بواسطة Katty Alhayek | يوليو 20, 2020 | Cost of War, Culture, غير مصنف
*This article was originally published by the LSE Conflict Research Programme blog.
Since 2011, media has played a significant role in the Syrian conflict, which started as a peaceful uprising, then escalated into a violent civil war resulting in the largest refugee and displacement crisis in the world. Mass media played a negative role, acting as a driver of the Syrian conflict by inciting violence, hate speech, and sectarianism. In this article, I focus on successful alternative media interventions that challenge the violent, stereotypical discourse dominant in mass media. As part of a larger research project, I examine, as a case study, the discourse surrounding the Syrian television drama series Ghadan Naltaqi (GN) [We’ll Meet Tomorrow] which generated an exemplary dialogue between the forcibly displaced segment of its audience and the writer/creator of the show, Iyad Abou Chamat. I consider GN as an alternative media intervention because it provides a case where media creators help displaced people both to mitigate the traumatic effects of a highly polarising conflict, and to find a healing space from violent and alienating dominant media discourses.
The context of Syrian media
Before the war, Syrian media was known for its successes in regard to the Syrian drama industry, and for its failure in term of news and public affairs programming (Kraidy, 2006). However, this has changed rapidly with the emergence, since 2011, of new, alternative online spaces reporting new political perspectives (Wall and El Zahed, 2015). Regardless of these new spaces, it is widely argued that the media interventions that addressed general Syrian audiences from different political opinions were rare throughout the years of the war. Syrian TV dramas were the best medium to expose structural inequalities and the corruption of the ruling social and economic elites (Salamandra, 2011). After the war, several new challenges would face the Syrian media sector, including the television drama industry. Challenges, such as the departure of the most qualified drama makers from Syria and the severe decrease in production budgets of drama serials inside the country have negatively affected the quality of the final products, resulting in many drama series that escape from reality through the genre of soap opera. And yet, the cultural production environment of Syrian drama after the “Arab Spring” and the Syrian war has new, positive margins supporting drama that explicitly tackles the current political events in Syria and the Arab region. A representative example is Ghadan Naltaqi (GN) which ran during Ramadan in the summer of 2015. It is particularly interesting because it provides a case where Syrian TV audiences used Facebook as a space to engage with the producer of the show that undertook representation of displaced Syrians experiences.
Production and broadcast of Ghadan Naltaqi (GN)
Ghadan Naltaqi (GN) focuses on the daily lived experiences of a group of displaced Syrians who rent separate rooms in one modest building in Lebanon. The group is composed of individuals coming from different social positions in pre-war Syria, and represent diverse political views vis-à-vis the conflict. The show depicts many of the political, economic and cultural challenges that face Syrian refugees who live in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon. The series received positive reviews from Arab critics and audiences, and it was awarded the 2015 Best Comprehensive Drama series of the Year – shared with The Godfather-East Club – by the Television and Radio Mondiale in Egypt (Alaraby Aljadid 2015).
The show also generated controversy over gender-related themes and scenes around sexuality and virginity, which resulted in the decision of Arab TV stations such as Abu Dhabi Al Emarat TV to delete such scenes from broadcast because they did not fit with their censorship standards. However, an uncensored version of the series in high definition, was uploaded by the series production company ‘Clacket Media Productions,’ and is available on YouTube free of charge. The availability of GN on YouTube provided broader access to Syrian audiences around the world who had no other way to watch the series.
Censoring the content that tackles sexuality from the series angered some Syrian critics (such as Brksiah, 2015) because that omits new experiences of personal freedom many refugees encounter once they move out of their traditional, conservative communities inside Syria. Indeed, one of GN contributions – to the representation of gender issues in Arab media – is showing the agency of refugee women and the new margins of freedom that displacement offers for women to explore newfound bodily pleasures.
Audiences experiences and communication needs
As a coping mechanism with displacement, watching Syrian TV drama serials provided Syrian audiences with ways to connect with family, friends, and other displaced Syrians all over the world. From pre-war life in Syria, the ritual of watching TV drama serials during Ramadan–with the rest of the family members–was a common family tradition that constructed shared memories between Syrians. Separated by borders and racist politics since 2011, watching Ramadan TV serials and discussing them online with family members, friends, and other diasporic Syrians became a continuation of that nostalgic tradition.
To explore Syrian audiences’ experiences with media texts that tackles the war and the refugee crisis, I interviewed the writer/creator of GN Iyad Abou Chamat and 25 members of his audience who friended him on Facebook after GN aired. Some of these interviewees reside inside Syria and others live in countries like Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France, Dubai, Morocco, and the United States. The particularity of the Syrian war-related topic in GN and its applicability to both the creator of the series, as well as to audiences’ lived experiences evoked a significant level of online participation with Chamat. He assured me that the series was inspired in many ways by his real-world experience. In 2012, he fled Syria, due to the ongoing war, to Lebanon. Then he travelled to France, a country where, in 1996, he had received post-graduate training in scenography after he graduated from the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria.
GN fulfilled Syrian audiences’ communication needs to be represented in the media in a way that resembles the reality of the war and its complexity. For instance, Reem (female, resides inside Syria) said: ‘The series, for me, is my voice, my opinion, my ideas. It is everything that is going on in my head and my heart about what is happening in Syria. The series described what is happening in a very professional and honest way.’ Additionally, Syrian audiences who engaged with GN and its writer/creator identified with the represented experiences of the series’ characters. Most interviewees identified with the whole represented lived experiences of the series’ characters and preferred not to name any particular character as the one that they identify with the most. However, several interviewees named Jaber as the character that they identify with the most. The reason is because Jaber (regardless of his political positions as supporter of the Syrian regime) is the character that deals the most with the challenges of displacement and transferring from a middle-class lifestyle in Syria to an impoverished lifestyle in Lebanon. Unlike his brother Mahmood, who is a poet, and Wardeh, who continues her on-demand job in bathing the deceased, Jaber came to Lebanon after he lost everything in the war including his small shop. Thus, Jaber’s storyline focuses on his search for any job while he finds a way to emigrate to Europe. The following comment explains the reason behind some participant audiences’ identification with Jaber: “Ghadan Naltaqi represented the suffering of every Syrian inside and outside the country. I saw myself in the suffering of Jaber while he was searching for a job, while he was wandering the street selling CDs in order to live with dignity not needing anyone.” (Ibrahim, male, resides in undisclosed place outside Syria).
