{"id":21979,"date":"2015-01-21T14:59:06","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T19:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?page_id=21979"},"modified":"2020-01-09T13:10:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T18:10:00","slug":"landis-news-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Landis in the News 2014"},"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 class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a 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><strong>December 31, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nVoice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/fragmented-syria-in-search-of-referee\/2578866.html\">Fragmented Syria in Search of a Referee<\/a><br \/>\nby Barbara Slavin<br \/>\n<strong>December 30, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad controls only about 45 percent of the country but 65 percent of the population, according to Syria expert Josh Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\" http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2014\/12\/30\/u-n-s-fear-of-angering-assad-leaves-gap-in-syria-aid-effort\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=Flashpoints&amp;utm_campaign=2014_FlashPoints%20[Manual]RS12%2F30\">U.N.&#8217;s Fear of Angering Assad Leaves Gap in Syria Aid Effort<\/a><br \/>\nby Colum Lynch<br \/>\n<strong>December 30, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe dilemma for the U.N. is this: Do you want to piss off the Syrian government, which rules 65 percent of the Syrian people, in order to deliver aid to 5 percent of those ruled by militias not at war with America and the United Nations?\u201d said Joshua Landis, a scholar and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. U.N. relief agencies feel they \u201chave to go along with Assad because [their] duty is just to feed people,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/12\/syria-ready-peace-talks-with-opposition-20141227133218726448.html\">Syria &#8216;ready&#8217; for peace talks with opposition<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, professor of Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma, said the US was unlikely to throw its weight behind any Russian-initiated talks since Moscow insists that Assad should stay in power. &#8220;The US is bombing Assad&#8217;s major enemies, ISIL and al-Qaeda, but at the same time they don&#8217;t want to talk to Assad,&#8221; he told Al Jazeera. &#8220;They don&#8217;t want to have anything to do with him.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/world\/2014\/12\/27\/sot-syria-new-negotiations.cnn\">New talks between Syria and opposition?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 27, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma talks about the possibility of new Syrian peace talks brokered by Russia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Reuters<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2014\/12\/25\/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKBN0K30J820141225\">Syria&#8217;s war enters new year more fragmented than ever<\/a><br \/>\nby Alexander Dziadosz<br \/>\n<strong>December 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Even with a safe zone, it would take far more resources than the United States has committed to \u201ctake a handful of fractious militias that own maybe 1 or 2 percent of Syria and turn them into the conquerors of the entire land,\u201d said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma.<br \/>\nHe pointed to the hundreds of billions of dollars and years of military occupation the United States spent in Iraq, where the government is still struggling. \u201cNobody\u2019s going to do that for Syria &#8230; All sides, all these proxy armies in Syria \u2013 their supporters are willing to spend enough money so that they don\u2019t lose and not enough money that they can win,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/parallels\/2014\/12\/24\/372481152\/for-syrias-president-the-year-ends-better-than-it-began\">For Syria&#8217;s President, The Year Ends Better Than It Began<\/a><br \/>\nby Alice Fordham<br \/>\n<strong>December 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think Assad is in a stronger position today in many respects, certainly on the battlefield, and he has the United States as a strategic ally,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, a longtime Syria analyst and professor at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Eye<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/iran-transformed-syrian-army-militia-analysis-1087501134\">Iran &#8216;transformed&#8217; Syrian army into militia:analysis<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 18, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If the Alawites started to fight amongst themselves, the whole edifice would collapse,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bloomberg<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2014-12-08\/rockefeller-s-memory-endures-at-aleppo-hotel-as-clashes-escalate\">Rockefeller&#8217;s Memory Endures at Aleppo Hotel as Clashes Escalate<\/a><br \/>\nby Donna Abu-Nasr<br \/>\n<strong>December 09, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For Assad, taking Aleppo is part of a strategy to keep the country\u2019s main four population centers, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, who once lived in Syria. \u201cIf he takes Aleppo, the struggle for Syria will be over in many ways,\u201d said Landis. With Aleppo and its countryside, Assad would control 75 percent of the population while the opposition has at least 50 percent of the territory, he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Newsnet 5 ABC Cleveland<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsnet5.com\/decodedc\/us-recruits-in-syria-more-focused-on-toppling-assad-than-fighting-islamic-state\">U.S. recruits in Syria more focused on toppling Assad than fighting Islamic State<\/a><br \/>\nby Elaine M. Grossman<br \/>\n<strong>December 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Saudi Arabia tried to put together a tribal leadership for the southern command that was going to be out of Amman, Jordan, and it didn&#8217;t work.&#8221; Joshua Landis, a scholar at the University of Oklahoma, said in an interview.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Market Watch<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/here-are-5-global-problems-cheaper-oil-may-fuel-2014-12-08?dist=afterbell\">Here are 5 global problems cheaper oil may fuel<\/a><br \/>\nby Tom Bemis<br \/>\n<strong>December 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Before the U.S. bombing campaign began, the group was making as much as $1 million a day smuggling oil to users in Syria and Turkey, according to Treasury Department estimates in late October. However the ability of the U.S. to cut off all the oil is limited because it won\u2019t bomb the actual oil wells, and the refining of the oil is done in simple backyard facilities, according to Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Philadelphia Inquirer<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2014-12-05\/news\/56727741_1_isis-aleppo-de-mistura\">Worldview: Different approach on Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Trudy Rubin<br \/>\n<strong>December 05, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The regime doesn&#8217;t want to go in and take Aleppo,&#8221; says Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;It just doesn&#8217;t want the rebels to have it.&#8221; A freeze in Aleppo would enable Assad to focus on attacking rebels elsewhere. Not surprisingly, while some rebels in Aleppo are interested in the freeze because it would save them and many civilians, rebel groups outside are wary. De Mistura is trying to convince them that &#8220;what is at stake is the survival of their own people and saving Aleppo.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Arabiya<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/webtv\/reports\/2014\/11\/29\/Interview-with-expert-on-Syria-Joshua-Landis.html\">Interview with Syria expert Joshua Landis <\/a><br \/>\nby Talal al-Haj<br \/>\n<strong>November 29, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\n??????<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alaraby.co.uk\/opinion\/923c63a6-9d02-4a1e-b0a5-71dd45c511df\">??????.. ??? ?????? ????? ?????<\/a><br \/>\nby ???? ?????<br \/>\n<strong>November 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ????????? ??????? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?????????????? ????????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ????????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???????.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Arabiya<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/News\/middle-east\/2014\/11\/28\/ISIS-controls-an-area-the-size-of-Britain-Syria-expert.html\">ISIS controls an area the size of Britain: Syria expert<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) controls a third of Iraq and a third of Syria, a land mass that is the size of Britain, Joshua Landis, a top Syria expert and the director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Center for Middle East Studies, told Al Arabiya&#8217;s Diplomatic Avenue on Friday. \u201cThe country that ISIS is building is the size of Great Britain; it has about eight or nine million people in it,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/because-you-asked-why-hasnt-the-us-struck-down-syrias-assad\/2535922.html\">Because You Asked: Why Hasn&#8217;t US Struck Assad?<\/a><br \/>\nby Cecily Hilleary<br \/>\n<strong>November 26, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cThe U.S. got \u2018spooked\u2019 by the rise of Islamists in Egypt after Mubarak\u2019s ouster,\u201d said Joshua M. Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and editor of the blog Syria Comment. \u201cWhen we removed dictators in Iraq and Libya, we simply facilitated the rise of Al Qaida, and that\u2019s why we have supported dictators throughout the Middle East for forty years&#8211;because we don\u2019t want Islamists to take over.\u201d<br \/>\nThe Christian Century<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.christiancentury.org\/article\/2014-11\/refugee-crisis\">Refugee crisis<\/a><br \/>\nFrom the editors<br \/>\n<strong>November 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Christian Science Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Middle-East\/2014\/1125\/UN-pushes-for-targeted-Syrian-cease-fires-in-hopes-of-delivering-aid-video\">UN pushes for targeted Syrian ceasefires in hopes of delivering aid<\/a><br \/>\nby Nicholas Branford<br \/>\n<strong>November 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe UN cease-fire plan suggests that the international community is reconciling itself to the possibility that Assad is staying and may win back parts of Syria, in particular Aleppo,\u201d says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, referring to Syria\u2019s second city. \u201cThis plan could help civilians and activists escape starvation if they are surrounded and cut off. It is the least the UN can do in a situation where it is helpless to change the balance of power on the ground.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Philadelphia Inquirer<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2014-11-24\/news\/56459774_1_isis-moderate-syrian-rebel-groups-president-obama\">Worldview: No one has coherent long-term solution to ISIS<\/a><br \/>\nby Trudy Rubin<br \/>\n<strong>November 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a top Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, says the only hope is the de facto partition of that country, with Assad (backed by Russia and Iran) agreeing to a cease-fire in the north and east. This rebel zone would be protected by a no-fly zone policed by U.S. and allied air power; Assad would continue to hold the heartland. Then, backed by Turkey, surviving moderates north of the cease-fire line could take on ISIS. Does this idea have potential? Could the United Nations&#8217; talented special emissary for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, help organize the cease-fire?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Huffington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/11\/23\/obama-isis-iran_n_6165352.html\">What&#8217;s Wrong With This picture? For U.S. Fight Against ISIS, Everything<\/a><br \/>\nby Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Ryan Grim<br \/>\n<strong>November 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the founder of the Syria Comment blog, said the U.S. dilemma is particularly complex because compromise with Iran&#8217;s regional allies to focus on the ISIS threat means different things in different arenas. &#8220;In Iraq, the United States has a partner, because it&#8217;s not ashamed, it&#8217;s not afraid to work with the sectarian Shiite government, because 60 percent [of Iraq] is Shiite,&#8221; Landis told The Huffington Post. &#8220;Even if they&#8217;re as brutal as Assad, America can say they&#8217;re the majority. In Syria, they can&#8217;t. They&#8217;ve demonized Assad and there&#8217;s been such a bloody civil war, so they can&#8217;t back him up.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Wilson Center<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/article\/the-consequences-misunderstanding-the-middle-east\">The Consequences of Misunderstanding the Middle East<\/a><br \/>\nby Aaron David Miller<br \/>\n<strong>November 19, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Listen to Joshua Landis&#8217;s assessment, probably America&#8217;s top expert on matters Syrian: &#8220;If the militias overran Syria&#8217;s regime-controlled cities, a new major wave of refugees would set out for Lebanon and Jordan to spread the conflict into the rest of the Middle East. This is exactly what the United States does not want. It hopes to contain the violence inside Syria. The regime still controls some 65 percent of the Syrian people. Many regime-controlled cities have not been involved in war directly, such as Hama, much of Damascus, Latakia, Suwayda, Jableh, Tartus, Baniyas. For hundreds of militia men to overrun them would mean wide-scale looting and revenge against those who have fought in the Syrian army or are seen to be collaborators.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/middle_east\/some-alawites-are-beginning-to-question-their-support-for-syrias-assad\/2014\/11\/11\/ee302b0c-aac0-4f17-a220-cddcd49b52db_story.html\">Some Alawites are beginning to question their support for Syria&#8217;s Assad<\/a><br \/>\nby Hugh Naylor<br \/>\n<strong>November 12, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma who has regular contact with Alawites in Syria, said such criticism signals a shift in their thinking over how to end the war.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN<br \/>\nFareed Zakaria GPS<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com\/2014\/11\/08\/is-backing-syria-rebels-a-mistake\/\">Is backing Syria rebels a mistake?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PBS Newshour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/bb\/how-do-gains-by-al-nusra-affect-u-s-strategy-in-syria\/\">How do gains by al-Nusra affect U.S. strategy in Syria?<\/a><br \/>\nby Judy Woodruff<br \/>\n<strong>November 6, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: &#8220;Today, the broad sentiments among Sunni Arabs who support the rebellion is that the United States is trying to find hired hands. And most Syrians don\u2019t like them. We\u2019re bombing Nusra. We\u2019re bombing the al-Qaida groups. And we have killed a number of people with the Islamic Front who are allied with them, a very popular, broad-based group.