Tag Archives: Syria

Lines in the sand in Syria

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

Just when you thought that things couldn’t get worse in Syria, credible evidence surfaces indicating that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against its own citizens. With President Obama having previously stated that their use would be a game … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Syria in the shadow of Iraq

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

After two years of a bloody civil war in Syria the frustration in finding a diplomatic solution is seeing a number of governments openly talking about arming the more moderate elements of the Syrian opposition. With over 70,000 deaths to … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prospects for Peace in Syria

Posted on September 5, 2012 by

What are the prospects for peace in Syria? Is there a non-violent way out of this crisis? These might appear daft questions to ask when the conflict is spiralling so destructively out of control. But, it is precisely because the … Continue reading →

Posted in Defence, British Foreign Policy, Middle East | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Syria and the Ethics of Intervention

Posted on September 3, 2012 by

When is an intervention not an intervention? In the case of Syria it is when it is done covertly. In many ways the public and political debate as to whether we should or shouldn’t intervene militarily in Syria is largely … Continue reading →

Posted in Defence, Middle East | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Being Foreign Secretary for the day – preventing another Houla?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Our response to the grotesque massacre in Houla, Syria, suggests a despairing awareness that short of military intervention, which no one wants, there is little we can do to resolve the emerging sectarian civil war. My own view is that while an … Continue reading →

Posted in British Foreign Policy, Middle East, Ecumenism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rethinking our power and influence in a network centred world

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

William Hague is due to arrive in Moscow today to discuss the civilian massacres in Syria with the country’s closest Security Council ally. At the same time the UN Security Council has convened an emergency session to discuss what the … Continue reading →

Posted in British Foreign Policy, Ecumenism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Where have all the Arabs gone?

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

Where have all the Arabs gone? This question could well be answered over the next few days when the Syrian National Council and other opposition groups meet in Istanbul and when the Arab League meets in Baghdad. Political and media … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unite for Syria: Stop One Year Of Bloodshed

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

Today 100s of NGOs and 1,000s of campaigners are coming together across the globe to call on the international community to UNITE FOR SYRIA and STOP ONE YEAR OF BLOODSHED. I’m chuffed to bits that the Church of England is … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Revoking Assad’s licence to kill

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working with partners to coordinate a package of activities around the one year anniversary of the Syrian uprising on March 15th. The first part of this is now complete, with publication of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Photo Essay: Tented City

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

This week, the world’s eyes have turned to the Syria-Turkey border, where tens of thousands of Syrians have fled the Assad regime’s crackdown and are now living in refugee camps hastily assembled by the Turkish government. The growing Syrian refugee … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Photo Essay | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment