Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops surrounded the Damascus suburb of Harasta in an effort to maintain the ongoing crackdown on urban centers that have been the cite for daily protests.   According to residents, Harasta's entrances have been sealed off and troops are wearing "combat fatigues, helmets, ammunition belts and carrying assault rifles."  In addition, the water, electricity and telephone lines have been cut.  Since Monday, at least 20 people have ...

Qatar closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrew its ambassador last week, after attacks on the embassy compound by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Further signaling the growing international pressure against the Syrian regime, a statement released by EU Foreign Minister in Brussels asserted that "until the unacceptable violence against the civilian population is halted... the EU will pursue and carry forward its current policy, including through sanctions." And Britain's Foreign Minister ...

Two were killed Thursday when Syrian forces continued to crack down on pro-democracy protesters in Deir al-Zor, driving French President Nicolas Sarkozy to demand more sanctions against the regime. "I think we must strengthen the sanctions against a regime that uses the most brutal measures against its population," Sarkozy said in a television interview. He also added that the "attitude of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unacceptable...no dictator, wherever he ...

In an interview with Lara Setrakian from ABC News, Andrew Tabler, Syria expert at the Washington Institute, argues that the U.S. should increase sanctions against Syria, specifically on the energy sector and support the Syrian opposition in an effort to increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.  Tabler explains that it will be essential to expand sanctions against the lucrative petroleum industry because it is a source of almost a third of ...

On Tuesday, the European Union agreed to extend sanctions against Syria to four military-linked firms and seven individuals, including three Iranians, that are linked to the violence against the anti-government protests.  The individuals and firms will be added to a list of 23 people and entities that are under an EU asset freeze and travel ban.  President Bashar al-Assad was added to that list in May. On Wednesday, Walid al-Moallem, Syria's foreign ...

In an op-ed in the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in support of the Syrian people's fight against President Bashar al-Assad. As a result of the violent crackdown against the public by the Assad regime, Clinton delegitimized Assad's claims that he is a reformer, "For years, he has offered pledges and promises, but all that matters are his actions." In addition, she wrote that there is "no going back" ...

Al Sharq Al Awsat conveyed a Reuters report citing unspecified Damascus-based diplomats who are planning for a post-Assad Syria. An diplomatic source in the report says certain government are encouraging Syrian generals to turn against the regime. The source also said that while Syrian business tycoon Rami Makhlouf announced his retirement from business to pursue charity work, the cousin of President Bashar al Assad also deposited a billion dollars in ...

David Schenker and Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that to force President Bashar al-Assad to step down, the U.S. should work with its allies to increase economic pressure on Syria, further the regime's international isolation, and support domestic opposition.  Economically, the U.S. should target the oil industry on which the regime depends, target businesses supportive of the regime to encourage elite defections, and increase unilateral sanctions. To ...

As a result of the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown on pro-reform protesters, the U.S. Treasury announced on Thursday that new sanctions have been enforced on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij Resistance Force and Iran's national police. Law Enforcement Commander, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam has also been targeted by the sanctions.  Sanctions freeze targets' assets under U.S. jurisdiction, and prohibit individuals and institutions in the U.S. from collaborating with the them. ...

On Thursday,  Britain, France, Germany and Portugal submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council, condemning "the systematic violation of human rights, including the killings, arbitrary detentions, disappearances, and torture of peaceful demonstrators, human rights defenders and journalists by the Syrian authorities."  The resolution calls for Damascus to comply with a UN Human Rights Council inquiry and to launch an independent and credible investigation into ...

Global Witness, an good governance advocacy group, obtained a leaked 2010 report of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the country's sovereign wealth fund, which revealed that major Western banks held over $4 billion of Libyan state funds in various account types.  It notes that $19 billion were held in Middle Eastern banks, and billions more were invested in Western company stocks.  Because, citing the International Criminal Court, “Gaddafi makes no ...

During a press briefing on Monday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner expressed the United States' disappointment at President Ali Abdullah Saleh's continued refusal to sign the transition agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council.   He stated that the U.S.  is looking at a number of different options in regards to the situation in Yemen, but hopes that Saleh will take action to resolve the situation. Toner also addressed questions ...

Steve Coll, writing in The New Yorker, discusses the complexities associated with current U.S. policy towards Syria, in light of the recent uprisings.  Coll begins by noting that while many had hoped that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be a reformer when he came to power, his actions over the years have proven otherwise and states that "American policy toward Syria presents mainly a record of failure."  U.S. pressure and ...

On Thursday, the State Department released a fact sheet outlining U.S. policy initiatives and goals in Libya in regards to both the military and humanitarian efforts. The press release reiterated U.S. support for the NATO operations within Libya, the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people, and the work and statements that have been made by the Transitional National Council (TNC). "We believe the TNC continues to serve as a credible ...

Robert Satloff and Amos Yadlin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that while the Obama administration's mixed approach to the Arab Spring mostly falls al0ng the traditional realist-idealist divide, such tension does not exist in Syria which is against American values and interests. Hence, they classify the debate over Syria as between the devil you know and the one you don't. The administration's recent decision to extend ...