Syrian audiences used Facebook as a platform for pedagogical exchange with TV drama creators. Like in live theater where, after the performance, audiences may be able to approach the cast to inquire about certain scenes and storylines, after each episode GN’s audiences were able to communicate with Chamat to praise, critique or clarify some aspects of the series’ narratives. GN audiences’ online participation with Chamat is also motivated by recognising and admiring Chamat’s political intervention and reading of the Syrian conflict through the text’s symbolism. Joubin (2013) argues that Syrian drama creators use metaphors of love, marriage, and gender (de)constructions indirectly to challenge and explore larger issues of political critique, nationalism, government oppression, and corruption. My research supports Joubin’s argument.
Chamat confirmed that the main storyline in his series – about the love triangle between Wardeh and two brothers Jaber and Mahmood (who reside next to Wardeh’s room in the same Lebanese school building that was turned into a refugee location for Syrians who rent separate rooms) – is a metaphor of the Syrian war. Wardeh is a symbol of Syria, Jaber is a symbol of the Syrian regime, and Mahmood is a symbol of the Syrian opposition. Chamat clarified this point: ‘…this symbolism was explicit and implicit. The audience figured out quickly this symbolism and they dealt with Wardeh in a real way as if she was Syria.’ Chamat admits to having a larger pedagogical message in his series: ‘Today there is a complete political failure in tackling the Syrian war; therefore, I depend on art to speak to Syrian people’s consciences. Art is very important when politics fail.’ Several audience members explain this symbolism by referring to a scene from Episode 26 where Jaber and Mahmood fought in Wardeh’s room over who loves her and deserves her more, which accidentally causes the burning of the room. Batoul (female, resides inside Syria) said: ‘the most amazing scene was the fire scene in Wardeh’s room because this scene summarised the years of the Syrian crisis. The two brothers burnt the room of the girl who they both loved.’
Salamandra (2011) notes that Syrian drama creators, before the current war, were known for confronting audiences with the consequences of corruption and neoliberal policies by using ‘stark social realism’ (285). After the war, GN symbolises, for Syrian audiences, a continuity of this respected tradition of Syrian art and culture that reflects and critiques the power structures of their society. Zeno (2017) demonstrates that refugees’ experiences are dominated by feelings of loss and humiliation; thus, it is important for them to find cultural references that invoke a sense of dignity and pride to cope with their displacement. Based on that, GN served as a source of national pride motivating audiences to participate online and engage with Chamat and his show. Interviewees reported feeling national pride because of the series’ success in globally representing the experiences and stories of real-world people like them who suffer from and survive through the Syrian war.
In sum, GN functioned as an entertainment intervention that provided displaced Syrians with scripts to interpret their nostalgic past in Syria, their painful present in the diaspora, and their hopeful future that contains newfound freedom. Interviewees’ perspectives show that the main intervention of drama serials like GN is complicating news media narratives about the Syrian conflict by representing diverse, complex characters and storylines that resemble the lived experiences of audiences in contrast to the news media that is either ideological or stereotypical or both (Alhayek, 2014). One particular strategy that GN’s team used was to choose famous actors who are known for supporting or opposing the Syrian government and assign them opposite political positions in the show. Syrian audiences saw and appreciated this strategy as an intervention to encourage audiences to listen to the opposite political views from their own and to acknowledge that no political side is solely responsible for the destruction of Syria.
بواسطة Media Roundup Editors | مارس 5, 2018 | Media Roundups
[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 Media Roundup Editors or of Salon Syria. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week’s roundup to info@SalonSyria.com by Monday night of every week.]
Inside Syria
Syrian Observatory: bombing kills 71 in east Ghouta in past day (19 February 2018) A surge in attacks by the Syrian government and its allies has killed 71 people in the rebel-held eastern Ghouta pocket near Damascus in 24 hours
Dozens of civilians killed in Eastern Ghouta strikes (19 February 2018) Bombardments by Syrian government forces have killed dozens of civilians in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus, activists say.
More bombs hit Syria’s Ghouta, death toll highest since 2013 (20 February 2018) Pro-government forces pounded the rebel-held district of eastern Ghouta outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, in a surge of violence that a war monitor said had killed at least 250 people since Sunday night.
There are no longer any words to describe Syria’s horror (21 February 2018) The desperate situation, and the near-total absence of any sign that further violence can be avoided, prompted UNICEF, the UN’s Children’s Fund, to issue a blank statement headed simply, “The war on children in Syria: Reports of mass casualties among children in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus.”
Syrian Militias Enter Afrin, Dealing a Setback to Turkey (22 February 2018) Militias loyal to the Syrian government swept into the northwestern enclave of Afrin on Thursday in support of Kurdish militias, reclaiming the territory and stealing a march on Turkish forces that have been battling toward the city for nearly a month.
Why leaving Ghouta is not an option (22 February 2018) The majority of rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta think their only option, despite the odds, is to survive long enough until things change
What’s Behind Egypt’s Rush to Rebuild Syria? (22 February 2018) Both the Assad regime and its foes in the region could be banking on Cairo to facilitate the right conditions for a profitable reconstruction, Enab Baladi writes.
Turkish forces shell convoy headed to Syria’s Afrin region (23 February 2018) The Turkish army struck a convoy entering Syria’s Kurdish-held Afrin region, which Ankara said carried fighters and weapons but Kurdish forces said was made up of civilians entering with food and medicine.
Refugee family renews century-old ties on Crete (23 February 2018) After fleeing the conflict in Syria with his family, Ahmed has rediscovered his roots on the Greek island of Crete.
The Arabic version of this article can be found here: عائلة سورية تعود إلى “أرض الأجداد” في جزيرة كريت اليونانية
Understanding Eastern Ghouta in Syria (23 February 2018) The UN says nearly 400,000 civilians are trapped in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, the latest battleground in a series of bloody rebel defeats in Syria’s cities. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and his Russian allies seem poised for a major ground offensive on the besieged insurgent enclave. What do we know?
Get underground or die in the streets – the choice in Eastern Ghouta (23 February 2018) Syrian civilians are forced into makeshift underground shelters under the streets of Douma – above them is only death.
Air strikes in Eastern Ghouta ‘kill 500’ (24 February 2018) Syrian government forces have killed more than 500 civilians during a week of intense bombardment of a rebel enclave near Damascus, activists say.
New UN truce plea as deaths in Eastern Ghouta mount (26 February 2018) The UN has renewed its appeal for an immediate truce in the besieged Syrian rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, amid reports of more deaths in air strikes.
Dozens killed in East Ghouta after Security Council demands ceasefire: ‘Planes never left the skies’ (26 February 2018) Pro-government airstrikes and shelling killed at least 33 civilians in East Ghouta on Monday, the Civil Defense told Syria Direct, two days after the United Nations Security Council demanded a halt to hostilities in the besieged rebel enclave.
Russian truce plan fails to halt bombing of Syria’s Ghouta (27 February 2018) A Russian call for a five-hour truce on Tuesday failed to halt one of the most devastating campaigns of the Syrian war, where residents said government warplanes resumed striking the eastern Ghouta region on Tuesday after a brief lull.
Regional and International Perspectives
Is Russia Seeking a Peaceful Path? (16 February 2018) Frederic C. Hof writes: “Between Moscow and Washington there is agreement on the desirability of a Syria reflecting territorial integrity, stability, empowered local governance, legitimate national governance, an active civil society, and a country rebuilding its physical infrastructure and its sense of shared citizenship.”
To Push Iran Back, Israel Ramps Up Support for Syrian Rebels, ‘Arming 7 Different Groups’ (20 February 2018) With the Assad regime’s advances the civil war and America’s reduced involvement in the region, Israel has been forced to make significant changes in its policies in the Golan Heights.
U.N. issues blank statement on Syria, says it has run out of words (20 February 2018) The U.N. children’s fund UNICEF issued a blank “statement” on Tuesday to express its outrage at mass casualties among Syrian children in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta and neighboring Damascus.
From Astana to Sochi: How de-escalation allowed Assad to return to war (20 February 2018) What is foreseen for Syria under a Russian-led process – now that Geneva has been sidelined – is a tarting-up and reselling of the old order.
‘Complete madness’: Reported rebel shelling leaves more than a dozen dead in government-held Damascus city (21 February 2018) Mortar shells reportedly launched by rebels in East Ghouta killed more than a dozen civilians in government-held Damascus over the past 48 hours, in what humanitarian officials called some of the most intense shelling on the Syrian capital in months.
The West won’t stop the horrors in Syria even if it could. We simply don’t care (24 February 2018) Hot on the heels of the UN’s well-meaning intransigence comes the US State Department, who only a few weeks ago articulated a multi-point strategy for Syria so wide and all-encompassing that it essentially committed the US to a more or less permanent presence in the country — as well as Assad’s departure.
Qatar’s Emir: Attacks on Eastern Ghouta ‘crime against humanity’ (25 February 2018) Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani calls on international community to assume protection of civilians in Syria.
Why Erdogan may accept the Syrian army taking control of Afrin (26 February 2018) Turkey has no interest in fighting the Syrian military as long as the YPG is ousted from its south-eastern border.
Putin orders Eastern Ghouta ‘humanitarian pause’ (26 February 2018) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily humanitarian pause in fighting in the Eastern Ghouta enclave in Syria.
Turkey sends ‘Kurdish Falcon’ force to Afrin to counter anti-Kurd image (26 February 2018) Force of 400 ethnic Kurds to enter Syrian enclave, days after Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish troops would besiege Afrin city
‘Mass psychosis’ in Eastern Ghouta? (26 February 2018) Russia’s attempts to whitewash the gravity of the situation in Eastern Ghouta are emblematic of ‘post-truth’ logic.
Policy and Reports
The United States Used Depleted Uranium in Syria (14 February 2018) The airstrikes on oil trucks in Islamic State-controlled areas employed the toxic material, which has been accused of causing cancer and birth defects.
Weak U.S. Response to Russian Proxies Undermines Deterrence in Middle East and Eastern Europe (16 February 2018) The Russian Wagner private military company and Lebanese Hezbollah attacked U.S. and partner forces in Eastern Syria on February 7, 2018. Wagner is part of the business empire belonging to Putin ally Evgeni Prigozhin, whom Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted on February 16.
The al Qaeda Blind Spot for the U.S. Approach to Turkey (16 February 2018) Turkey continues to prioritize its objectives to replace the Assad regime with a government friendly to Turkey’s interests and to eradicate a safe haven for the YPG’s Turkey affiliate—the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—in Syria. Turkey prioritizes these objectives over U.S. counterterrorism goals against ISIS or al Qaeda.
‘No choice’: Syrians travel from one rebel area to another to find medicine (18 February 2018) Syrians who suffer from chronic illnesses are moving from one rebel area to another in search of medicine.
The Factory: A Glimpse Into Syria’s War Economy (21 February 2018) War is big business. Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, conflict traders have worked with regime and rebel commanders to take control of natural resources and markets, often giving rise to bizarre joint ventures between avowed enemies.
‘We can change this reality’: the women sharing news of war in Ghouta (24 February 2018) As bombs fall on the besieged area of Syria, women’s voices are at the forefront.
UN Security Council votes in favour of 30-day Syria ceasefire (24 February 2018) A unanimously approved resolution, drafted by Sweden and Kuwait, to enable aid deliveries and medical evacuations.
Rescuers in Syria’s Ghouta unable to count dead as bombing continues (24 February 2018) Five hundred civilians have been killed in the Syrian rebel-held enclave according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
International open letter calls for end to ‘Syrian genocide’ (27 February 2018) A letter, signed by over 200 artists, writers and musicians, says governments should take steps to stop the bloodshed.
Exclusive: Chemical weapons watchdog investigates Ghouta attacks – sources (27 February 2018) The world’s chemical weapons watchdog opened an investigation on Sunday into attacks in the besieged, rebel-held Syrian region of eastern Ghouta to determine whether banned munitions had been used, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
Women in Syria ‘forced to exchange sexual favours’ for UN aid (27 February 2018) Women in refugee camps in Syria have been forced to offer sexual favours in return for aid from the United Nations, a report has found, in the latest accusation to hit the sector.
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
Damascus Room Completed at Last (14 February 2018) The room was relatively complete, lacking only its wood ceiling and certain architectural elements inherent to the structure of the house from which it was removed (such as the clerestory), and this, along with its comparatively fine condition, helped with the task.
Surviving as a child in the longest military siege in modern history (18 February 2018) Speaking to 15-year-old Muhammed Najem, she explains what life is like for children growing up in the Eastern Ghouta siege.
Syria’s brides searching for love online (19 February 2018) As conditions in Syria worsen, women are connecting with their future partners online.
Research on Syria and What Syrians Want – A Conversation between Bassam Haddad and Rabie Nasr (20 February 2018) This is a conversation between Bassam Haddad and Rabie Nasr on the activities and research of the Syrian Center for Policy Research and on critical issues related to the Syrian Uprising, including its causes and the polemics surrounding where Syrians stand six years on. It was conducted in Arabic in April 2017.
‘How I joined the jihadis by mistake’ (25 February 2018) More than 300 people from Kosovo went to join Islamists fighting “holy war” in Syria and Iraq – per capita the highest number in Europe. But not all of them match the popular image of a jihadi, as Helen Nianias discovered when she met a hipsterish young man for coffee in the Kosovan capital, Pristina.
Zanzibar’s tiny Syrian refugee community seeks slice of paradise (26 February 2018) There are just a few hundred Syrians in Tanzania and while some have managed to settle in, others struggle to find work.
Airwars monthly assessment: January 2018 (22 February 2018) Since the capture of Raqqa on October 20th marked the end of large-scale Coalition-backed urban fighting, the war against ISIS has entered a new stage. Both the Syrian and Iraqi governments have declared victory against ISIS as a territorial entity, though the Coalition remains active in both countries. Even as Airwars tracks a dramatic fall in civilian casualty events attributed to the alliance, its mission to monitor all casualty allegations from international actions remains unchanged.
Refugees and Trump’s America rule 2018 Berlin Film Festival (26 February 2018) The 2018 Berlinale did not break away from tradition, offering the same hefty plate of politics and society’s ills.
U.N. Links North Korea to Syria’s Chemical Weapon Program (27 February 2018) North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government that could be used in the production of chemical weapons, United Nations experts contend.
WATCH: Why Iran Backed Assad in Syria (27 February 2018) In part two of the FRONTLINE series, Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia, correspondent Martin Smith reports from inside regime-held areas in Syria on the conflict’s roots — and explores how Iran’s support for the Assad regime has helped fuel one of the most brutal wars in modern times.
Maps
Syria Situation Report: February 7 – 21, 2018 (21 February 2018) These graphics depict significant developments in the Syrian Civil War from February 7 – 21, 2018. The control of terrain represented on the graphics is accurate as of February 22, 2018.
Syria’s civil war explained from the beginning (22 February 2018) In March, the Syrian conflict will enter its 8th year. Meanwhile, more than 465,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, over a million injured, and over 12 million – half the country’s prewar population – have been displaced from their homes.
Under Siege: Syria’s Eastern Ghouta (26 February 2018) The suburb, 15km east of Damascus has an estimated population of 400,000, who have been under siege since 2013.
Eastern Ghouta: What is happening and why (26 February 2018) As a humanitarian ‘catastrophe’ unfolds in a rebel-held enclave outside Syria’s Damascus, Al Jazeera explains.
Syrian civil war map: Who controls what? (26 February 2018)A map of the Syrian civil war that shows who controls what after years of fighting.
Syria Conflict Quick Update: February 26 (26 February 2018)
The Carter Center: Syria Conflict Mapping Project Reports. Feb. 15-21, 2018 | Weekly Conflict Summary (26 February 2018) During this reporting period, the government siege and bombardment of Eastern Ghouta intensified significantly, resulting in one of the deadliest periods of bombardment to date. In northern Syria, two prominent opposition groups in the opposition-held Idleb pocket announced their unification as they launched attacks against Hai’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra). Operation Olive Branch, the ongoing Turkish-led offensive into Afrin, continued to gain territory this week amid numerous diplomatic discussions between NATO allies about the continuing fight.
Turkey Clears First Hurdle in Northern Syria’s Afrin (26 February 2018) Turkish forces and Turkish-backed rebels seized the final stretch of the Syria-Turkey border in Afrin from the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) on February 26, 2018. The seizure of the border accomplishes the first of five assessed Turkish operational objectives in Afrin. The next two assessed operational objectives are to isolate Afrin City and secure ground lines of communication to the border.
Shelling continues despite Putin’s call for ‘humanitarian pause’ in Syria (27 February 2018) Shelling and artillery fire continued in Syria’s besieged rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday, interrupting a five-hour “humanitarian pause” ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arabic links
تحقيق خاص – تل الزعتر.. خفايا المعركة
(18 February 2018)
سلط برنامج “تحقيق خاص” الضوء على المعركة التي شهدها مخيم تل الزعتر للاجئين الفلسطينيين في لبنان خلال الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية.
السوريات والقرار 1325
(19 February 2018)
ورغم أن القرار 1325 لم يقدم خدمة مباشرة للسوريات، لا في خدمة النساء والفتيات في أوقات النزاع، ولا في حمايتهن من تبعات النزاع المسلح، لكنه يبقى قراراً مهماً يؤكد على الدور الهام للمرأة في بناء السلام وحفظ وتعزيز السلام والأمن، وعلى ضرورة مشاركة النساء في كل مراحل عملية السلام.
فيتو روسي على «تفاهم» عفرين… وفجوة أميركية ـ تركية حول منبج
(20 February 2018)
عقد في حلب اجتماع ثلاثي ضم ممثلي «وحدات حماية الشعب» الكردية، وقوات الحكومة السورية، والجيش الروسي، لبحث ترتيبات متعلقة بعفرين شمال غربي حلب، في وقت جرت فيه اجتماعات بين مسؤولين في الجيشين الأميركي والتركي لبحث ترتيبات تتعلق بمدينة منبج شمال شرقي حلب.
حرب عفرين تفتتح مرحلة «الأردوغانية» وتختتم «الأتاتوركية» المترهلة
(23 February 2018)
بعد مرور شهر على عملية «غصن الزيتون» ما زالت تركيا ورقة روسية قوية في وجه أميركا، لذلك تضغط روسيا بكل قوة على النظام السوري لضمان أن تكون صيغة الاتفاق بين النظام ووحدات حماية الشعب استسلامية وليست «شراكة ضد الاحتلال التركي»، ذلك أن أي صيغة غير الاستسلام تضر بمكانة أردوغان داخل تركيا، وتضعف الآمال الروسية في وضع تركيا وجهاً لوجه أمام أميركا.
فرع أكاديميّة باشاك شهير التركيّة في مدينة الباب… الوحيد الذي يقدّم شهادات جامعيّة معترف بها
(23 February 2018)
افتتحت أكاديميّة باشاك شهير-فرع الباب بمساعدة تركيا، باعتبار المنطقة تتبع إلى النفوذ التركيّ، لكنّها تفرض رسوماً كبيرة بالنسبة إلى الطلّاب، ولا بدّ من وجود جامعات معترف بها عالميّاً تؤمّن فرصة التعليم الجامعيّ لآلاف الطلّاب من حملة الشهادات الثانويّة في منطقة درع الفرات، وإلّا سيبقى الخيار المفضّل لهؤلاء السفر لإكمال الدراسة.
The English version of this article can be found here:
Students in northern Syria depend on Turkey to complete degrees
صالح مسلم في شباك تفاهم أميركي ــ تركي
(26 February 2018)
لا أحد يدري ما إذا كان الزعيم الكردي السوري صالح مسلم محمد قد سيق إلى كمين تركي في براغ. تزخر أحداث ليلة العاصمة التشيكية بألغاز المؤامرة التقليدية وفرضيتها. وقد تكون فصولها قد حيكت بين الأجهزة الأمنية التركية والتشيكية، قبل أن يقرع زوار الفجر التشيكيون باب غرفة فندق ماريوت لتكبيل نزيلها الذي قاد حزب «الاتحاد الديمقراطي» سبعة أعوام متصلة بين خريفي ٢٠١٠ و٢٠١٧، جاعلاً من فرع حزب العمال الكردستاني في سوريا حليفاً كبيراً للولايات المتحدة في الحرب على «داعش»، وعاملاً على تأسيس مشروع كردي في شمال سوريا
يوميات سورية: المواصلات في دمشق
(27 February 2018)
غلاء أسعار المازوت وقلة الكمية الممنوحة للسائقين بالسعر النظامي، الأغاني الهابطة والشتائم، القذارة والروائح القاتلة نتيجة الازدحام وتراجع شروط النظافة الشخصية، توهان الركاب وأسئلتهم المتكررة عن وجهتهم وطلبهم للمساعدة في الهبوط والصعود، أطفال مكدّسون مع أمهم لتوفير ما يمكن من أجرة مقعدٍ بات الجلوس عليه بطراً وامتيازاً لا قدرة للبشر على ممارسته. إنها أزمة يومية خانقة حتى حدود المهانة، ولا شيء يشي بانفراجٍ نسبي يُزيح عن السكان مرارة الانتقال. معاركٌ يومية بأدوات غير عسكرية، لكنها مهينة وقاتلة.
الغوطة من خلال ثماني عيون
(27 February 2018)
رزان زيتونة، سميرة الخليل، وائل حمادة وناظم حمادة، امرأتان ورجلان تم اختطافهم في 7 كانون الأول ـ ديسمبر 2013 من مكتب توثيق الانتهاكات، في مدينة دوما، في غوطة دمشق الشرقية، حيث كانوا يعملون كناشطين في صفوف الثورة السورية.
غوطة دمشق الشرقية… صمت ونار وحصار
(27 February 2018)
لا يملك المدنيون في الغوطة الشرقية – يبلغ تعدادهم حوالي ٣٥٠ ألف – ملاجئ سوى بعض أقبية الأبنية، يحاولون الابتعاد قدر المستطاع عن الإصابة المباشرة بالشظايا والصواريخ المتعددة أسماؤُها وراجماتها، وتلك الأقبية – إن وُجِدت – ليست بآمنة كليّاً، فكثير من الأبنية تهاوت فوق رؤوس قاطنيها ودفنت من كان في الأقبية وهم أحياء.
وطن.. بالعين المجردة: معبد عين دارة ضحية أخرى للحرب السورية
(27 February 2018)
بالعودة إلى عين دارة فهو موقعٌ جديد يضاف إلى قائمة المواقع التي شهدت الأيام الأخيرة مجزرة بحق الحجارة والقدسية التي وسمت المكان. أحاول في هذا المقال توثيق آثار المعبد ووصف أهميتها التي لن يتسنى للأجيال القادمة للأسف رؤية بعض أجزائه الفريدة التي دُمرت إثر الحملة العسكرية التركية على عفرين والحرب السورية التي أتت على عددٍ كبير من آثار هذه البلاد المنكوبة. كما سأحاول تسليط الضوء على الأجزاء التي تعرّضت للتدمير إثر الضربة الجوية مع التأكيد على عدم كفاية هذا التحليل دون المعاينة المباشرة من قبل آثاريين لتقييم الضرر وتوثيقه ودراسة إمكانيات الصيانة والترميم. وأختتم المقال بالتحدث قليلاً عن زيارة قصيرة للمعبد، لكنها مكثفة في الذاكرة.
سورية في ذكرى الوحدة
(28 February 2018)
اكتملت ستون عامًا على تلك المحاولة العجولة لتشكيل وحدة بين بلدين عربيين، سورية ومصر. كانت الوحدة حاجة عاطفية بالدرجة الأولى لشعبي البلدين، بعد التحرّر من الاحتلالات، ونيل الاستقلال، والتطلع إلى نهضة توصل البلاد إلى أولى الخطوات في السير في ركب الحضارة. فما الذي حدث، وجعل الولادة تنتهي بوليدٍ معاق غير قابل للحياة، فمات ولم يتجاوز سن الفطام بعد؟
[This article is published jointly in partnership with Jadaliyya.]
بواسطة Media Roundup Editors | يناير 17, 2018 | Media Roundups
[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 Media Roundup Editors or of Salon Syria. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week’s roundup to info@SalonSyria.com by Monday night of every week.]
Inside Syria
Civilians die in air raids on Syria’s Eastern Ghouta (04 January 2018)
At least 23 civilians have been killed in aerial bombardment carried out by Syrian government forces in rebel-held parts of the Eastern Ghouta district.
4 Million Syrian Students Commence First Semester Exams (04 January 2018)
Countrywide assessments to take place for school children attending 1st to 12th grades.
Assad Loyalists Accuse Govt Ministries of Treason Over Loss of Vehicles Administration (04 January 2018)
Regime supporters take to social media to express their anger over huge losses at the military facility in Harasta, Enab Baladi reports
New ‘Israeli air strikes’ near Damascus – Syrian state media (05 January 2018)
The strikes are believed to have targeted a Syrian military facility in the Damascus countryside. Syrian air defence systems had intercepted three of the missiles.
Syria war: Russia thwarts drone attack on Hmeimim airbase (07 January 2018)
Russian forces have foiled a drone attack on an airbase in Syria just days after reports that rebel shelling had damaged several planes, activists say.
Kidnappers Release Suweida Civilians in Exchange for 30M Syrian Pounds (09 January 2018)
The number of abduction cases in Syria’s south has mushroomed since the outbreak of the civil war.
ISIS Occupies Villages in Eastern Hama, Idleb After HTS Withdrawal (10 January 2018)
Offensive mounted by Iranian-backed militias and ISIS forces the retreat of the key opposition group, Smart reports.
Assad Regime Promotes Return of 1,500 Families to Wreckage of Zabadani (12 January 2018)
Locals dispute the number of purported returned residents, saying the actual figure is lower, Enab Baladi reports
Syrian war: Reports of chlorine gas attack on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta (13 January 2018)
A chlorine gas attack has been carried out on a besieged rebel-held enclave on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, reports say.
Exclusive: Missile attack hits refugee camp in Syria (14 January 2018)
A push by the forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad aided by Russian air raids was causing a new wave of displacement from rebel-held territories. About 120,000 people have fled their homes in Idlib province in recent weeks.
Nearly 180 people killed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta in 2 weeks (14 January 2018)
According to the volunteer White Helmets rescue group, nearly 180 people, including 51 children, have been killed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta in just over two weeks.
Regional and International Perspectives
Will Syria see a political solution in 2018? (04 January 2018)
Zena Tahhan explores the future scenarios of peace in Syria from the military solution that Russia and the Syrian governments may succeed in enforcing to possible peaceful political solution.
France Approves Trial of Jihadists Inside Syrian Kurdistan, Signaling De Facto Recognition (08 January 2018)
Kurdish authorities given green light to commence judicial proceedings against French citizens fighting in Syria, Kurdistan 24 reports.
Dancing to Russia’s Tune in Syria (08 January 2018)
As the United States stands back, the Saudis and even the U.N. special envoy are now open to a greater Russian diplomatic role in shaping the future of Syria.
America in Search of an Un-Geneva for Syria (08 January 2018)
Sam Heller states that Washington needs to focus on more narrowly defined interests and achievable goals in Syria.
Russia implies US involvement in drone strikes on Syria military bases (09 January 2018)
Attacks on its bases in Syria would have required assistance from a country with satellite navigation, says Russian defense ministry, a charge the Pentagon denies.
Trump’s silence on Syria contrasts with his criticism of Iran (09 January 2018)
Airstrikes and civilian deaths continue in rebel-held Idlib but US president’s focus is elsewhere.
Turkey summons Russia, Iran envoys over Idlib violence (10 January 2018)
Turkey’s foreign ministry has summoned Russian and Iranian ambassadors for what Ankara says Syrian government forces’ escalation of violence in the city of Idlib.
The Fate of Minorities in Post-ISIS Syria and Iraq (10 January 2018)
The ability of Syria and Iraq’s minorities to rebuild their communities in the post-ISIS landscape will depend very much on the political situation in these countries, according to analyst Yousif Kalian.
Who is attacking Russia’s bases in Syria? A new mystery emerges in the war. (10 January 2018)
Liz Sly reports on the recent attacks against the main Russian military base in Syria and raises questions about the sustainability of Russia’s gains in Syria.
Turkey to launch imminent Syria operation against YPG (14 January 2018)
Turkey’s president vowed “to purge terrorism” across the border in Syria, as Turkish forces pounded US-backed fighters with artillery fire on Sunday.
Policy and Reports
The Syrian Doctor Building an Underground Hospital for Women and Girls (03 January, 2018)
With Syria’s healthcare system crippled by conflict, women and children are dying from treatable illnesses. One doctor and his team are providing them safe, dedicated medical care by building hospitals below ground, out of the reach of airstrikes.
400,000 Children in Idleb Province Received Polio Vaccinations in 2017 (05 January, 2018)
Campaign headed by the Free Health Directorate aims to stamp out the disease throughout rebel-held province.
Analysis: What Lies Ahead for Syria in 2018 (05 January, 2018)
The coming year in Syria will likely be marked by reconciliation deals, partial economic recovery and, ultimately, Assad continuing to hold power in the country, according to Syria expert Fabrice Balance.
Syria war: Hospitals being targeted, aid workers say (06 January, 2018)
At least 10 hospitals in rebel-held areas of Syria have suffered direct air or artillery attacks over the past 10 days, aid workers say.
‘Crazy numbers’: civilian deaths from airstrikes almost double in a year (08 January, 2018)
British involvement under scrutiny after study identifies 42% rise in number of civilians killed by explosives.
WHO’s Elizabeth Hoff pressed on Syria healthcare crisis (08 January, 2018)
Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Syria Representative in Damascus answers important questions on besiegement tactics, evacuations, the spread of communicable diseases.
UN: Three-quarters of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Live Below Poverty Line (13 January, 2018)
A survey by three leading U.N. agencies finds that more than three-quarters of the more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living below the poverty line of less than $4 per day.
Syria’s displacement crisis: ‘We had to hide in caves’ (14 January, 2018)
Aid agencies warn that if the Syrian government’s bombardment continues, a million displaced people will amass near the Turkish border.
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
‘Just like a Theater’: A Different View of the War Against Syria (02 January 2018)
New play directed by Ghassan Massoud shows the experiences and disappointments of Syrians as a result of the war, SANA reports.
French woman accused of recruiting for Isis ‘captured by Kurdish forces’ (02 January 2018)
Emilie König, who appeared on UN and US blacklists, has been interrogated and tortured, according to her mother.
The missing of Raqqa: families search for loved ones disappeared by Isis (06 January 2018)
Relatives plead for help tracing hundreds of people detained during Islamic State’s reign of terror in Syrian city
Syrian Opposition Figure Asma al-Faisal Dies in Canada (08 January 2018)
Dissident and former political prisoner passed away in hospital over the weekend, Enab Baladi reports
Syria shelling: ‘They used to tell me I was beautiful’ (11 January 2018)
One shell in Syria can change a life forever. Meet the Syrian girls who just want to be beautiful again.
Maps
Syria: Recent Developments in North-western (03 January 2018)
Since the beginning of November 2017, hostilities between Government of Syria forces and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) intensified considerably in the north-eastern countryside of Hama Governorate, the southern and south-eastern countryside of Idleb Governorate and the southern countryside of Aleppo Governorate.
Islamic State and the crisis in Iraq and Syria in maps (10 January 2018)
The US-led coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS) says 98% of territory once claimed by the jihadist group across Iraq and Syria has been recaptured.
Arabic links
تعايشاً معالحرب: هكذاتمضيالصداقة
قدّم خريجو هندسة الحواسيب في جامعة حلب عام 2010 مشاريع التخرج البحثية والتطبيقية التي أبهرت عدداً من الدكاترة المختصين حيث قال الدكتور المهندس محمد سعيد كريّم : (هذه دفعة قوية من المهندسين، يمتلكون الفرادة والتميّز)، لكن جاءت الحرب التي غيرت كل شيء لتنأى بطموح الشباب بعيداً.
تنظيم «الدولةالإسلامية» يستعرضقواتهغربالموصل
استعرض تنظيم «الدولة الإسلامية» برتل ضمن آليات عسكرية ذات دفع رباعي في منطقة الجزيرة غرب الموصل، وفق ما كشف مصدر أمني خاص لـ«القدس العربي».
صراعالسيطرةعلى “قطاعالتعليم” بينحكومتيالإنقاذوالمؤقتة “المعارضتين” فيإدلب
يجلس طلاب حرم جامعة حلب الحرة في شمال شرق محافظة إدلب على كراسي بلاستيكية وأكوام من الصخور في الساحة الخارجية، يدونون ملاحظاتهم تحت أشعة الشمس، في حين يحاضر أستاذتهم أمامهم، على بعد أمتار قليلة من صفوفهم الدراسية الفارغة بأبوابها المقفلة والمحاطة برجال مسلحين يحرسونها.
2017.. نكسةالمعارضةالسورية
رغم سيطرة النظام السوري على أحياء حلب نهاية 2016، لم يكن أكثر المتشائمين المناصرين للثورة السورية يتوقع تراجعها إلى الحد الذي وصلت إليه مع إغلاق 2017 أبوابه.
The English version of this article can be found here:
2017 .. The Syrian Opposition Deterioration
أميركانحواعترافدبلوماسيبـ«شرقالفرات»
يتوقع أن تتخذ واشنطن في الفترة المقبلة خطوات ملموسة تجاه منطقة شرق نهر الفرات التي تسيطر عليها «قوات سوريا الديمقراطية» الكردية – العربية، تشمل الاعتراف الدبلوماسي بهذه المنطقة التي تبلغ مساحتها نحو 28 ألف كيلومتر مربع، أي ما يساوي ثلاثة أضعاف مساحة لبنان.
لبنانيضعإجراءاتمشددةجديدةعلىدخولالسوريين
أعلنت “المديرية العامة للأمن العام اللبناني” عن وضع شروط جديدة مشددة أكثر من ذي قبل، حول تنظيم دخول السوريين إلى لبنان والإقامة فيه، دون تحديد موعد بدء العمل بها.
خاصروزنة: تفاصيلحصولالسوريينعلىالجنسيةالتركية
تواصل السلطات التركية العمل على تجنيس أصحاب الكفاءات من السوريين المقيمين على أراضيها، وسط تقديرات في أن يصل عدد السوريين الحاصلين على الجنسية التركية الاستثنائية نحو 100 ألف، من أصل نحو ثلاثة ملايين سوري لاجئين على أراضيها، في نهاية العام الجاري 2018.
أسماءجديدةلرجالأعمالفيسوريا.. مَنوراءهم؟
شكلت الحرب الدائرة في سوريا فرصة لبروز من يطلق عليهم “تجار الحروب والأزمات”، الذين ازدادت ثرواتهم، مستغلين الأحداث والظروف الأمنية المتردية.
مقتلمديرسجنصيدنايا.. والسببغامض
قُتل مدير سجن صيدنايا العسكري، الذي يعد أحد أشهر معتقلات النظام السوري الأمنية، ولم تتضح بعد بالضبط ظروف مقتله.
أنتكونيامرأةفيسورياالمعسكرة
أدى هذا التفاعل بين حب الوطن والانتماء إليه، والذي جرى قياسه بالاستعداد للتضحية والموت، إلى تصوير الرجل البطل كمواطن مثالي.
[This article is published jointly in partnership with Jadaliyya.]
بواسطة Kheder Khaddour | ديسمبر 10, 2017 | Cost of War, غير مصنف
“In the midst of Syria’s wartime devastation, the regime saw a path to its own revival.
November 2017 marks the effective end of Syria’s armed conflict and the beginning of movement toward a political settlement. In all likelihood this will allow the Assad regime to retain much authority. Instead of forcing the regime to compromise, the mechanisms of war and destruction, including the anti-Islamic State campaign, allowed it to block any political transition, destroy the prewar order, and create a new one in which it could survive.
Syria’s destruction has its genesis in the Assad regime’s loss of control over much of the country in summer 2012. At that time, it had become clear that the regime could not simply push its opponents off the streets and silence dissent. Within months the momentum of war had picked up as rebel factions took control of pockets of territory, the regime withdrew from Kurdish-populated areas, and gradually the conflict took on a multilayered dimension involving local, regional, and international actors, provoking massive damage in the country.
The regime’s barrel bombings of opposition areas systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods of Syria’s most populous cities. Fighting displaced over half of the country’s population, and a wide array of forces contributed to the destruction, each in pursuit of its own objectives. Jihadi movements gained ground, and in summer 2014 the Islamic State established a self-declared caliphate across Syria and Iraq, provoking foreign military intervention from a U.S.-led coalition, accompanied by heavy bombing campaigns. Starting in 2015, Russian bombing helped the regime retake opposition areas. A year later it was Turkey’s turn, as it deployed troops in northern Syria in support of opposition factions and to block the advance of the People’s Protection Units affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Most participants in Syria’s war have thrived in its destruction, but many also ended up being destroyed themselves. The Islamic State is the latest and most notable example of this phenomenon. The only party to the destruction that managed to hang on was the regime, in spite of its limited military capacities.
The war offered the regime a means of navigating a transition from a prewar order to a new one. By annihilating the environment in which its opponents could operate, the war left the regime with no counterpart with whom it needed to negotiate. In fact, destruction served as a buffer against negotiations, enabling the regime to remain in place.
Seen from this angle, Syria’s physical destruction had less a military aim than being a central factor in the political struggle to win the war. The regime survived the destruction of the physical and social makeup of Syria and thereby won leverage to steer the reconstruction effort, control the return of populations, place them in positions of dependency with regard to the state, channel funding through new, loyal intermediaries between Damascus and Syrian cities, and empower new business figures. It also obliged the international community to deal with the regime in order to resolve the massive refugee crisis.
But rather than demonstrating the regime’s genius in orchestrating the conflict, the enormous scale of the damage necessary for it to retain its hold over power only proved the regime’s weakness. As it could not adapt to meet the demands of its citizens, the regime took advantage of the instruments of war to alter the surrounding environment. Faced with its own limitations, it could find no means to win except to destroy the prewar Syrian order. Aleppo, Homs, Deir Ezzor, Darayya, and most likely Raqqa, all seriously damaged, were either recaptured by the regime or are likely to be, allowing it to take the lead in their reconstruction. The ruins of war had the paradoxical effect of bolstering the regime’s potential to regain control of what, in 2012, it could not defend militarily.
Aleppo is perhaps the best example. It is a city that the regime lost and could claim back only once many of its quarters, in particular those in its eastern half, were obliterated (destruction to which not only the regime contributed, but also other political actors, opposition groups included). Because the business class had abandoned the city, the regime forged new relationships there through a fresh network of business figures.
The debate over Syria’s reconstruction frequently begins from the standpoint of returning Syria’s physical and social fabric to its prewar state. However, reconstruction is not a mere technical question. Indeed, the very sites that need to be rebuilt, versus those that remained intact throughout seven years of fighting, were a product of decisions by actors about what to destroy. Regardless of how reconstruction funding flows into Syria, a new order has been in the making since the collapse of the prewar order and there will probably be no returning to the economic or social arrangements that existed prior to 2011.
Destruction and reconstruction are not necessarily neatly complementary, with one smoothly following from the other. Instead, the cycle of destruction and construction replaced a deadlocked political transition in Syria, developing in the context of a war that none of the sides were winning. In many cases this cycle was integrated into the political objectives of the regime, creating a fertile environment in which the regime could survive, despite its shortcomings.”
[This article was originally published by Carnegie Middle East Center.]
