Haid Haid

Este archivo solo abarca los artículos del autor incorporados a este sitio a partir del 1 de diciembre de 2006. Para fechas anteriores realice una búsqueda entrecomillando su nombre.

A general view of a wheat field in Mariupol, Ukraine on 31 July 2022, as Russia-Ukraine war continues. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Russia’s involvement in smuggling wheat out of the occupied regions or territories of Ukraine has been widely reported over the past year. In response, the US issued sanctions in September 2022 against Russian proxy officials involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain. While these targeted measures have managed to steer many countries in the Middle East and Africa away from buying the stolen wheat, Syria has become one of its primary destinations.

Due to the sanctions already imposed on both Russia and Syria they do not have many alternative trading partners and are also less concerned about any additional consequences they may face as a result of their cooperation.…  Seguir leyendo »

A partially collapsed house in the Syrian town of Azaz close to the border with Turkey, following the earthquakes in February 2023. Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images.

Despite sharing a catastrophe, the earthquake aftermath and response in Syria and Turkey could not be further apart.

Turkey has received an outpouring of support and aid from dozens of countries and tens of thousands of search-and-rescue personnel, including international teams, have been deployed to Turkey’s east.

In contrast, only five per cent of the impacted sites and towns in northwest Syria are being covered by the overstretched Syria Civil Defence – known as the White Helmets – search-and-rescue operations, according to the United Nations (UN).

The level of relief aid which has entered northwest Syria has also been limited so far, with bureaucracy, manipulation of aid, and a lack of political will among the main factors hindering efforts to help the most impacted region in Syria.…  Seguir leyendo »

Syrian government forces tighten security in Homs after suicide attacks on 25 February. Photo: Getty Images.

On 25 February, meticulously executed suicide attacks on two security installations in Syria's government-held city of Homs killed 50 people and injured 24. Three days later, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), claimed credit and used the incident to announce the beginning of a series of similar attacks.

The use of suicide attackers has always been one of the group’s strongest weapons but the strategic use of this tactic has changed as the Syrian conflict has evolved. The first publically acknowledged attack took place in December 2011, with two seemingly coordinated bombings in the Syrian capital of Damascus where at least 44 people were killed.…  Seguir leyendo »

A rebel fighter waits in Harasta, outside Damascus. Photo: Getty Images.

There is a general perception that rebel backers have total control over their Syrian allies. Rebel groups are even viewed as mere proxies. This led, among other reasons, to direct negotiations, on multiple occasions, between the relevant regional and international players without the presence of any Syrian.

Nonetheless, the recent merger of rebel groups with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the rebranded former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, in northern Syria and the ongoing anti-regime offensive in Daraa happened against the will of their regional patrons, namely Turkey and Jordan. These developments indicate the limits of regional sponsors’ influence.

The fragmentation among local actors and their total dependence on outside support had, until recently, given their backers the upper hand.…  Seguir leyendo »

Members and supporters of Hezbollah in Beirut carry the coffins of fighters killed in combat alongside Syrian government forces in Syria. Photo by Getty Images.

There is a general feeling of pessimism among Syrians towards the first round of peace talks taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan. For years, Syrian rebels were rightly blamed for being divided and unorganized, obstructing the creation of a united alliance as a credible alternative to the Syrian regime. But now, competing agendas among the Syrian regime’s backers are considered the main obstacle to efforts to end the Syrian conflict.

The fragmentation of command among pro-regime forces makes enforcing discipline difficult – pro-regime militias have repeatedly spoiled agreements brokered by Russia to decrease the violence. Although the same challenges also apply to rebel groups, Turkey’s total control over the only support routes to rebel groups in northern Syria has pressured them to follow Turkey’s instructions, or at least to avoid opposing them.…  Seguir leyendo »

Syrian government forces say they have retaken control of the rest of Aleppo, but there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria. Only a widely accepted political settlement can end the fighting and stitch the country back together.

The recent Syrian regime offensive -- supported by Russian and Iranian-backed forces -- to capture the rest of the eastern side of the city has led to the complete fall of the besieged area.

However the Syrian regime's recent victories have raised many questions about the impact of these gains on the conflict in Syria and the fate of the country.…  Seguir leyendo »

Closing Turkey’s border has turned Syria into a trap in which there is no place to turn to for refuge. Photo by Getty Images.

Turkey has been implementing strict enforcement measures since March 2015 to seal off its border with Syria and stop smuggling, illegal migration and terrorist attacks. While these measures failed to secure Turkey’s border, they forced desperate Syrians to use dangerous, illegal routes in search of a safe haven.

Entering Turkey illegally has been the only way for the majority of Syrians crossing over since 9 March 2015, when Turkish authorities closed the last two border crossings with Syria. The closing of Turkey’s border went nearly unnoticed as it was announced as a temporary measure. The Syrian opposition has also avoided criticizing Turkey because it is a strategic ally and because Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, more than 3 million.…  Seguir leyendo »