Syria
Lights, Camera, Sanctions
YouTubers documenting life in postwar Syria allow a unique glimpse into the country. But in addition to navigating the Assad regime’s oppressive police state, they must also contend with international sanctions.
Syria, Ukraine and a Would-Be Assassin
I got in touch with Ryan Routh through one of the posters he had spread around town in Kyiv. I was a reporter there and had noticed his posters and the Syrian flag and was curious what it was about. When we spoke on the phone, he did not beat around the bush. He claimed to have over 200 Syrian military men who were ready to go to Ukraine and fight the Russians. He just needed help bringing them to Ukraine.
How Cholera Came to Torment Syria
The plains of Southern Aleppo have been irrigated by untreated sewage water for years, which would provide a logical explanation for the rapid outbreak of cholera in the area. The same scenario is being played out in several other regions, the only difference being the particulars, as most of the key rivers in Syria are threatened by drought and lower water levels.
A Syrian Ramadan TV Series Is Well Past Its Prime
While Arabs in the West occupy themselves with Hollywood’s depictions of Arab history and culture, one of the Arab world’s most popular series has arguably done as bad a job — if not worse — in capturing the true spirit of a bygone era in Syria.
In the Balkans, ‘Stability’ May Not Be the Answer
For decades, the West has pioneered “stabilocracy” in the Balkans, a pernicious brand of diplomacy that prefers agreement to reform. That diplomacy was exported to their relations with Kremlin — with the extreme, bloody conclusion being the war in Ukraine.
Exclusive: How Russia Evades Sanctions via Syrian Loan Schemes
The Kremlin, the source added, has engaged in needless bureaucratic foot-dragging, last-minute renegotiation of terms and price-gouging, and has generally treated Damascus as an imperial power might a lesser colony.
Putin’s Military Adventures, From Syria to Ukraine — with Anand Gopal
Award-winning journalist Anand Gopal joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to talk about how the invasion of Ukraine compares with Vladimir Putin’s war in Syria and ask why Syrians never received the same support in the face of Russian atrocities.