{"id":21975,"date":"2015-01-21T12:57:46","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T17:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?page_id=21975"},"modified":"2020-01-09T13:10:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T18:10:07","slug":"landis-news-2013","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Landis in the News 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"news_archive_list\">\n<li>Browse Archive By Year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/\">Current<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2019\/\">2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2018\/\">2018<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2017\/\">2017<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2016\/\">2016<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2015\/\">2015<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/\">2013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2012\/\">2012<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2011\/\">2011<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2010\/\">2010<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2009\/\">2009<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2008\/\">2008<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2007\/\">2007<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2006\/\">2006<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2005\/\">2005<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2004\/\">2004<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AlJazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/12\/syria-promise-2014-2013122981526611105.html\">Syria and the promise of 2014<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 29, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;This year 2013 has seen a big transformation in the way the world looks at the Syrian problem. The stalemate between Assad&#8217;s forces and the new emerging Islamic front, which has been one of the big things that has come out of this year &#8230; at the beginning of the year there were hundreds of militias, today the Islamic Front has brought together some of the biggest militias and it can speak, I suppose, for the rebels better than anybody else.&#8221; Joshua Landis, the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The New York Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/roomfordebate\/2013\/12\/21\/for-peace-in-syria-will-assad-have-to-stay\/a-cease-fire-is-the-best-hope-for-syria\">A Cease-Fire Is the Best Hope<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 21, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Joshua Landis<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The best outcome that the United States can pursue today is a cease-fire. This will mean getting all concerned states to shut off the arms and military aid that they send to their proxies. Instead, aid must be directed to humanitarian needs. Only such a policy will stop the destruction of Syria, outflow of refuges and endless human suffering.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rt.com\/op-edge\/us-favors-assad-not-opposition-554\/\">End of the affair: Why US fell out of love with Syrian <\/a>opposition<br \/>\n<strong>December 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The US is reassessing its relations with the Syrian opposition and is now taking a second look at Assad, Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told RT.<br \/>\nLandis added,&#8221;With the moderate Free Syrian Army troops being driven out of Syria by the more Islamist wing, America doesn&#8217;t really know what to do and this is where the new working relationship between Russia and the United States on Syria is very important for the US today because they face on one hand Assad, who they&#8217;ve said has to go, and they are looking at Islamists, which in many cases worry them more, as they think it\u2019s possible that Syria would fall apart and become a base for some sort of transnational organization that could threaten America or Israel, its ally.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Inter Press Service<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipsnews.net\/2013\/12\/syria-question-paralyses-pennsylvania-avenue\/?utm_source=Active+Subscribers&amp;utm_campaign=f5d73dcbdd-MR_122013&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_35c49cbd51-f5d73dcbdd-62630025\">Serious Paralysis on Pennsylvania Avenue<\/a><br \/>\nby Jim Lobe<br \/>\n<strong>December 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAmerica is paralysed, as well as most of the West, because they can\u2019t support Assad, but they won\u2019t support these radical Islamists either,\u201d according to Landis, whose blog, Syria Comment, has an influential readership here.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Global Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatch\/news\/regions\/middle-east\/syria\/131216\/assad-syria-rebels-sunni-shia\">Assad&#8217;s divide-and-conquer strategy proving effective against Syrian rebels<\/a><br \/>\nby Resse Erlich<br \/>\n<strong>December 18, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to some reports, General Salim Idris, head of the FSA, fled to Turkey after his men gave up the warehouse without a fight, leading the Obama administration to announce it would suspend &#8220;non-lethal aid&#8221; to opposition groups. This debacle revealed the weakness of the pro-US militias, according to Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BBC News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-middle-east-25362244\">Syria crisis: Time to rethink a future with Assad?<\/a><br \/>\nby Paul Adams<br \/>\n<strong>December 13, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Someone has got to bite the bullet and say Assad stays,&#8221; says Prof Joshua Landis, Director of the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies at Oklahoma University whose views are frequently sought by policy makers in Washington. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have another game in town.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2013\/12\/13\/new_year_dawns_darkly_for_syria.html\">New year dawns darkly for Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Olivia Ward<br \/>\n<strong>December 13, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking at now are a lot of bad solutions,\u201d says Joshua Landis of University of Oklahoma, a Syria expert. \u201c(Bashar) Assad could stay in power. Militias are taking over territory. But any solution looks better than this war.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2013\/Dec-13\/240928-fsa-struggles-with-western-aid-freeze-ahead-of-geneva-ii.ashx#axzz30aaqxxKZ\">FSA struggles with Western aid freeze ahead of Geneva II<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 13, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Marlin Dick<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The suspension of nonlethal military assistance nonetheless undercuts any \u201cmilitary option\u201d that Washington can bring to Geneva, according to Joshua Landis, a Syria expert based in the U.S. \u201cMost people understood the lack of control by Idriss, but an important pretense has now been pulled away,\u201d Landis said. \u201cWashington can go to Geneva, but it doesn\u2019t have the military option.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wnyc.org\/story\/what-do-we-do-about-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">What Do We Do About Syria?<\/a> &#8211; The Brian Lehrer Show &#8211; WNYC &#8211; <strong>Dec. 13, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.wnyc.org\/widgets\/ondemand_player\/#file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnyc.org%2Faudio%2Fxspf%2F336314%2F;containerClass=wnyc\" width=\"474\" height=\"54\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/bb\/middle_east\/july-dec13\/syria_12-12.html\" target=\"_blank\">Internal splintering of Syrian rebel groups leads U.S., U.K. to suspend aid<\/a> &#8211; PBS NEWSHOUR &#8211;<br \/>\n<strong>Dec. 12, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/video.pbs.org\/viralplayer\/2365138863\" width=\"512\" height=\"376\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Voice of Russia<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sputniknews.com\/voiceofrussia_us\/2013_12_09\/A-new-game-of-shared-interests-the-US-Russia-and-the-Middle-East-5567\/\">A new game of shared interests: the US, Russia and the Middle East<\/a><br \/>\nby Sean Nevins<br \/>\n<strong>December 9, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The event had a series of panels that covered a broad range of topics, including Geneva 2, the Iran nuclear deal, and the role of the big powers in the region. Panelists at the conference included Zbigniew Brzezinski, Vitaly Churkin, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, along with Vali Nasr and Joshua Landis, both of whom gave one-on-one interviews with VOR America.