Violence continues in Syria, a day after the UN-backed ceasefire deadline. Kofi Annan voiced his hopes that both sides would come to follow the six-point peace plan which required the Syrian government to pull back its troops from towns and cities by April 10 and enforce a full ceasefire within the next 48 hours.
At a conference in Hatay, Turkey, Annan said that he believed that “it’s a bit too early to say that the plan has failed. The plan is still on the table and it is a plan that we are all fighting to implement, and it is a plan that the council has endorsed and it is a plan that the Syrians have endorsed.” But the question lingers: What will it take for Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces to stop what has been almost a year of continuous bloodshed? For that, we speak with Stephen Kinzer, journalist, commentator, and Professor of International Relations at Boston University.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!