Deadly Raid on Syrian Students Protesting

On Wednesday ,  students gathered to protest at the University of Aleppo. Security forces  raided the campus breaking up the demonstration.   Four students died, 28 were injured and 200 were arrested. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, warned that the events could mark a turning point for Syria's second city, triggering residents to mobilise in solidarity with the students. White House press secretary Jay Carney stated "if the regime’s ...

Syrian civilians killed by army

HRW: War Crimes in Idlib

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report titled "They Burned My Heart': War Crimes in Northern Idlib during Peace Negotiations," documenting Syrian security forces perpetuating "extrajudicial executions, killings of civilians, and destruction of civilian property that qualify as war ...

A view of the damage at the site where two bombs detonated near state buildings in the northern city of Idlib

More Violence in Syria Despite UN monitors

Today , the  Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 26 deaths, despite the declaration of a cease fire and presence of UN monitors. Civilian deaths were concentrated in the Idlib province. Twelve soldiers were also reportedly killed in the province ...

Freedom House: “Breakthroughs and Pushback in the Middle East”

On Tuesday, Freedom House released their annual freedom of the press report entitled “Press Freedom in 2011: Breakthroughs and Pushback in the Middle East.” Dramatic improvements in media freedoms occurred in the region—specifically in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt—as citizens overthrew their autocratic leaders, ending an era of tightly censored media information. Tunisia and Libya made record-breaking improvements in 2011, transitioning from among the world’s most oppressive countries to partly free. Despite ...

A general view of the site where two bombs detonated near state buildings in the northern city of Idlib

The ‘Third Current’ of the Syrian Uprising

On Monday, Syrian state TV reported nine deaths and 100 wounded when a bomb exploded in the Syrian town of Idlib. State TV blamed the violence on opposition suicide bombers, although opposition forces denied involvement. The International Crisis ...

Samantha Power and Barack Obama

Obama ‘s “Board Against Mass Murders” Under Debate

Writing for Foreign Policy, Christian Caryl addressed President Barack Obama decision on Monday to create a body called the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB).  The APB directly informs the highest levels of administration - including the White House - on mass human rights violations. The controversy

Sen. Marco Rubio Gives Foreign Policy Speech At The Brookings Institution

Should Assad Go? Congress is Divided

Republicans cannot decide on whether Bashar al-Assad should go, says Josh Rogin. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Casey’s (D-PA) resolution condemning the violence in Syria revealed divisions in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Bob Corker ...

POMED Notes: Confronting Damascus: U.S. Policy Toward the Evolving Situation in Syria, Part II

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted a hearing on examining U.S. response to the evolving crisis in Syria. The witness were Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University, Andrew Tabler, a next generation fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Mara Karlin, instructor in strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University. Steve Chabot (R-OH) presided over the committee. For full event notes, ...

Picture reveals carnage left by blast in Hama

A Massive Explosion Shakes Hama

A devastating explosion shook the Masha Al-Tayyer district in southern Hama. State media reported 16 deaths and blamed ‘armed terrorist groups’ for the violence. Activists estimated the death toll to be closer to 70. A video was ...

Kitaba Al-Farouq

“Syria’s Phase of Radicalization” and an Inside look at Kitaba Farouq

The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report discussing the radicalization of they Syrian opposition groups as a result of continued violence. The report goes into detail highlighting the specific ways in which the violence has worsened even ...

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Pause in Violence Within U.N. Monitored Areas

While U.N. monitors have brought a lull of shelling to the Syrian opposition stronghold in Homs, elsewhere in the country Syrian forces have continued assaulting areas when monitors are not present. "This U.N. observers thing is a big joke,"

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Ban Ki-Moon Announces Decision to Expand Monitoring Mission

Secretary General of the U.N. Ban Ki-Moon announced his decision to expand the observer mission in Syria, placing an additional 300 observers on the ground in Syria by the beginning of next week. Monday saw an escalation in violence, ...

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Foun

20 People Killed in Syria Day After UN Resolution on Observer Mission

Today, just following the U.N. resolution on the deployment of 300 observers in Syria, 18 people have been reportedly killed in the central city of Hama. Thirty U.N. observers are expected to arrive in Syria this week. If U.N. General Secretary Ban ...

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Obama’s Executive Order Targets Technology in HR Abuses

President Barack Obama issued an executive order today that allows U.S. officials to impose sanctions against companies who use technologies, including cellphone tracking and Internet monitoring, to help carry out grave human rights abuses. The order particularly ...

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Security Council Approves Up to 300 Monitors to Syria

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a Russia-European drafted resolution on Saturday that authorizes an initial deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers to Syria for three months. The next day, however, violence ensued in a town ...

POMED Notes: Syria: U.S. Policy Options

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to discuss U.S. policy options for Syria amid the recent developments of the deployment of U.N. monitors, a fragile ceasefire, and a continued humanitarian crisis. Presenting testimony was Professor of Middle East Studies at the NESA Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University Murhaf Jouejati, Director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic ...

POMED Notes: U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee: Recent Developments in the Middle East: The Security Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee conducted a hearing on the recent developments in the Middle East, particularly relating to Syria. The speakers were the honorable Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense, and General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) chaired the hearing. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF Buck McKeon reflected on the ...

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Suspected Iranian Arms Shipment Stopped to Syria

On Wednesday, a German-owned ship, suspected of carrying weapons and ammunition heading to Syria, was being towed for inspection to the Turkish port of Iskenderun. German news weekly Der Spiegel reported that the Atlantic Cruiser was chartered by a ...

Assange Inaugurates Television Show with Nasrallah

Michael Young writes in the Daily Star about Julian Assange’s new talk show, which debuted on Wednesday with an interview with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The article notes that the show is on Russia Today, a Kremlin sponsored channel. Young mentions that a major topic of conversation revolved around Syria. Nasrallah states that Hizbollah had contacted the Syria opposition, but, “from the beginning we have had a regime that is willing ...

Syrian Ceasefire Violated by Both Sides

Reports have emerged that Syrian forces have sent a barrage of mortar fire at an opposition stronghold in Homs, which has been under almost continuous attack since a ceasefire began last Thursday. Likewise, Syrian state news SANA reported there were two separate roadside bombs which killed ten members of the security forces and a civilian. The recent spat of violence erupted in the midst of the arrival of an advance team of ...

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