[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.]
Regional and International Perspectives
Why Qatar Wants to Invade Syria Pepe Escobar says the Emir’s recent call for Arab intervention is a mere reflection of his oil ambitions.
What is Iran Doing in Syria? Ali Alfoneh says the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps “has an interest in making its presence known in order to increase its leverage over other branches of the Iranian government.”
Is it Time for Arab Intervention in Syria Al Jazeera’s inside Syria program with Elias Hanna, Hassan Hachimi and Joseph Kechichian
Syria Bomb Blast Kills Hezbollah Operative Martin Chulov on the death of Ali Hussein Nassif.
Most Jordanians Say No to More Syrian Refugees Nicholas Seeley on a national poll that highlights the growing tensions resulting from the refugee influx.
Rioting Forces UN Staff to Abandon Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan
Turkey’s Syria Problem Christopher Phillips writes that, “as things stand, the Syria crisis not only threatens Turkey’s new-found regional influence and popularity but could also cause major problems at home.”
Imperialism and the Left
Syria Divides the Arab Left Nicolas Dot-Pouillard’s succinct summary of the topics at the center of the ideological debate among leftists, including militarization and sectarianism.
Putting Syria Back Together Again Nathaniel L. Rosenblatt argues that “the lesson of past US engagements in the Middle East is not that the United States should avoid intervention -- but that it must try in Syria, as the country`s future without foreign assistance would be intolerable.”
Syrian Narratives
Syria’s Long War Patrick Seale says the Syrian uprising is “the most violent, episode in the long war between Islamists and Ba‘thists, which dates back to the founding of the secular Ba‘th Party in the 1940s.”
The State of the Economy: How Long Can Syria Survive? — From the Syria Conference Jihad Yazigi at a LSE conference on the economic impacts of the Syrian uprising
New Offensive Escalates Syrian Civil War Victor Kotsev on the recent burning of the Aleppo Souq and the escalation of violence caused by the subsequent political and media offensive by regional powers.
Syria Between Hama 1982 and Lebanon Victor Kotsev argues that “the current episode ranks perhaps somewhere in-between these two paradigms.”
Rebels with a Cause, but not Much Consensus Amar Abdulhamid on the divided armed rebellion and the emergence of pro-Assad militias.
YouTube Video Shows McClatchy Contributor Austin Tice Alive After Capture Many experts find it “odd” that the video allegedly shot by a terrorist group does not have that group’s stamp on it.
What is the Matter with Robert Fisk? What Does he Want? Translation of Yassin al-Hajj Saleh’s article ins which he advances that Robert Fisk’s dedication to opposing the mainstream media is his mere raison d’etre.
Chroniques du délitement. 2 / Règlement de comptes à Qardaha, antre de la famille Al Assad Ignace Leverrier says Alawite families fought against each other in Qardaha, and that the feud has historical roots.
The Syrian Alawites and Negotiated Departure for al Assad The West’s idea to convince the Alawites who are not from the Assad clan to turn against him.
Syria’s Women of the Revolution Reporting from Syria, Mike Giglio says “women still play a crucial role, smuggling cash, medicine, and arms, while also manning field hospitals and media centers and organizing humanitarian relief.”
Inside Syria
Kidnapping in Syria: An Economy of War Marah Mashi suggests that many of the recent abductions are no longer politically motivated, but are rather perpetrated for money
Syria Dispatch: Meeting Assad`s Snipers as They Fight Rebels in Homs Bill Neely reports from a frontline in Homs.
Syria Fighting Leaves Historic Aleppo Market in Flames
Syrian Rebels Wage War of Attrition for Control of Aleppo Mike Giglio on the rebels and the army’s inability to take full control of Aleppo and what this means for the future of the city.
Syria Rebels Practice Patience in the Fight for Damascus LA Times’ report from Damascus, where rebels “are engaged in more calculated warfare, dominated by targeted operations that include checkpoint attacks, assassinations and the bombing of government security buildings.”
Faces from the Syrian Revolution: Baraa Al-Bushi Portrait of a Syrian journalist who covered the uprising until his death in August.
Michel Kilo to Pope Benedict XVI: Extend Your Hand in the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Michel Kilo sends a letter to the Pope hoping that he will address the fundamentalist Christians who view the uprising with a sectarian lens.
Art and Social Media
Damascene Conversion A photo gallery on the destruction of historic sites around Syria.
Arabic:
Michel Kilo writes about his experiences in the Syrian prison and recounts two memorable stories from his time spent there.
Michel Kilo criticizes Al-Jazeera`s abuse of the Syrian situation in order to serve the interest of the Qatari government.
Abd Al-Bari Atwan compares the current Syrian struggle with that of Afghanistan during the "Jihad" against the communist regime in the country.
Ghazi Dahman writes about Al-Ibrahimi`s mission in Syria and the danger of the reproduction of the Taif Agreement in the Syrian context.
Fayez Sarrah writes about the war in Aleppo.
Alquds Al-Arabi writes about the intensifying struggle in Syrian cities and especially in Aleppo.
خروج <<الجيش الحر>> من تركيا: تمويه من أنقرة أم إفلاس سياسي؟
Mohammad Nour Addin analyzes the news about the Free Syrian Army leaving Turkey to base itself
inside Syria.
من ثنائية النظام المعارضة إلى وحـدة الحركة الوطنية السورية
Nahed Hatr writes about the Syrian Nationalist Movement in Syria.
مصياف: بين طائفية النظام وطائفية المعارضة
Under the pseudonym "Muammarji", this author writes about the situation in the Mesyaf Rif.
انتفاضة الأسئلة أم أسئلة الانتفاضة؟
Mohammad Dibo writes about the many questions that the Syrian uprising has brought with it.
This is yet another account of the situation in the Damascus Rif.
دلشا أيو أول امرأة كردية في هيئة رئاسية معارضة
The Damascus Bureau on the first Kurdish women to be elected for an influential political position in the opposition.
في نقد اليقين المبتذل: ياسين الحاج صالح وناهض حتّر نمــوذجاً
Ward Kasouha writes about the necessity to criticize the stories told by both the regime and the opposition.