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4255551.ece\">US plans for Syrian rebel army in crisis<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 3, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Tom Coghlan and Sara Elizabeth Williams<\/p>\n<p>The Guardian<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/oct\/29\/kobani-reinforcements-isis-iraq-peshmerga-free-syrian-army\">Besieged town of Kobani gets reinforcements in fight against ISIS<\/a><br \/>\nby Constanze Letsch, Fazel Hawramy and Emma Graham-Harrison<br \/>\n<strong>October 29, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cKobani turned into an opportunity, it became symbolic for the US to have a win, or at least defend people who were begging us to defend them,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cStrategically its not important, but it has tremendous symbolic value.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2014\/10\/23\/syrian-rebels-oppose-new-u-s-war-strategy\/\">Syrian rebels oppose new U.S. war strategy<\/a><br \/>\nby John Hudson<br \/>\n<strong>October 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cKobani is a meat grinder for jihadis right now \u2014 perfect for the U.S.,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the University of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think the U.S. is even going to try to roll up IS around Raqqa in the near future\u2026. They\u2019re probably not even going to deal seriously with Aleppo until they\u2019ve consolidated allies in Syria and made progress in Iraq.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Taraf<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/arsiv.taraf.com.tr\/haber-suriye-bolunmeden-olmaz-166341\/\">Suriye, b\u00f6l\u00fcnmeden olmaz&#8230;<\/a><br \/>\nby Haberi Yazdir<br \/>\n<strong>October 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>D\u00fcnyadaki \u00f6nemli Suriye uzmanlar?ndan akademisyen Joshua Landis, Suriye\u2019de ya?ananlar?, Orta Avrupa\u2019da ya?anm?? olan \u2018b\u00fcy\u00fck tasnif\u2019e yani insanlar?n etnik ve dini kimliklerine g\u00f6re ayr??mas?na benzetiyor. Oklahoma \u00dcniversitesi Ortado?u \u00c7al??malar? Merkezi Direkt\u00f6r\u00fc Do\u00e7. Dr. Joshua Landis, Suriye\u2019de ayaklanmadan sonra en \u00f6nemli bilgi kaynaklar?ndan biri h\u00e2line gelen Syria Comment blogunun yazar?.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/fareed-zakaria-obama-needs-a-containment-strategy-for-the-islamic-state\/2014\/10\/16\/925d9bf2-556e-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html\">Obama needs to dial back his Syria strategy<\/a><br \/>\nby Fareed Zakaria<br \/>\n<strong>October 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Scholar Joshua Landis \u2014 whose blog Syria Comment is an essential source \u2014 estimates that the Assad regime controls about half of Syrian territory, though much more of the population.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/963d80b5d250425eb1a7e10ea6b8977e\/us-searching-credible-allies-syria\">US still searching for credible allies in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Ken Dilanian and Zina Karam<br \/>\n<strong>October 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Most of these groups have worked closely with Jabat al Nusra at some point in the last year or so,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, the Arabic-speaking director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, referring to the head of Syria&#8217;s al-Qaida spinoff. &#8220;Some of them have worked hand in glove with ISIS. For Americans to call a sit-down and say &#8216;Here&#8217;s where we&#8217;re bombing&#8217; doesn&#8217;t make any sense. We don&#8217;t trust these guys.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al-Bawaba<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.albawaba.com\/blog_roundup\/syria-landis-interview-612567\">Interview with Syrian expert Professor Joshua Landis<\/a><br \/>\nby Danny Postel<br \/>\n<strong>October 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Energy Compass<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.energyintel.com\/pages\/articlesummary\/863487\/united-states--islamic-state-strategy-still-indistinct\">United States: Islamic State Strategy Still Indistinct<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>October 10, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PRI<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2014-10-07\/us-has-lots-stake-syrian-border-town-kobane\">The US has lots at stake in the Syrian border town of Kobane<\/a><br \/>\nby Joyce Hackel<br \/>\n<strong>October 7, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;This is the first time that our overall strategy is Syria is being challenged,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Oklahoma University. After years of trying to avoid involvement in Syria, he argues, events may have outstripped the US&#8217;s ability to hold back.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Australian<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/news\/world\/extremists-near-syriaturkey-border-a-moving-shapeshifting-target\/story-e6frg6so-1227079499244\">Extremists near Syria-Turkey border a moving, shape-shifting target<\/a><br \/>\nby John Lyons<br \/>\n<strong>October 4, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTurkey says that ISIS is not a terrorist organisation but Saudi says it is and (therefore) will help train the Syrian opposition,\u201d leading US-based Syrian analyst Joshua Landis told The Weekend Australian. \u201cStill, many Arabs will view this as a military campaign that will help Iran and Shi\u2019ites dominate Sunnis.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>All Directions ?????? ??????<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=O3PKjCsI0lY&amp;feature=youtu.be\">?????? ?????? &#8211; ?????? ??????? #???? : ????? ???????&#8230; ??????????<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>October 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AlJazeera America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2014\/10\/2\/syria-moderate-rebels1.html\">Questions for Obama&#8217;s Syria plan: Who are the moderate rebels?<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<br \/>\n<strong>October 2, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to Joshua Landis, a leading U.S. Syria scholar based at the University of Oklahoma, \u201cthe last thing we want to do is destroy the rest of government-controlled Syria. There would be millions more refugees pouring into Lebanon and Jordan, and we\u2019d turn the rest of Syria\u2019s cities into Aleppo and Homs,&#8221; two cities that have been gutted by the three-year civil war.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Seattle Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/seattletimes.com\/html\/nationworld\/2024660288_apxobamaislamicstate.html\">Obama efforts to oust Assad pushed to back burner<\/a><br \/>\nby Julie Pace<br \/>\n<strong>September 30, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If you destroy the central government, you&#8217;ve got the Iraq problem or the Libya problem, which is you&#8217;ve got no state left,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BBC<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-29408139\">Alton Nolen: A jihadist beheading in Oklahoma?<\/a><br \/>\nby Joanna Jolly<\/p>\n<p><strong>September 29, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The violent images posted on social media by Islamic militants could easily destabilise people who have no connection to Middle East, Landis says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Philly.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2014-09-28\/news\/54404586_1_isis-moderate-syrian-rebels-iraqi-kurdistan\">Worldview: Can Obama achieve his objectives in battle with ISIS?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 28, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Columnist<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Top Syria expert Josh Landis, at the University of Oklahoma, believes the United States might have to threaten to bomb Assad&#8217;s forces if they try to take advantage of the allied airstrikes to destroy the moderates. In effect this would mean forcing a cease-fire between vetted groups and the regime, which might ultimately facilitate negotiations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2014\/09\/24\/world\/meast\/syria-isis-airstrikes-assad\/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter\">Obama&#8217;s Syria dilemma: Does hurting ISIS help al-Assad?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 24, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Jethro Mullen<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Syria is a fragmented country, and most of these militias have a very town-centric quality. They&#8217;re based on clan structures and regional structures,&#8221; Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said in an interview with WBEZ earlier this month.&#8221;None of them have really developed a national scope, except for the Islamist ones, like al Qaeda and ISIS,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The sheer number of different militias across Syria &#8212; estimated in the hundreds &#8212; runs the risk of turning Syria into a patchwork of warlord fiefdoms.&#8221;If you just give them money without unifying them, you&#8217;re going to get Somalia,&#8221; said Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/touch.latimes.com\/#section\/-1\/article\/p2p-81466037\/\">Lack of reliable partners in Syria poses daunting challenge to U.S.<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 23, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Patrick J. McDonnell<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We spent hundreds of billions of dollars and years of effort trying to build up forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and look at what we got for it,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a Middle East expert at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have a partner in Syria. That&#8217;s the reality of the situation.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Syria Deeply<br \/>\n<a href=\" http:\/\/www.syriadeeply.org\/articles\/2014\/09\/6126\/u-s-strikes-isis-create-shock-face-fallout\/\">U.S. Strikes on ISIS Create &#8216;Shock,&#8217; Face the Fallout<\/a><br \/>\nby Katarina Montrgomery<br \/>\n<strong>September 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: I think many Syrians are excited about the strikes. The kind of response I\u2019m getting is, we need something to happen. The stalemate, the progress of radicals in taking territory, needs to be reversed. I don\u2019t think anyone trusts the U.S. to fix Syria; that\u2019s the underlying anxiety everyone is feeling.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/09\/22\/world\/meast\/syria-rebels-lister\/\">Finding the &#8216;right&#8217; rebels in Syria: One tough job<\/a><br \/>\nby Tim Lister<br \/>\n<strong>September 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a veteran Syria-watcher and Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, says the situation inside Syria is more fluid and unpredictable than ever, with rebel groups confused about U.S. intentions and knocked sideways by ISIS&#8217; ruthless advance. Landis says President Barack Obama is the reluctant warrior &#8212; forced by domestic politics and the outrage over the beheading of two Americans by ISIS to pledge not just to degrade but to destroy ISIS. That means going after its Syrian heartland &#8212; and without American &#8220;boots on the ground&#8221; mobilizing Syrian rebel groups to help.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Maclean&#8217;s<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/news\/world\/iraq-the-unwinnable-war\/\">Iraq: The unwinnable war?<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Petrou<br \/>\n<strong>September 18, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, believes efforts to rebuild pluralistic states in Iraq and Syria are futile. The entire region, he says, is \u201cgoing through a great ethnic rebalancing,\u201d meaning ethnic and religious minorities will be killed or driven from their homes, and he doubts America or any other outside power is willing to invest the blood and money necessary to stop it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Florida Times Union<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/jacksonville.com\/news\/2014-09-17\/story\/house-oks-syrian-money-many-wonder-if-rebels-trustworthy?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20JacksonvillecomNews%20%28Jacksonville%20Local%20News%20%E2%80%93%20Jacksonville.com%20and%20The%20Florida%20Times-Union%29\">House OKs Syrian money;many wonder if rebels trustworthy<\/a><br \/>\nby Clifford Davis<br \/>\n<strong>September 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThere isn\u2019t one, which is a problem,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cAccording to the CIA, about 1,500 rebel groups operate in Syria. So the United States is trying to herd these cats and they\u2019re all looking out for their villages and their interests.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PRI<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2014-09-16\/isis-selling-cheap-oil-its-enemies-syrias-government-kurds\">ISIS is selling cheap oil to its enemies-from Syria&#8217;s government to the Kurds<\/a><br \/>\nProducer Stephen Snyder<br \/>\n<strong>September 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It seems that this is going through brokers,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University. &#8220;In particular, one person who&#8217;s been fingered is a very prominent Christian businessman close to the [Syrian] president who buys it, then arranges with the Syrian government to have it shipped back.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/katrina-vanden-heuvel-obama-reneges-on-his-foreign-policy-promises\/2014\/09\/16\/7490e1ee-3d0c-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html\">Obama reneges on his foreign-policy promises<\/a><br \/>\nby Katrina vanden Heuvel<br \/>\n<strong>September 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Islamic State\u2019s gruesome beheadings of two American journalists helped increase the drumbeat for war, finally moving public opinion to support bombing \u2014 but not troops. \u201cWe\u2019re going to war because we\u2019ve been spooked,\u201d Joshua Landis, a Syrian specialist at the University of Oklahoma, noted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>World Bulletin<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbulletin.net\/haberler\/144516\/iraqi-official-briefs-syrias-assad-on-efforts-against-isil\">Iraqi official briefs Syria&#8217;s Assad on efforts against ISIL<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma in the United States, said it was likely Washington and Damascus would use Iraq to communicate indirectly about ISIL. &#8220;We talk to the government in Iraq, they are going to talk to the government in Syria, and it is only going to be a matter of seconds before it is communicated,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I am sure American intelligence officers will factor that in and send messages through the Iraqis.