{"id":19984,"date":"2013-12-19T21:43:23","date_gmt":"2013-12-20T02:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=19984"},"modified":"2013-12-19T23:20:56","modified_gmt":"2013-12-20T04:20:56","slug":"admin-update-plus-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/admin-update-plus-round-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Administrative Update plus Round-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

As many noticed during the recent period of silence at Syria Comment, responsibilities have pulled us away from being able to post regularly. Though we are currently on break, I should explain that the demands of the academic year’s schedule will sometimes decrease my availability for writing articles and posting news round-ups.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I will still be available to post work from other writers, and will also continue to do some moderation, though not always in a timely fashion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Matthew Barber<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

For now, a brief roundup…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before looking at the important recent stories, please look at this October article, if you missed it previously. Though challenging for many, it’s content is still relevant and raises important food for thought: Partitioning Syria<\/a> by Gary Gambill<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fisk wonders if presidential control of security is continuing to decline, and whether Khan’s death implies internal challenges to Assad:<\/strong> British prisoner Dr Abbas Khan found dead in Syrian jail days before he was due to be handed over to MP George Galloway<\/a> – Independent<\/p>\n

\n

In a scandal that will inevitably embrace the Syrian and the British governments, a British prisoner in the hands of the Syrian state security police has been found dead in a Damascus prison only four days before he was to be handed over to British MP George Galloway to be taken home to Britain on the instructions of President Assad himself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Abbas Khan, who was arrested by Syrian government forces while working as an orthopaedic surgeon in the Aleppo region and held incommunicado for more than a year, \u201ccommitted suicide\u201d in the state interrogation centre at\u00a0 Kfar Soussa in Damascus, according to Syrian security authorities.\u00a0 Khan\u2019s mother, Fatima, who was herself in Damascus and had seen her son four times in the past four months, was eagerly awaiting his release this weekend when she received a telephone call from a Syrian official to say that he had hanged himself with his pyjamas.<\/p>\n

His family in London \u2013 where Abbas was born \u2013 had received a bundle of letters from him in the last few weeks expressing his delight at his imminent release.\u00a0 \u201cHe was saying \u2018I can\u2019t wait to be back with you guys\u2019,\u201d his sister Sara told me today.\u00a0 \u201cHe did not commit suicide.\u201d …<\/p>\n

George Galloway was flabbergasted.\u00a0 When I telephoned him, he described Khan\u2019s death as \u201cinexplicable\u201d.\u00a0 He had just booked his air ticket to Damascus when he heard the news from Dr Khan\u2019s family \u2013 and then from the Syrian deputy foreign minister himself.\u00a0 \u201cAs yet, no satisfactory explanation has been given to me.\u00a0 The idea of a man committing suicide four days before he was to be released is impossible to believe. …<\/p>\n

… Syria is now certain to become embroiled in a political crisis that suggests President Assad may not be able to control his own security authorities.\u00a0 Dr Khan was a London-born doctor and no longer had any political importance \u2013 he had been arrested after treating women and children in rebel-held areas of Aleppo well over a year ago \u2013 yet he was taken from the Azra prison where he was being held last week to the Kfar Soussa interrogation centre, a jail where inmates are held just after arrest and just before their release.<\/p>\n

For a tragedy of this importance, for what many clearly believe to have been a murder \u2013 for a British citizen whose release has been ordered by President Assad himself only to be found dead in state security police custody \u2013 will require a full explanation not only from the Syrian government but from Assad himself.\u00a0 Repeatedly, Assad has claimed that he is solely in charge of Syria, and \u2013 despite disquiet among Syrians at his decision to hand over his chemical weapons to the United Nations last summer \u2013 nothing has hitherto suggested that Assad\u2019s word might be crossed.<\/p>\n

Yet the death of Abbas Khan now raises the devastating possibility that there are those in authority in Damascus who want to challenge the power and prestige of their own president.\u00a0 It is clear that the Syrians intended to make a conciliatory gesture towards the West by releasing Khan \u2013 yet his death suggests there are those who wish to destroy Assad\u2019s chances of a reconciliation with Western powers which only a few months ago were set on destroying his regime in a military attack. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