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Guardian<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2013\/dec\/05\/catholic-nun-mother-agnes-syria-civil-war\">Critics question Catholic nun&#8217;s &#8216;alternative story&#8217; on Syria civil war<\/a><br \/>\nby Raya Jalabi<br \/>\n<strong>December 05, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cShe\u2019s probably not getting paid by the government,\u201d said Joshua Landis, associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThere is an element of truth to her narrative. There have been bad things happening to Christians in Syria \u2026 So you could imagine that she is a willing participant.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BgC51wTum_8\">The United States, Russia and the Middle East Panel discussion<\/a><br \/>\nModerator David Sanger<br \/>\n<strong>December 5, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Al-Monitor&#8217;s conference with Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) held on Dec. 5, 2013, featured experts from government, academia, think tanks and the media discussing &#8220;The United States, Russia and the Middle East.&#8221;<br \/>\n* Joshua Landis, Associate Professor and Director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Center for Middle East Studies<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Christian Science Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Middle-East\/2013\/1121\/Jihadi-groups-devour-Syria-s-revolutionary-children\">Jihadi groups &#8216;devour&#8217; Syria&#8217;s revolutionary children<\/a><br \/>\nby Alexander Christie-Miller<br \/>\n<strong>November 21, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSyria\u2019s revolution is devouring its children, and ISIS is the devourer,\u201d says Joshua Landis, director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, who runs the prominent blog Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Dish<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dish.andrewsullivan.com\/2013\/11\/20\/syrias-food-war\/\">Syria&#8217;s Deadly Food Fight<\/a><br \/>\nby Andrew Sullivan<br \/>\n<strong>November 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cBoth sides want to be the food-giver, but Assad has made it very clear he\u2019s not going to let anybody else but him feed Syrians,\u201d said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. Assad\u2019s hope: that \u201cpeople will crawl back to him\u201d for bread, salaries, and other subsidies. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PEN Canada<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VyygFT3WO0w\">The Civil War in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Souad Sharabani<br \/>\n<strong>November 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In this podcast, Souad Sharabani looks into the complexities of Syria&#8217;s civil war through in-depth interviews with foreign correspondent Eric Margolis and Middle Eastern Studies professor Joshua Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/11\/18\/world\/meast\/syria-war-within-a-war\/index.html?c=&amp;page=2\">Syria&#8217;s brutal war within a war gains momentum<\/a><br \/>\nby Tim Lister<br \/>\n<strong>November 18, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, writes that according to one former prisoner, the ISIS &#8220;emir&#8221; in Azaz is a 16-year-old who has personally taken part in the torture of captives.<br \/>\nRecognizing the growing threat from ISIS, the Syrian National Council has accused it of &#8220;aggression towards Syrian revolutionary forces and indifference to the lives of the Syrian people.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2013\/11\/17\/why-has-the-u-n-given-assad-a-free-pass-on-mass-murder\/\">Why Has the U.N. Given Assad a Free Pass on Mass Murder?<\/a><br \/>\nby Colum Lynch<br \/>\n<strong>November 17, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Both sides want to be the food-giver, but Assad has made it very clear he\u2019s not going to let anybody else but him feed Syrians,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. Assad\u2019s hope: that &#8220;people will crawl back to him&#8221; for bread, salaries, and other subsidies. &#8220;And that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>New York Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/11\/05\/world\/middleeast\/while-few-seem-eager-to-talk-peace-in-syria-un-mediator-wont-stop.html?_r=0\">Few Eager to Talk Peace in Syria, but a Mediator Won\u2019t Stop<\/a><br \/>\nby Somini Sengupta<br \/>\n<strong>November 04, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua M. Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, blamed the Obama administration for insisting, on the one hand, that Mr. Assad must step down and, on the other, refusing to help the rebels oust him. \u201cBrahimi is stuck with this two-faced approach,\u201d Mr. Landis said. \u201cHe gave it the college try. He did what the Americans wanted, which is to really push for this political solution, but it\u2019s quite clear there is no backing for it either among the Syrian opposition or among Western politicians.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\nInside Syria<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/11\/syria-too-dangerous-cover-20131136527774558.html\">Syria: Too Dangerous to cover?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 03, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Inside Syria, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with guests: Matthew Van Dyke, the filmmaker of a documentary about Syria called Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution; Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies and a professor at the University of Oklahoma; and Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera&#8217;s senior correspondent who has been covering the Syrian conflict from the beginning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2013\/10\/30\/hopes-fade-for-syriapeacetalksnextmonth.html\">Hopes fade for Syria peace talks next month<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<br \/>\n<strong>October 30, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>With both sides \u2014 and their international backers \u2014 unwilling to budge on several key issues, the prospects for effective peace talks &#8220;are not good,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a foremost Syria expert and author of the blog Syria Comment. &#8220;Everybody&#8217;s hiding behind what they would like to see happen, which is that Assad must go, but they can&#8217;t tell you how that&#8217;s going to happen,&#8221; said Landis about the countries pushing for a transition government. He called the conference a &#8220;charade.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>New Republic<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newrepublic.com\/article\/115398\/syrian-opposition-coalition-mess-after-us-russia-deal\">The Secular Syrian Opposition May be Imploding<\/a><br \/>\nby Luke Jerod Kummer<br \/>\n<strong>October 29, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe Russian deal sent a clear message that the United States is not going to do the heavy lifting,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cRight after that, everything started to move.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/10\/geneva-ii-last-exit-peace-20131020101943735372.html\">Inside Syria: Geneva II: The last exit for peace?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>October 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;There are really two problems here. One is that Assad and his government remains strong and Syria in a sense is becoming partitioned &#8211; a de facto partition &#8211; with the government controlling the south and the west coast. The opposition members are controlling the north and east. Many of the political opposition [members] don&#8217;t want to go to talks in these conditions because &#8230; what you are getting is a demand of ceasefire and a de facto recognition of the partition of Syria. And that&#8217;s anathema for all the Syrian rebels,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies and a professor at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Associated Press<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/england-one-man-feeds-western-media-syria-095151241.html\">From England, one man feeds Western media on Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Raphael Satter<br \/>\n<strong>October 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s just everywhere,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;He&#8217;s the go-to guy for figures. &#8230; I can&#8217;t think of anybody who comes close.