[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Perspectives
Beyond the Geopolitics: Politico-Economic Relations Majid Rafizadeh on the changing economic relations between Iran and Syria.
Ali Haydar Cherche a L’Exterieur les Candidats a la Reconcialitions Introuvables en Syrie Ali Haydar sends two delegations in Cairo and Istanbul to meet with members of the NC and SNC.
Robert Ford in Egypt to Discuss Syria
Coming Soon: Al Nusra Front in Lebanon Nasser Charara says the group is planning to consolidate a united front by soliciting extremist groups in Lebanon.
Syrian Rebels ‘Deserve Support,’ Says US Secretary of State Taimur Khan says a new US military strategy could emerge out of the February 28 ‘Friends of Syria’ Conference in Rome, marking John Kerry’s early mandate.
Jordan Prepares for Return of Salafists From Syria Mohammad Barhoumeh says the authorities are anxious
Saudis Step Up Help for Rebels in Syria With Croatian Arms
Momentary Panic Fell Upon Madkissi Street Hamra Moe Ali Nayel on an incident assumed to be a planned terrorist attack by Syrians, reveals the tense atmosphere in downtown Beirut.
How to Cover Syria From Beirut, Lebanon Asad AbuKhalil sarcastically provides a list of 27 items needed to write on the topic.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Says Terrorism Linked to Havens in Syria Mustafa al-Kadhimi interviews Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayad.
Assad’s Big Ally: How Deeply Entrenched is Iran in Syria Masih Alinejad and Azadeh Moaveni argue that “the political establishment in Tehran, while broadly in agreement on Iran’s strategic alliance with Syria, also varies in its stance on Assad”
Syrie. la Coalition Nationale Annonce des Decisions Importantes Ignace Leverrier outlines important decisions made by the National Council at its monthly general assembly held in Cairo on February 20-21.
"Syrian elites deal with their stay in Lebanon as a temporary status and they have their own plans of the day they return to their homes"Jasmine Roman provides a glimpse of the history and context behind the discrimination against Syrians in Lebanon at a time of increased movement across the border.
Radical Optimism: Dedicated to the Soul of Choukri BelaidSalam al-Kawakibi asks “does our deep desire to attain the goals of the revolution, blind us to reality and to the process that is unfolding?”
Hezbollah Defends Shiite Villages in Syria War Nasser Chararah sees the event as a sign that the conflict is spreading to Lebanon.
Syrian Narratives
Yarmouk Activist Describes “Atrocious” State of War-Torn Camp in Syria Moe Ali Nayel interviews Moutawali Abu Nasser, a Palestinian refugee who explains the developments in Yarmouk over the last two years.
Give me Shelter Justin Vela on the challenges for humanitarian aid in Syria.
Syrian Women’s Two-Pronged Battle Arwa Damon says despite women have taken central roles throughout the uprising, they remain underrepresented in oppositional councils inside and outside the country.
The Resistance Myth is DeadMaysaloon writes : “ the Arab Spring, for all its imperfections, is not just a revolution against despots and tyrants, but against the ideologies that had justified repression in the name of a greater good.”
The Assad Family: Where are They Now? This article actually does not answer that question.
Ballistic Missile Strikes on Aleppo Signal New Escalation in Syria War
The Syrian People Will not Kneel Despite Threats From Outside and Within says Syria Freedom Forever
He Provided Them With Bananas Karl Sharro remembers a conversation with Syrians in the 90s, who praised Bashar for providing them with bananas, saying “they must have been accompanied by a sense of shame at having to engage in this daily ritual of submission.”
Was Syria Ever the Secular, non-sectarian State We are Led to Believe it Was? Richard Spencer argues that the nostalgic memory of those covering Syria “neglects […] the parts that have driven the revolution – were not so visible to the outsider.”
Inside Syria
Many Dead in Huge Damascus Bombing Lina Sinjab reports in the aftermath of the event.
Activists Detail Abuse Inside Assad’s Prison Jomana Karadsheh and Fred Pleitgen meet with various activists in Damascus.
Syria Democracy in Action Defies Dangers in Deir Ezzor Local elections were allegedly held in Deir Ezzor
Syria: Resistant Mounts Against FSA Palestinian Camp According to Anas Zarzar, the residents of Khan al Sheeh “responded with peaceful protests, but then turned to armed resistance when the FSA ignored their demands that the camp remain neutral in their battle against the regime.”
BBC’s Ian Pannell Meets Children Living Underground in Northern Syria
Fact and Fiction: Looting of Syrian Ruins Anas Zarzar and Basel Dayoub provide an update on the impact of the conflict on Syria’s cultural heritage.
