[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
In newly besieged Aleppo, residents ration food fearing what`s to come After government forces take only route into rebel-held Aleppo, residents say fuel and food prices have jumped over concerns of a long blockade.
ISIS barbarians behead four popular footballers in Syria after accusing them of spying for Kurdish rebels Five men executed by ISIS terrorists in Raqqa. ISIS claimed they were spying for Kurdish rebel group.
Senior Jihadi commander killed in northern latakia Failaq al-Sham mourned Hazem Shardoub, a top military commander, who was killed on July the 8th during clashes with the Syrian Army in northern Latakia.
Over 60 civilians killed in Syria`s Aleppo by shelling More than 60 civilians were killed by shelling and air strikes in northwest Syria on Friday (9 July), a monitoring group said, hours before the end of a shaky ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Syria war: Inside an Aleppo hospital after airstrikes The ABC`s Middle East correspondent Sophie McNeill spoke to an American surgeon who has been working inside Aleppo`s hospitals with the city`s Medical Council and with Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).
Regional and International Perspectives
Suppose America Gave a Proxy War in Syria and Nobody Came? Sam Heller writes that new Syrian Army`s near-destruction yet another blow to America`s proxy war on ISIS.
Islamic stateless? ISIS fighters are losing their caliphate, but they remain deadly.
Turkey is Tightening Financially on Syrians! Syrians in Turkey suffers from the difficulty of dealing with banks and money transfer companies and suspending their bank accounts on various charges, such as financing terrorism, or transferring funds to militants in Syria.
I read the Chilcot report as I travelled across Syria this week and saw for myself what Blair`s actions caused Robert Fisk wonders what’s the difference between Iraqi WMDs that don’t exist, 45-minute warnings that are falsities, 70,000 non-existent Syrian “moderates” and a fictitious NHS windfall of millions if Britain left the EU?
Pentagon’s New Program for Syrian Rebels Includes Just Air-Dropping Weapons into an Open Field The Pentagon has recently revamped its military aid plans for Syrian armed opposition groups with a new program of simply air dropping boxes of weapons and training manuals into open fields.
In Caring About Syria for the Sake of Syrians, We Should Be More Like Jo Cox Riad Alarian writes: "What is arguably worse than the lack of humanitarian action from global leaders, however, is the international community’s tacit endorsement of this lack of action."
War reporter Marie Colvin was tracked, targeted and killed by Assad’s forces, family says Award-winning Sunday Times journalist was killed in Baba Amr in 2012. Her relatives say she murdered by the Baath regime.
Writer-Activist Meredith Tax Gives Voice to the Women Fighting ISIS This article discusses Meredith Tax’s latest book, A Road Unforeseen: Women Fight the Islamic State—due out in late August from Bellevue Literary Press—that focuses on newly-liberated region called Rojava and women`s resistance to ISIS there.
Trump Picks Embattled Syrian President Assad as Running Mate Roger Pumper writes "Calling the Syrian strongman “a guy who’s really good at killing terrorists,” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has named Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as his running mate."
Is the Islamic State Unstoppable? Hassan Hassan argues that ISIS "threat is not going away. The group’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: control of the Muslim world."
Falluja after Isis: a city of ghosts and graffiti Days after the militant group was cleared from Falluja, the victors erase the symbols of its reign. But, for the people, the future is uncertain
Suheir Atassi’s swimsuit and our moral bankruptcy Nervana Mahmoud criticizes the social media attacks against Suheir Atassi after the spread of Atassi`s photos wearing a swimsuit at a Turkish resort.
Policy and Reports
Humanitarian groups calling for Jordan Government to urgently unblock aid to 65,000 Syrian refugees Human Rights Watch and Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) are calling on the Jordanian Government to urgently allow food and water to reach over 65,000 Syrians stranded on the Syrian-Jordanian border.
Book Review: “Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War” Kasper van Laarhoven reviews Robin Yassin-Kassab`s and Leila al-Shami`s new book Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War published in February 2016.
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
Syria: Voices from the Berm A Syrian woman said: "Conditions here are very bad - we can`t go back to Daraa; there is rape, sexual harassment, kidnapping"
Body builder Sajad Gharibi known as `Iranian Hulk` signs up to fight Isis in Syria Professional weight lifter Sajad Gharibi, also known as the Persian Hercules, says he wants to become a soldier and plans to start training.
Syrian refugee children in Lebanon face growing sex abuse threat Aid agencies in Lebanon say increasing numbers of Syrian refugee children are being sexually abused.
In photos: President Assad visits wounded soldiers in Syria’s Homs Bashar Al Assad and his family met several wounded Syrian soldiers in a surprise visit to Homs’s countryside.
AP: Islamic State`s Twitter traffic drops amid US efforts The Islamic State group`s Twitter traffic has plunged 45 percent in the past two years, the Obama administration says, as the U.S. and its allies have countered messages of jihadi glorification with a flood of online images and statements about suffering and enslavement at the hands of the extremist organization.
Shot by refugees … Exodus, the shocking documentary that puts you on the sinking ship A groundbreaking new documentary gives cameras to refugees fleeing to Europe. The resulting three-part film takes you with them every step – from suburban flat to leaky dinghy to suffocating container.
Arabic Links:
سلام ضد السلام Mohammad Dibo criticizes the insufficiency of reconciliation plans to end the Syria conflict and to achieve a real peace.
سائق برتبة «شبّيح» يعتدي على صحافي سوري! Maher Al-Mounes, AFP journalist, was brutally attacked by a "Shabeeh" Taxi driver when he refused to pay extortionate fare in Damascus.
عن الإرهاب في أسبابه..هل نحن شركاء في صناعته؟!.. سميرة المسالمة Samira Masalmeh analyzes causes of terrorism in the region and emphasizes that the solution must be a political one.
50 عائلة يتخذون من حطام السيارات مأوى لهم في الغوطة الشرقية This video shows that 50 families, in besieged Eastern Ghouta, Syria, are living in wrecked cars.
لماذا ذهب نجل الأسد إلى هونغ كونغ؟ Bashar al-Assad`s Son Hafez Assad was in Hong Kong to participate in the 57th International Mathematical Olympiad 2016.
عروض روسية للمجموعات: باب التسوية ما زال مفتوحاً Suhaib Anjarini writes about the Russian proposals for the armed opposition groups in the besieged Aleppo.
حرب الذات والآخر Raghida Dergham discusses measures to tackle ISIS like education and policies and argues that ISIS wants Trump to be the U.S president.
The English version of this article can be found here: ISIS: The War with the Self and the War of the Other
الرفيع بشير الشفيع: لماذا نستقبل السوريين في السودان بترحاب؟ Bashir Al-Shafieye reflects on historical reasons that contribute to building solidarity between Syrians and Sudaneses that make Sudan a welcome society to Syrian refugees.
"مايوه" سهير الأتاسي.. والتقية التي تمارسها المعارضة السورية Emad Najjar criticizes the social media attacks against Suheir Atassi after the spread of Atassi`s photos wearing a swimsuit at a Turkish resort.
عشرات المخيمات بريف إدلب.. تعرف على الأشهر Dozens of refugee camps were set up across the Syrian-Turkish borders, but what are the most important ones?
كيف تعاملت الدراما السورية مع ما يجري في سوريا According to Asaad Hanna, as Syrian drama series gain popularity in the Arab world, the Syrian regime seeks to promote its vision through these series produced inside the Syrian territory.
The English version of this article can be found here: The politicization of Syria`s soap operas