Syria

A Strike in the Dark; What did Israel bomb in Syria? (The New Yorker)

...Much of what one would expect to see around a secret nuclear site was lacking at the target, a former State Department intelligence expert who now deals with proliferation issues for the Congress said. "There is no security around the building," he said. "No barracks for the Army or the workers. No associated complex."

Jeffrey Lewis, who heads the non-proliferation program at the New… more

A summit that spurred fears on the right of sweeping new Israeli concessions and hopes on the left of an end to the long negotiating impasse now looks more like a diplomatic set piece choreographed to launch arduous negotiations over a revived and revised Mideast road map.

And with less than two weeks to go, there are more questions than answers about the one-day meeting at Annapolis, MD...

This week there were heightened indications that the Bush administration is pushing hard for… more

The Bush administration has maintained a hard-line policy stance on Syria. It has not had high-level diplomatic relations with the country since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. The U.S. has alleged that Syria played a role in the assassination.

Neoconservatives appear to be re-igniting a political narrative that fits neatly with the infamous cast of the "axis of evil". While not explicitly mentioned, Syria has often been designated as a junior partner… more

The ceasefire in the month long war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding. But the politicking and jockeying for power has only begun. Hezbollah claims victory - they survived the punishing attacks of the Israeli Defence Forces. Israel too has declared military superiority - they say they decimated Hezbollah's infrastructure and weaponry. But beyond the posturing of the two sides of the conflict, the fallout from the war is much more complicated and nuanced.… more