Bashar Al Assad
They know who’s going to win, but Syrian refugees are still flocking to the polls
Syria’s presidential elections start next week, but people living abroad can vote starting now. That Bashar al-Assad will win is basically a foregone conclusion — but still throngs are packing embassies abroad, trying to cast their ballot.Syria’s presidential elections start next week, but people living abroad can vote starting now. That Bashar al-Assad will win is basically a foregone conclusion — but still throngs are packing embassies abroad, trying to cast their ballot.
Getting this man’s brother back alive from Syria would be ‘nothing short of a miracle’
Mohamed was important in Libyan’s revolution, helping to defeat and ultimately capture Muammar Gaddafi. His younger brother missed out on Libya’s revolution — so he decided to make his own fame by going to Syria to fight in the violent revolution there.Mohamed was important in Libyan’s revolution, helping to defeat and ultimately capture Muammar Gaddafi. His younger brother missed out on Libya’s revolution — so he decided to make his own fame by going to Syria to fight in the violent revolution there.
Why this Syrian man regrets bringing Al-Qaeda fighters into his country
Expectations are pretty low for this week’s Syria peace talks in Geneva. It will the first time that government and opposition representatives actually meet since the civil war began almost three years ago. But a third major player in the conflict will be missing: the Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel group that controls much of north-east Syria. Most of its fighters are foreign. Here’s the story of one Syrian man who has been forced into exile by the very men he once helped bring into his country.
Iran’s role in Syria peace talks throws discussions into disarray
UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has withdrawn his last minute invitation for Iran to attend Syrian peace talks in Switzerland on Wednesday. Aryn Baker, Time Magazine’s Middle East bureau chief, says the rebels argued for Iran to be “uninvited” to the talks because Tehran was unwilling to back the creation of a transitional government in Syria.
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This rebel unit in Syria was a major player, now they’re disbanded
In Syria a bombing campaign against rebel-held parts of Aleppo killed more than 300 people over the past 10 days according to activists. Meanwhile across Northern Syria, the mainstream armed opposition –the Free Syrian Army– has lost the upper hand to a coalition of Islamic brigades and to al-Qaeda-linked groups. Here’s the story of one FSA unit that started as a major player in the insurgency in Latakia province, and ended the year disbanded.