Despite Iran’s support, the president is weakening
FOR the rebels fighting against President Bashar Assad, it was a huge victory. On March 28th a collection of Islamist fighters, including Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate, captured the city of Idleb. Long contested, it is only the second big one to fall to the rebels in four years of war. The first, Raqqa, was snatched by the jihadists of Islamic State (IS), who made it the capital of their caliphate. Only three days before the rebels won Idleb, they took Bosra, a town in southern Syria famous for its second-century Roman amphitheatre.
This opposition surge suggests that Mr Assad is weaker than he was, not that the rebels are stronger. He and his main allies, Iran and Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shias’ party-cum-militia, are struggling to hold their piece of the divided country, despite the West having turned its attention to fighting IS. Disputes within Mr Assad’s camp are growing, too. “Militarily and economically the regime is worse off today than a year ago,” says Noah Bonsey, who watches Syria for the International Crisis Group, a think-tank based in Brussels.
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 6, 2015
Sunni v Shia: why the conflict is more political than religious -- Ian Black, The Guardian
Iran nuclear deal: Saudi Arabia fears rival's regional footprint -- Taylor Luck, CSM
The Perils of an Arab NATO -- Bloomberg editorial
Corker: 'Obama Doctrine' Means Abandoning Middle East -- Josh Rogin, Bloomberg
Iran Has Escaped a Noose -- Ehud Barak, Time
The Iran Agreement Is about More than Nukes -- Michael Weiss, NOW
Analysis: Yemen needs hope not bombs -- Gamal Gasim, Al Jazeera
Yemen conflict: 'This war has killed everything that was beautiful' -- Kareem Shaheen, The Guardian
The Erdogans' lavish lifestyle -- Pinar Tremblay, Al-Monitor
Uzbek President’s Re-Election Masks Internal Rifts, External Shifts -- David Klion, WPR
Garissa attack: could it have been prevented? -- Inside Story/Al Jazeera
U.S. Should Think Twice Before Criticizing Russia -- Mark Adomanis, Moscow Times
Grexit: The Moment of Truth Is Nigh -- Andy Langenkamp, The Compass
Greece’s Worst Option: IMF Default -- Mohamed A. El-Erian, Bloomberg
Dominance of national security issue shakes up race for White House -- Alexander Bolton, The Hill
America: Its Own Worst Nuclear Enemy -- Ted Galen Carpenter, RCD
From Britain to Beijing: how governments manipulate the internet -- Maeve Shearlaw, The Guardian
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