U.S. Weighing Closer Ties With Hardline Islamists in Syria<\/a> – FP<\/p>\n

Syria region where polio found excluded from 2012 vaccination drive<\/a> – Reuters<\/p>\n

The Syrian government excluded the largely rebel-held province of Deir al-Zor – where polio broke out this year – from a 2012 vaccination campaign, arguing that most residents had fled although hundreds of thousands were still there, a Reuters investigation shows. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whose sarin?<\/a> by Seymour M. Hersh<\/strong> – London Review of Books<\/p>\n

Brown Moses’ rebuttal:<\/strong> Sy Hersh’s Chemical Misfire<\/a> – FP<\/p>\n

Also see this: Report Detail Could Further Implicate Syria in Chemical Attack, Analysts Say<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Buried in the annex of a United Nations inquiry into chemical weapons use in Syria is information that some outside analysts say could further implicate the government of Syria in the deadliest of the five confirmed attacks. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Saudi Ambassador to Britain declares greater autonomous action on the part of the Kingdom and takes stab at US policy:<\/strong> Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone<\/strong><\/a> – NYT<\/strong><\/p>\n

… We believe that many of the West\u2019s policies on both Iran and Syria risk the stability and security of the Middle East. …<\/p>\n

… But this year, for all their talk of \u201cred lines,\u201d when it counted, our partners have seemed all too ready to concede our safety and risk our region\u2019s stability. …<\/p>\n

… Saudi Arabia has enormous responsibilities within the region, as the cradle of Islam and one of the Arab world\u2019s most significant political powers. We have global responsibilities \u2014 economic and political \u2014 as the world\u2019s de facto central banker for energy. And we have a humanitarian responsibility to do what we can to end the suffering in Syria.<\/p>\n

We will act to fulfill these responsibilities, with or without the support of our Western partners. Nothing is ruled out in our pursuit of sustainable peace and stability in the Arab World as King Abdullah \u2014 then Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince \u2014 showed with his leadership of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

We showed our preparedness to act independently with our decision to reject a seat on the United Nations Security Council. What point was there in serving in an international talking shop when so many lives are threatened, and so many opportunities for peace and security are being thwarted by the U.N.\u2019s inability to act?<\/p>\n

We continue to show our determination through our support for the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian opposition. It is too easy for some in the West to use the threat of Al Qaeda\u2019s terrorist operations in Syria as an excuse for hesitation and inaction. Al Qaeda\u2019s activities are a symptom of the international community\u2019s failure to intervene. They should not become a justification for inaction. The way to prevent the rise of extremism in Syria \u2014 and elsewhere \u2014 is to support the champions of moderation: financially, materially and yes, militarily, if necessary. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Patrick Cockburn: U.S. Turns Blind Eye as Saudis Fund Jihadists in Syrian Conflict<\/a> – Democracy Now<\/p>\n

Cockburn on the Independent: Mass murder in the Middle East is funded by our friends the Saudis<\/a><\/p>\n

Film taking aim at Saudi monarchy opens in Syria<\/a> – AP<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

“King of the Sands…” purports to show events leading up to the creation of Saudi Arabia in 1932. In the movie, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is portrayed as a merciless ruler fighting opponents with a sword, commanding that the hands of thieves be cut off, ordering the stoning of couples for having premarital sex, and taking numerous wives himself. He is also shown as a man who enjoys underage women.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0A Confused Situation in Northern Syria<\/a> – Aron Lund<\/p>\n

… In a widely read article, the Wall Street Journal<\/em> portrayed the events at Bab al-Hawa as part of a simple radical-moderate conflict: the Islamic Front had chased the SMC out of Syria, punching a big hole in American strategy before the planned Syrian peace conference in Geneva. Some SMC officials<\/a> seem to agree. But as new details emerge, the truth appears to be considerably more nuanced. …<\/p>\n

For its part, the Islamic Front claims that it only intervened to safeguard the Bab al-Hawa area after a distress call from the SMC leader, Salim Idris, who wanted help protecting his warehouses against attacks by an unnamed group.<\/p>\n

