· August, 2008

Stories about Syria from August, 2008

Syria and the Olympics

  26 August 2008

Syria Comment discusses Syria's performance at the Summer Olympics, which just ended in Beijing, China.

Lebanon: Israel threatens while Syria seeks to buy arms

  24 August 2008

"What’s cooking?" is probably the most common question people in Lebanon are asking since Israel Environment Minister Gideon Ezra’s speech few days ago and the recent news of the Russian-Syrian arms deal. Last week, Minister Ezra said that the Lebanese state will be considered a target if it legitimizes Hizbullah (which the Lebanese government did). On the other hand, Russia has announced that it is ready to sell new weapons to Syria. What do Lebanon's bloggers have to ay about those developments?

Lebanon: The Presidential Visit to Syria

  14 August 2008

As the Lebanese president Michel Suleiman wraps up his first official visit to Syria, the regional media outlets are dedicating their resources and efforts to broadcast every event, announcement and speculation surrounding the trip. Naturally, the local blogosphere too has been busy reporting news and opinions on the visit and what it holds for the future of Lebanon, writes Nash Suleiman, who takes a closer look at Lebanese blogs in this post.

Lebanon: Prisoners in Syria

  14 August 2008

As Lebanese President Michel Suleiman visits Syria, “the government media in Damascus recognizes for the first time after years of silence the existence of the question of the Lebanese prisoners held in Syrian jails,” writes Abullor at Bilad ash-Sham.

MENA: Obama's Muslim Outreach Coordinator Resigns

  8 August 2008

Mazen Asbahi, the attorney who had volunteered as Barack Obama's outreach coordinator to Muslim and Arab-Americans, has resigned after accusations of ties to Jamal Said, an imam at a fundamentalist mosque in Illinois. Asbahi briefly sat on the board of Allied Assets Advisors Fund with Said in 2000. Bloggers from the Middle East react in this post from Jillian York.