SYRIA - War on Assad

"Why Assad is winning the war in Syria" PBS NewsHour 4/14/2018

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SUMMARY:  With support from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the Assad regime has managed to consolidate power in most parts of Syria previously held by ISIS.  Apart from Friday’s joint missile strikes, the U.S.’s role has been limited to diplomatic talks, which has yielded few results in sustaining ceasefires in the seven-year-long war.  The New Yorker’s Robin Wright joins Hari Sreenivasan for more.

"U.S., Russia keep from escalating conflict after Syrian strike" PBS NewsHour 4/14/2018

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SUMMARY:  Russian President Putin on Saturday condemned a series of strikes on Syrian targets, calling the military action by the U.S. and its allies "an act of aggression against a sovereign state."  Kimberly Marten, director of a program on U.S.-Russia relations at Columbia University's Harriman Institute, joins Hari Sreenivasan for more on Russia's reaction means and what may come next.

"Syrian people fight for survival as multiple powers face off" PBS NewsHour 4/14/2018

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SUMMARY:  Syrians have continued to flee to neighboring countries and Europe as conflict in their country has intensified, and in Lebanon, nearly one in four people is a Syrian migrant.  Meanwhile, pro-Assad leaders have condemned the coordinated strikes on Syria, with Hezbollah calling them an “aggression.”  NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Jane Ferguson joins Hari Sreenivasan from Beirut for more reaction from the Middle East.

"Will strikes in Syria stop chemical weapons production?" PBS NewsHour 4/14/2018

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SUMMARY:  Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons last week spurred strikes by the U.S. and its allies in the war-torn country this weekend.  But what effect did the latest military action have on the country's weapons cache, and will it stop Syria from targeting civilians in opposition-held areas?  Douglas Ollivant, senior vice president at Mantid International, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.