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>KGOU<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kgou.org\/post\/reporting-middle-east-syria-and-egypt-after-arab-spring\">Reporting On The Middle East: Syria And Egypt After The Arab Spring<\/a><br \/>\nby Brian Hardzinski<br \/>\n<strong>October 14, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis called the conventional narrative in Syria of a growth in demand for reform, a brutish government that killed people, and turned the opposition even more radical is accurate, but glosses over 30 years of intense brutality by the ruling minority Alawite government. \u201cThe stakes are very high, because it\u2019s become extremely sectarian, and extremely class-oriented,\u201d Landis says. \u201cShould they lose, there\u2019s going to be hell to pay. It\u2019s not just about reform. It\u2019s about who\u2019s going to win.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2013\/09\/30\/assad-rules-out-negotiations-with-pretty-much-everyone-in-opposition\/\">Assad Rules Out Negotiations With Pretty Much Everyone in Opposition<\/a><br \/>\nby John Hudson<br \/>\n<strong>September 30, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Assad is precluding almost all interlocutors with these sweeping preconditions,&#8221; Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University, tells The Cable. &#8220;He has named the select groups that he believes are the appropriate opposition, which are seen to be stooges of his government by much of the opposition.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/09\/syria-breaking-deadlock-2013928143447863414.html\">Syria: Breaking the deadlock<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 29, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Obama is focusing only on chemical weapons. He is quite specific that he is not intending to change the balance of power on the ground or to solve the Syrian civil war&#8230;. Assad is not going to go anywhere &#8230; he is a power on the ground, he is not going to step down.&#8221; Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East studies<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Citizen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.yourhoustonnews.com\/bay_area\/living\/professor-to-illuminate-syrian-past-and-u-s-future\/article_556e2f1f-1d57-5c32-b002-9bc249fa2e05.html\">Professor to illuminate Syrian past and U.S. future<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 26, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In his presentation, Joshua Landis will unravel the region\u2019s long and bloody history and discuss ramifications of Syria\u2019s status as the last minority-dominated state in the region. He will assess Syria\u2019s future as a divided or united nation and examine which course the U.S. should chart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2013\/9\/20\/syrian-rebel-s-bigtentstrategycollapsing.html\">Syrian rebels turn on each other as &#8216;big tent&#8217; strategy collapses<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<br \/>\n<strong>September 20, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis is a fight that\u2019s been brewing for some time,\u201d says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and a foremost Syria expert. \u201cBoth sides, particularly the FSA, have been trying to pursue a big-tent strategy and work together with all the extremists, but that\u2019s failing.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PRI<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2013-09-17\/fighting-syria-grinds-despite-diplomatic-deal\">The Fighting in Syria Grinds on Despite Diplomatic Deal<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 17, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nHost Aaron Schachter<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Nobody is winning,&#8221;\u009d says Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<br \/>\n&#8220;The US is committed to arming and supporting the rebels just enough to keep fighting, but not enough to win. And that is a policy of stalemate.&#8221;\u009d Landis says the Assad government has benefited from aid from the Lebanese shi&#8217;ite group, Hezbollah, and from Iran.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/iframesrc=www.pri.org\/node\/60138\/embeddedheight=76width=320\/iframe\">Conflict &amp; Justice: The Fighting in Syria Grinds on Despite Diplomatic Deal<\/a><br \/>\nAnadolu Agency<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/headline\/228627--russia-offers-way-out-for-obama-assad\">Russia offers way out for Obama, Assad<\/a><br \/>\nby Selen Tonku?<br \/>\n<strong>September 16, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma Joshua Landis told AA that Obama had a very weak hand to play when he realized that the American people did not want to bomb Syria and that Congress would vote against him. Landis added, &#8220;Russia&#8217;s credibility is now on the line. Putin must deliver something from Assad.&#8221; Elaborating on whether or not Russia could be trusted in the new process, Landis said, &#8220;After all, Russia has protected Assad at every turn. But in the present context &#8211; one in which the US is retreating from its customary position of Policeman of the world &#8211; this diplomatic effort is better than nothing.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yomiuri Shimbun<br \/>\nby Yoshikazu Shirakawa<br \/>\n<strong>September 12, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;[Obama]&#8217;s in a sense being shoved into this problem against his will. So if you look at all of the variations that have taken place in the last few weeks, they make sense in this light. He does not want to be in this war, and he would rather lose a vote. The American people don&#8217;t want him to do it. The congress doesn&#8217;t want him to do it. Nobody wants him to do it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CCTV News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QjnNHtMCEG0\">Reaction to President Obama Syria&#8217;s Address<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 11, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>After President Obama&#8217;s speech on Syria, anchor Elaine Reyes holds a panel with retired United States Naval Commander and senior advisor to the Atlantic Council, Harlan Ullman and director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis to discuss the address and what can be expected regarding American foreign policy in Syria moving forward.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN International<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2013\/09\/10\/world\/meast\/syria-assad-brother\/index.html\">Maher al-Assad: Syrian leader&#8217;s brother is most ruthless in family, analysts say<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 10, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Brian Rokus and Brian Todd<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Maher is the kneecapper. He is in charge of keeping the regime in power,&#8221; said Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;Maher has been at the forefront of the most brutal fighting.&#8221; Landis said,&#8221;We know precious little about him.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/watch\/shows\/america-tonight\/america-tonight-blog\/2013\/9\/10\/amid-talk-of-chemicalweaponsdealatimelineofassadsbrokenpromises.html\">Amid talk of chemical weapons deal, a timeline of Assad&#8217;s broken promises<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 10, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Azmat Khan<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But Joshua Landis, scholar and author of the Syria blog SyriaComment, warns that the move \u201clegitimizes\u201d Assad in the world community. \u201cThis opens the door to Assad having a lot more negotiating power, both with the Russians and Americans,&#8221; Landis said. &#8220;This puts Assad in the same negotiating room as Obama, and it gives him a lot of bargaining chips moving forward.\u201d Landis added that it&#8217;s also a win for Russia. \u201cI&#8217;m sure the people in Moscow are doing shots of vodka right now. They warded off unilateral U.S. action and put Moscow at center of things. And I\u2019m sure there is lots of arm pumping going on in Damascus. Assad has averted a direct American blow.