Police’ (13 September 2021)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) discontinued its Al-Falah security apparatus that was developed in March 2020 as part of the religious police. HTS will form an alternative apparatus that will serve as the “moral police.”
OCHA: Situation Report #30: Recent Developments in Northwest Syria and RATAA (13 September 2021)
Northwest Syria faces an increase in COVID-cases with more than 1,000 daily cases reported and an escalation in hostilities resulting in the death of 86 civilians and 205 injured.
Al Monitor: Amid Escalation in Idlib, Residents Fear Renewed Russian-backed Offensive (11 September 2021)
Syrian government forces have ramped up their attacks on Idlib while Russian warplanes continue daily raids on northwestern Syria in the area where the March 2020 ceasefire between Russia and Turkey remains in place.
The New Arab: ‘Honor’ Killings: three women murdered with impunity in Syria (10 September 2021)
Three women were killed during the months of June and July and the perpetrators remain unpunished. A new report from Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) details that the killers were relatives of the women and members of the Syrian National Army (SNA) which offered them protection from punishment.
OCHA: Water Crisis in Northern and Northeast Syria: Immediate Response and Funding Requirements (9 September 2021)
Unprecedented low water levels in the Euphrates River compounded by low and erratic rainfall and higher than average temperatures increase the potential for a drought in northern and northeast Syria during the second quarter of 2021. Drought conditions would severely impact agriculture production. In addition, the region also continues to face water supply disruptions at the Al-Khasfa water station and the Ein El-Bayda water station which supply water to approximately 184,000 people in Al-Bab district in northern Aleppo.
Regional and International Perspective
Syria Untold: Rateb Shabo: ‘Politics Disappears Amid Violence: Exile and the State of the Syrian Left (17 September 2021)
Syria Untold speaks to political dissident Rateb Shabo about the state of Syrian leftist politics and his time imprisoned and in exile.
The New Arab: Putin Meets Assad, Takes Swipe at US and Turkish Forces in Syria (14 September 2021)
Assad visited Putin in Moscow for the first time since 2015. During their meeting Putin criticized the presence of foreign forces in Syria lacking a UN mandate.
Al Monitor: Lebanon Energy Plan Includes Syria (10 September 2021)
Analysts speculate whether Syria’s isolation has been “cracked” after a meeting between Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria in which leaders agreed to supply Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria and supply Jordanian electricity at a later stage to Lebanon via Syria.
Al Jazeera: Lafarge Case Uncovers French Hypocrisy say Analysts (10 September 2021)
The Lafarge case has led to discussions in France about the complicity of multinationals in financing armed groups.
Arts and Culture
Syria Untold: In Drawings: From Ottoman Syria to Argentina (10 September 2021)
A series of photos depicts the journey of two young boys who snuck on a merchant ship in Beirut headed towards Argentina in 1913.
Policy Reports
SJAC: Priorities for the 2021 United Nations General Assembly (September 2021)
*Read the report in Arabic here.
SJAC outlined its advocacy priorities in preparation for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Priorities presented by SJAC include: preventing the forced return of refugees to Syria, pressuring the Syrian and Russian governments to release information on detainees and missing persons, and tracking closely the human rights situation in northwest Syria.
SJAC: What Afghanistan Portends for Syria (2 September 2021)
SJAC considers what lessons can be learned from the common patterns of violence seen with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. In particular, SJAC discusses how what played out in Afghanistan can be avoided in Syria with regards to migration and amends.
Arabic Links
عنببلدي: مرصددولي: النظامالسوريمستمرباستخدامالقنابلالعنقودية(١٦ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
وثق “مرصد استخدام القنابل العنقودية”، التابع لـ”الحملة الدولية لحظر الألغام الأرضية”، استمرار استخدام النظام السوري للذخائر العنقودية منذ 2012 حتى العام الجاري.
عنببلدي: تقرير: 174 اعتداءعلىالمخابزفيسوريامنذآذار 2011 (١٦ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
وثقت “الشبكة السورية لحقوق الإنسان” ما لا يقل عن 174 حادثة اعتداء على المخابز، منذ شهر آذار 2011 وحتى تاريخ اليوم.
العربالجديد: مليشياعراقيةتستوليعلىمنازلالمدنيينفيريفالرقة(١٦ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
استولت مليشيا "خزب الله" (العراقية) المدعومة من "الحرس الثوري الإيراني" ، اليوم الخميس، على عدد من المنازل في حي النبعة بمدينة معدان، شرق محافظة الرقة، شمال شرق سورية، لتحولها إلى مستودعات لوجستية خاصة بعناصرها.
الجزيرة: حروبروسياالأبدية.. سورياوالسعيلتحقيقمكانةقوةعظمى (١٦ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
يصادف شهر سبتمبر/أيلول 2021 الذكرى السادسة لتدخل روسيا في الحرب الأهلية السورية. وقد سمحت الإستراتيجية التي وضعتها روسيا ضد الإستراتيجيات الغربية المشوشة والمترددة لموسكو بتحقيق هدفها الأولي المتمثل في منع سقوط نظام بشار الأسد.
العربالجديد: أهاليالسويداءيعيشونفيرعبمتواصلبسببعصاباتيحميهاالنظامالسوري (١٥ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
تبدو الحركة محدودة في شوارع وأسواق مدينة السويداء جنوبي سورية، الأربعاء، كما توقفت حركة التنقل عبر طريق "السويداء - دمشق"، والذي يمر في وسط بلدة "عتيل"، وهي معقل "عصابة راجي فلحوط"، والتي قامت خلال الأيام الماضية بخطف عدد من المدنيين، وإطلاق النار في الشوارع، مما تسبب بسقوط قتيل وإصابة آخرين.
الجزيرة: معاويةالصياصنة.. الطفلالذيأشعلالثورةالسوريةنازحقسريفيحلب(٩ سبتمبر ٢٠٢١)
أصبح معاوية الصياصنة -وهو أحد الوجوه البارزة التي أشعلت الثورة السورية في درعا ربيع 2011- نازحا قسريا في ريف حلب شمالي سوريا، بعد أن فرضت قوات النظام السوري التي تحاصر درعا البلد رحيل رافضي التسوية إلى خارج المدينة.