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ajam.app.boxcn.net\/s\/xxoznacjnqo1ix7h3pzd\">Inside Story<\/a><br \/>\nHost Ray Suarez<br \/>\n<strong>September 15, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Seattle Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/seattletimes.com\/html\/opinion\/2024526850_nicholaskristofcolumnobamaisil13xml.html\">Critique on foreign policy and Islamic State from an Obama fan<\/a><br \/>\nby Nicholas Kristof<br \/>\n<strong>September 12, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to war because we\u2019ve been spooked,\u201d notes Joshua Landis, a Syria specialist at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cBut if we do it wrong, we could ensure that the violence spreads.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WBEZ&#8217;s Worldview<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/wbez-worldview\/obama-to-announce-new-isis-strategy\">Obama to announce new ISIS strategy<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 09, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>An interview and discussion about possible strategies for containing ISIS with Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/middle_east\/syrias-assad-thinks-he-is-winning-he-could-be-wrong\/2014\/09\/08\/09c5044e-a6ca-45d0-91a8-c9eacd4c92f8_story.html\">Syria&#8217;s Assad thinks he is winning. He could be wrong.<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 09, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Liz Sly<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Alawites are not about to join the overwhelmingly Sunni opposition and see no obvious alternative to the current regime, said Joshua Landis, a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma.<br \/>\n\u201cThere is a lot of anger. The massacres in Raqqah were very humiliating and depressing,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not tantamount to the collapse of the regime. It is not an Alawite revolt.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Rudaw<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rudaw.net\/english\/world\/07092014\">Obama&#8217;s anti-IS Strategy Emerges, Questions Remain<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 07, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby James Reinl<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to be Americans flying the planes. But ultimately, who will the US partner with on the ground?\u201d Joshua Landis, a scholar at Oklahoma University, told Rudaw. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the US partner with the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army. In Syria, it\u2019s much more complicated, but even in Iraq, how far do the Kurds want to go? They don\u2019t want to extend themselves and rule over Sunni areas.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Huffington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/09\/04\/isis-syria_n_5763064.html?1409835025\">Striking ISIS In Syria May Require Coordination With Assad Regime<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 04, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Sabrina Siddiqui<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, cautioned that such declarations might be premature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem with making those kinds of statements and washing your hands of Assad is that if you sit down with the authorities in Baghdad and you show them what your drones that have been flying over Syria tell you about ISIS, chances are that somebody in that room, some Iraqi in that room, is going to call up Bashar al-Assad within minutes after the Americans leave and say &#8216;here&#8217;s where the concentration of ISIS are, go bomb them.&#8217; And Assad will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow that&#8217;s not America coordinating with Syria, but it sort of is,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WHYY Radio Times<br \/>\nwith Marty Moss-Coane<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/whyy.org\/cms\/radiotimes\/2014\/09\/03\/isis-and-the-syria-conundrum\/\">ISIS and the Syria conundrum<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 3, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nWorld Politics Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldpoliticsreview.com\/trend-lines\/14030\/u-s-policy-in-syria-complicates-jordan-s-response-to-islamic-state-threat\">U.S. Policy in Syria Complicates Jordan&#8217;s Response to Islamic State Threat<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 3, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Frederick Deknatel<br \/>\nThe Jerusalem Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Arab-Israeli-Conflict\/Jihadists-in-Syria-not-likely-to-open-a-new-front-against-Israel-for-now-372565\">Jihadists in Syria not likely to open a new front against Israel-for now<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 28, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Ariel Ben Solomon<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told the Post, \u201cIt makes no sense for any group to attack Israel, because the balance of power doesn\u2019t favor them. \u201cThe problem for Israel is that, for rebel groups, winning on the battlefield is not always the measure of success, because these groups must prove their ideological bona fides,\u201d said Landis. This means they \u201cmust prove that they mean what they say and stick to their principles.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kashmirmonitor.in\/news-obama-authorises-spy-flights-over-syria-71954.aspx\">The Kashmir Monitor<\/a><br \/>\nObama &#8216;authorizes spy flights over Syria&#8217;<br \/>\n<strong>August 27, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But the dilemma Obama was facing was the lack of partners in Syria, Landis said. Neither the Syrian regime, nor the fragmented moderate rebels could be seen as reliable allies.<br \/>\nLandisk, who is the director of the centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said that Obama must be clear about what he intends to do in the long-term.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Syria Deeply<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.syriadeeply.org\/articles\/2014\/08\/6012\/tabqa-victory-consolidates-isis-control-raqqa-urban-showdown\/\">Tabqa Victory Consolidates ISIS Control Around Raqqa-But Urban Showdown Still to Come<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 27, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Karen Leigh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: It is another feather in their cap. They have taken three military bases around Raqqa, while the other militias (like Nusra) that had tried to take bases in the province struggled. And here&#8217;s ISIS blowing them away. This demonstrates that ISIS got a lot of new equipment and hardware from its conquests in Iraq. They&#8217;ve got heavy cannons and other stuff that can blow apart these bases.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/08\/obama-authorises-spy-planes-over-syria-20148262454729920.html\">Obama &#8216;authorizes spy flights over Syria&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 26, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis, who is the director of the centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said that Obama must be clear about what he intends to do in the long-term.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/middleeast\/2014\/08\/us-begins-surveillance-flights-over-syria-20148269114530514.html\">US flights &#8216;to spy on Islamic State&#8217; in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 26, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, an analyst on Syria, told Al Jazeera that advisers to Obama had been telling the president that the US would only be able to uproot the Islamic State group if they got involved in Syria. But the dilemma Obama was facing was the lack of partners in Syria, Landis said. Neither the Syrian regime nor the fragmented moderate rebels could be seen as reliable allies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/worldviews\/wp\/2014\/08\/25\/the-islamic-state-or-assad-isnt-there-another-choice\/\">The Islamic State or Assad? Isn&#8217;t there another choice?<\/a><br \/>\nby Adam Taylor<br \/>\n<strong>August 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, argues that a key problem is that the more secular rebel groups don&#8217;t have the support they would need to actually control Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syria-welcomes-coordinated-international-help-in-fighting-islamic-state\/2427235.html\">Syria Urges International Help in Fighting Islamic State<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 25, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, who heads the Middle East Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma says he thinks there is \u201clittle possibility in Washington of a formal alliance or cooperation of any sort\u201d with the Assad regime.<br \/>\nHe says that \u201cmost military experts in Washington are calling for something akin to &#8216;mowing the lawn,&#8217; as we just witnessed Israel do to Hamas in Gaza.\u201d He believes that U.S. authorities want to &#8220;kill and disrupt IS concentrations and leaders in Syria [but] without partnering with [either the rebels or the Syrian regime]&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;to take over IS-held territory.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR All Things Considered<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/blogs\/parallels\/2014\/08\/20\/341939270\/in-syria-the-u-s-weighs-a-range-of-unpalatable-options\">In Syria, The U.S. Weighs A Range Of Unpalatable Options<\/a><br \/>\nby Michele Kelemen<br \/>\n<strong>August 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Meanwhile, Joshua Landis, a Syria analyst, notes that any action the U.S. might take could play into Assad&#8217;s hands.<br \/>\n&#8220;It means helping his government, because any attempt to destroy ISIS, which owns a third of the country, is going to rebound to his benefit unless the other militias take that territory,&#8221; says Landis, who teaches at the University of Oklahoma and runs the blog Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Christian Science Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Security-Watch\/Backchannels\/2014\/0815\/Could-arming-the-moderate-Syrian-rebels-have-changed-history\">Could arming the &#8216;moderate&#8217; Syrian rebels have changed history?<\/a><br \/>\nby Dan Murphy<br \/>\n<strong>August 15, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>And if Alloush were to hold on to them, what might he do some day? Joshua Landis, who studies Syria at the University of Oklahoma, wrote about Alloush last year. In Mr. Landis&#8217;s analysis, &#8220;Zahran Alloush\u2019s rhetoric and propaganda videos provide much insight into his world view, attitude toward Syria\u2019s religious minorities, and vision for Syria\u2019s future. The difference between his ideology and that of al-Qaida groups is not profound. Rather, it is one of shades of grey.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2014\/8\/1\/syria-forgotten-crisis.html\">With Syria Buried in the news, hopes fade for ending world&#8217;s bloodiest war<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 1, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In Syria, however, \u201cthere\u2019s no good choice,\u201d according to Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cIts a broken country with no future, no resources and a lot of militias that are diametrically opposed to American values,\u201d he said.<br \/>\n\u201cWe armed the mujahedeen [against the Soviets] in Afghanistan in the \u201980s and lived to regret that decision. We should\u2019ve let Russia keep it. Now we look at Syria and say, \u2018Why take that away too?\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Syria Deeply<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.syriadeeply.org\/articles\/2014\/07\/5880\/isis-advances-assessing-state-syrian-army\/\">As ISIS Advances, Assessing the State of the Syrian Army<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 31, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Karen Leigh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: In Damascus, ISIS has gone to war with the Islamic Front in the Ghouta area and has been squeezed out of Ghouta, and is now trying to open a new front in Qalamoun, the range of mountains near Lebanon that the Syrian army just took back. The Syrian army can&#8217;t take all its men out of Qalamoun at this point \u2013 they have to be vigilant. They are facing pressure in Palmyra, where this month ISIS took the Shaar gas field and killed well over 100 Syrian soldiers. Others have [since] disappeared. Then ISIS has been taking villages around Aleppo. So even as the army threatens to take Aleppo and is besieging parts of the city, ISIS is threatening to come back and fight them again there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2014\/Jul-28\/265344-assad-supporters-aghast-at-losses-to-isis.ashx\">Assad supporters aghast at losses to ISIS<\/a><br \/>\nby Marlin Dick<br \/>\n<strong>July 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the Syria Comment blogger and the head of the Center for Middle East Studies at The University of Oklahoma, said the regime\u2019s strategy of dealing with ISIS, which last month spearheaded a similar, sudden offensive in Iraq, appeared to be \u201cbackfiring.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe Assad regime has given ISIS a pass for many months, in part because Assad has hoped that ISIS\u2019 growth would spook the West,\u201d Landis told The Daily Star. \u201cBut this cynical strategy seems to be backfiring today. ISIS is spooking Syrians even more than it is Westerners, and with good reason. ISIS is slashing and burning its way through a number of regime strongholds, and Syrians fear that their government has underestimated ISIS,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/syria-records-deadliest-weeks\/story?id=24716889\">Syria Records One of Its Deadliest Weeks Ever<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 27, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Karen Leigh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, Editor of Syria Comment and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma:Deaths have increased because fighting has increased. ISIS is attacking the regime now and they&#8217;re also trying to consolidate, and they&#8217;re attacking the other militias. They are on a real tear. The whole of Deir Ezzor province saw lots of fighting this month, and there&#8217;s been a lot of fighting in the Kurdish areas as well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Eurasia Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurasiareview.com\/24072014-can-islamic-state-survive-can-us-analysis\/\">Can Islamic State Survive? What Can Us Do? <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 24, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Joshua Landis and Matthias Baun Brubaker Christensen<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Islamic State (formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham) emerged out of the ashes of two conflicts. It was born as a result of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and then used the power vacuum created by the civil war in Syria to create a base out of which it could create the foundations for an emerging state.