Syria Media Roundup (March 21)

[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or ofJadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]

Regional and International Perspectives

Syrian Refugees and the Educational Challenge in Turkey Muhannad al-Nader explains how “Syrian children are suffering from improvised Turkish policy, the absence of a clear vision from the Coalition, poor financial resources and the absence of a real and effective role for U.N.” 

The Knights Of Malta: The Cold War Is Back The Syrian Observer translates this piece by Hasan M. Yousif featured in Al Watan, connecting Blackwaters “to the killing of demonstrators in different Arab countries.”

Mikhail Bogdanov and the Syrian Black Box Aron Lund suggests that Syria and Russia’s “historical relationship has never simply been that of client and patron. Indeed, if history is anything to go by, Russia may not even be privy to the political thinking of Syria’s extraordinarily closed Baath Party elite—and Putin may be just as much in the dark about Assad’s intentions as the rest of us are.”

Syrian Official Casts Doubts on Geneva Talks, Says Assad Won't Go Sam Dagher reports that: “In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Faisal al Mekdad indicated his regime had the backing of longtime ally Russia in its stance on the Geneva talks.”

Iran, Qatar recast regional 'resistance' alliance Ali Hashem suggests that “The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is playing out within the context of Iran’s improved ties with Doha, Qatar’s rethink of its Syria policy and Tehran’s initiatives to expand its influence with Palestinian factions.”

Syrian killed in Fanar "in revenge for Yabrud"“The body of a Syrian man was found on Tuesday morning in the Fanar Residence construction site in the Metn area of Fanar, near the Lebanese University's Faculty of Information and Documentation, NOW's correspondent reported.”

Al-Qa’ida, the second act: Why the global 'war on terror' went wrong Patrick Cockburn asks:
"why did the ‘war on terror’ go wrong?”

Elderly Syrian survives sea voyage in quest to reunite with family in GermanyA report by the UNHCR

Syrian Narratives

Fourth Year Into the Crisis

Syrian Conflict Enters Fourth Year Karl Morand discusses with Joshua Landis about “recent advancements by the Assad regime, how the international community views the conflict, fragmentation of opposition forces and rebel governing of territories they control.”

Fear reigns in Damascus as uprising enters its fourth year Reuters reports on the situation in Damascus, where “armed men outnumber civilians on some corners, barricades prevent people from entering some streets and military hardware sits conspicuously between trees.”

The Syrian revolution is not dead Joseph Daher selects some memorable banners from the latest March 14 anniversary of the revolution, to show that “despite mass killings and destructions provoked by the Assad regime on one side and the threats posed by the islamists reactionary forces to the revolutionary process on the other side, the Syrian revolutionary masses are still struggling for the objectives of the revolution: democracy, social justice and no to sectarianism.”

Human Strength Shines Out of Syria’s ‘Never-Ending Sea of Hopelessness’ Racan Alhoch writes about the war in Syria on the occasion of its third anniversary: “Things are bad. Not just with the raging war on the ground, but also in the political sphere, with an amateur political opposition divided by hatred for ideological nuance and plagued by cronyism. During our trip we angrily discussed this many times, as most Syrians there do.”

The man who ignited the Syrian revolution Phil Sands, Justin Vela and Suha Maayeh claim many initially sought “to demand accountability for one of his lesser known cousins, Atef Najib, the loathed chief mukhabarat officer in Syria's southernmost province.”

Waiting for Victory: A Personal View of the Syrian Civil War Mohammed Sergie revisits his “reporting and personal experiences in Syria to share some stories that illustrate the tragedy, using Aleppo as a focal point.

Reflections on the Syrian revolution Samer Abboud writes: “As we enter the fourth year of the Syrian crisis, it has become quite common, almost reaching the level of truism, to frame the conflict as a revolution gone awry, hijacked by warlords, jihadists, and foreign infiltrators. The subtext of such a narrative is that the Syrian revolution is dead, having only served as a midwife to a sectarian civil war.”

The Syrian Revolution after three years: The Need for a New Social Contract Volker Perthes, the executive chairman of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), says that “it is clear today that the regional state system can only be preserved if the war in Syria ends. It is also evident that none of the warring parties will be able to achieve a military victory and maintain the Syrian state in its current territorial shape.”

Syria: A human tragedy An Al Jazeera Inside Story with guests Joshua Landis, Amr Al-Azm and Majwoob Zweiri

The Syrian Uprising at Three Years Joshua Landis’ reflections as well as Borzou Daragahi’s piece from the Financial Times

Opinion: On the third anniversary of the Syrian revolution “Syrian Coalition President Ahmad Jarba writes for Asharq al-Awsat on the third anniversary of the Syrian revolution” (translated by the Syrian Observer)

Middle-East’s Sectarian Balance Shifts as Syrian Uprising Enters Fourth Year — by Jawad Anwar Qureshi

Other

Beyond Yabrud Asad AbuKhalil  argues that “The fall of Yabrud is a refutation of Western arguments about
Syria, that the armed groups could gradually chip away at the regime’s legitimacy — or whatever is left of it — and its survival capacity.”

