Middle East

Missile Shipment To Syria Complicates Kerry's Push For Peace

9:23pm May 31, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country has received advanced missiles from Russia. The Russians say they are just fulfilling old contracts and argue that the S-300s are a defensive system that can't be used against rebels. But the timing of this shipment complicates Secretary of State John Kerry's work with Moscow on pushing for a peace conference. The U.S. and Russia seem to be working at cross purposes.

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World News

Syria's Civil War: The View From A Damascus Shrine

10:47am May 29, 2013

by Steve Inskeep

Syria's war has polarized the country. But as in many conflicts, a large portion of the population just wants to keep their heads down and stay out of harm's way. A visit to the Sayida Zeinab shrine offers a look into the complicated nature of the war.

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The Ummayyid Mosque in Damascus has been a mosque for around 1,400 years. It sits in the center of a city where many people are struggling to live normal lives amid war.

World News

In Damascus, A View Of Syria's War Turned Inside Out

9:41am May 28, 2013

by Steve Inskeep

There's fear and frustration in the capital, but even people who acknowledge President Bashar Assad's flaws often grimly hope for the rebels to go away: They believe the government's description of the rebels as terrorists and foreigners out to destroy the country.

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A worker chips away at Jerusalem stone, likely destined for a building facade somewhere in the world. Stone and marble is a big business in Palestinian towns near Bethlehem. Quarries are in Israeli-controlled areas, and access can be a challenge.

World News

West Bank Businesses Seek Growth Amid Uncertainty

8:27am May 26, 2013

by Emily Harris

Political unpredictability in the region hampers all kinds of businesses: from stone-cutters and shoemakers to IT. Business owners in the West Bank say Secretary of State John Kerry's commitment to remove barriers to commerce might go further than actual cash.

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Ibrahim Shomali, a Palestinian priest, offers Communion under the olive trees of the Cremisan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This is part of a regular protest against Israeli plans to build a section of its West Bank barrier here, which would s

World News

A Decade In The Making, West Bank Barrier Is Nearly Complete

8:27am May 26, 2013

by Emily Harris

Despite much international criticism, Israel has continued building its West Bank barrier. It's now nearing completion, while the Israelis and Palestinians continue to argue over whether it will help or hurt prospects for a Middle East peace agreement.

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A panel from Amir Soltani's Zahra on the Campaign Trail. Drawing by Khalil.

World News

Iran's 'Zahra' Tells Alternate Tale Of Presidential Campaign

1:17am May 21, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

What do you do when you can't openly wage a campaign for the presidency? Some Iranians inside and outside the country have turned to the heroine of an online graphic novel who has embarked on a virtual campaign.

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Soldiers of Israel's 33rd Caracal Battalion take part in a graduation march in the northern part of the southern Israeli Negev desert on March 13. The Caracal was formed in 2004 with the chief purpose of giving women a chance to serve in a true combat rol

World News

Women In Combat: Some Lessons From Israel's Military

10:39am May 19, 2013

by Larry Abramson

The U.S. will soon begin to open combat positions to women. That's already the case in Israel, where women say it is an important step but doesn't guarantee full equality. The military's upper echelons remain male-dominated.

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World News

Ex-Ambassador To Iraq Weighs In On Talking To 'Monsters'

2:01pm May 16, 2013

As the death toll in Syria climbs and critics blast the Obama administration for not taking more decisive action, former ambassador Christopher Hill points instead to a failure of diplomacy in an op-ed in the New York Times. Hill talks about what the U.S. faces in facilitating talks between the regime and Syrian rebels.

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World News

Syrian Minister: Removal Of Assad Means Destruction Of Syria

7:39pm May 15, 2013

Melissa Block talks with Syria's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Faisal Mekdad, about the upcoming international conference on Syria in Geneva and about the Syrian government's view of the civil war. Mekdad says the government of President Bashar al-Assad believes a peaceful settlement is necessary to solve the conflict in Syria. However, Mekdad says the replacement of President Assad "means destruction of Syria, means no international conference, and means support of terrorism." Mekdad says Syria will not participate in the conference with any preconditions.

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Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (center) waves as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the interior ministry in Tehran, May 11. Rafsanjani has been isolated since massive street protests in 2009 after

World News

A Sign Of Disunity? Iranian Candidates Jockey For Position

7:15pm May 14, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

The country is gearing up for a presidential election next month, and the lack of a clear front-runner, analysts say, is a sign the political elite isn't united behind a single candidate. The late entrance of a former president, in particular, will likely alter the shape of the race.

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