Voice of the People?

Sheikh Nawaf Bashir, head of the Baqara tribe from Deyr az-Zour and former member of the Damascus Declaration, acts frustrated when he receives a phone call to organize yet another conference in Istanbul: “Abu Ja’far… another conference! What’s this conference for? Why do we keep on organizing conferences, if there is no international support?!” One year has passed since the beginning of Syria’s uprising, and Turkey has been providing opportunities for numerous Syrian oppositi...

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Divide and Rule in Syria

Intense dispute has surrounded the implementation of an Arab League initiative to end the Syrian crisis since a delegation of Arab League observers arrived in Syria on 26 December. Opposition groups and activists inside and outside Syria have criticized the effectiveness of the mission, labelling it ineffective and practically redundant. The most salient criticisms feature accusations that the visiting team is too small for the task at hand—numbering less than 100 observers—and that the ...

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