Category Archives: syrian civil war

Al sham – the name says it all

WHEN are the lads from Al-Qaeda not such a bad lot, after all? When they are having a crack at the Middle East’s last remaining secular government, it seems. That’s right, Al Qaeda – the mob who flew into the … Continue reading

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Disown the fundamentalists, Archbishop pleads with West

ALEPPO’S Catholic Archbishop is urging the west to drop its support for jihadi fighters and to, instead, back Syrians battling to free their second city. Monsignor Jean-Clement Jeanbart has called on France and other western nations to turn their backs … Continue reading

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Propaganda and the ABC of war

By road, it is 626km from Mosul, Iraq, to Aleppo in Syria – the same distance, give or take a quick detour to pick up a kebab, as Sydney to Grafton in northern New South Wales. Makes you wonder why … Continue reading

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Moderates – what moderates?

SOME US foreign policy analysts concede it is time for a “ruthless” look at whether CIA-backed fighters in Syria can be considered “moderate”, the Washington Post reports A senior US official told the Post this week, the battlefield performance of … Continue reading

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Mufti Hassoun speaks about his grief for Aleppo

On May 2nd, 2016, the Daily Mail published a damning article about Dr Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of Syria, claiming that he had issued a fatwa calling for the ‘extermination’ of civilians in Aleppo. Of course there was no such … Continue reading

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An Australian in Syria – Luke Waters reports for SBS World News

I’m chuffed to see what my mate, Luke Waters, has produced here for SBS World News.  I was with Luke in Beirut back in April 2013. We were all prepared for the bus ride to Damascus when his employers pulled … Continue reading

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Syria has won the war! (almost)

Traditional wisdom tells us that we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch. Even so, it is hard to resist celebrating the most recent developments in the war on Syria. Thanks to a bit of help from mother Russia, it … Continue reading

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Archbishop calls on Sydney’s Anglicans to do whatever it takes to support Syrian refugees

It is encouraging indeed to see the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, put out a strong call to his flock to respond not only with prayers but with practical assistance and with hospitality to the anticipated influx of … Continue reading

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Mairead Maguire appeals to UK government to talk to Syrian Government

Another prophetic all from dear Mairead: MAIREAD MAGUIRE  APPEALS TO UK GOVERNMENT TO TALK TO SYRIAN GOVERNMENT AND ISLAMIC MILITANTS IN ORDER TO HELP SOLVE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Maguire, today called upon the UK Government to … Continue reading

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Syrian crisis requires friendship, not aggression

The following article was officially co-authored by Professor Tim Anderson and myself (though it was largely Tim’s work with some tweaking from me). Tim and I were together in Syria for the latter part of July though we had come with slightly … Continue reading

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