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Tempo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.tempo.co\/read\/news\/2014\/07\/17\/074593790\/Assad-Claims-Syrian-Presidential-Seat\">Assad Claims Syrian Presidential Seat<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, expert on Syria form the University of Oklahoma, said that Assad&#8217;s speech shows that he is an important figure to maintain stability and security, and also to restore the hopes of Syrian refugees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sputnik News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sputniknews.com\/analysis\/20140717\/190984267\/OPINION-Despite-Destruction-of-Chemical-Weapons-Syria-to-Retain.html\">Opinion: Despite Destruction of Chemical Weapons Syria to Retain Power in Middle East<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma said the deal has turned out to be fairly good.<br \/>\nMr. Landis, however said that the process will undoubtedly be fairly expensive and lots of precautions have to be taken not to allow anything to escape into the atmosphere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Business Insider<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/r-syrias-assad-to-be-sworn-in-set-out-plans-for-new-term-2014-16\">Syria&#8217;s Assad to be sworn in, set out plans for new term<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s going to say: &#8216;I am the state, I am Syria, and if the West wants access to Syrians, they have to come through me&#8217;,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria based at the University of Oklahoma in the United States.<br \/>\nHis message is &#8220;that he is the only game in town, for stability, security, counter terrorism&#8221; and a solution to a refugee problem created by a conflict that has driven 3 million people out of the country, Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syrias-assad-sworn-in-for-new-seven-year-term\/1958492.html\">Syrian President Begins Third Term<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 16, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syria scholar Joshua Landis heads the University of Oklahoma Middle East studies department says Assad sounded confident, because things have been going his way lately. &#8220;His military campaigns have been by and large successful, whether it is in the Qalamoun region in shutting off the Lebanese back door to rebels, whether it is in retaking Homs, surrounding neighborhoods in Damascus and Aleppo. He is well on his way to retaking Aleppo, Syria&#8217;s northern capital. So, he has struck a tone of confidence.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Global post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatch\/news\/regions\/middle-east\/140711\/iraq-nouri-al-maliki-critics-syria-assad\">Is Iraq&#8217;s Maliki taking a page out of Assad&#8217;s playbook?<\/a><br \/>\nby Susannah George<br \/>\n<strong>July 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a Syria scholar and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, says he sees evidence that Maliki is beginning to create a loyal, sectarian fighting force out of what remains of his military. &#8220;He&#8217;s copying the Assad model because its the only one in the region that works.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>USA Today<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/world\/2014\/07\/13\/aleppo-syria-fighting\/12438911\/\">Battle over Syria&#8217;s Aleppo nears<\/a><br \/>\nby Emma Beals<br \/>\n<strong>July 13, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Syria is really its four big cities. If (Assad) can retake Aleppo \u2014 the last big city contested by rebels, he will feel that he has destroyed the rebellion and retaken Syria,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The New York Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/06\/27\/world\/middleeast\/redrawn-lines-seen-as-no-cure-in-iraq-conflict.html?_r=1\">Redrawn Lines Seen as No Cure in Iraq Conflict <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>June 26, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Robert F. Worth<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Assad government views the territory along the Mediterranean coast as far too vulnerable because it is cut off from Syria\u2019s main water sources and because it would lack the major cities that are at the core of the economy, said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma.Similar problems would afflict any effort to forge a new Sunni state in Iraq and Syria. For such a state to become sustainable it would need a real economy, and for that, it would require a major city \u2014 Aleppo is the only option \u2014 and probably a port on the Mediterranean, Mr. Landis said. Negotiating a land corridor that would achieve those goals without endangering the Alawite state would be nearly impossible, he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rt.com\/shows\/worlds-apart-oksana-boyko\/167596-isis-iraq-us-intervention\/\">CaUSe of CrISIS<\/a><br \/>\nHost: Oksana Boyko<br \/>\n<strong>June 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The ISIS advance in Iraq caught the world off guard, and with a war-weary US public reluctant to support intervention, the US is turning to unlikely allies. Will its strategy of leading from behind work? And how will its choice of allies in Iraq affect the war in Syria? Oksana is joined by Joshua Landis, the Director of Oklahoma University&#8217;s Middle East Studies Centre, to attack these issues.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Interfaith Voices<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/interfaithradio.org\/Story_Details\/Understanding_the_Rise_of_ISIS\">Understanding the Rise of ISIS<\/a><br \/>\nby Maureen Fiedler<br \/>\n<strong>June 19, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nOil Price<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Why-ISIS-Wont-Stop-With-Iraq.html\">Why ISIS Won&#8217;t Stop With Iraq<\/a><br \/>\nby Claude Salhani<br \/>\n<strong>June 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Modern Syria is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan and Israel to the south and Lebanon to the west. \u201cGreater Syria\u201d incorporates most of the territories of each. \u201cThis is what &#8220;Syria&#8221; means in the mind of Middle Easterners, says Joshua Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Trend<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/en.trend.az\/world\/arab\/2285812.html\">What&#8217;s in a name? The true meaning of the ISIS name and the real treat associated with it<\/a><\/p>\n<p>by Claude Salhani<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If we can teach people that so many Arabs still think of Syria as Greater Syria, they will begin to understand the extent to which Sykes-Picot remains challenged in the region,&#8221; said Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera Inside Story<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ajam.app.boxcn.net\/s\/5891l0ntpi5d6f47eu9z\">Iraq on the brink<\/a><br \/>\nHost Ray Suarez<br \/>\n<strong>June 13, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carnegie Endowment for International Peace<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/syriaincrisis\/?fa=55863\">Syria&#8217;s Phony Election: False Numbers and Real Victory<\/a><br \/>\nby Aron Lund<br \/>\n<strong>June 9, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis has nothing to do with democracy, \u201d Professor Joshua Landis, who is a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, recently told National Public Radio. \u201cThis is about power and showing your enemies that you can make everybody under your control line up and kiss your hand.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Analysis\/2014\/Jun-06\/259070-us-mulls-war-on-syria-terror-approach.ashx\">U.S. mulls &#8216;war on Syria terror&#8217; approach<\/a><br \/>\nby Marlin Dick<br \/>\n<strong>June 6, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis says there are people in the intelligence community who understand all of the shades of gray among the militias, but that in the end, a concise policy needs to be \u201csold to Congress and the American public.\u201d Obama\u2019s overarching goal, Landis says, is counterterrorism, an argument used to back Sisi. \u201cThe U.S. is torn,\u201d Landis added. \u201cThe big question for Obama is, does he want to cooperate with Iran on counterterrorism in the Levant, in Iraq and Syria, and particularly against ISIS?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Wilson Center<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/event\/what%E2%80%99s-to-become-syria-us-policy-the-opposition-and-the-regime\">What&#8217;s to Become of Syria? U.S. Policy, the Opposition and the Regime<\/a><br \/>\nHost: Jane Harman<br \/>\n<strong>June 6, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Syrian civil war continues to drag on with no end in sight. With the diplomatic option seemingly dead and little chance of the defeat of the opposition, or the collapse of the Assad regime, what does the future hold?<br \/>\nIn this Ground Truth Briefing, three veteran observers and analysts of Syria assess that future, the impact of recent presidential elections, a growing jihadi presence and the prospects for change in U.S policy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Tampa Bay Times, PolitiFact.com<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/truth-o-meter\/statements\/2014\/jun\/04\/claire-mccaskill\/claire-mccaskill-says-hillary-clinton-secretary-st\/\">Claire McCaskill credits Hillary Clinton for &#8216;groundwork&#8217; in Syria chemical weapons deal<\/a><br \/>\nby Steve Contorno<br \/>\n<strong>June 4, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In many ways, Kerry almost &#8220;stumbled&#8221; into the agreement, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University and author of the Syria Comment blog.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Guardian<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/03\/syrians-vote-presidential-election-assad\">Syrians vote in presidential election<\/a><br \/>\nby Ian Black and Martin Chulov<br \/>\n<strong>June 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Part of being a leader is demonstrating power, and making people line up and elect you, whether out of fear or devotion, is an important process that demonstrates to his supporters that he is loved and feared,&#8221; Joshua Landis of Oklahama University.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Syria Deeply<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.syriadeeply.org\/articles\/2014\/06\/5543\/election-shows-assads-confidence-cements-position-power\/\">Elections Shows Off Assad&#8217;s Confidence, Cements His Position in Power<\/a><br \/>\nby Karen Leigh<br \/>\n<strong>June 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: The election fulfilled two functions. First is a constitutional function, because Syria&#8217;s constitution says that every seven years a president needs to be elected. So he needs to do this for constitutional reasons. Second, it is a demonstration of leadership. Part of being a leader is demonstrating power, and making people line up and elect you, whether out of fear or devotion, is an important process that demonstrates to his supporters that he is loved and feared. And it demonstrates to his opponents that he has this massive approval and that he can bring people out onto the streets. It&#8217;s meant to intimidate the opposition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syria-election-experts-weigh-in\/1921270.html\">Syria Election: Experts Weigh In<\/a><br \/>\nby Cecily Hillary<br \/>\n<strong>June 2, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Assad goes through the charade of elections for two reasons: One, It is required by the constitution. The constitution stipulates that every seven years the leader of the Baath Party will be elected as president. Secondly, the process of electioneering, with roadside signs, banners, TV adds, local hufles, or street parties, in Assad&#8217;s honor and all the notables of Syrian society parading their support for the president. These create an aura of leadership and invincibility which is part of za&#8217;ama, or &#8216;leadership&#8217; in Syrian Arab culture. The public show of support creates an aura of invincibility and power.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>USA TODAY<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/world\/2014\/06\/02\/syria-elections\/9867837\/\">Syria holds elections amid lives interrupted<\/a><br \/>\nby Rasha Faek and John Dyer<br \/>\n<strong>June 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The government has got the upper hand,&#8221; Landis said. &#8220;The West always wants somebody to replace Assad that would be a little better, but they have never been able to engineer it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WAMC-NPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/wamc.org\/post\/what-syrias-president-seeks-not-so-democratic-election\">What Syria&#8217;s President Seeks From A Not-So-Democratic Election<\/a><br \/>\nby Deborah Amos<br \/>\n<strong>June 2, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The election has galvanized international attention, says Josh Landis, a longtime Syria analyst who teaches at the University of Oklahoma. But it is more a message than a vote, to friends and foes alike, he says. &#8220;It has nothing to do with democracy,&#8221; Landis says. &#8220;This is about power, and in showing your enemies that you can make everybody under your control line up and kiss your hand.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ahram<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/english.ahram.org.eg\/NewsContent\/2\/8\/102536\/World\/Region\/AlAssad-heading-for-victory-in-upcoming-blood-elec.aspx\">Al-Assad heading for victory in upcoming &#8216;blood&#8217; elections<\/a><br \/>\nby Nadeen Shaker<br \/>\n<strong>May 30, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the director of the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, also citing the constitutional need to hold elections, adds that for Al-Assad, the elections are \u201can important display of zaama [leadership], which all Arab Republican leaders choose to go through in order to demonstrate their power, popularity and the fealty of their subjects and followers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera-Arabic<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IXdskMhaQQg&amp;feature=youtu.be\">Syria Elections<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 29, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nVice News<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/news.vice.com\/article\/a-rebel-rift-is-brewing-on-syrias-southern-front\">A Rebel Rift Is Brewing On Syria&#8217;s Southern Front<\/a><br \/>\nby Sara Elizabeth Williams<br \/>\n<strong>May 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFor US intelligence, the primary concern is jihadism \u2014 that al Qaeda could get a permanent place in Syria,\u201d Josh Landis, director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma told VICE News. \u201cBut al Qaeda is doing this, and America is worried.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2014\/05\/syria-bashar-al-assad-curveball.html#\">Misreading Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Richard Sale<br \/>\n<strong>May 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>To Joshua Landis, head of the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, such views represent a trap for the unwary: \u201cWe did get some fairly high-ranking defectors early on in the uprising who we thought could help us sort out questions of morale in the military, but they were likely to spin the information to make it sound like everyone was on the verge of defection if given the right incentives.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Eurasia Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurasiareview.com\/19052014-syria-west-stop-raising-false-expectations-oped\/\">Syria: The West Should Stop Raising False Expectation<\/a><br \/>\nby Joshua Landis<br \/>\n<strong>May 19, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Cairo Review of Global Affairs<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aucegypt.edu\/GAPP\/CairoReview\/Pages\/articleDetails.aspx?aid=569\">Why Syria Matters<\/a><br \/>\nby Nader Hashemi<br \/>\n<strong>May 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Similarly, Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma suggested an \u201cimportant factor is that [Al-Assad] is popular among young people.\u201d He explained: \u201cI\u2019m always astounded how the average guy in the street, the taxi driver, the person you talk to in a restaurant or wherever, they don\u2019t talk about democracy. They complain about corruption, they want justice and equality, but they\u2019ll look at elections in Lebanon and laugh, saying, \u2018who needs that kind of democracy?'&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DW<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dw.de\/us-russian-tensions-over-ukraine-threaten-cooperation-on-syria-iran\/a-17632089\">US-Russian tensions over Ukraine threaten cooperation on Syria, Iran<\/a><br \/>\nby Spencer Kimball<br \/>\n<strong>May 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Under George H.W. Bush, we could get a unanimous UN decision to take down Iraq in the Gulf War in 1990 and it only cost us a few billion dollars,&#8221; Landis, a Middle East expert at the University of Oklahoma, told DW. &#8220;We could get the whole world to vote yes for a very forward military policy in the Middle East, which they would never vote yes for today under any circumstances,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2014\/5\/14\/syria-brahimi-geneva.html\">A peace mediator bows out as Syria&#8217;s military solution prevails<\/a><br \/>\nby Tom Kutsch<br \/>\n<strong>May 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe political question is really about the capitals,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, pointing to the American, European and Russian actors who have participated in the international political process and who hold seats on the Security Council.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ajam.app.box.com\/s\/oyj5k0hjl3na0321rtel\">Inside Story<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 13, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nHost Ray Suarez<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ajam.app.box.com\/s\/oyj5k0hjl3na0321rtel\">https:\/\/ajam.app.box.com\/s\/oyj5k0hjl3na0321rtel<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Professor Landis: &#8220;There is going to be a long and difficult insurgencies for this regime to face and the rebells would be able to keep it alive.&#8221; Landis added, &#8220;The four largest rebel armies on the ground are not for democracy. Even the Saudi Arabia is turning away from the rebells.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Independent European Daily Express<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.iede.co.uk\/news\/2014_4524\/new-gestures-opposition-unlikely-change-us-syria-policy\">New Gestures to Opposition Unlikely to Change U.S. Syria Policy<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>So far as I can tell, Obama isn&#8217;t going to change his policy, and [the opposition] isn&#8217;t going to get lots of money or arms from Washington, said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma and publisher of syriacomment.com, a widely read blog.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Live Leak<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.liveleak.com\/view?i=560_1399585605\">Interview with Joshua Lanids: Syrian rebels in &#8216;chaos&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 8, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nAsia Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.atimes.com\/atimes\/Middle_East\/MID-02-080514.html\">US flies false flag for Syrian rebels<\/a><br \/>\nby Jim Lobe<br \/>\n<strong>May 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;So far as I can tell, Obama isn&#8217;t going to change his policy, and [the opposition] isn&#8217;t going to get lots of money or arms from Washington,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma and publisher of syriacomment.com, a widely read blog.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Time<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/90807\/iran-syria-revolutionary-guard\/\">Iranian Commander Lets Slip That Revolutionary Guard Is Fighting in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 7, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nBy Karl Vick<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But the most striking evidence of Iranian boots on the ground in Syria is video footage purporting to show a Guards commando unit. Filmed by an Iranian documentary maker, it was obtained by rebels who overran the unit and gave the footage to the BBC, which named the resulting documentary, Iran\u2019s Secret Army. \u201cIt\u2019s quite dramatic footage, and gives us our best information on the Iranian presence,\u201d says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cIran\u2019s involvement has been pretty heavy.\u201d<br \/>\nIt may be a question of keeping fuel off the fire. Iran feels it must deny its military involvement so as not to motivate the rebel side further, says Landis. The war has devolved into a sectarian conflict, with Shiite Iran and Hizballah aligned with Assad\u2014whose heterodox Alawite faith is seen as kin to Shiism\u2014against overwhelmingly Sunni rebel forces, which include extremists who regard Shiites as apostates. \u201cThe main rebel battle cry, the main rebel insult is \u2018nizam majousi\u2019,\u201d or Persian regime, says Landis, who blogs at Syria Comment. \u201cTo call Syrians Alawite and assisters of the regime majous, means they are neither the right religion nor the right nationality or ethnic group: neither Sunni nor Arab.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Inter Press Service<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipsnews.net\/2014\/05\/new-gestures-opposition-unlikely-change-u-s-syria-policy\/?utm_source=Active+Subscribers&amp;utm_campaign=0888c39b52-MR_050814&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_35c49cbd51-0888c39b52-62630025\">New Gestures to Opposition Unlikely to Change U.S. Syria Policy<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 7, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Jim Lobe<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSo far as I can tell, Obama isn\u2019t going to change his policy, and [the opposition] isn\u2019t going to get lots of money or arms from Washington,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma and publisher of syriacomment.com, a widely read blog.<br \/>\n\u201cI think this is a way for [Secretary of State John] Kerry, who\u2019s been much more aggressive on Syria than Obama, to show he has a policy after the failure of [the] Geneva II [peace talks between the regime and the opposition],\u201d he told IPS.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/middleeast\/2014\/05\/syria-analyst-says-rebel-fighters-chaos-201454103637434730.html\">Syria analyst says rebel fighters in &#8216;chaos&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 4, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A prominent Syria analyst has told Al Jazeera that President Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s forces have a &#8220;serious advantage&#8221; over opposition fighters, after the fall of Homs to the government. Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said the Syrian army and its allies have benefitted from centralised command and support from Iran and Russia. After their &#8220;very important&#8221; gains in Homs, the Syrian armed forces would concentrate on retaking Aleppo, Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here &amp; Now<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/hereandnow.wbur.org\/2014\/05\/01\/syria-aid-progress\">U.N.&#8217;s Valerie Amos: Syria Aid Efforts &#8216;Not Working&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 1, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nHost: Sacha Pfeiffer<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Food has become a primary weapon in this war, and President Assad does not allow access to many parts of the rebel territory for U.N. food aid, and the U.N. has to abide by this through international law. And Assad then supplies food to the people who are in his territory, and who are submissive. And that means \u2014 we\u2019ve seen from U.N. statistics that increasingly, they\u2019re supplying food to more and more people, so they\u2019ve been very successful for four-point-something million people a month. And but, increasingly, refugees or people from rebel-held territories are coming over to government-held territory in order to get that food, and so this is a way, in a sense, to tell the rebels and the people under them that if you want food and you don\u2019t want to starve, you have to come to us and be submissive. And it\u2019s having an effect, because people are crossing those lines and coming to government food areas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Kansas City Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/2014\/05\/01\/4996189\/is-assad-testing-the-west-on-chemical.html\">Is Assad testing the West on chemical weapons?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>May 1, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Mitchell Prothero<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and an expert on the government of President Bashar al Assad says, \u201cThe fact that Assad has turned over close to 90 percent of his chemical weapons surprised most policy analysts because chemical weapons give him several clear advantages in the present war.\u201d Landis added, \u201cIt seems logical that Assad would hold back a weapon that could be useful.\u201d<br \/>\nLandis pointed out that the Syrian struggle is viewed as a death match by both sides. In that context, it\u2019s not surprising that either side would deploy whatever weapon it needed to ensure that it was not defeated &#8212; \u201ceven if it means incinerating entire cities filled with young children and women.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Eurasia Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurasiareview.com\/28042014-killing-abu-bassir-lead-first-lattakia-offensive-oped\/\">Did Killing of Abu Bassir Lead to the First Lattakia Offensive?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 28, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Matthew Barber<br \/>\nAl Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/insidesyria\/2014\/04\/will-elections-syria-make-any-difference-2014426173429172730.html\">Will elections in Syria make any difference? <\/a><br \/>\nHost Hazem Sika<br \/>\n<strong>April 26, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4073340.ece\">Islamist takeover fear drives rebel chiefs back to Assad<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 26, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Hannah Lucinda Smith<br \/>\nWAMC Northeast Public Radio<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/wamc.org\/post\/syria-gives-chemical-weapons-war-rages\">Syria Gives Up Chemical Weapons&#8230;But A War Rages On<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 26, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Alice Fordham<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I do think it was smart of Assad, and he did in a sense rejuvenate himself to a certain degree,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, of the University of Oklahoma, who is an expert on Syria. &#8220;He made a crucial deal with the United States, which made him a partner in this \u2014 and it benefited Assad tremendously.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Nation<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/179545\/washington-purposely-bleeding-syria#\">Is Washington Purposely Bleeding Syria?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 25, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Omar Ghabra<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syria expert Joshua Landis recently echoed this belief when he tweeted that the United States is playing \u201ca mischievous role. It is supporting rebels but making sure they cannot win.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4071158.ece\">Assad infiltrates jihadist ranks to divide and rule<\/a><br \/>\nby Deborah Haynes &amp; Laura Pital<br \/>\n<strong>April 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/syria\/us-assessing-responsibility-for-new-syria-chemical-attack\">US assessing responsibility for new Syria chemical attack<\/a><br \/>\nby Taimur Khan<br \/>\n<strong>April 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhat are they going to do, attack Syria now and take control of the country? Nobody in the West wants to take responsibility for Syria,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cI don\u2019t think [the latest attack] is going to affect US policy very much.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>VPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/digital.vpr.net\/post\/cia-quietly-ramping-aid-syrian-rebels-sources-say\">CIA Is Quietly Ramping Up Aid To Syrian Rebels, Sources Say<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 23, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Tom Bowman<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Today, Assad is winning the war in Syria quite handily, and I think most Western powers have completely written off the rebels,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, of the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angeles Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/middleeast\/la-fg-syria-chemical-weapons-20140423,0,3798910.story#axzz30Cfmzxif\">Chemical weapons removal from Syria nearly complete<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 22, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Patrick J. McDonnell<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I honestly thought Assad would begin to drag his feet on this sooner, particularly when the Russians became involved in the Ukraine,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;But he didn&#8217;t&#8230;. Obviously in this case he decided it was better to work with the Americans.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Stars and Stripes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stripes.com\/news\/middle-east\/syria-chemical-weapons-stockpile-removal-almost-complete-1.279382\">Syria chemical weapons stockpile removal almost complete<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 22, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Patrick J. McDonnell<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI honestly thought Assad would begin to drag his feet on this sooner, particularly when the Russians became involved in the Ukraine,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cBut he didn\u2019t&#8230;. Obviously in this case he decided it was better to work with the Americans.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/syria\/us-assessing-responsibility-for-new-syria-chemical-attack\">US assessing responsibility for new Syria chemical attack<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 22, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Taimur Khan<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhat are they going to do, attack Syria now and take control of the country? Nobody in the West wants to take responsibility for Syria,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cI don\u2019t think [the latest attack] is going to affect US policy very much.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Chicago Tribune<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/nationworld\/chi-wp-fp-assad-starvation-campaign-20140421,0,5407298.story\">U.N. Documents expose Assad&#8217;s starvation campaign<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 21, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby John Hudson<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Other analysts emphasized the grim fate that some of the Syrians may face who fled to government-controlled areas for food. &#8220;There is an element of people turning [themselves] over to the regime who will be tortured,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syria-holding-june-3-presidential-vote\/1897573.html\">Syria to Hold June 3 Presidential Vote<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 21, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syria scholar Joshua Landis, who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said the announcement of the election given the current circumstance is almost ironic.<br \/>\n\u201cWe used to laugh at (Syrian) elections won by 99 percent,&#8221; said Landis. &#8220;Today, you just have to cry. It would be laughable, if it weren&#8217;t so tragic.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foreignpolicy.com\/articles\/2014\/04\/17\/exclusive_new_un_documents_expose_assads_starvation_campaign_in_syria\">Exclusive: U.N. Docs Expose Assad&#8217;s Starvation Campaign in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nWhile food aid begins to flow into the country, many Syrians are heading into the arms of the dictator to get it.<br \/>\n<strong>April 17, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby John Hudson<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Other analysts emphasized the grim fate that some of the Syrians may face who fled to government-controlled areas for food. &#8220;There is an element of people turning [themselves] over to the regime who will be tortured,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4059102.ece\">US training but no guns for Syrian rebels<\/a><br \/>\nby Sara Elizabeth Williams and Tom Coghlan<br \/>\n<strong>April 10, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rt.com\/shows\/crosstalk\/middle-east-spring-violence-669\/\">Springless Arabs<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 7, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nHost: Peter Lavelle<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Almost four years on, it would appear the peoples&#8217; revolutions in the Middle East have actually only empowered the forces of reaction, and resulted in extreme repression and violence. What is the West&#8217;s reaction to the new regimes? And is the Middle East doomed to be ruled by western backed dictators? CrossTalking with Toby Cadman, Joshua Landis and Nabila Ramdani.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Australian Broadcasting Corporation<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/rearvision\/al-qaeda-the-new-franchise\/5343346#transcript\">Al Qaeda: the new franchise <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 6, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nAl Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2014\/04\/syria-moderates-kassab-jabhat-nusra-rebels-war.html#\">Syria&#8217;s moderate rebels still losing ground to extremists<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>April 02, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nAntoun Issa<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Ahrar al-Sham is one of the founding members of the Islamic Front, and is mainly active in Aleppo and the north. Jaish al-Islam, another key member of the coalition, largely operates in the Damascus countryside and is headed by Zahran Alloush. According to Syria expert Joshua Landis, the \u201cdifference between his ideology and that of al-Qaeda groups is not profound.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>VICE NEWS<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/news.vice.com\/articles\/learning-to-fight-like-an-american-at-the-free-syrian-army-training-camp\">Learning to Fight Like an American at the Free Syrian Army Training Camp<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>April 3, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sara Elizabeth Williams<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis admits that the US is playing a \u201crather mischievous role\u201d by supporting the rebels with one hand and restraining them with the other. \u201cThe result is that we\u2019re prolonging the rebellion, but we\u2019re also making sure it can\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Times<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4048336.ece\">Assad&#8217;s gangs will kill us all, say terrified Sunnis<\/a><\/p>\n<p>by Hannah Lucinda Smith and Tom Coghlan<\/p>\n<p><strong>March 29, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Blaze<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/stories\/2014\/03\/27\/syrian-christians-accuse-islamist-rebels-of-destroying-church-crosses-pillaging-homes-during-town-seizure\/\">Syrian Christians Accuse Islamist Rebels of Destroying Church Crosses, Pillaging Homes During Town Seizure<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 27, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sharona Schwartz<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Other atrocities have been reported by Syria watcher Joshua Landis, who directs the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and writes the Syria Comment blog. Landis retweeted photos apparently taken in Kassab and the vicinity showing the jihadi militants\u2019 actions now that they control the town, including desecrating Christian churches, destroying bottles of alcohol and even beheading an opponent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Huffington Post<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/03\/25\/syrian-rebels_n_4992378.html?utm_hp_ref=world\">Syrian Rebel Commander: Why Joining Extremists Was My Last Resort<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sophia Jones<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Most of these groups are based on very local politics,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and director of Oklahoma University\u2019s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. &#8220;They emerge out of a town, out of a family. They act as an independent unit and they become supreme in their quarter square kilometer in Syria.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Blaze<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/stories\/2014\/03\/23\/christian-syrian-activist-speaks-out-after-being-arrested-by-islamist-militants-for-not-wearing-a-veil\/\">Christian Syrian Activist Speaks out After Being \u2018Arrested\u2019 by Islamist Militants for Not Wearing a Veil<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Sharona Schwartz<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis who is director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and writer of the Syria Comment blog confirmed to TheBlaze that Shehwaro is Christian and is a longtime activist against the Assad government.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/middleeast\/la-fg-syria-south-20140322,0,4377226.story#axzz2x0EW30Xa\">U.S. shifts Syria strategy to &#8216;southern front&#8217; <\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nabih Bulos &amp; Patrick J. McDonnell<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Every rebel and activist is looking to the much-vaunted southern front for good news and restored hope,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foreignpolicy.com\/articles\/2014\/03\/20\/throwing_windmills_at_the_wyndham_fsa_smc_syria_moderate_opposition_infighting\">Throwing Windmills at the Wyndham<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the Syrian opposition brawls in an Istanbul hotel, the battlefield fighting is increasingly within the rebel camp.<\/p>\n<p><strong>March 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Susannah George<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Idriss was not a leader,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, of the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;[He] was a bureaucrat with a lot to recommend him in the very beginning. He could speak English and he sat at a desk and he said yes.&#8221; Landis said Idriss eventually became more of a clearinghouse, deriving his power and authority from his role as a distributor of foreign aid rather than his military victories, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone thought he could continue to control authority down the line,&#8221; Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Analysis\/2014\/Mar-18\/250561-hezbollahs-yabroud-triumph-makes-lebanon-bigger-target.ashx#axzz2zBaFXI3K\">Hezbollah\u2019s Yabroud triumph makes Lebanon bigger target<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 18, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Kareem Shaheen<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe fall of Yabroud effectively closes the back door to Damascus and eastern Ghouta, which has been the main source of rebel activity in the Damascus suburbs over the last year,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the founder of the website Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>France 24 International News 24\/7<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20140314-the-debate-syria-three-years-on\/\">Syria, 3 Years On: Has Assad Won?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fran\u00e7ois PICARD<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Three years ago, outrage was sparked in the Syrian city of Daraa over the death of a teenage boy for painting anti-authoritarian graffiti. There followed a spiral of violence that would engulf the entire nation. With more than 100,000 killed and nearly half the population displaced, there is no end in sight. No key moment over the past three years has brought closure for Syria. Is there a solution? Or has Assad won? With guest Joshua Landis<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Week<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/middleeastweek.org\/home\/2014\/3\/17\/syrian-conflict-enters-fourth-year\">Syrian Conflict Enters Fourth Year<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, Karl Morand interviews Joshua Landis and they discuss important issues including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recent advancements by the Assad regime<\/li>\n<li>How the international community views the conflict<\/li>\n<li>Fragmentation of opposition forces<\/li>\n<li>Rebel governing of territories they control<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Huffington Post<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/03\/15\/syria-war-anniversary_n_4964905.html?1394893857\">Fourth Year Of Syrian War Unlikely To Bring Relief From Bloodshed<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 15, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Max J. Rosenthal<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The rebels are in complete disarray and have proven themselves incapable of unifying their ranks in any meaningful way,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>C-SPAN Washington Journal<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?318287-4\/washington-journal-syrian-conflict\">Third Anniversary of Syrian Uprising<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 15, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>On the third anniversary of the uprising in Syria, Joshua Landis gives a summary of the uprising and where we are right now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>National Journal<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaljournal.com\/white-house\/obama-s-new-syria-policy-isn-t-adding-up-20140228\">Obama&#8217;s &#8216;New&#8217; Syria Policy Isn&#8217;t Adding Up<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Michael Hirsh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The rebel chaos and fragmentation has reached such a point that no strategist worth his salt, I think, believes the Obama administration can find glory in trying to arm up these guys,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Christian Science Monitor<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Middle-East\/2014\/0228\/Stranded-in-Morocco-Syrians-join-African-migrants-in-storming-Europe-s-door\">Stranded in Morocco, Syrians join African migrants in storming Europe&#8217;s door<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Ella Ba?ka<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSyrians have been terrified of becoming the next \u2018Palestinians\u2019 who don&#8217;t have papers and are unwanted and unprotected by any government,\u201d Mr. Landis explains. \u201cThis generation of Syrians is already being called a lost generation. The entire upper class has departed. The best educated and most talented Syrians have either left the country or are desperately seeking to leave.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/middleeast\/la-fg-syria-southern-front-20140227,0,6497414.story#axzz2uX0d4e8e\">Rift in Syria opposition may set back Western efforts<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 27, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Raja Abdulrahim<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The strategy is being undermined by fragmentation,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BBC World Service- Newshour<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/guneyyildiz\/bbc-how-the-war-in-syria-has\">How the war in Syria has lead to greater autonomy for the country&#8217;s Kurds?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 26, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Julian Marshall<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The conflict in Syria is not just between the government and its armed opponents.The rebel groups are fighting among themselves.<\/p>\n<p>There is a group that is coming out stronger in this infighting among the rebels. Syrian Kurdish fighters this week have beaten al Qaeda linked groups and took over a strategic northeastern town called Tal Barak.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Eurasia Review<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurasiareview.com\/24022014-christian-militia-political-dynamics-syria-analysis\/\">Christian Militia and Political Dynamics in Syria-Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When it comes to news reports on Christians in Syria, the general focus is on the concerns Christian civilians have about their future, if any, in the country. Though such anxieties are not invalid, reports rarely break new ground. Here I intend to explore how Christians play a role on the ground in the civil war, both on the political and military level.