Idris himself has come forward in support of this version and seems eager to downplay the conflict between him and the Islamic Front. According to Idris, the SMC headquarters have not been \u201coccupied\u201d by the Islamic Front, rather they are locked and empty after the SMC abandoned them. \u201cI could return to the [SMC] headquarters any time I want,\u201d he claims in an interview<\/a> with the U.S.-funded al-Hurra television station, \u201cbut the entire region is in danger. Most forces have abandoned their headquarters. There\u2019s an unnatural situation in the entire northern region, to be honest. In the northern area of Syria, there is confusion and there are checkpoints for different forces and alliances. The situation in northern Syria is no longer clear, no longer safe.\u201d …<\/p>\n

… One of the reasons for the chaotic and dangerous situation in the northern Idlib area is a spate of clashes between the SRF and the Islamic Front. In the days after December 6, these groups faced off, putting up roadblocks in the area, kidnapping each other\u2019s members, and blocking convoys of supplies. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Arabic article suggests that Oman is hosting secret negotiations between regime and rebels<\/strong> (via Andrew Hammond @Hammonda1): ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? ????<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Omani Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah<\/p><\/div>\n

Syrian conflict said to fuel sectarian tensions in Persian Gulf<\/a> – WP<\/p>\n

… Kuwaiti Sunnis have been among the most prominent financial supporters <\/a>of Syria\u2019s rebels, raising tens of millions of dollars through both traditional charity functions and online canvassing using social media sites. Prominent Sunni families have sent sons to fight for Islamist rebels in Syria, and Kuwaiti Twitter and Facebook pages devoted to the conflict regularly applaud the slaughter of Shiite forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.<\/p>\n

Although less conspicuous, Kuwaiti Shiites have launched parallel efforts to build support for Syria\u2019s pro-government Shiite and Alawite communities, according to the Brookings report. At a forum in Kuwait City last year, a Shiite group claimed to have raised the equivalent of $81 million for Assad\u2019s forces. Many of the country\u2019s city-dwelling Shiites have begun to refer to Sunnis as \u201cBedouin\u201d who are less authentically Kuwaiti, the report said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow the talk is about Shia-Sunni,\u201d a Kuwaiti newspaper editor was quoted as telling the report\u2019s author. \u201cIt has become popular, very normal. .?.?. It wasn\u2019t like that in Kuwait.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

West signals to Syrian opposition Assad may stay<\/a> – Reuters<\/p>\n

…”Our Western friends made it clear in London that Assad cannot be allowed to go now because they think chaos and an Islamist militant takeover would ensue,” said one senior member of the Coalition who is close to officials from Saudi Arabia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

al-Julani, head of Jabhat al-Nusra interviewed by al-Jazeera English –<\/strong> Al-Qaeda leader in Syria speaks to Al Jazeera<\/a><\/p>\n

The leader of al-Qaeda\u2019s branch in Syria, one of the most powerful groups in the war-torn country, has told Al Jazeera that that the conflict is nearing an end and that his fighters hold the upper hand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Jabhat<\/p>\n

“Bashar al-Assad Is Not As Bad As These People!” \u2013 A Libyan On Joining Jabhat\u00a0al-Nusra<\/a><\/strong> – Brown Moses
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bashar Al Assad: An Intimate Profile of a Mass Murderer<\/strong><\/a> – New Republic<\/p>\n

Syrian and Iraqi Kurds more divided over Syria<\/a> – al-Monitor<\/p>\n

Gaza fighters head to Syria as refugees flow in<\/a> – BBC<\/p>\n

… Fahd al-Habash had been avidly following news about Syria and saw it as a just, holy war. “The situation in Gaza is calm. There’s no fighting with Israel right now and Fahd wanted to fight against the Shia [Muslims],” Shehata al-Habash says. …<\/p>\n

… However the movement between Gaza and Syria is not just in one direction. Dozens of Syrian refugees have headed here since the war started, as well as hundreds of Palestinian refugees who were living in Syria. …<\/p>\n

… UNRWA is now supporting 1,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in the Gaza Strip. They are entitled to the same benefits and services as refugees who were already based in Gaza. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Osama al-Shehabi (Abul-Zahra al-Zubeidi): An al-Qaeda Leader in Lebanon<\/strong><\/a> – Aron Lund<\/p>\n

