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In the News
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11-11-2011
Apparent Collapse of Arab League Peace Deal Amid Continued Violence
Lingering hopes that the Syrian government would implement the peace deal brokered by the Arab League were shattered by unrelenting violence across the country this week. Over 60 people have been killed in crackdowns and clashes since the deal was agreed upon. An address by head of the Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun to the Syrian nation on the eve of Eid al-Adha, however, has left some speculating that a plausible political face of the opposition has been borne from its divided ranks. Nevertheless, the uprising's death toll continues to climb, with the United Nations now estimating that over 3,500 Syrians have perished since the start of the revolution in March.
In the News
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03-11-2011
The Syrian Revolution
The Syrian government agreed on November 1st to a plan by the Arab League to bring an end to the violence that has shaken Syria for the last 7 months. The League's plan, which calls for the immediate withdrawal of military forces from all residential neighborhoods and the release of all individuals detained since March, has been met with considerable skepticism at home and abroad. Indeed, the estimated 20 deaths that have occurred across the country since the 1st, serve as compelling fodder for skeptics. Meanwhile, following one of the bloodiest Friday's in recent weeks wherein some 40 people died amid crackdowns and clashes, The Sunday Telegraph published an interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in which the President warned that "any problem in Syria will burn the whole region".
In the News
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27-10-2011
The Syrian Revolution
This week, protestors in Homs, Daraa and Idlib provinces implemented sweeping strikes on the intensification of security crackdowns against members of the Syrian opposition. The death of former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi last Friday left many in Syria feeling emboldened to continue taking to the streets. At the same time, the spate of violent attacks against Syrian security and military forces by armed elements of the opposition continued, resulting in a substantial increase in fatalities among government forces. On Monday, the US State Department called back US Ambassador Ford amid concerns of "credible threats to his security". Two days later, senior officials from the Arab League arrived in Damascus to hold talks on ways to bring an end to the crisis that has overtaken Syria for the last 33 weeks.
In the News
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21-10-2011
The Syrian Revolution
Violence deepened markedly in Syria this week, with clashes between the Syrian armed forces and its defectors igniting in Homs, Daraa, Idlib and Deir ez-Zor. Aiming for a semblance of relevance to Syria's growing woes, the Arab League issued a deadline on October 16 giving the Syrian government 15 days to implement a ceasefire - lest its membership be suspended. The following day, however, ushered in some of the worst violence the country has seen since March 15 - with well over 40 people killed in clashes in a number of locations. At the same time, cross-border raids by Syrian security forces moving into Lebanon and a spate of violent attacks by armed elements of the opposition, are steadily eroding any lingering hopes that Syria's troubles will be resolved in the absence of protracted conflict - and within the country's own borders.
In the News
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14-10-2011
The Syrian Revolution
Syria's security crisis intensified this week with clashes between the military and army defectors reported in Idlib, Homs and the southern province of Daraa. Security crackdowns against unarmed elements of the opposition were also reported in numerous cities and towns, including the capital Damascus. In total, over 60 people were killed in the last seven days of violence. Nevertheless, in a statement during official meetings on October 12, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad charged that "Syria has been able to overcome the hardest stage" of the country's recent tumult, "thanks to its people's awareness". Meanwhile, officials from both Russia and China stepped forward this week to urge the Syrian government to push forward with still unimplemented comprehensive reforms.
In the News
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07-10-2011
The Syrian Revolution
In the face of growing international and local concerns of Syria's potential slide into civil war, the Syrian National Council announced its official formation on Sunday October 2 in Istanbul, Turkey. With a broad base of support across the country's disparate opposition groups, the Council's formation marks a key development in the Syrian revolution, giving members of the opposition a representative body and the international community an official organization with which to meet. At the same time, hopes for a powerful international response to the violence that has shaken the country for almost seven months were severely dashed on Tuesday October 4, when Russia and China stepped forward to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution against Syria.
In the News
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29-09-2011
The Syrian Revolution
The outbreak of armed conflict in Homs between Syrian security forces and armed members of the opposition on Monday September 26, marks the first large-scale battle between the opposition and the government since the start of the Syrian revolution over six months ago. While the opposition has not officially announced its intent to take up arms and many argue fervently against such a move, the momentum unleashed by the opposition's use of violence will be difficult to control. This development threatens to push the country into the throes of civil war whilst also fueling the government's claim that it is fighting armed groups, not unarmed civilians. Nonviolent opposition rarely succeeds in the face of security forces willing to take up arms against civilians, however, thus rendering alternatives to insurrection increasingly unacceptable to those confronting violent security crackdowns out on the streets.
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24-09-2011
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In the News
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23-09-2011
The Syrian Revolution
On September 18, the Syrian opposition held a crucial six-hour meeting in Syria, bringing young protest organizers and demonstrators together with well-known older generations of dissidents. While meeting participants called upon Syrians to continue protesting in peace, international reportage from around the week suggested that the numbers of protestors out on the streets are dwindling while those still willing to fight for the cause, are increasingly taking up arms. At the same time, rights groups Avaaz and Insan released a report indicating that the death toll from the unrest could be as high as 5,360 - not the 3,004 reported just a week earlier.
In the News
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15-09-2011
The Syrian Revolution
Thursday September 15 marks the start of the sixth month of the Syrian revolution. The preceding 183 days of social upheaval and corresponding security crackdowns have resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Syrians - with some 113 killed last week alone. Since the uprising began on March 15, 112 Syrian cities and villages have seen deaths amid security crackdowns, over 80 children have been killed in related security incursions, and over 95 adults have reportedly died whilst under torture in Syrian prisons. Activists and foreign officials estimate that more than 15,000 have been imprisoned, several thousand of whom were effectively 'disappeared'.
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