There was little possibility that the frail Syrian woman in her 70s could make the arduous, illegal trek across the steep, mountainous territory separating Syria from Turkey, but she nonetheless stood with a few young men who were hiding on the Syrian side, waiting for a Turkish soldier to move away from an opening in the coiled razor wire before dashing through it. After about a half an hour, she gave up.
Tag Archives: syrian
Syria: Deepening Divide
Like many of the syrian farming communities near Lebanon’s northern border, Aarida, as seen from the Lebanese village of Buqaya, offers a bucolic scene worthy of a postcard.
Syria’s Machinery of Repression: Can Fear Be Overcome?
To the untrained ear, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Tuesday offer of amnesty for “all members of political movements” may sound resoundingly generous. But his opponents know that anything sugarcoated offered by the Syrian regime has had a violent and bitter follow-through.
Syria: If Protesters Don’t Get Assad, the Economy Will
As the crisis in Syria continues, many observers are beginning to say that if the protesters cannot overthrow the regime, the economy will. With political uncertainty at a suffocating level, the Syrian pound has fallen against the U.S.
Turkey’s Role in Arab Spring: Can Erdogan Influence Assad?
On Oct. 13, 2009, the Oncupinar border gate between Turkey and Syria played a starring role in a diplomatic photo op
Syria’s Assad Bashes Heads, Hoping His Regime’s Strategic Importance Buys It a Pass
Location, in real estate and sometimes in politics, is everything.
The Revolution Will Be YouTubed: Syria’s Video Rebels
At first you might think you are in the office of a Silicon Valley tech company. There are flip cameras everywhere
Syria’s Assad: Making an Example of Dara’a
If human rights workers and journalists are ever allowed into the besieged southern Syrian city of Dara’a near the Jordanian border, what horrors will they find? Syrians always had good reason to avoid rebelling against their authoritarian regime, ignoring early calls to join the Arab Spring.
Assad and Reform: Damned if He Does, Doomed if He Doesn’t
Once upon a time, Syria erected a formidable barrier of fear that kept its citizens in check for decades. Today, however, authoritarian Baathist rule isn’t looking all that insurmountable anymore
The Arab Spring: Is This the Syrian Regime’s Playbook?
A man in a white shirt lies motionless, apparently dead, on an otherwise empty road, his arms and legs splayed at awkward angles. Intense gunfire crackles as four black-clad anti-riot policemen in helmets and shields run up to the body, several beat it with their batons before dragging it along the asphalt by its feet