Western Asia

A Syrian grocery shop in Istanbul sells brands that are familiar to Syrian customers, such as canned meats and condensed milk.

Syrian refugees and migrants in Turkey face a difficult decision to return home 

Migration

Millions of Syrians are wrestling with the tough choice to return to Syria after 10 years of civil war. In Turkey, the COVID-19 pandemic hit some Syrians so hard that they returned home, only to regret it.

Palestinian Americans wary of statehood bid

The World

Future World Cup hosts: Qatar and Russia

The World

Israel Consul General explains history of Gaza blockade

Ahmed's father

A Bahraini family keeps their son alive by following in the footsteps that led to his death

Conflict & Justice
"Wadjda." (Photo: courtesy of Sony Picture Classics)

‘Wadjda’: Saudi Arabia’s First Feature Film and Female Filmmaker

Arts, Culture & Media

The first feature length film to be shot in Saudi Arabia has been making waves at film festivals around the world. Wadjda gives a glimpse into a young girl’s life in Saudi Arabia. Anchor Aaron Schachter speaks with the director, Haifaa Al Mansour.

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 […]

U.S. & Russia Strike Deal to Destroy Syria’s Chemical Weapons

In what may be a major turning point in the war in Syria, the United States and Russia struck a deal over the weekend that, for the moment, takes American military strikes off the table. The two countries agreed on a plan to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, requiring Syria to turn over a complete […]

Removing Syria’s chemical weapons — in middle of civil war — a tricky proposition

Global Politics

Syria has seemed to offer up the possibility of turning over its chemical weapons to international authorities and eventually destroying them, but not only does it remain to be seen if they will, the mechanics of doing so are far from certain in a war-torn country.

U.S. officials press case as Russia floats plan for ‘international control’ of Syrian chemical weapons

Global Politics

The Obama administration continues to argue that the international community must take action over Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons. In the meantime, though, Russia continues to do all it can to stave off an attack, including introducing a plan for Syrian chemical weapons to be placed under “international control.”