The Syrian people deserve a better outcome from Geneva II. But given the prevailing political and military realities they're unlikely to get it. Instead, Syria's war will extend well beyond the three-year mark.
What does J Street's motto "Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace" really mean? That question calls for grasping the context of Zionism among Jews in the United States -- aspects of history, largely obscured and left to archives, that can shed light on J Street's current political role.
Leaders at Davos Must Address the Critical Issues the World Faces -- Call from Civil Society Leaders
e cannot eradicate poverty without addressing climate change, which is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest. 2014 will be a crucial year to mobilize action ahead of global climate negotiations in 2015.
The sad reality is that neither Assad nor his divided adversaries have any intention to lay down their weapons anytime soon. "Geneva" is no great breakthrough. Rather, it reflects the depths of international impotence.
All individual leaders -- and, for that matter, ideologies -- are expendable. No global or regional power or current leader should be allowed to claim as their own a shared future that first belongs to all Syria's citizens. That would be a sell-out!
The cause of peace is older than history itself. It's up to each generation, including ours, to carry that torch, and pass it on.
Ever since the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria took control of the Iraqi city of Fallujah earlier this month, critics of President Obama's foreign policy have tried to blame this new upsurge of extremist violence on his policies in the region.
The conflict in Syria has not only claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused over two million refugees to flee the country. It has also created an economic black hole, which is one of the reasons why the weekend is taking place.
The last thing I expected on my latest trip to Syria at the very beginning of 2014 was to be able to eat a bowl of fetteh in Abu Salim's restaurant in Najjiyeh, in territory controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
It is becoming increasingly clear that the hopes in 2011 of a new dawn sparked by the toppling of autocratic leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen were little more than pie in the sky. Nevertheless, the genie of inevitable change has been let out of the bottle.
UNICEF, Save the Children and World Vision are urging the global community to commit US$1 billion to provide the education, protection, and support Syrian children need to fulfill their potential, and to develop the skills their societies need to create a more sustainable future. This investment could well save a generation.
While those in Western countries may wonder what is meant by "transitional justice," in societies emerging from a period of mass abuse -- such as systematic torture, massive disappearances and crimes against humanity -- the question of how to address past abuses is an urgent one, particularly for victims.
It is time to buttress the current patchwork of initiatives with a global fund for Syrian refugee education.
The approach of the Obama administration cannot be based on knee-jerk reactions to labels. It must ask some fundamental questions like: Is Assad fighting or fermenting terrorism? Is Iran an "oasis of stability" or an exporter of instability?
According to the Egyptian Al-Ahram weekly October 29th 2013: "Many in the Syrian opposition say that the Al-Qaeda affiliates are now in fact doing the regime's bidding by weakening its true adversaries, those led by the FSA, and alienating Syrian civilians and the West and thus giving the regime the opportunity to claim it is fighting terrorists".
Whether one was for or against the U.S. strikes supporting NATO strikes on Syria last September, or one believes that the Syria conflict is a civil war rather than a revolution, Syrian refugees remain the consistent symptom of Syria's plight -- however it is described.
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