Syria Internal Opposition says political solution is the only exit: Interview with the general coordinator of the internal-opposition National Body for the Democratic Change Hassan Abdel Azim

Moaz Khatib Presidency Campaign: Dead in the Water? Waleed al Bunni suggests that “the campaign showed the potential for other creative alternatives to solve the crisis.”

Syria: Opposition reporters and clandestine networksLaith al Khatib explains how, “despite being banned from working inside Syria, the armed opposition's media remains active in Damascus and its countryside through a network of reporters, most of whom received training on clandestine reporting in centers located in neighboring countries.”

The Northern Storm Brigade: It’s History, Current Status, and Why It Matters By Chris Looney“For some, it is a part of a contingent of secular FSA groups that represent the best chance for the West to counter the Islamification of the revolution. For others, it is a brigade of opportunists – smugglers and kidnappers with an ill-defined agenda willing to revise their ideology in order to maintain their influence and power. In reality, the NSB is all of the above.”

Lebanon’s Pro-Assad Islamists Raphael Lefevre explains that “Tripoli is a complex city, and Lebanese politics have always been about more than sectarian loyalties. In fact, Tripoli is also home to several Sunni Islamist groups that support the Syrian regime.”

Opinions from Opposition-Controlled Town: No to a Diplomatic SolutionIssam Abdel Hamid reports from “the streets of opposition-controlled Salqeen in Idlib province to survey public opinion on the feasibility of the diplomatic process in resolving the crisis in Syria. Strikingly, all those who spoke to the camera expressed their lack of faith in the possibility that negotiations between the opposition and the regime can end to the war. They agreed that armed conflict was the only solution.”

Who's who: Hasan Saleh Rustum Mahmoud on this leading Kurdish political leader.

The LA Times in Talkalakh; Less of a Truce, More of a Military OccupationAn article by blogger Aboud Dandachi on Tal Kalakh and its history of neglect by the state.

Inside Syria

Where are Syria’s non-violent revolutionaries today? Ahmad Hassan meets young activists in Damascus.

Syria crisis: Kurds fight to keep out encroaching jihadists Jim Muir reports from Hassakeh province.

La région d’Idlib, deux fois soumise puis libérée Hala Kodmani reports from Idlib, which she suggests was “liberated twice.”

Syria: The Long War (Dispatch One) Vice’s reporting from Idlib’s region

Syrie: une nouvelle loi ouvre la voie à une réélection d'Al-Assad The new electoral law prevents opposition figures abroad from being eligible in the run for presidency.

Sharia Court in Kfar Nabel: Doctrinal Provisions Do Not Receive Support from Armed OppositionHazzaa Adnan al-Hazzaa reports on the diverging views on the courts.

Army Regains Full Control of Ras al-Ain The Syrian Observer translates this update from government newspaper al Baath, claiming that “Units of the armed forces regained Wednesday full control over the town of Ras Al-Ain to the southwest of Yabroud city, Damascus countryside, a military source said”

Kurds Learn Their Mother Language in Qamishli According to the Damascus Bureau, “Kurdish language courses are organized by several different institutions, including political parties and independent organizations

Syrian Dissidents Return to Damascus All4Syria reports that “six Syrian dissidents have returned secretly to Damascus, including former member of the Syrian National Council,  Basil Kwefi, Qhatan Salibi and Basil Taqi al-Din, as part of a compromise with the Syrian regime that includes preparations for the convening of a national conference.

Arts and Social Media

Photoblog: Deir al-Zor Fishermen Return to their Boats on the Euphrates River

Photoblog: The “National” Flag Covers Shop Shutters

Interactive: Lebanon under Syrian rocket fire “Al-Akhbar traced a timeline of the strikes and tried to pinpoint their locations along the different regions of Lebanon’s 375 kilometer-long border with Syria to help visualize what have become almost daily incidents.”

Omar Souleyman: the uncanny rise of neo-baladi “From local wedding singer to internationally-celebrated performer, Omar Souleyman talks to Al-Akhbar about his rise in the West, his Syrian roots, and his unique style of dabke. Despite his meteoric rise to fame, he has not forgotten where he came from and hopes for better days for his beloved Syria.”