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Hurra<\/p>\n<p>?<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alhurra.com\/content\/%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%88%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%83%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%8a%d8%ae%d9%88%d8%b6-%d8%a3%d8%b5%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%88%d8%b6%d8%a7%d8%aa-\/243800.html\">???? ?????? ?????? ??????.. ???? ???? ???? ????????? ?? ???? ?????<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 21, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>??? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?? 136 ??? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ????\/???? 2011? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ??????? ?????? ??????. ???? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ???? 1 ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? 2 ?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? ???????? ??????? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ????? ??????? &#8220;?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?????&#8221;.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Carnegie Endowment for International Peace<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/syriaincrisis\/?fa=54597\">Syria in Crisis: Assad&#8217;s Achilles&#8217;Heel: The Manpower Problem<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 21, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Balint Szlanko<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe war has taken a great toll on the Alawite community, but it has shown a tremendous ability to adjust and rebuild,\u201d says Joshua Landis, a leading Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cDo the math. There are about 3 million Alawites in Syria. The median age is twenty-one. That is a lot of cannon fodder.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Turkish Press<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.turkishpress.com\/news.asp?id=389926\">US policy likely ineffective in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 19, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Michael Hernandez<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI think Assad and the Russians went to Geneva hoping that America would do at the political level what it had done on chemical weapons &#8211; which is cut a deal with Assad over ceasefires and humanitarian aid,\u201d said Joshua Landis. \u201cHe [Kerry] came out with both guns blazing in an anti-Assad diatribe, to show the world what a barbarian Assad is and how he killed all those people. All of which is true. But it is not the way to get dialogue going with the Assad regime.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera English<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GFsirh4DnQU\">Syria expert, Joshua Landis, discusses Free Syrian Army<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 17, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nNet Nebraska&#8217;s PBS &amp; NPR Stations<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.netnebraska.org\/node\/900856\">\u2018Syria After Geneva 2\u2019<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 13, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In the first Trendlines web special, a joint production of the PBS NewsHour and Al-Monitor, columnists Semih Idiz in Ankara, Turkey, Daoud Kuttab in Amman, Jordan, and Vitaly Naumkin in Moscow, along with the University of Oklahoma\u2019s<strong> Joshua Landis,<\/strong> discuss the diplomatic effort to resolve the Syria crisis and how it\u2019s impacting surrounding countries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>New Republic<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newrepublic.com\/article\/116607\/syrian-regimes-bombardment-rebel-cities-even-more-vicious\">The Syrian Regime&#8217;s Bombardment of Rebel Cities Is Even More Vicious Than You Think<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 13, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Joshua Hersh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Even if it&#8217;s not ethnic cleansing in its purest form\u2014because there&#8217;s no articulated plan to get rid of all Sunni Arabs from Syria, and that would be impossible anyway\u2014it sure smells of it,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. Landis has argued that the Syrian war could result in a broader, regional ethnic \u201crearrangement.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>KGOU World Views<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kgou.org\/post\/tenuous-order-threatens-central-african-republic-s-stability\">Tenuous Order Threatens Central African Republic&#8217;s Stability<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 7, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Nick Aguilera &amp; Associated Press<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey lynched him, chopped him to pieces, burnt him with rubber tires, and people began cheering. The French peacekeepers came, but they didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d says Joshua Landis, the author of Syria Comment and the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.albawaba.com\/editorchoice\/facebook--552413\">Arab World and Facebook&#8217;s 10 year relationship status: Complicated<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 5, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By Albawaba<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Qassemi added that Facebook is a positive \u201carena\u201d for discussion, pointing to a fierce debate on Syria between academics Joshua Landis and Robin Yassin-Kassab, which has attracted hundreds of comments.<br \/>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a common ground\u2026 It allows you the freedom of expressing yourself at length,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Arabiya<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/media\/digital\/2014\/02\/04\/Facebook-10-years-young-in-the-Arab-world.html\">Facebook: 10 years young in the Arab world<\/a><br \/>\nby Ben Flanagan<br \/>\n<strong>February 4, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>He added that Facebook is a positive \u201carena\u201d for discussion, pointing to a fierce debate on Syria between academics Joshua Landis and Robin Yassin-Kassab, which has attracted hundreds of comments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2014\/2\/3\/al-qaeda-breaks-tieswithislamicstateofiraqandthelevant.html\">Al-Qaeda disavows Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;ISIL has become completely isolated in Syria,&#8221; Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and a Syria expert, told Al Jazeera. &#8220;All the other militias will be attacking ISIS.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>VPR Vermont&#8217;s NPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/digital.vpr.net\/post\/what-comes-next-syria\">What Comes Next In Syria? <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>February 1, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Deborah Amos<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, who writes an influential blog on Syria, says the regime pulled back on the deal after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in his opening remarks, explicitly called for the Syrian president to step down. &#8220;His insistence that Assad had to go stunned the delegation,&#8221; said Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NaplesNews.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.naplesnews.com\/news\/2014\/feb\/01\/why-syrian-peace-talks-ended-no-deal\/\">Why Syrian peace talks ended with no deal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 1, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nBy Elizabeth Hagedorn<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Oklahoma University&#8217;s Joshua Landis told PBS the Syrian government likely expected the U.S. and its allies to try to compromise over the issue of a political transition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Net Nebraska&#8217;s PBS &amp; NPR Stations<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.netnebraska.org\/node\/896669\">Who&#8217;s To Blame For Failed Syrian Peace Talks, And What&#8217;s Next?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>January 31, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With Jeffrey Brown<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, University of Oklahoma: Well, I think many people were expecting that the United States would be willing to take half a loaf, that it would be willing to compromise to the point of not asking for regime change in Syria in order to get, perhaps, some access to starving people, to victims inside Syria, and perhaps the beginnings of a cease-fire, in order to alleviate the suffering of the Syrians and the big outflow of refugees that risks to bring down and trouble neighboring states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Toronto Star<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2014\/01\/31\/bouthaina_shaaban_the_dark_side_of_syrias_public_face.html\">Bouthaina Shaaban: The dark side of Syria\u2019s public face<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>January 31, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Olivia Ward<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cShe seemed like a fresh ray of light,\u201d said Syria expert Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, who has met her. \u201cShe was well-mannered, pretty and a liberated woman. Here was the face of the secular regime Assad wanted to show to the West.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PBS Newshour<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/bb\/syria2\/#.Uuz0UuQ3JQg.facebook\">Who\u2019s to blame for failed Syrian peace talks, and what\u2019s next?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>January 31, 2014 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With Jeffrey Brown<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/video.pbs.org\/viralplayer\/2365168825\" width=\"512\" height=\"376\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Syria Deeply<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.syriadeeply.org\/articles\/2014\/01\/4543\/qa-josh-landis-director-center-middle-east-studies-university-oklahoma\/\">Q+A: On the opening day of peace talks in Switzerland, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came out stronger than predicted against the Syrian government, calling for regime change<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 30, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Karen Leigh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Josh Landis: I was surprised by how forcefully Kerry came out for regime change. It made me wonder what he&#8217;s trying to accomplish. I thought he might go for half a loaf, which would be to get a cease-fire and try to reduce the suffering for Syrians, reduce the outflow of refugees, bring pressure on neighboring countries and move away from conflict. But that was clearly not his agenda. His agenda was to use American strength.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Wilson Center<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/event\/assessing-geneva-ii-there-way-to-end-the-syrian-nightmare\">Assessing Geneva II: Is there a Way to End the Syrian Nightmare?<\/a><br \/>\nHost: Aaron D. Miller<br \/>\n<strong>January 27, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Sunday Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesundaytimes.co.uk\/sto\/news\/focus\/article1367599.ece\">Save my little girl<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 26, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article3985499.ece\">Clique of clansmen shields arrogant Assad from reality<\/a><br \/>\nby Roger Boyes<br \/>\n<strong>January 25, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>He is convinced that he is negotiating in Geneva from a position of strength. \u201cHis army is stronger, his allies are more committed and the regime\u2019s capacity for brutality has kept it in charge,\u201d says a leading Syria commentator, Joshua Landis, director of the Centre of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2014\/01\/24\/265671104\/syrian-loyalists-will-continue-to-fight-for-assad?sc=tw&amp;cc=share\">Syrian<br \/>\nLoyalists &#8216;Will Continue To Fight&#8217; For Assad<\/a><br \/>\nHost Celeste Headlee<br \/>\n<strong>January 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: The Syrian war has been going on now for three years. One-third of the population &#8211; that&#8217;s about 8 million people &#8211; have been displaced. And, you know, this is a major humanitarian disaster. Getting the actors to Geneva to begin to talk is a great accomplishment because it means that they recognize there has got to be a political solution. But the two sides are still very far apart. The U.S. started out this conference, Secretary of State Kerry, saying that there needed to be regime change in Syria, that Assad had to stand down and that there should be some kind of transitional government established.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Jerusalem Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Syrian-peace-talks-overshadowed-by-intensified-regional-sectarian-conflict-339100\">Syrian peace talks overshadowed by intensified sectarian conflict<\/a><br \/>\nby Ariel Ben Solomon<br \/>\n<strong>January 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMost Syrians today reject the notion of partition or even autonomous regions, but the military stalemate has endured for almost two years,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, in an article for Al-Jazeera America.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2014\/1\/23\/why-syria-s-assadapproachesgenevafromapositionofstrength.html\">Analysis: Why Syria&#8217;s Assad enters Geneva talks in position of strength<\/a><br \/>\nby Joshua Landis<br \/>\n<strong>January 23, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>While Assad insists that his army is \u201cmaking progress,\u201d it is not at all clear that he can retake Syria or that Syria\u2019s allies will continue to bankroll his attempt to do so. Iran and Russia may well be content to have the Assad regime survive in only half of Syria if Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the West agree to the other half for the rebels. Even then, a deal remains a distant prospect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PBS Newshour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/bb\/world-jan-june14-syria2-01-22\/\">Will talks yield any progress for ending the Syrian war?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nPBS Newshour with Gwen Ifill<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/video.pbs.org\/viralplayer\/2365161842\" width=\"512\" height=\"376\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nThe Christian Science Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Security-Watch\/terrorism-security\/2014\/0122\/Dueling-opinions-aired-at-Syrian-peace-talks\">Dueling opinions aired at Syrian peace talks<\/a><br \/>\nby Ariel Zirulnick<br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The government delegation speaks in Montreaux from a position of strength, writes Joshua Landis, who runs the prominent blog Syria Comment, in an op-ed for Al Jazeera America. The loyalty of the Syrian Army, superior weapons, and fragmentation of the rebel forces have all combined to make Assad stronger than he was two years ago, he explains. This is why he can afford to brush off demands for a transitional government.