Syrian medical staff with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) discuss what it’s like working at Al Salamah hospital in the Syrian town of Azaz on the Turkish border. AZAZ, SYRIA – “I had the opportunity to work in…
It may have been 16 years since the death of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, but his legacy still lives on in the war-torn country’s sectarian politics. THIS MONTH MARKS the 16th anniversary of the death of…
The future of jihadism in the Middle East is looking bright. Indeed, a threshold appears to have been crossed whereby the response to the mounting jihadist threat perpetuates and exacerbates the very causes of the phenomenon…
SNHR has published its periodic report on the death toll caused by torture for the month of June 2016 which documented the killing of 32 individuals due to torture in June 2016 and a total of…
Young Syrians living in Lebanon are attempting suicide in ever greater numbers. TRIPOLI, Lebanon — At a makeshift refugee camp just south of this northern city, a 12-year-old Syrian girl named Khowla sits on a dirty mattress…
Failings in the establishment of a parliamentary democracy in Iraq provides important lessons learnt for the future of both Iraq and Syria. Of particular importance is the fact that the democratic process has been limited to…
Many internally displaced people within Syria are being prevented from fleeing conflict zones due to fears over sleeper cells There are more than 11.4 million Syrians who have been forced to leave their homes since March 2011. While…
Survivors of crimes committed in Syrian war are talking to prosecutors in Europe, puncturing the pervasive climate of impunity. As Bashar al-Assad’s forces ramped up their bombing campaign on rebel-held territory over the past year, his…
The only thing that rivals the amount of injustice in the Middle East is the region’s production of of victimhood narratives. Jews are victims, Arabs are victims, Kurds are victims, and so are Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites,…
On a recent Tuesday evening in London, the surgeon David Nott attended a dinner at Bluebird, an upscale Chelsea restaurant. The room was packed with doctors, renowned specialists who had come for the annual consultants’ dinner…
Over the past two years, bombs and shelling have made it too dangerous for students to attend official schools in Aleppo city, so a group of volunteer teachers decided to open their own. ALEPPO, SYRIA – Adnan…
U.K.-based rights group reports over 5.8 million Syrians are now refugees and another 7.5 million have been internally displaced by fighting over the past five years More than 13 million Syrian refugees and displaced people inside…
For years, there has been debate within political science on the extent to which Islam is compatible with the principles of democracy. More recently, the field has moved past this discussion and onto a more productive…
When Rola Hallam arrived in the UK at 13 from Syria, speaking no English and knowing nothing of British culture, she felt like she’d landed on a different planet. Her gynaecologist father had accepted a job at…
It’s been more than a month since some 850 political detainees in Hama’s Central Prison revolted, taking guards hostage and overrunning part of the facility. Negotiations are aiming at highlighting judicial malpractice and the release of…
Mercy Corps is one of the only international humanitarian groups providing food aid to opposition-held areas of Aleppo city. Its humanitarian director for Syria, Ashley Proud, explains how it delivers aid and how it is preparing…
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, recently arrived in Switzerland as a refugee, where she is struggling with her first pregnancy and the potential breakup of her family. THE ARRIVAL OF the holy…
Rising prices and lower incomes mean Syrian families are struggling to find the average 8,000 pounds a day to pay for meals during the holy month of Ramadan This year the arrival of Ramadan coincided with…
Sustainable peace in Syria will require not only the cessation of violence, but also the changing people’s narratives and mindsets to view their opponents once more as humans with similar rights and values On April 28,…
The International Syria Support Group, consisting of 20 countries and organizations, met in Vienna earlier this month to once again attempt to decide the fate of the Syrian people. Predictably, the diplomats left the Austrian capital…
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, recently arrived in Switzerland as a refugee, where she is struggling with her first pregnancy and the potential breakup of her family. Marriage is a partnership in…
A month-long struggle between the two leading factions in the besieged suburb of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus ended last week when the parties agreed to a cease-fire. However, the dispute raises questions over the rule of…
The only way to reinstate peace and stability in Syria is to document ongoing crimes in the hopes that those responsible will some day be brought to justice, according to a doctor working with Physicians for…
ISTANBUL (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Syrian aid workers have pleaded for the international community to do more to protect them from deadly attacks, and to make sure aid reaches those most in need, saying statements of…