9 April 2016

Featured

Syria's Assad shows no willingness to compromise

by Samia Nakhoul via Reuters International

As the Syria peace talks resume next week, President Bashar al-Assad, backed militarily by Iran and Russia, shows no willingness to compromise, much less step aside to allow a transition Western powers claim is the solution to the conflict.

Inside Syria

Syrian Kurds proceed with federal structures despite Turkish threats

via Al Monitor

Erdogan not backing down on US support for Syrian Kurds

ISIS Reportedly Carries Out Mass Kidnapping Of Factory Workers In Syria

by Merrit Kennedy via NPR

ISIS has conducted a mass kidnapping of industrial workers near Syria's capital, Damascus, according to Syrian state media and an independent rights group.

Refugees

The Europe–Turkey Refugee Deal Explained via Al Jazeera English

The U.S. Is Way Behind Its Goal of Accepting 10,000 Syrian Refugees

By Amanda Sakuma via NBC News

The United States is bracing to resettle nearly 9,000 Syrian refugees over the next several months after falling severely behind in the Obama administration's pledge to increase the number of families it accepts.

Want to save Syrian refugees? Help them go to college.

By Meredith Jung-En Woo via Foreign Policy

They've survived, now they need a future. A piece focusing on developmental investment into the crisis over reactive, temporary responses.

Conflict Analysis

Syria and the Russian-American understanding

By Al Watan Syria via Mid-East wire

Has a permanent solution map truly been drawn up in Syria? Why was the issue of federalism raised at this point in time in particular?

European sources expect “tough and complicated” talks in Geneva in ten days

By Asharq al-Awsat via Mid East Wire

European diplomatic sources that are closely following up on the developments of the Syrian file expect a “tough and complicated” round of inter-Syrian talks in Geneva under the mediation of the international envoy, Staffan de Mistura, which is expected to be re-launched on April 9 and 10.

Proxy Politics

Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy, but for how long?

Kerim Karakaya via Al Monitor

Turkish economy grew an average of 3% in the past four years, a rate that trails behind the country’s 50-year average of 4.5%. The slowdown is the result of both the weakening global economy and adverse political and economic conditions at home. Yet a much-needed booster has come from an unlikely quarter — the Syrian refugees.

Turkey 'illegally returning Syrian refugees' - Amnesty

via BBC News

Turkey has illegally forced thousands of refugees to return to Syria, a report by Amnesty International says.

How Russian special forces are shaping the fight in Syria

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff via The Washington Post

Russian soldiers train with sniffer dogs and specialist equipment in preparation for their deployment to Syria to participate in de-mining the historic town of Palmyra which was recaptured from the Islamic State Sunday