In a press statement issued yesterday, the U.S. State Department declared that it had sanctioned Osama Amin al-Shihabi as a \u201cspecially designated global terrorist.\u201d The statement went on to explain that Shihabi has recently been appointed head of the Nusra Front\u2019s Palestinian wing in Lebanon. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Belated Birth of the Waad Party<\/a> – Rapha\u00ebl Lef\u00e8vre<\/p>\n

The New Power On The Ground In\u00a0Syria<\/a> (on Zahran Alloush) – Mike Giglio<\/p>\n

Syrians disappeared in ‘campaign of terror’<\/a> – al-Jazeera<\/p>\n

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Government forces snatching people in a ‘systematic attack’ on civilians, UN says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Other Arab Awakening<\/a> – Thomas Friedman – NYT<\/p>\n

\n

AND so it turns out that there were actually two Arab awakenings.<\/p>\n

There are the radical revolutions<\/em> you\u2019ve read about in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Libya, none of which yet have built stable, inclusive democracies. But then there are the radical evolutions<\/em> that you\u2019ve not read about, playing out in Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf monarchies. The evolutions involve a subtle but real shift in relations between leaders and their people, and you can detect it from even a brief visit to Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Gulf leaders still have no time for one-man, one-vote democracy. But, in the wake of the Arab Spring, they\u2019re deeply concerned with their legitimacy, which they are discovering can no longer just be bought with more subsidies \u2014 or passed from father to son. So more and more leaders are inviting their people to judge them by how well they perform \u2014 how well they improve schools, create jobs and fix sewers \u2014 not just resist Israel or Iran or impose Islam. …<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Aron Lund on refugees: Slamming the Golden Door<\/a><\/p>\n

Syria\u2019s neighbors are overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. Syrians now constitute more than one-fifth of Lebanon\u2019s inhabitants, and the attendant growing economic burden and religious tensions threaten to pull the country back into civil war. In Jordan, the Zaatari refugee camp has grown from a collection of empty tent grounds in 2012 into what is now one of the country\u2019s largest cities, where 2,000 new refugees arrive every day.<\/p>\n

Poor Third World nations are shouldering almost the entire burden. Apart from Syria\u2019s hard-pressed neighbors, significant numbers of refugees have also been received in Egypt, Algeria, Libya, and other Middle Eastern countries. In distant Brazil, the government recently announced the creation of \u201chumanitarian visas\u201d for Syrian refugees. Syrians will now be able to apply for asylum at Brazilian embassies in the Middle East, something that hardly any other state allows.<\/p>\n

… But in looking closely at the numbers, a pattern emerges. In almost every case, the states most deeply involved with fanning the flames of the Syrian civil war\u2014like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and Russia\u2014are also the ones most reluctant to take in its refugees.<\/strong> It is remarkable that a wealthy fellow Arab country like Saudi Arabia (with a population of 28 million), has still not offered to resettle a single Syrian refugee.<\/p>\n

… In Europe, Germany is the only large nation (with a population of 82 million) making an effort to take in Syrian refugees. It already shelters around 8,000 asylum applicants and recently started bringing in 5,000 more refugees. It is in talks with the UN to eventually resettle up to 10,000 Syrian refugees, or 80 percent of the EU\u2019s pledges for UN resettlement.<\/p>\n

Sweden (with a population of 9 million) has received even higher numbers of refugees, but not on the UN quotas. Instead, it has become the primary destination for private Syrian asylum seekers entering the EU illegally. Since the start of the crisis, Sweden has granted residency status on humanitarian grounds to some 25,000 Syrians, which is the largest number anywhere outside the Middle East (in total, some 50,000 Syrians have applied for asylum in EU countries; that\u2019s 2.4 percent of the global total). In addition, Sweden has informed the UN that it could take 400 refugees on its quota for 2013. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Aleppo and the Battle for the Syrian Revolution\u2019s Soul<\/a> – Aron Lund<\/p>\n

Uncertain Future for the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood\u2019s Political Party<\/a> – Yezid Sayigh and Rapha\u00ebl Lef\u00e8vre<\/p>\n

VansGuard wrote a song for Syria: