Syria Undercover

How Has Syria’s Assad Managed to Hold Power for So Long?

February 7, 2012, 12:57 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Eleven months into a violent uprising that has taken the lives of more than 5,400 Syrians, how has President Bashar al-Assad managed to hold onto power while his counterparts in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya were toppled?

Violence Intensifies in Homs after U.N. Resolution on Syria Fails

February 6, 2012, 1:24 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the 11-month-long crisis in Syria have stalled after a resolution condemning the regime’s crackdown on protesters failed in the United Nations Security Council on Saturday.

On 30th Anniversary of Hama Massacre, Syrian Troops Lock Down City

February 2, 2012, 2:41 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Thirty years ago today, the regime of then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad launched what’s known as one of the bloodiest chapters of modern Arab history: the Hama Massacre.

High-Stakes Showdown Over Syria at the U.N.

January 31, 2012, 2:05 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

The fight to end the Syrian government’s brutal 10-month crackdown moves to the United Nations today.

Syria: “We No Longer Want Arab Solutions to the Crisis”

January 24, 2012, 5:55 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Calling it a “conspiratorial scheme” hatched against the country, the Syrian government rejected an Arab League peace plan yesterday proposing that embattled President Bashar al-Assad cede power.

Syria’s Assad Denies Knowledge of Slain Singer

December 8, 2011, 6:00 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

In his first interview with an American journalist since the uprising broke out, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied he’d ever heard of a popular anti-regime singer whose body — sans vocal cords — was found in a river last July.

Pressure Mounts on Syria as U.N. Calls for Action to Prevent Civil War

December 2, 2011, 2:39 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Today U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for international intervention to protect Syrians from the government’s brutal nine-month crackdown, which the organization estimates has now killed more than 4,000 civilians, including 307 children.

UPDATED: A Guide to Sanctions on Syria

November 30, 2011, 1:00 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Turkey, one of Syria’s top trading partners, announced wide-ranging sanctions against its neighbor today. But it’s not just Turkey: Below is a round-up of the various sanctions issued against theincreasingly isolated nation.

Syria More Isolated Than Ever as Arab League Suspension Takes Effect

November 17, 2011, 11:47 am ET · by Azmat Khan

The Arab League formalized Syria’s suspension from the 22-member organization yesterday and threatened to impose economic sanctions if the government did … Continue reading →

Syria Calls Arab League Suspension “Extremely Dangerous Step”

November 14, 2011, 1:56 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Moallem called the Arab League’s vote on Satuday to suspend Syria’s membership in the 22-nation organization “an extremely dangerous step” and announced that the government has taken actions to comply with the terms of a peace plan proposed by the league. His statement comes as international pressure on the Syrian regime mounts.

Report: Violence in Syria Amounts to Crimes Against Humanity

November 11, 2011, 1:35 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Human Rights Watch called on the Arab League today to suspend Syria’s membership and to support a move by the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo and refer Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Q&A: A Closer Look at Syria’s Fragmented Opposition

November 10, 2011, 3:12 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

The disparate opposition groups that have materialized during the eight months of Syria’s uprising have been criticized as fragmented, disorganized and lacking a clear vision for the country. And recent evidence of growing schisms within the movement have only raised doubts.

“If We Didn’t Shoot at Protesters, They Would Shoot Us.”

November 9, 2011, 11:33 am ET · by Azmat Khan

“If we didn’t shoot at protesters, they would shoot us,” a Syrian Army defector told FRONTLINE reporter Ramita Navai. “I saw with my own eyes when my friend beside me refused to shoot at the protesters. A sniper shot him in the head.”

Live Chat 1 p.m. ET: Inside the Struggle for Syria

November 8, 2011, 8:13 pm ET · by Nathan Tobey

Read the full transcript of our live chat with “Syria Undercover” correspondent Ramita Navai, New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid, and Foreign Policy’s David Kenner.

How the World Stacks Up on Syria

November 8, 2011, 8:07 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

As the international community mulls how to respond to the crisis in Syria, it faces a complex and changing web of geopolitical alliances, heated rivalries and strategic interests. Here’s a closer look at the key international players.

Syria’s Secretive Ruling Minority Sect

November 8, 2011, 8:06 pm ET · by Azmat Khan

Because their secret tenets and practices are known only to the few males deemed worthy to undergo instruction, the Alawites, Syria’s long-persecuted minority sect, remain a mystery to most.

Exiled Dissident Ausama Monajed: “The End of the Regime Is Very Close”

November 8, 2011, 7:57 pm ET

As a student in Syria under the Assad regime, Ausama Monajed was arrested and interrogated by security forces several times. The last time he was detained was in 2004, at which point he says he had no choice but to leave the country.

Joshua Landis: “I Don’t See Light at the End of the Tunnel.”

November 8, 2011, 7:56 pm ET

The director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis writes an influential blog called Syria Comment. He warns there is a very high potential that Syria’s uprising “will turn into a very dark and tough ethnic sectarian fight, the way it did in Lebanon and Iraq.”