Arts and Social Media
Wissam Al Jazayri’s artistic response to the Economist feature, “Death of a Country”
Social Media Buzz: Scuds and Suicide Bombings, in Another Deadly Week Mohammed Sergie’s weekly social media pulse.
Syria: Comedian Yassin Bakoush Killed by Rocket Wissam Kanaan remembers the prominent Syrian comedian.
Sapho Chante la Revolution A poem written by Jean-Pierre Filiu for Syria.
Syrian Television’s Most Outraged Bystander Robert Mackey notices a man who appears more than eighteen times on state television, posing as a regime supporter, bystander, regular citizen.
Mohamed “Abu al Nimer” Masalmeh: Son of Houran Son of Houran, Son of the Revolution Amal Hanano remembers this activist
The Art of War World Food Program’s small clip showing the mental scars of the war on children
Syrian Missile Strike Killed at Least 141 People in Aleppo, Says Rights Group
A Child Whose Family was Killed in a Scud Missile Attack Explains What Happened providing a human face to those numbers.
Olivier Voisin Dead: French Photographer Dies After Syria Shelling Dozens of journalists have perished attempting to cover the conflict
Syria Witness: Documenting Life, Death and Destruction Features the photojournalism work of Ahmed Da and Young Lens Homsi.
Jihad in Syria Reaching an International Level A video of a Chechen Jihadi and his brigade shows foreign presence in Syria.
Policy and Reports
Syria Humanitarian Crisis Worsens by the Day, Warns Oxfam
Syria disease outbreak: Typhoid, hepatitis A infections on the rise, warns WHO
Human Rights
Breves syriennes (9). Encore un Medecin Devant la Justice Pour Avoir Prodigue des Soins Ignace Leverrier writes an entry about Dr. Haytham Saad, a doctor who “disappeared” last November who will be prosecuted in a Syrian court for treating wounded civilians.
Syria Activist Dies in Jail, Second Feared Dead Human Rights Watch says after the death of Omar Aziz, many fear for Ayham Ghazzoul
Witnesses Say Shabiha Forces Raped 42 Women and Girls in al-Huswayieh Women Under Siege’s update on sexual violence in Syria
Conferences
Syria Opposition to Attend Rome Meeting
Arabic
أطفال سوريا شهود.. من يمحو الحرب من ذاكرتهم؟
Tarek Al-Abed writes about children and the memory they will carry from the current "war" in Syria.
قراءة وثائقية جديدة لـ«الربيع العربي»
Hassan Mohammad Azzein provides his unsettling "new reading" of the "Arab Spring", in which he seems to be making a case, through a look into the Wikileaks documents that were leaked back in 2010, for geopolitical conspiracies behind the uprisings in the region.
Jad Al-Kareem Al-Jeba'i writes about the "ideological war" in Syria and the need for the "intellectual elite" to rise to "to its responsibility."
دير الزور: مدرسة تحت الأرض لنسيان الجحيم
Assafir reports on an underground school, which is the only remaining one that is teaching in the city according to the Syrian volunteers who have started it.
Hussam Al-Eitani condemns the explosions committed last Thursday in Damascus, which have led to civilian death, and criticizes the responsible actors no matter what their justification might be.
نعم سورية انهارت و من له رأي آخر فليطرحه
Abdel Bari Atwan pessimistically asserts that "there is no hope getting out of the bloody struggle [in Syria]" and views that even the political solution has become impossible as well.
مخيم اليرموك: بين سوريا و قلسطين.. وجع واحد
Ali Badwan writes about the double struggle of Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria.
Tarek Al-Abed writes about the explosions that had shaken Damascus last Thursday.
هل يمكن بناء مؤسسة سياسية مختلفة؟
Hazem Nahar writes about political institution in Syria, their flaws, and the possibility of building new infrastructure for such institutions in the country.
Wessam Abd-Allah writes about the elections in 2014 and provides his reasons for the possibility of Al-Assad staying in power.
تخبط متواز بين التسوية السورية و الانتخابات اللبنانية
Samir Al-Hassan the influence of the Syrian struggle on Lebanese politics and the implications of a political settlement to solve the former on the Lebanese elections.
ابطال بلاد الحرمين مع جبهة النصرة ينشدون في بنش
A video showing fighters from Saudi Arabia singing to crowds alongside Annusra Front in the Syrian city of Binnesh.
ردا على الخطاب العنصري تجاه اللاجئين السوريين
Lebanese activists respond to the racist discourse against Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Hazem Saghieh writes about the need to first and foremost push for a change in the regime and its structures so that a subsequent revolutionary change in intellect and thought on the ground can follow.