The cultural heart of Syria: deeply fractured but resilientReporting from Damascus, Khalil Sweileh asks, how has the crisis “affected the intellectual exchange in Syria? Have the ideas born out of the crisis been able to capture the magnitude of the catastrophe unfolding in the country?”

Policy and Reports

Beyond Emergency Assistance: Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Iraq A Refugees International report

Number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon to hit 1 million

Economy and Agriculture

Damascus Seeks To Strengthen Coast, Collects Resources for Treasury

Central Bureau of Statistics Predicts Lower Inflation Rates in First Quarter

Health

Women's Activism and the Polio Epidemic in Syria Thomas McGee offers an insight into the polio vaccination campaigns across Syria.

Q+A: Inside the Aid Efforts of Syria's Food Distribution Program“From Damascus, Abeer Etefa of the World Food Programme details the mechanics of food aid in Syria, from its arrival in the port of Tartous to its storage in one of five WFP centers across the country.”

Syrians on Manus offered repatriation despite prospect of 'certain death'“The Department for Immigration offered repatriation to two Syrian asylum seekers on Manus Island, despite one saying he faced “certain death” if returned, according to leaked case manager documents obtained by Guardian Australia.”

Resources:

Detailed Syria Maps; Activists Honor Revolution Dead in WashingtonThomas van Linge  (@arabthomness ) created a detailed map of the battle lines in Syria.

Summary Statistics for Civilians in Syria and Refugees in Turkey A report by Vera Mironova and Loubna Mrie and Sam Whitt

 Summary Statistics for Aleppo and IdlibAnother report by Vera Mironova and Loubna Mrie and Sam Whitt

Arabic

سوريا... اليسار والثورة
Munif Melhem on the birth of a new leftist mentality with the Syrian struggle.

نخب الثورة السورية... درس الحاضر القريب
Abdel Muin Zreiq adapts mainstream “leftist” logic to criticize the “revolution’s elites” and their conspiracies in the “war on Syria.”

6 قضايا لحوار منهجي مع المعارضة السورية
Nahed Hatr proposes 6 important issues that, according to his views, need to be negotiated with the Syrian opposition.

ماذا بعد يبرود؟
Fadi al-Ahmar asks “what comes after Yabrud?”

سوريا 2011 - 2014 | هل ربح النظام وخسر معارضوه؟
Munther Khaddam uses an article written to former US Ambassador to Syria, Ryan Crocker in the New York Times to claim that the Assad regime had supposedly “won” over the opposition.

سوريا 2011 - 2014 | من الحرية إلى انهيار الأطر الوطنية
Maataz Hisso reflects on the situation in Syria after three years of the uprisings.

النظام يربح ولا يحسم... الحرب مسـتمرة
Hassan Olleiq on the strategies and advances on the ground of both the regime and the opposition.

"عن "البوصلة" في زمن "جي بي إس
Mahmoud Omar critiques an article written by Rasha al-Atrash, in which she claims that Syria has now replaced Palestine as the heart of the Arab nationalists causes.

عاجل: خطف الثائرة مرسيل شحوارو والثائر محمد خليلي على يد احد عناصر لواء حلب
Urgent : Kidnapping of the revolutionaries Marcell Shehwaro and Mohammad Khalili by the Aleppo brigade 17-03-2014

!وماذا لو طال أمد الصراع السوري...
Akram al-Bunni wonders “and what if the Syrian struggle lasted too long!”

“بيان تيار اليسار الثوري في سوريا في الذكرى الثالثة للثورة : تأسيس “فصائل تحرر الشعب
The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria announces the establishment of the “People’s Liberation Faction” to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian Revolution.

معرض “حكايا الثورة” و مسرحية حكاية وطن بالذكرى الثالثة للثورة السورية, حلب
These are photos of an exhibition entitled “The Stories of the Revolution” and a play entitled “The Story of a Nation”, which were held in Aleppo to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian revolution.

' مغنية الأوبرا نعمى عمران: رفض صوتي صبغة 'البعث
Dema Wannous shares the experience of Syrian Opera Singer Noama Omran with the Baathist regime of Syria.

حملة تشجير بإدلب إحياء للذكرئ الثالة للثورة
A group of activists in Idleb undertake a tree planting campaign during the 3-year anniversary of the Syrian revolution.

تحويل العمال الى عبيد ، نموذج ما يجري في احد مصانع مدينة حماة
The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria reports on the mistreatment and abuse of workers in factories in Hama.

هنا دمشق.. بفارق رغيفين
Rim al-Ghazzi describes Syrian through her perspective in throughout the last three years.

الفيلم الوثائقي : ركن الدين ثلاث سنوات من الثورة
A documentary entitled “Rukn Addin, Three Years of the Revolution.”