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Radio New Zealand National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.radionz.co.nz\/national\/programmes\/ninetonoon\/audio\/2583058\/syria-peace-conference-aimed-at-ending-conflict\">Syria peace conference aimed at ending conflict<\/a><br \/>\nby Kathryn Ryan<br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nYour Middle East<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.yourmiddleeast.com\/opinion\/critics-of-obamas-syria-policy-are-misguided_21046\">Critics of Obama&#8217;s Syria policy are misguided<\/a><br \/>\nby Aaron Magid<br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Professor Joshua Landis, a widely respected expert on Syria, refutes the assessment that a strong and liberal rebel group existed in Syria at the time. \u201cThe Founding Fathers of Syria are all Islamists,\u201d declared Landis. \u201cThere is not one militia where the leaders that says we should not have Shariyah law.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/syria-talks-could-bring-about-modest-gains-say-analysts\">Syria talks could bring about modest gains, say analysts<\/a><br \/>\nby Taimur Khan<br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIf the rebel military commanders, who have the most legitimacy inside Syria, can\u2019t bring down the Syrian air force, can\u2019t stop Assad\u2019s tanks and artillery that are pounding neighbourhoods to smithereens, there isn\u2019t going to be any groundswell of support for continuing this war,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR-KGOU<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kgou.org\/post\/so-now-what-breaking-down-syrian-peace-talks\">So Now What? Breaking Down The Syrian Peace Talks<\/a><br \/>\nHost Brian Hardzinski<br \/>\n<strong>January 22, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIf they thought they could win militarily, they wouldn\u2019t have gone to Geneva,\u201d Landis says. \u201cThe opposition still hopes the United States is going to get rid of Assad for them at some level, and the Syrians still hope that Russia is going to come through, and they\u2019re going to be able to conquer the country.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Winnipeg Free Press<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/breakingnews\/russia-iran-criticize-decision-to-withdraw-tehran-invite-to-syria-peace-talks-241243551.html\">Future of Assad is focus of Syria peace talks, which turn into bitter test of wills<\/a><br \/>\nby Lori Hinnant &amp; Matthew Lee<br \/>\n<strong>January 21, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The balance of power on the ground suggests he is going to stay,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;Unless Kerry has got something up his sleeve, this might be a rhetorical flourish rather than a real commitment to the Syrian opposition.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera Inside Story<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lQfuFTyD_7I\">Ending the Fighting in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nHost: Ray Suarez<br \/>\n<strong>January 21, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Toronto Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2014\/01\/20\/peace_talks_flounder_as_syrian_civil_war_grinds_on.html\">Peace talks flounder as Syrian civil war grinds on<\/a><br \/>\nby Olivia Ward &amp; Michelle Shephard<br \/>\n<strong>January 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe problem is that America has very little leverage,\u201d says Syria expert Joshua Landis of University of Oklahoma. \u201cThe main message is that Washington isn\u2019t willing to spend much money on Syria. It won\u2019t do what it did in Iraq and Afghanistan and loosen the purse strings.\u201d<br \/>\nBut he adds, nobody is winning this zero-sum game. \u201cIf you\u2019re Assad or his opposition it looks grim. It\u2019s hard to envisage him conquering the whole country. But there is the possibility of a ceasefire (creating) two different worlds, the government side and the rebel side.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2014\/01\/20\/peace_talks_flounder_as_syrian_civil_war_grinds_on.html\">Peace talks flounder as Syrian civil war grinds on <\/a><br \/>\nby Olivia Ward, Michelle Shephard<br \/>\n<strong>January 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe problem is that America has very little leverage,\u201d says Syria expert Joshua Landis of University of Oklahoma. \u201cThe main message is that Washington isn\u2019t willing to spend much money on Syria. It won\u2019t do what it did in Iraq and Afghanistan and loosen the purse strings.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>LA Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/la-fg-syria-truce-20140119-story.html#page=1\">Syria&#8217;s Assad uses the truce as latest weapon against rebels<\/a><br \/>\nby Raja Abdulrahim and Patrick J. McDonnell<br \/>\n<strong>January 19, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If the truces do last, they could become &#8220;a road map&#8221; for Assad to negotiate with the opposition and in effect accept its surrender, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;They&#8217;re pacifying these neighborhoods&#8230;. They have created a wasteland and they&#8217;re calling it peace,&#8221; Landis said. &#8220;These truces being brokered, in a way, are Assad telling the world, &#8216;I&#8217;m here, I&#8217;m reconquering this territory and you&#8217;ve got to come to terms with me because you have no other choice.'&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m9svODuLIZU\">Inside Syria-Syria: Talking about peace talks<\/a><br \/>\nby Adrian Finighan<br \/>\n<strong>January 19, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We look at the hurdles facing the warring parties ahead of the international-led negotiations in Geneva. Adrian Finighan speaks to Ammar Waqqaf, a Syrian political activist who supports the Syrian government; Joshua Landis, the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies and a professor at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Jerusalem Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Syrian-peace-talks-overshadowed-by-intensified-regional-sectarian-conflict-339100\">With Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq consumed with sectarian vioence-and with no side able to claim victory-a spike in violence is more likely as both sides work to change the facts on the ground<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 17, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMost Syrians today reject the notion of partition or even autonomous regions, but the military stalemate has endured for almost two years,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, in an article for Al-Jazeera America.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Newsweek<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/2014\/01\/17\/anyone-peace-talks-245084.html\">Anyone for Peace Talks?<\/a><br \/>\nby Benny Avni<br \/>\n<strong>January 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;There is a military stalemate&#8221; in Syria, so &#8220;what sort of agreement is there to be reached?&#8221; wondered Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. It&#8217;s hard to envision outsiders, including America, ending the war &#8220;without boots on the ground,&#8221; he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LpecaABNSts\">Cross Talk: Who was Sharon?<\/a><br \/>\nby Peter Lavelle<br \/>\n<strong>January 15, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>What will Ariel Sharon be best remembered for? How did he change Israel and the Middle East? And was Sharon evil or a hero? CrossTalking with Joshua Landis, Yousef Munayyer and Amir Oren.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>McClatchy DC<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/2014\/01\/10\/214171\/west-may-not-be-winner-in-syria.html\">West may not be winner in Syria battle of &#8216;good al Qaida&#8217; vs. &#8216;bad al Qaida&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 10, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nby Hannah Allam<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cYes, we\u2019re closer to having a leadership of the opposition that can actually presume to call the shots in rebel Syria. But it\u2019s not one we\u2019re going to like very much,\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>The Clarion Project<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.clarionproject.org\/research\/battle-between-isis-and-syria%E2%80%99s-rebel-militias\">The Battle between ISIS and Syria&#8217;s Rebel Militias<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>January 9, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nVoice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/rebel-on-rebel-violence-spreading-in-syria\/1825926.html\">Rebel-on Rebel Violence Spreading in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Jamie Dettmer<br \/>\n<strong>January 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Analyst Joshua Landis, author of the influential Syria Comment blog, highlighted a similar point, arguing that the Islamic Front would appear to be holding the door open to a rapprochement with ISIL. According to Landis, \u201cISIL\u2019s goal of an Islamic state is not substantially different than that of the Islamic Front or the many other militias fighting in Syria.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Blaze<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/stories\/2014\/01\/08\/why-you-need-to-read-and-care-about-the-the-name-of-the-al-qaeda-group-that-just-gained-strength-in-iraq\/\">Why You Need to Read and Care About the Name of the Al-Qaeda Group That Just Gained Strength in Iraq<\/a><br \/>\nby Sharona Schwartz<br \/>\n<strong>January 8, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis of Syria Comment says that the Islamic State \u201chas its eyes on the rest of Greater Syria\u201d which includes Lebanon \u201cbut is focused on Iraq and Syria and the immediate ambition.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angles Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/la-oe-khoury-beirut-assad-crocker-20140107-story.html\">Syria&#8217;s Assad: Still the wrong choice<\/a><br \/>\nby Nabeel A. Khoury<br \/>\n<strong>January 7, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The recommendation to rehabilitate Assad is based on false premises. Crocker and Landis argue that Assad in power, even if only in a part of Syria, potentially offers the West the prospect of stability in a volatile region. They suggest that Assad might be an ally in the war on terrorism. If Assad does not prevail, they say, jihadi Sunni extremists embedded among the Syrian opposition will take over.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>National Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/367624\/epiphany-epithets-syria-patrick-brennan\">Epiphany Epithets in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Patrick Brennan<br \/>\n<strong>January 6, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nCarnegie Endowment for International Peace<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/syriaincrisis\/?fa=54086\">Pushing Back Against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: The Path to Conflict<\/a><br \/>\nby Aron Lund<br \/>\n<strong>January 6, 2014<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Christian Science Monitor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Middle-East\/2014\/0105\/Why-President-Bashar-al-Assad-s-rule-may-endure\">Why President Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s rule may endure<\/a><br \/>\nby Nicholas Blanford<br \/>\n<strong>January 5, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think the regime, in essence, still remains very weak,&#8221; says Joshua Landis, director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and author of the influential &#8220;Syria Comment&#8221; blog. &#8220;Even though the opposition has been so weak and divided and fighting among each other, [Assad] has not been able to make any dramatic gains, and I think we are seeing the apex of the regime effort right now.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Clarion Project<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.clarionproject.org\/research\/battle-between-isis-and-syria\u2019s-rebel-militias\">The Battle between ISIS and Syria&#8217;s Rebel Militias<\/a><br \/>\nby Joshua Landis<br \/>\n<strong>January 9, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A major confrontation has broken out between the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Syria\u2019s other rebel militias. It is being led by two newly organized coalitions, called Jaysh al Mujahidiin and the Front of Syrian Revolutionaries. But many other militias have also declared war on ISIS, insisting that it must abandon its attempt to establish a state and that its fighters must either integrate into Syria\u2019s other militias or quit the country altogether. Fighting between Free Syria Army militias and ISIS has been widespread in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Maclean&#8217;s<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/authors\/michael-petrou\/an-ancient-war-is-new-again\/\">In the Middle East, an ancient war is new again<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Petrou<br \/>\n<strong>January 3, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Assad\u2019s family and many of his supporters are Alawite Muslims, followers of an offshoot of Shia Islam. \u201cIt means they\u2019re not Muslims, because they\u2019re still these weirdo Zoroastrians,\u201d says Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cAnd they\u2019re not even Arabs. They\u2019re crypto-Iranians.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>El Mundo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elmundo.es\/internacional\/2013\/12\/31\/52c2e887ca474104308b456d.html\">Siria consuma su descenso a los infiernos<\/a><br \/>\nby LLU\u00cdS MIQUEL HURTADO<br \/>\n<strong>January 01, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00abEl yihadismo seguir\u00e1 fuerte, y Oc- cidente est\u00e1 estancado en el debate entre quienes creen que Bashar Asad es peor que la oposici\u00f3n y quienes opinan al rev\u00e9s\u00bb, se\u00f1ala a EL MUNDO Joshua Landis, director del Centro de Estudios de Oriente Pr\u00f3ximo. Francia asegur\u00f3 el domin- go que Asad \u00abusa a los extremistas para conseguir sus objetivos\u00bb.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><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><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Arab Awakening (@openAwakening) January 4, 2013<\/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 class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a 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 December 31, 2014 Voice of America Fragmented Syria in Search of a Referee by Barbara Slavin December 30, 2014 The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad controls only about 45 percent of the country [&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-21979","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - 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