by Heather Hastie | Oct 4, 2015 | Middle East, Russia, Winners and Worries
In reality, Syria has been a worry for years. Bashar al-Assad took over the presidency, the role of commander-in-chief of the Syrian armed forces, and the leadership of the ruling Ba’ath party on his father’s death in 2000. For several reasons, including...
by Heather Hastie | Sep 21, 2015 | Democracy, International Politics, Middle East
Just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse in Syria, they have. Putin is going to speak at the United Nations in a few days, and political commentators such as the Guardian’s Natalie Nougayrède are predicting that his speech will be a...
by Heather Hastie | Aug 20, 2015 | Middle East, Religion, Terrorism
Renowned antiquities scholar, Khaled al-Asaad (82), is dead. On Tuesday (18 August 2015) a member of DAESH chopped his head off then hung his body from a column in the town square in Palmyra, Syria. Why? Because he wouldn’t tell them where some Syrian...