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>France 24, The Debate<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20130909-debate-Syria-Breakthrough-or-Smokescreen\/\">Syria: Breakthrough or Smokescreen?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 09, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby FRAN\u00c7OIS PICARD<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Did John Kerry blunder when he suggested that Syria would never accept an offer to puts its chemical weapons stockpile under international supervision? When Damascus gladly accepts Moscow\u2019s offer, Fran\u00e7ois Picard\u2019s panel is left wondering if Barack Obama\u2019s hard sell to Congress on intervention just got harder.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/wp\/2013\/09\/05\/three-big-ways-the-u-s-could-help-syrians-without-using-the-military\/\">Three big ways the U.S. could help Syrians without using the military<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 05, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Lydia Depillis<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Universities could also play a role here. The Institute for International Education set up a program to offer scholarships to Syrian students, but found that participating universities were overwhelmed by applications. Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, was one of them \u2014 he couldn&#8217;t sift through the deluge of young people whose college careers had been interrupted and were desperately seeking a way to continue.<br \/>\n&#8220;It was heartbreaking, but I didn&#8217;t know what to do with the flood of messages,&#8221; Landis wrote in an e-mail. &#8220;One educated kid could help raise his family out of misery and a refugee camp. He could help siblings navigate the difficulties of education. It is a cost effective way to help a lot. Much better than bombs.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bloomberg<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2013-09-02\/obama-s-decision-stirs-doubts-about-america-s-resolve\">Obama&#8217;s Decision Stirs Doubts About America&#8217;s Resolve<\/a><br \/>\nby Nicole Gaouette<br \/>\n<strong>September 01, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe regime people are taking great comfort from this,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. \u201cThey see it as a sign of Obama\u2019s weakness, that he doesn\u2019t really want to hurt them or get involved.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/2013-08-27\/assad-s-brother-seen-linked-to-syria-chemical-attack.html\" target=\"_blank\">Assad\u2019s Brother Seen Linked to Syria Chemical Attack<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>&#8211; Aug. 27, 2013<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/strong>Bloomberg, Terry Atlas &amp; Sangwon Yoon<cite><\/cite><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230; The use of chemical weapons may have been a brash action by Maher al-Assad rather than a strategic decision by the president, according to the UN official, who asked not to be named.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, doubts that such an important action &#8212; openly defying U.S. President Barack Obama\u2019s \u201cred line\u201d against the use of chemical weapons &#8212; would be done without Bashar al-Assad\u2019s approval. \u201cIt\u2019s inconceivable to me,\u201d Landis said in a phone interview. \u201cThere has been nothing to indicate that Bashar is just a figurehead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8230; For now, Maher\u2019s role is largely a matter of conjecture. &#8230; \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that he is ruthless, but I also don\u2019t doubt that Bashar is ruthless,\u201d said Landis. \u201cIs he more ruthless than Bashar? I think that is a useless line of inquiry because they are both killing people with abandon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8230; \u201cMaher is the knee-capper in this operation,\u201d said Landis. \u201cHe is in charge of doing the heavy lifting of punishing people and preserving the regime through military means.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/video\/data\/2.0\/video\/world\/2013\/08\/27\/syria-crisis-bashar-al-assad-prof-landis-intv.cnn.html\" target=\"_blank\">CNN: Bashar al-Assad Out of Options<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>&#8211; video interview &#8211; 27 Aug. 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Joshua Landis discusses why he believes the Syrian regime, and not the rebels, were behind the recent chemical weapons attacks.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/diplomacy-is-better-than-military-action-in-syria\/2013\/05\/07\/9cb3fe34-b664-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html\">Diplomacy is better than military action in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>7 May 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nWashington Post, by Katrina vanden Heuvel<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The lessons of those previous wars are particularly relevant here. Syria has, as Syria specialist Joshua Landis has argued, many parallels to Iraq. It is a nation rife with religious, sectarian and class divisions. A minority \u2014 Shiite in Syria \u2014 in alliance with urban Sunnis, Christians and other minorities, has used a dictatorship to rule over the Sunni majority. The uprising has quickly turned sectarian \u2014 in part because of the outside influences of Turkey and the Gulf monarchies who seek to weaken the Iranian-Shiite alliance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2013\/05\/06\/syria_canadian_mps_set_to_debate_on_escalating_conflict.html\">Syria: Canadian MPs set to debate on escalating conflict<\/a> &#8211;<br \/>\n<strong>May 06 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nby Hamida Ghafour<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Assad would have no chance in a war against Israel, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<br \/>\n\u201cI think Israel would spend about 12 hours whacking Assad over the head and that would stop him,\u201d he said. \u201cHe can\u2019t even kill the badly armed rebels in his own country.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\nInside Syria<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/05\/20135562034627900.html\">Jordan: Straddling Syria sensitivities<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 05, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Any buffer zone that will be created will not only protect Jordan, I suppose, but also to create a friendly environment for Israel &#8230; one way to break the stalemate is for the opposition to trade the Golan Heights for Israeli help in bringing down Assad.&#8221; Joshua Landis, associate professor at the University of Oklahoma<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kgou.org\/post\/over-1000-militias-make-syria-la-riots-gone-berserk\">Over 1,000 Militias Make Syria &#8220;Like L.A. Riots Gone Berserk&#8221;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>3 May 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nKGOU by Joshua Landis, Suzette Grillot, an Rebecca Cruise<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, says eliminating Syria&#8217;s air defenses would be the first step before inspectors could determine if the regime did indeed use chemical weapons.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\nInside Syria<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/04\/2013475546239827.html\">Preparing for the day after al-Assad&#8217;s fall<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 07, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think we are not anywhere near a post-Assad Syria, yes the battle for Damascus is beginning but the problem is that the Alawite community and others who back this government are in this for a duration and they are going to fight like mad.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.net\/programs\/pages\/b97ccac5-42a3-4db9-ac69-d21bff39e7fa\">??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ????? ??????? ??????<\/a><\/h1>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2013\/05\/01\/180361623\/analysts-divided-on-u-s-arming-syrian-rebels\">Analysts Divided on U.S. Arming Syrian Rebels <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>1 May 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nAll Things Considered on NPR, with Melissa Block<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http:\/\/soundcloud.com\/onpointradio\/syria\">Shadi Hamid on Joshua Landis on Intervention in Syria<\/a> &#8211; <strong>30 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nNPR&#8217;s On Point<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.upi.com\/Business_News\/Energy-Resources\/2013\/04\/26\/Oil-part-of-Syrias-problem-expert-says\/UPI-52821366977473\/\">Oil Part of Syria&#8217;s Problem, Expert Says<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>26 April 2013<br \/>\n<\/strong>UPI.com<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Oil is the only thing that Syria has going for it,&#8221; Landis, a Syrian expert and professor at the University of Oklahoma, told Bloomberg News. &#8220;Farming has collapsed and that is why we are seeing this outflow of refugees. They are starving. They don&#8217;t have the basics to sustain them.