[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
Battle for Aleppo: Photo of shocked and bloodied Syrian five-year-old sparks outrage A photo of a dazed and bloodied Syrian boy rescued from a destroyed building in Aleppo after an air strike has caused outrage around the world.
Public Employment no Longer Satisfies Syrians Decline attributed to the difficulty exporting textile products, especially cotton thread, to foreign markets because of the blockade and the economic sanctions.
Damascus Countryside Governor Promises Food and Schools to Douma, Harasta Residents Governor promises food and schools to Douma, Harasta residents.
Analysis: No End to Aleppo’s Brutal Stalemate Fighting and airstrikes may be increasing in Aleppo, but this is not a sign that the more than four-year-old stalemate in Syria’s largest city is approaching an end.
Little boy in Aleppo a vivid reminder of war`s horror Haunting image of boy rescued from the rubble in Aleppo circulating on social media. Cameraman: "The image you see today is repeated every day in Aleppo."
How to help: Some of the groups that worked to save Omran Daqneesh — and countless others — in Syria This article shares a list that includes a few of the organizations with people on the ground who risk their lives everyday to help children like Omran.
Message From Aleppo: Omran Is Not The Only Child Hurt In Syria`s Civil War While the case of little Omran is tragic, the world must remember he is not alone, say the medical team who helped save him.
Moscow ‘killing more civilians than Isis’ in Syria Russia has killed more civilians in Syria than ISIS in about a third of the time, according to figures released by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
Civilians caught up in Aleppo cluster bomb attacks Images emerge showing remnants of widely proscribed cluster munitions scattered around civilian area of wartorn city.
Syria regime flies jets over Hasakeh despite US warning Syrian government warplanes were again in the air over the mainly Kurdish-held city of Hasakeh early Saturday despite a US warning against any new strikes that might endanger its military advisers, a monitor said.
Three years after Ghouta, chemical weapons used `over and over again` in Syria Experts said chemical weapons used more frequently in Syria three years on from a shocking attack that killed 1,500 in a Damascus suburb.
Regional and International Perspectives
The Problem With Vows to `Defeat` the Islamic State IS may look nearer to defeat than at any time in the past two years, however, there is a great deal of fighting to be done before the group is destroyed.
Do Ankara, Damascus perceive common Kurdish threat? Kurdish threat may create a dramatic shift in the course of the Syrian war that could severely test the US-Kurdish alliance, trigger violence between Arabs and Kurds, provoke direct Turkish intervention and eventually undermine the Kurds’ giddying gains.
Kurds versus Syrian army battle intensifies, complicating multi-fronted war Fighting between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces intensified as of late, creating a risk of yet another front opening in the multi-sided civil war.
Syria`s renowned White Helmets nominated for 2016 Nobel Peace Prize The volunteer rescuers have been put forward to the Nobel Committee after saving more than 60,000 people in two years of war.
Turkey and Iran Reach Agreement on Conditions for Syria Peace Gareth Porter reports that Turkey and Iran have announced a preliminary agreement on fundamental principles for a settlement of the Syrian conflict in what appears to be the first significant diplomatic break in a five-year international conflict on Syria.
When Women Fight ISIS Meredith Tax argues that Kurdish female warrior "offers a powerful counterimage to that of the raped and dishonored victim who is considered a source of shame to her family and community."
The Failure of International Aid, Empathy, and Innovation for Syria Lina Sergie Attar reflects on the ways in which the Syrian humanitarian crisis that dominates the headlines was left on the margins of the first World Humanitarian Summit when it should have been at the summit of the Summit.
Suicide Bombing At Turkish Wedding Pinned On ISIS A devastating suicide attack on a wedding in Turkey appears to have been orchestrated by ISIS, Turkish officials say.
Turkey`s hit list of enemies is growing as Erdogan prepares to buddy up with Putin in Syria Robert Fisk writes that Turkey`s hit list of enemies is growing as Erdogan prepares to enter Syria.
DID THE US JUST DECLARE A NO FLY ZONE IN SYRIA? Michael Cruickshank writes that over the course of the 5 year-long civil war in Syria, the US has failed to implement is a No Fly Zone (NFZ) enforced by their aircraft over all (or just part) of Syria. However, recent statements by the Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook, have tacitly announced just such a NFZ.
