Fertile Crescent
UN Says ‘Unequivocally’ Chemical Weapons Were Used in Syria
A new United Nations report says there is solid proof that chemical weapons were used in an attack last month outside of the Syrian capital, Damascus. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stopped short of assigning blame. But he said, “this is a war crime.”
The Takeaway Answers Listener Questions on U.S Intervention in Syria
The American debate over whether or not to take military action in Syria has sparked a rigorous back-and-forth between lawmakers this week. In two days of questioning, members of the Senate and the House directed their concerns and inquiries to Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the […]
A Syrian-American’s Case for Intervention
All last week we heard from the voices of Congress, our president, and our listeners. Today we add one more to the mix–the voice of a Syrian-American. Basma Akbik left Syria for the United States 20 years ago when she traveled with her husband, who completed his medical residency here. Her family and her husband’s […]
Humanitarian Crisis in Syria Worsens as U.S. Deliberates Action
As President Barack Obama and politicians on both sides of the aisle debate whether to intervene in Syria, the humanitarian crisis in the region continues to grow. More than two million Syrian refugees have now fled their home country for neighboring Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon. More than half of those refugees are children. The […]
How Will the U.S. Navigate the Syria Puzzle?
Just hours ahead of a major prime-time address set to be delivered by President Barack Obama, momentum is growing in Washington and within the international community to back a plan that would secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles outside the use of military force. Earlier today, France said it would put forth this proposal […]