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/articles.washingtonpost.com\/2013-04-25\/world\/38800394_1_some-syrians-opposition-forces-president-bashar\">Assad still has backers among Syrian refugees <\/a>&#8211;<strong> 25 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nWashington Post, by Justin Salhani<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said some Christians, for example, initially wanted to see reforms or a change of leadership but now \u201care staunch reborn supporters [of Assad] and hoping for the regime to reassert its authority.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w-rfIWgCeIo\">Interview with Joshua Landis: Obama under pressure to increase US involvement in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>March 18, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of Middle Eastern Studies at the Univesity of Oklahoma, tells Al Jazeera that the Syrian strike on Lebanese territory is part of a larger spillover of the Syrian war into neighbouring countries. He also says the Obama administration is fighting pressure to increase US involvement in Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\nInside Syria<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/03\/20133177557742685.html\">Where is the Syrian conflict heading?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>March 17, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>To assess the current situation, the possible outcomes and next steps, Inside Syria, with presenter Hazem Sika, is joined by guests: Yaser Tabbara; legal advisor for the Syrian National Coalition, and the Syrian opposition coalition in the United States; Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and director of Center of the Middle East Studies, and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma; and Danny Makki, the co-founder of the Syrian Youth in Britain &#8211; a group of Syrians advocating democratic change through dialogue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- [if gte mso 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5.4pt;\nmso-para-margin-top:0in;\nmso-para-margin-right:0in;\nmso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;\nmso-para-margin-left:0in;\nline-height:115%;\nmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\nfont-size:11.0pt;\nfont-family:\"Calibri\",\"sans-serif\";\nmso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;\nmso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;\nmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;\nmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<![endif]--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/news\/2013-04-24\/syria-open-backyard-refineries-as-war-reaches-oil-field\">Syrians Open Backyard Refineries as Civil War Reaches Oil<\/a> &#8211; <strong>25 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nBloomberg News, by Caroline Alexander and Flavia-Krause Jackson<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOil is the only thing that Syria has going for it,\u201d says Joshua Landis, who runs the Middle East program at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cFarming has collapsed, and that is why we are seeing this outflow of refugees, they are starving, they don\u2019t have the basics to sustain them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.golos-ameriki.ru\/content\/world-syria-us-russia-kerry-lavrov\/1647591.html\">????? ? ??????: ? ??????? ???????????<\/a><\/h1>\n<blockquote><p>?????? ??????, ???????? ?????? ??????????????? ???????????? ? ???????????? ???????? (Joshua Landis<strong>,<\/strong> Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma), ??????? ?????????????, ??? ????????? ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ?? ?????.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2013\/04\/23\/178623866\/how-chemical-weapons-could-change-strategy-for-syria\">How Chemical Weapons Could Change Strategy for Syria<\/a> &#8211;<strong> 23 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nInterview on NPR&#8217;s Talk of the Nation with Jennifer Ludden<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/04\/18\/world\/middleeast\/europeans-step-toward-easing-syria-oil-exports.html?smid=tw-share&amp;_r=0\">Europeans Step Toward Easing Syrian Oil Exports<\/a> &#8211; <strong>17 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nThe New York Times, by James Kanter and Rick Gladstone<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cJump-starting the economy is key to keeping Syrians inside Syria and out of refugee camps,\u201d Mr. Landis said. \u201cThe West says it is targeting the regime, but one can easily see that the regime is feeding its troops and the people are starving.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mintpressnews.com\/a-sunni-shiite-showdown-in-syria\/\">A Sunni-Shiite Showdown in Syria?<\/a> &#8211; <strong>15 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nMintPress News, by Dale Gavlak<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSyria means a lot to Islamists [salafists],\u201d Landis said. \u201cIraq for them has not been successful. The U.S. is still hunting and killing militants in <a title=\"Posts tagged with Afghanistan\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mintpressnews.com\/tag\/afghanistan\/\">Afghanistan<\/a> and Yemen, but Syria presents a completely different possibility where the potential gains for them are real.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.omaha.com\/article\/20130412\/NEWS\/704129905\/1707\">&#8216;Arab Spring&#8217; workshop at UNO lures expert<\/a> &#8211; <strong>12 April 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nOmaha.com, by Leslie Reed<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Arab Spring refers to the wave of democratic uprisings that spread across the Arab world beginning in late 2010. Joshua Landis, who will deliver the workshop&#8217;s keynote address at 7 p.m. Sunday, is an associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/kgou.org\/post\/world-views-april-5-2013\">World Views:<\/a> &#8211; <strong>April 5, 2013<br \/>\n<\/strong>KGOU by Suzette Grillot, Joshua Landis, Rebecca Cruise, and Brian Hardzinski<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurasiareview.com\/05042013-the-raqqa-story-rebel-structure-planning-and-possible-war-crimes-analysis\/\">The Raqqa Story: Rebel Structure, Planning, and Possible War Crimes &#8211; Analysis <\/a>&#8211; <b>April 5, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nEurasia Review, by Matthew Barber for Syria Comment<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2013\/Apr-04\/212490-syrias-muslim-brotherhood-influential-organized-but-mistrusted.ashx#axzz2PiFkAysX\">Syria&#8217;s Muslim Brotherhood: influential, organized, but mistrusted <\/a>&#8211; <b>April 4, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nDaily Star<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey believe that they are the natural leaders of Syria, they believe &#8230; their time has finally come and that they represent the nation better than anybody else,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatch\/news\/afp\/130403\/syrias-muslim-brotherhood-influential-mistrusted\">Syria&#8217;s Muslim Brotherhood influential but mistrusted <\/a>&#8211; <b>April 3, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nGlobalPost<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;They believe that they are the natural leaders of Syria, they believe that&#8230; their time has finally come and that they represent the nation better than anybody else,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/app1.kuhf.org\/articles\/npr1364445340-Divisions-Remain-In-Syrian-Rebel-Coalition.html\">Divisions Remain in Syrian Rebel Coalition<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 27, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nNPR Interview with Robert Siegel<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/newsle.com\/article\/0\/66764728\/\">Obama&#8217;s Syria policy in shambles as Assad opposition squabbles <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 26, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nThe Kansas City Star, by Hannah Allam<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis is it. The U.S. can\u2019t reboot it a third time. If they can\u2019t make this work, they\u2019ve got nothing,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the author of the blog Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/beta.syriadeeply.org\/2013\/03\/syria-deeply-asks-moaz-al-khatib-resign-implications\/#.UVXy2ldWJMF\">Syria Deeply Asks: why did Moaz al-Khatib Resign? What are the Implications?