Policy and Reports
U.N. probe could pose new Syria dilemma for Obama Nahal Toosi writes for POLITICO that an upcoming U.N. investigative report could force Obama to grapple with the tricky subject of chemical weapons use in Syria.
Conflict in Syria: child marriage in the midst of a humanitarian crisis Dr. Lama Mouakea writes that “Poverty and insecurity and now the conflict are common reasons for child marriage because families no longer see any alternative but marriage for their daughters.”
Tens Of Thousands In Syria Are Being Tortured And Killed In Detention “Someone ... took my cigarettes off me, lit them, and then put them out on me,” one survivor recounted.
Bombers over Hasakah: Assad Clashes with the Kurds Aron Lund provides a backgrounder on Kurdish-Arab relations and the infighting between Assad loyalists and the Kurds.
In Search of an EU Role in the Syrian War The EU’s future role in Syria will be a litmus test of a genuine common foreign and security policy.
Russia and Iran: Historic Mistrust and Contemporary Partnership Moscow’s relations with Tehran are currently much more cooperative than competitive, although the two countries’ foreign policy goals don’t always align.
Syria Conflict Mapping Project Reports
Syria: Forced Disappearances More than 65,000 have vanished in Syria since 2011, according to The Syrian Network for Human Rights.
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
Don`t Panic! Syrian writers and artists are the enemies of extremism Malu Halasa writes that contrary to what the British officials who held a woman for reading it may think, a book on their work is the last place to look for violent intent.
Images of Omran and Alan reveal so much of Syrian horror Nima Elbagir discusses the ways in which an image of a wounded boy in Aleppo becomes a symbol of life today in Syria and reflects on Alan Kurdi`s image, from Last year, that represented refugees` plight. She emphasizes that Syrian parents say they have no option to leave and everyone is lucky just to be alive.
United Nations to feature FRONTLINE’s “Children of Syria” on Aug. 19 In the United Nations (U.N.) special event commemorating World Humanitarian Day, FRONTLINE’s 2016 documentary Children of Syria will be featured guests.
From the streets of Kobane to the Berlin Wall The WARonWALL exhibition brings the war in Syria to the heart of Germany`s capital.
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Talking Facts Beyond Populism Doreen Khoury writes: "what is urgently needed at times like this is an objective look at the effects of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon, away from inaccurate assumptions and xenophobia which often divert attention from the real reasons for people’s discontent."
`Isis child suicide bomber` stripped of explosive belt before attack in Iraq Thwarted attack follows wedding bombing in Turkey thought to be committed by child `between 12 and 14 years old.`
Arabic Links:
ساعد عمال الإنقاذ السوريين في الوقوف على أقدامهم مجدداً This is a link to an initiative to start a ‘Hero Fund’ to support every day Syrian rescue workers who risk their lives to save others and to treat injured volunteers and support the families of those killed.
An English version of this article can be found here: Get wounded syrian rescue workers back on their feet
تركيا تتعهد بدور أكثر فعالية في سوريا Turkish prime minister said Ankara will play a more active role in Syria and repair its ties with regional powers.
An English version of this article can be found here: Turkey vows active role in Syria, better regional ties
لماذا لاقت صورة "عمران" هذا النجاح العالمي؟ Ammar Abd Rabbo analyzes Omran`s image (the boy who was rescued from the rubble in Aleppo) and the reasons behind its internationl widespread.
عن عمران وتلك الصور النظيفة Bisan Al-Sheikh argues that Omran`s image built an emotional connection with Western audience who look for clean images to relate to the Syrian conflict.
معاذ الخطيب وعصا الحل السحرية Luay Abdul Hadi analyzes several perspectives on the efforts of Moaz al-Khatib as a key for solution to the Syrian conflict.
داعشية قومية و"علمانية" Mahmoud Al-Rimawi argues that disguised Aldaashah (ISIS-related ideology) penetrates and spreads in some intellectuals` nationalists and secular discourse.
اليوم المجلل بالعار ورعاته وعالمه This article by Yassin al Haj Saleh says that the Russo-American chemical deal is a continuation of the chemical massacre that the Assad regime committed three years ago.
An English version of this article can be found here: THE WORLD’S NAKED DISGRACE
بدء انحراف العلاقة بين دمشق و«الكردستاني» Ziad Haidar writes that Syrian officials upset by PKK`s habit of ruthlessly exploiting every agreement to seize more power.