Eyewitness views of the war in Syria, include two NPR correspondents this week in 44 minutes.
______________________________________________
On Friday May 31, 2013: The Battle of Qusayr: Government forces are almost in control of this western Syria town, near the border.This battle and town's strategic location is crucial for the supply lines Hezbollah forces are using to aid the Assad regime's atatcks on Qusayr and the region. From a rooftop in Qusayr Steve Inskeep is there this morning, in four minutes of audio, under protection of Syrian gov't forces. Just across the border, in Lebanon, almost within sight of Qusayr in Syria, Kelly McEvers is with Syrian refugees, in a town controlled by Hezbollah, in seven minutes audio. The even scarier, larger problem with war in this region, this route from west to east, this war between government and rebels, has turned Sunni against Shi'a. Iran and Hezbollah supporting and sometimes, fighting with Assad forces or, for gains for the regime, while, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the west are supporting the rebels.
On Thursday May 30: Melissa Block talks with Kelly McEvers to get a sense of what the battle means to those villagers left trapped there (five minute audio). Steve Inskeep talks about what 'security' means in Homs, Syria. five minute audio.
On Wenesday May 29: View from Damascus with Inskeep, five minute audio. Discussion shows that a problem with the rebels is lack of cohesion against a persevering regime. four minute audio.
On Tuesday May 28: A Damascus that wants to return to normal. nine minute audio.
On Monday May 27: A bit more from Kelly McEvers on the background of 'war spillover' into Lebanon. four minute audio.
AlJazeera has a page full of programs, articles, video, live blogs, etc. on Syria, if you want more.
__________________________________________________
They also have a three hour video special on rising China produced this May, 2013.
Major ceasefire in Honduras between rival gangs brokered by Catholic Church. That happened this week. four minute audio.
Big mouthed toucans, more than just a pretty face, are actually necessary for Brasilian palms, flora. Their decline causes other plants to grow there instead, and the once dominant palms to decline, as well. four minute audio.
Did they find the famed Ciudad Blanca in Honduras? Initial 3D mapping from aerial sweeps are tantalizing.
The Mayan temple destroyed in Belize did get international notice.
A healthy article on the problems of modern-day Venice in this week's New York Review of Books.
What Macchiavelli is known for saying, wasn't what he said. Sylvia Poggioli scratches the surface here. Yet, Isaiah Berlin went as far as saying that what made Macchiavelli unique was his willingness to favor his country more than his religion.
In an article, "The Question of Macchiavelli", first published November 4, 1971 in The New York Review of Books, he calmly explains. By saying Macchiavelli loved his country more than his church, Berlin says, that's another way of saying he could overlook the dictates of the Church, or, even ignore morality, in what he saw as the interests of the State. From a moralist's position, this makes anything possible under the cloak of interests of the state. Quite a scary prospect for those who believe that the church and it's institutions, it's levels of cultural suasion, necessarily maintains social cohesion and civilisation .
From a stark pragmatist's position, morality is less useful a guide if it contradicts or gets in the way of getting things done. But it also requires an altogether different, rather strict, utilitarian set of priorities, too. On the one hand, while it seems smart to ratchet back on extremists of whatever side, in order to calm, mollify, or mute them, the next question becomes, who is an extremist, what does 'extreme' in war even mean. And deliberatively for whom. Inevitably these questions morph into what lengths are parties willing to go, in order to 'secure their interests'?
The Putin government of Russia openly gave Assad's forces a generous helping of air power this week. Hezbollah forces from Lebanon have also publicly showed their support for the Assad regime this week. Last week also saw the lifting of the arms embargo by the UN, ostensibly to help aid the rebels and people of Syria caught in conflict. But the UN arms vote, is said, in some papers here to have 'angered' Russia. State Secretary Kerry was in the region last week talking with Israel, Jordan and Turkey. Sen McCain showed up in Syria this week, as a kind of show of support to the rebels. Chris Hayes last night questions the Senator's ability to 'vet operatives', or, choose allies in a war zone. President Obama floated the idea of a no-fly zone. No one seems excited about that, yet.
A happy ending story from Rachel Maddow: The A train returns to the Rockaways after being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. nine minute video
No comments:
Post a Comment