<\/a><br \/>\nSyria Deeply, by Karen Leigh<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.policymic.com\/articles\/30872\/syria-uprising-and-chemical-weapons-dr-joshua-landis-on-what-the-future-holds\">Syria Uprising and Chemical Weapons: Dr. Joshua Landis on What the Future Holds <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 2013<br \/>\n<\/b>Policymic by Nolan Kraszkiewicz<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Assad regime&#8217;s recent chemical attack on rebel positions is evidence of this notion for two reasons. As Dr. Landis stated in our interview, &#8220;there is no agreed upon definition of how to define chemical weapons or what a real &#8216;use&#8217; is or how many need to be killed before the U.S. intervenes.&#8221; This ambiguity reflects the on- the-ground reality of the attack site.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"www.nytimes.com\/2013\/03\/22\/world\/middleeast\/senior-pro-assad-sunni-imam-in-syria-is-assassinated.html?smid=tw-nytimesglobal&amp;seid=auto\">Pro-Assad Cleric Killed in Blast in Damascus<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 21, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nThe New York Times by Hania Mourtada and Rick Gladstone<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Mr. Landis said the sheik had been reviled by some Syrian revolutionaries when he came out early in the conflict to denounce the uprising. He was known for having a prodigious memory, was the author of at least 40 books and was ranked 23rd on a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/22652672\/The-500-most-influential-Muslims-in-the-world\">list<\/a> of the most influential 500 Muslims in the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2013\/03\/syria-ghassan-hitto-muslim-brotherhood.html\">Muslim Brotherhood Holds Sway over Syrian Opposition <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 21, 2013<br \/>\n<\/b>Al-Monitor by Hassan Hassan<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTo this end, Hitto\u2019s first words were that he would not negotiate with the Assad regime,\u201d Landis <a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=18160\" target=\"_blank\">wrote on his website<\/a>, Syria Comment. This argument is further bolstered by the fact that neither Saudi Arabia, Jordan nor other key (Western) players were informed of Hitto\u2019s appointment, according to a senior diplomat familiar with the process.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.charlierose.com\/view\/interview\/12836\">Discussion about Syria<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 20, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nInterview on Charlie Rose<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatch\/news\/regions\/americas\/united-states\/130315\/us-finds-sunni-shia-rift-difficult-navigate\">US finds Sunni-Shia rift difficult to navigate<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 18, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nGlobal Post, by Caryle Murphy<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSunnis and Shiites are fighting over control of the Middle East and&#8230; Syria is in the middle of that struggle,\u201d said Syria expert Joshua Landis, director of the University of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies, during a recent public debate in Washington.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w-rfIWgCeIo\">Analyst Joshua Landis: Obama under pressure to increase US involvement in Syria <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 18, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nInterview on AlJazeera English <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.albanytribune.com\/17032013-the-free-syrian-army-doesnt-exist-analysis\/\">The Free Syrian Army Doesn&#8217;t Exist &#8211; Analysis <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 17, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nThe Albany Tribunes, by Aron Lund<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/bigideas\/syria-whats-next\/4556858\">Syria and the Minoritarian Regimes of the Levant States<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 15, 2013<br \/>\n<\/b>Radio National by Joshua Landis<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Syrian regime\u2014the Baathist Alawite-dominated regime of Assad\u2014is the last minoritarian regime in the Levant.<\/p>\n<p>All of the regimes and the governments in the Levant were minoritarian at one point, and in every one of those countries there\u2019s been a long and bloody fall for the minorities. Why? Because they see it as a zero-sum game\u2014that if they lose, they\u2019re going to go down to the bottom of society and they\u2019re going to stay there&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/onpoint.wbur.org\/2013\/03\/05\/syria-3\">What&#8217;s Next For Syria<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 5, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nNPR&#8217;s On Point with Jane Clayson<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/onpoint.wbur.org\/2013\/03\/05\/syria-3\">Assad Forces Defeated in Syria&#8217;s Raqqa, Ambushed in Iraq<\/a> &#8211; <b>March 4, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nVoice of America by Michael Lipin<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis, who authors <a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\">the blog Syria Comment<\/a>, said Raqqa also is near a major oil producing region and is a farming hub because of its proximity to Assad Lake and the Euphrates River.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/03\/05\/world\/middleeast\/fighting-escalates-in-syrian-city-opposition-says.html?pagewanted=all\">Massacre of Syrian Soldiers in Iraq Raises Risk of Widening Conflict <\/a>&#8211; <b>March 4, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nNew York Times, by Duraid Adnan and Rick Gladstone<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cA number of us have been saying that Iraq is the one most affected by the meltdown in Syria,\u201d said Joshua M. Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Crude-Oil\/Oil-Much-as-Weapons-is-Dangerous-in-the-Wrong-Hands.html \">Oil, Much as Weapons, is Dangerous in the Wrong Hands<\/a> \u2013 <strong>26 February 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nOil Price by Claude Salhani<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThat was before the currency had fallen by half, the economy collapsed, strict economic sanctions were placed on Syria, and fighting engulfed the country. In all probability, a conservative percent of Syrians living in the direst poverty has surpassed 50 percent,\u201d reports Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theworld.org\/2013\/02\/syria-rebels-saudi-arabia\/\">Syrian Rebels Now Better Armed With Help of Saudi Arabia<\/a><br \/>\nInterview on The World with Marco Werman<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Landis: <\/b>Iran is clearly backing the Syrians. They have a lot to lose if Syria goes down because America, you know, wants to over-turn the Iranian regime as well and has real sanctions on it. And so, I think Iran looks at this as a domino theory, that if Syria goes down, Iran will become the focus of international tension next. And it\u2019s much better to be fighting a proxy war in Syria than it is to be fending off any kind of direct action to do with Iran.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/news\/world\/middle-east\/rebel-truce-with-kurds-is-shaky-say-experts#full\">Rebel truce with Kurds is shaky, say experts<\/a> \u2013 <strong>22 February 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nThe National by Justin Vela<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think the Syrian opposition coalition and the Turks realised that they needed to defuse this tinderbox,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at Oklahoma State University.