Syrian Civil War
All topics-
Historical roots of the current Middle East crisis
The end of an artificial construct
After the First World War, many people hoped for a lasting order that would bring peace. The mandate system, which was supervised by the international community, was supposed to bring a new form of "benevolent" imperialism to the Middle East. However, the region is still dominated by the problems that were created at that time – more so today than ever before. By Jakob Krais
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Strategies against Islamic State
The case against an alliance with Assad
While it is certainly laudable when political leaders base foreign policy choices on ethical considerations, writes Syria expert Heiko Wimmen, the question remains whether such principled positions will hold up if the current approach of limited airstrikes fails to yield results
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Syrian refugees in Lebanon
"We will perish here!"
Fearing a terrorist attack, the Lebanese army has hermetically sealed off the town of Arsal. More than 100,000 Syrian refugees have been trapped there for months. They fear for their own security and the impact of winter. Juliane Metzker reports from Arsal
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The Middle East in 2014
New regional power games
The rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has dramatically altered the regional order. While Iran and Turkey are becoming key political players in the crisis-torn area, the West continues to lose influence. An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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The Syrian art project "Cutting Away the Void"
Documenting the tragedy of the Syrian revolt
The Syrian–British artist couple Nora and Fritz Best spent two weeks with Syrian refugees in Amman, creating a series of empathetic portraits of the refugees and recording their experiences. The resulting portraits and statements provide a touching but disturbing insight into the harrowing story of present-day Syria
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Interview with the Syrian blogger Aboud Saeed
"When the regime lost its control, I lost my fear"
Aboud Saeed started his Facebook blog on the war in Syria with the words "I am the smartest guy on Facebook". Today he has the highest number of possible friends and thousands of followers. His status updates have been published and translated into several languages. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to the Syrian blogger
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Civil war in Syria
Everyday life in a country destroyed
"Please help yourself!" A man provides food for the needy, a tradesman sells perfume, a group of students organise a cycling race: between death, ruins and thoughts of escape, there are strong signs of a will to live in Syria. By Rasha Muhre
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The kidnapping of the "Douma 4"
The Salafist and the human rights activist
A year ago, four Syrian human rights activists were taken from a suburb of Damascus. Among them was the well-known lawyer Razan Zaitouneh. The kidnapping illustrates the fatal turn the Syrian revolution has taken, partly due to the West's inaction, writes Kristin Helberg
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"The Boy from Aleppo who Painted the War" by Sumia Sukkar
Translating sights, sounds and feelings into colour
Sumia Sukkar wrote a novel about a young Syrian boy with Asperger Syndrome who paints the horror and violence of the war around him in vivid colour. BBC Radio 4 adapted the novel for its Saturday Drama series. Susannah Tarbush read the book, listened to the radio play and spoke to its young author
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International conspiracy theories and xenophobia in Turkey
Turkey alone against the world
Turkey appears to be in the grip of a wave of xenophobia, according to the results of a recent survey by the US-based Pew Research Foundation. The findings come as the country has to cope with two conflicts on its borders and faces increasingly strained relations with key allies and neighbours. But as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the findings could be part of a far deeper historical fear of the West
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Inside Kobani
The political game and the humanitarian crisis
The city of Kobani in northern Syria has been under seige from Islamic State (IS) for over a month now. In recent days, Turkey has allowed a military convoy of Iraqi peshmerga and Free Syrian Army fighters to pass through its territory en route to Kobani. However, the peshmerga are arriving relatively late in the day. Thousands of Kurds from Syria, Turkey and Iraq have already joined the YPG and are in Kobani defending the city. They may all be fighting the same enemy, but they are certainly not united among themselves. By Kiran Nazish in Erbil
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Syrian anti-war video "To Our Countries"
Embarrassing media hype
Syrian sisters Faia and Rihan Younan, residents of Sweden since 2003, have triggered a global hype with their peace song "To Our Countries". While western media reaction to the video has been for the most part enthusiastic, the response in the Arab world has been one of scorn. By Martina Sabra