The Syrian Army and the Coming Winter War
Assad and the Syrian military are bound together in their fate. Preserving Assad’s power is crucial to keep the armed forces in safe employment – a lifestyle that could scarcely be an option under a new government.
Humanitarian Intervention and Geo-Politics: A Complicated Confluence
The complicated confluence of humanitarian intervention and geo-political considerations require the Obama Administration to articulate and implement consistent, well thought through principles and values in Syria.
Intervention vs Non-Intervention in Syria: Assessing Costs and Benefits for the West
In the case of Syria, Western policymakers need to focus on, not whether to choose between intervention and non-intervention, but what sort of intervention will minimize costs and maximize benefits.
Syria: We Can’t Give Up On Diplomacy
As Lakhdar Brahimi takes over as UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, there is real merit in pursuing a comprehensive Security Council resolution and a post-conflict framework.
US Intervention in the “Arab Spring”
US intervention in the Arab world is still predicated on the same foundations that determined the courses of US foreign policy during the Cold War. With the Arab Spring, US intervention is likely to continue and expand.
Lebanon and the Syria Crisis
With Syria descending into all out civil war, neighboring Lebanon finds itself in a precarious spot. The Lebanese government’s equivocal stance may prove impossible to continue.
Review – Syria at Bay
Carsten Wieland offers a nuanced insight into the complex make-up of Syrian society before it descended into chaos. Such insights will be of enormous value in a post Assad era.
After Assad: A Host of Challenges
Relations with a post-Assad Syria remain uncertain. Should Islamic militants play a role in a new order, they would likely be suspicious of the West, and deeply resentful of US support for Israel.
Fighting Intervention or Fighting Imperialism?
Many progressives have unwittingly accepted the Arab Spring narrative in Syria. More scepticism is required because without this ‘intervention’ cannot ever be justified.
Big Powers and the ‘Responsibility to Protect’
Great power responsibility to protect is actually bolstered when effective enforcement is unilaterally implemented despite divisions among major states.