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2013\/02\/2013217115930168889.html\">Syria: Shifting the strategic balance<\/a> \u2013 <strong>17 February 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nDebate on Aljazeera<\/p>\n<p><a href=\" http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/b01qdtql\">The Alawis<\/a> \u2013 <strong>10 February 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rt.com\/shows\/crosstalk\/syria-exploited-civil-war\/\">Syria exploited<\/a> \u2013 <strong>6 February 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nDebate on RT<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/warincontext.org\/2013\/02\/17\/video-syrias-shifting-strategic-balance\/\">Video: Syria\u2019s shifting strategic balance<\/a> &#8211; Inside Syria &#8211; Aljazeera<br \/>\nwith Elias Hanna, Joshua Landis and Khalid Salih, Opposition spokesman in Istanbul<\/p>\n<p><object width=\"530\" height=\"298\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><param name=\"src\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/qGbbu-PvUng?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0\"><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\"><\/object><\/p>\n<p>Unrest in the Arab World &#8211; <b>February 1, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nCQ Researcher, by Kenneth Jost<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The uprisings have hurt tourism in Egypt and elsewhere and slowed foreign investment, according to Joshua Landis&#8230;&#8221;We&#8217;re caught in this race of whether the new governments can see their countries through these very dangers and difficult times,&#8221; says Landis<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/lareviewofbooks.org\/article.php?id=1353\">The Syria I Knew: On the Fall of the House of Assad <\/a>&#8211;<br \/>\n<b>January 29, 2013<\/b><br \/>\nLos Angeles Review of Books<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The legacy such a reaction will leave to Syria remains to be seen. As Joshua Landis, another longtime American observer and academic of Syria, recently wrote: \u201cIn the end, the numbers will be decisive. The regime does not have an infinite supply of supporters who can fight. The rebels probably do. But what will Syria look like when it is over? The thought is staggering.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/assad-still-confident-that-he-control-syria\/2013\/01\/12\/2e24a62e-5d01-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html\">Assad still confident that he can control Syria<\/a> &#8211; <strong>January 12, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nWashington Post, by Liz Sly<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Assad may also have little choice but to continue trying to crush the revolt. The 2 million or so members of the Alawite community on which he has come to depend for his survival fear annihilation should the overwhelmingly Sunni rebel force win, said Joshua Landis, a history professor at the University of Oklahoma who is married to an Alawite and remains in regular touch with the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAssad isn\u2019t in a negotiating mood because he knows that any tinkering with his regime means collapse, and the Alawites fear revenge,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an existential moment for them, and they have their backs to the wall.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"www.thenational.ae\/thenationalconversation\/comment\/vicious-circle-of-violence-no-nation-seems-able-to-end\">Vicious circle of violence no nations seems able to end<\/a> &#8211; <strong>January 15,2013<br \/>\n<\/strong>The National, by Faisal al Yafai<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Mr Landis has argued, persuasively in my view, that on the evidence today, Mr Al Assad could hold on to power until 2014. He frames this as a simple question: &#8220;Who will defeat him?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Security-Watch\/terrorism-security\/2013\/0107\/Assad-speech-resoundingly-dismissed-by-opposition-and-allies-video\">Assad speech resoundingly dismissed by opposition and allies<\/a> <strong>January 7, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Christian Science Monitor, by Arthur Bright<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma, told The New York Times that Assad&#8217;s stance \u201cmeans we\u2019re in for a long fight&#8230;. This is a dark, dark tunnel. There is no good ending to this. Assad believes he is winning.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/commentisfree\/2013\/jan\/07\/reality-syria-intervention-unlikely#start-of-comments\">Syria: why Assad may yet claim victory<\/a> &#8211; <strong>January 7, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nGuardia, by Simon Tisdall<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>And its leaders believe they are fighting the rebels to a stalemate,&#8221; said Tony Karon in Time. Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, told Karon that, whatever the US state department might say, the fact is that Assad is not budging.<\/p>\n<p>Landis said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Absent some dramatic increase in external intervention, Assad could still be there in 2014. There&#8217;s nothing obvious in the current dynamic that&#8217;s going to force him out. He has barricaded the major cities with layers of security, allowing the impoverished periphery of some to fall into rebel hands, but then using his air power and artillery to devastate those neighbourhoods. Almost two years into the uprising and despite the rebels&#8217; recent momentum, they have not yet taken full control of a single major city or town.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the confident predictions coming from the rebels and their backers, nobody in the opposition today can explain how they&#8217;re going to win. The regime has the unity, it has all the heavy weapons. Many of the rebels continue to operate on the assumption that the US will intervene to tip the balance for them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But despite all the huffing and puffing in Washington (and London), decisive intervention is extremely unlikely. It is time the likes of Obama and William Hague admitted this reality and started dealing with what is, rather than what might have been.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/01\/07\/world\/middleeast\/syria-war-developments.html?nl=todaysheadlines&amp;emc=edit_th_20130107&amp;_r=0\">New York Times QUOTATION OF THE DAY<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>&#8220;This is a dark, dark tunnel. There is no good ending to this. Assad believes he is winning.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/01\/07\/world\/middleeast\/syria-war-developments.html?nl=todaysheadlines&amp;emc=edit_th_20130107\">JOSHUA LANDIS<\/a>, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, on a speech in which President Bashar al-Assad of Syria defended a crackdown and sought to rally supporters.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>The Great Debaters<\/strong> @<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshua_landis\">joshua_landis<\/a> @<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aarondmiller2\">aarondmiller2<\/a> Robert Kagan and Leon Wieseltier with moderator @<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eliselabottcnn\">eliselabottcnn<\/a> discuss <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search\/%23Syria\">#Syria<\/a> on Jan 30th.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Great Debaters <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshua_landis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@joshua_landis<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aarondmiller2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@aarondmiller2<\/a> Robert Kagan and Leon Wieseltier with moderator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eliselabottcnn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@eliselabottcnn<\/a> discuss <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Syria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Syria<\/a> on Jan 30th.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; McCain Institute (@McCainInstitute) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/McCainInstitute\/status\/288310502931705856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 7, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><strong> Syria Comment named &#8220;one of our best blogs of 2012&#8221;<\/strong> by Open Democracy &#8211;<strong> January 4, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>.@<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshua_landis\">joshua_landis<\/a> one of our best blogs of 2012 <a title=\"http:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/arab-awakening\/best-of-blogs-2012\" href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/Q40QxC8R\">opendemocracy.net\/arab-awakening\u2026<\/a><br \/>\n\u2014 Arab Awakening (@openAwakening) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/openAwakening\/status\/287132119656960000\" data-datetime=\"2013-01-04T09:43:26+00:00\">January 4, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/world.time.com\/2013\/01\/03\/syrias-rising-death-toll-the-darkness-before-the-dawn-or-symptom-of-a-grinding-stalemate\/\">Syria\u2019s Rising Death Toll: The Darkness Before the Dawn or Sign of a Grinding Stalemate?<\/a> &#8211;<strong> Jan 2, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nBy Tony Karon | Time<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAbsent some dramatic increase in external intervention, Assad could still be there in 2014,\u201d says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing obvious in the current dynamic that\u2019s going to force him out. He has barricaded the major cities with layers of security, allowing the impoverished periphery of some to fall into rebel hands, but then using his air power and artillery to devastate those neighborhoods. Almost two years into the uprising and despite the rebels\u2019 recent momentum, they have not yet taken full control of a single major city or town. That\u2019s a bad sign for the rebels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sectarian character of the civil war has been underscored by Alawites \u2014 even many with grievances against the Assads \u2014 rallying behind a regime dominated by their minority sect for fear of their fate should the predominantly Sunni rebellion triumph. While opposition analysts <a href=\"http:\/\/world.time.com\/2012\/12\/21\/assads-cash-problem-will-syrias-dwindling-reserves-bring-down-the-regime\/\">predict<\/a> that the regime will soon run out of money, rebel-controlled areas are even more starved of resources. And the regime, which still maintains an overwhelming advantage in weaponry, appears to be directing attacks in line with a strategy to <a href=\"http:\/\/world.time.com\/2012\/12\/24\/assads-roll-of-the-dice-is-winter-coming-for-the-syrian-rebellion\/\">exacerbate shortages of food and fuel<\/a> in those areas, assuming that shortages and the competition for scarce resources will alienate the civilian population from the rebel fighters that control their areas \u2014 a dynamic that appears to be taking hold according to some <a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/world\/2012\/dec\/28\/aleppo-revolution-abu-ali-sulaibi\">reports from Aleppo<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spiegel.de\/international\/world\/gaining-a-clearer-view-of-the-increasing-barbarity-in-syrian-civil-war-a-874027.html\">elsewhere<\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite the confident predictions coming from the rebels and their backers,\u201d says Landis, \u201cnobody in the opposition today can explain <em>how<\/em> they\u2019re going to win. The regime has the unity, it has all the heavy weapons. Many of the rebels continue to operate on the assumption that the U.S. will intervene to tip the balance for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But despite <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/syrias-chaos-isnt-americas-or-obamas-fault\/2013\/01\/01\/6fdeddfa-5432-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_story.html\">growing agitation<\/a> by some in Washington for a more muscular U.S. role in helping topple Assad, there\u2019s no sign that the Obama Administration, or any of the other Western powers, or key neighbors such as Turkey, are inclined as yet to assume the substantial risks involved in intervening to break Syria\u2019s stalemate. And the rising death toll won\u2019t likely change those calculations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/world\/middle-east-live\/2013\/jan\/03\/syria-rising-death-toll-live#block-50e59f7b95cb94a7be21b6f3\">Assad to hang on till 2014<\/a> &#8211;<strong> Jan 2, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nBy Matthew Weaver &#8211; Guardian<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Bashar al-Assad is likely to stay in power until 2014, according to Syrian watcher Joshua Landis, director of Centre for Middle East Studies at the Univesity of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p>Many pundits predict that the Assad regime is nearing collapse and it is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/world\/middle-east-live\/2013\/jan\/02\/syria-violence-closes-aleppo-airport-live#block-50e40a4fb579a9dd79231f15\">difficult to find any who think Assad will survive the year as president<\/a>. But Landis, author of the widely-read blog <a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/\">Syria Comment<\/a>, bucks the trend.<\/p>\n<p>Asked to clarify remarks he made on Twitter earlier today about Assad&#8217;s prospects, Landis replied &#8220;Who is going to defeat him?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He told the Guardian that rebels remain divided, under-funded and poorly equipped. He said:<\/p>\n<p>Ethnic and sectarian divisions make victory difficult. Poverty hurts the regime, but also it hurts rebels, who are scavenging and beginning to cannibalize each other.<\/p>\n<p>The Syrian army, by contrast remains cohesive, fully armed and with a clear command and control structure, Landis pointed out. It has also changed tactics to focus on protecting Damascus and the survival of the regime, Landis claimed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It has learned it cannot control everything and has fallen back. The south and Damascus is much more difficult terrain for rebels than north and Aleppo.<\/p>\n<p>Aleppo has been harder to defend because of its proximity to Turkey which offers rebels protection and short lines of retreat. &#8220;In the south [neighbouring countries:] Lebanon, Israel, Iraq and Jordan are all hostile to rebels and do not allow them refuge, comfort and resupply,&#8221; Landis said.<\/p>\n<p>Landis also pointed out that international community remains divided over how to tackle the crisis. The US is concerned about supporting al-Qaida-linked groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra which is leading the fight against the Syrian government in many areas and which the US proscribed as terrorist organisation<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The US has few interests in Syria and every incentive to stay out,&#8221; Landis said<\/p>\n<p>And the main regional opponents of the Assad government &#8211; Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia &#8211; lack a co-ordinated approach and have not always worked in concert.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul class=\"news_archive_list\">\n<li>Browse Archive By Year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/\">Current<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2018\/\">2018<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2017\/\">2017<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2016\/\">2016<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2015\/\">2015<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/\">2013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2012\/\">2012<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2011\/\">2011<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2010\/\">2010<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2009\/\">2009<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2008\/\">2008<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2007\/\">2007<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2006\/\">2006<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2005\/\">2005<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2004\/\">2004<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Browse Archive By Year Current 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 AlJazeera Syria and the promise of 2014 December 29, 2013 &#8220;This year 2013 has seen a big transformation in the way the world looks at the Syrian problem. The stalemate between Assad&#8217;s forces and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21998,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21975","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Landis in the News 2013 - Syria Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Landis in the News 2013 - Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Browse Archive By Year Current 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 AlJazeera Syria and the promise of 2014 December 29, 2013 &#8220;This year 2013 has seen a big transformation in the way the world looks at the Syrian problem. 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