US and EU sanctions on Syria are punishing civilians and undermining aid work, states a 40-page UN report, “Humanitarian impact of Syria-related unilateral restrictive measures”, prepared for the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. Calling the conflict in Syr

Damascus is an island of relative normality at the centre of a storm. While most of its suburbs have been cleared of insurgents by the army, there is still fighting in Al Hami, 8.5 kilometres from the capital, and a standoff at Qudsaya, 5 kilometres distant.Following the occ

The Syrian government and Russia have gone over to the offensive against insurgents in eastern Aleppo because they no longer believe the US is serious about a ceasefire and negotiations.Three developments seem to have led Russia to this conclusion: the September 17 attack by US,

US President Barack Obama should give back the Nobel Peace Prize he was awarded a few months after taking office in 2009.Instead of making peace, he has waged war in this region and the Indian subcontinent, and sold more arms to warring governments than his Republican warmongerin

Germany faces serious problems trying to integrate most of the 1.1 million refugees who entered that country in 2015 and the 300,000 expected this year.Three-quarters of refugees who travelled to Germany last year are male and two-thirds less than 33 years old.

Syrian air strikes against Al Waer, near Homs, should have been expected. Al Waer, a large built-up district, is the last under insurgent control in Homs province and remains a potential threat to the government-held city of Homs.Insurgent holdouts from Al Qaeda’s Jabhat Al

Last week China declared its intention to become directly involved militarily in the Syrian conflict by dispatching advisers to aid the Syrian army.Beijing dispatched Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, head of China’s office for international military cooperation, to Damascus where he met

Civilians and fighters had every reason to cheer the rout of Daesh from the strategic Syrian city of Majbij last weekend.Men celebrated because they could shave off their beards and smoke; women because they could leave their homes and shed burkas, double-face veils and hijabs.Af

The Syrian army and allied forces recoiled from a concerted attack mounted last weekend southwest of Aleppo by the Jaish Al Fatah coalition of takfiris controlling Idlib province to the west of the city.