This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Inside Syria
Syrian refugees transform used tents into vibrant works of art Syrian refugees use art as a form of expression and symbolism of the loss and displacement caused by the civil war.
Deir al-Zor suffers under Islamic State’s harsh rules on aid The Islamic State and their stringent rules make it difficult and dangerous for humanitarian organizations to provide aid to local Syrian residents.
ISIS withdraws from Yarmouk camp, Nusra remains: residents ISIS fighters withdraw from Yarmouk, leaving Nusra as the main group inside the camp.
The balance of power in Syria: a Q&A with a prominent Analyst of the conflict Ayham Kamel speaks about “Syria’s opposition, the strength of the regime and the implications of a military stalemate.”
Al-Mabouja: Civilian Martyrs, or Shabeeha? Hasan Arfeh comments on Al-Mabouja village massacre that was committed by ISIS and the controversy around it.
Grand Mufti Calls for 'Complete Destruction' of Rebel-Held Aleppo Death toll rises to at least 50 as Syria’s Grand Mufti, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, calls to hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo.
Miracle children dwell in 'the deepest circle of hell' Pierre Krähenbühl of the United Nations: Individual lives underscore need for humanitarian action.
Help Needed After Syria’s Harsh Winter Ahmad al-Salim reports about aid distributed by the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF), a Qatari charity, and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation.
Regional and International Perspectives
U.N.'s Syria envoy looks to revive talks UN envoy for Syria seeks to reopen political negotiations to bring peace to Syria’s long-lasting civil war. The UN has faced criticism for failing to patch up a damaged Syria.
Assad says Turkish support 'main factor' in Idlib takeover Assad claims that Turkey’s logistic and military support helped insurgents to seize Idlib from government control.
Syria conflict: A century after the 'genocide', Armenians flee war and return to land of their ancestors Thousands of refugees with Armenian roots are returning, hoping to start a new life in the shadow of Mount Ararat. 100 years after the Armenian ‘genocide’, Andrew Connelly speaks to some of the diaspora who have come home.
The Arabic version of this article can be found here: بعد قرن على "الإبادة الجماعية" الأرمن يفرون من الحرب ويعودون إلى أرض أجدادهم
Russia hopes U.N. Syria talks will lead to united fight with IS Russian envoy to the United Nations, Alexey Borodavkin, said "latest U.N. efforts to resolve the Syria crisis could succeed this time and lead to a united front against Islamic State followed by a political transition."
The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State Spiegel has been given exclusive access to the papers of an Iraqi officer who planned Islamic State's takeover in Syria. The papers portray an organization that, while seemingly driven by religious fanaticism, is actually coldly calculating.
The Arabic version of this article can be found here: مترجم: خطة الإرهاب.. ملفات سرية تكشف بنية الدولة الإسلامية
UN diplomats: All tears, no action on Syria? Diplomats shed tears over horrific footage from Syria, but analysts say concrete steps are rarely taken by the UN in the war-torn country
Empty out Boston; starve Moscow, and you may understand some of Syria's hell Ben Brumfield demonstrates that more Syrian people have been displaced than live in Moscow; more people lost their homes than live in greater Boston.
Policy and Reports
The 'Slow Death' Report: why the U.N. has grossly underestimated the number of Syrian living under siege Many Syrian communities have been living under siege, being denied access to food, water, hospitals and schools. ‘Slow Death’ is a report by the Syrian American Medical Society that brings attention to raising awareness to this issue and recommendations for ending sieges in Syria.
Full report can be found here
Report Finds Alarming Outflow Of Kosovars To Islamic State The Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) found in a new report that at least 232 Kosovo citizens are fighting alongside militants in Syria and Iraq, making Kosovo rank eighth overall (and first per capita) among the 22 Western states with citizens fighting in Syria and Iraq.
Syria: Chemicals Used in Idlib Attacks Human Rights Watch's report provides evidence that strongly suggests that Syrian government forces used toxic chemicals in several barrel bomb attacks in Idlib governorate between March 16 and 31, 2015.
The Arabic version of this article can be found here:سوريا ـ استخدام لمواد كيميائية في هجمات على إدلب
Iraq: ISIS Escapees Describe Systematic Rape/ Yezidi Survivors in Need of Urgent Care Human Rights Watch's report shows that ISIS has carried out systematic rape and other sexual violence against Yezidi women and girls in northern Iraq.
The Arabic version of this article can be found here: العراق ـ الهاربات من داعش تصفن عمليات اغتصاب ممنهجة\ الناجيات الإيزيديات بحاجة إلى رعاية عاجلة
Documentaries, Special Reports, and Other Media
President al-Assad to France 2 TV Full text of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s interview with France 2 TV.
Making music, making money for Syria Hannibal Saad has organized an international music festival, Global Week for Syria, which aims to raise awareness of the ongoing Syrian conflict, as well as funds to help support Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.
Yarmouk Camp 2015 A short video highlights the suffering of people of Al Yarmouk and asks for solidarity and support.
Meeting IS group prisoners captured by Kurdish forces France 24’s Middle East Matters video includes interviews with Islamic State group jihadists taken prisoner by Kurdish forces in Syria. Also, it includes interviews in Egypt where a survivor of the attack on Egyptian Christians in Libya in February tells his story.
A Crime Against Humanity Scott Pelley reports on the 2013 sarin gas attack in Syria that U.S. intelligence estimates killed more than 1,400 civilians.
الاثار الاقتصادية الاجتماعية لاستمرار الازمة السورية A debate on the socio-economic costs of the Syrian crisis at the BBC
Arabic:
لقاء موسكو وفضيحة النظام Rateb Sha'bo criticizes the second meeting held in Moscow in a bid to find a solution to Syria's war this April.
مذاهب أم طوائف؟ Fadel Al-Fadel criticizes the psychological approach to analyze sectarianism in the Syrian conflict.
في نقد الراهن الإعلاميّ للحدث السوريّ Ahmed Salal criticizes the media and social discourse of Syrian elites regarding the Syrian Uprising.
النظام السوري يخترق راديو "روزنة" المعارض؟ Sama Al-Rahbi comments on Rozana Radio’s new challenges that face its work as an alternative media.
الدراسة في زمن الحرب والنزوح قصة طالبة ومعاناتها مع التهجير Razan Mustafa Dahnin shares her story and the challenges that face her education after the uprising.
تنظيم الدولة يضع قفصاً حديدياً في مدينة الطبقة لمعاقبة المدخنين وتاركي الصلاة Syrian activists from "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently" campaign reported that ISIS put an iron cage in a public square in al-Tabqah, a city located in Ar-Raqqah Governorate. The cage is to punish civilians smokers and those who do not go to pray in the mosque.
العراق: "داعش" يفتح جبهات ثانوية بمقاتلين مستوردين Safaa Abdel-Hamid comments on news that ISIS transferred around 800 of its fiercest fighters from Syria to the Anbar province in Iraq.
"داعش" يصدر هوية ثلاثية الأبعاد ISIS issued identity cards with a three-dimensional chip and an electronic SIM card “ to help Islamic State fighters securely move between the Iraqi stronghold of Mosul and their self-declared capital of Raqqa, in Syria”.
هل الدولة الإسلامية هي الحل؟ Muhammad Shahrur provides a Quranist analysis about if the Islamic state is the solution after the Arab Spring.
لماذا يزور زهران علوش استانبول؟ Tariq Azizeh comments on Zahran Alloush's, the commander of Jaysh al-Islam, visit to Turkey and predicts that the reasons behind it is to coordinating a new large-scale military action carried out by the opposition with the support of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.