International revulsion is increasing over the current spike in bloodshed in Aleppo, which surely represents the final nail in the coffin of a “cessation of hostilities” that never actually managed to cease hostilities. However, the tragedy that is unfolding was entirely predictable to anyone who has been following the actions and statements of the Syrian regime, and those of its ally Russia, in recent months.
No interpretation is required – the regime has been very clear about its intentions. In February, president Bashar Al Assad vowed to retake the whole country. This was amid diplomatic efforts to secure the cessation of hostilities, which his forces have repeatedly violated since it was announced.
On April 10, Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations special envoy to Syria, arrived in Damascus for meetings with regime officials in the run-up to the resumption of peace talks in Geneva on April 13. That very day, prime minister Wael Al Halqi said regime troops were preparing a major offensive to retake Aleppo, and the opposition said the cessation of hostilities was close to collapse amid the renewed use of barrel bombs.
The following day, dozens of barrel bombs were said to have been dropped on civilian areas of the city. As such, the current escalation is simply the regime behaving true to its word, as well as its tactics.
There has been international outrage over last week’s airstrike that destroyed a hospital in Aleppo backed by Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Patients and doctors were killed, including one of the last paediatricians remaining in the rebel-held part of the city.
However, this was certainly not an isolated incident or an accident. In March, Amnesty International wrote: “Russian and Syrian government forces appear to have deliberately and systematically targeted hospitals and other medical facilities over the last three months to pave the way for ground forces to advance on northern Aleppo.”
The upcoming attempt to capture the entire city is only made possible because, contrary to Moscow’s statement in March that it was withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria, they remain largely in place.
There is debate about whether the regime can retake Aleppo. The largest city in Syria is of great strategic, economic, military and symbolic importance to all the warring parties and the offensive will certainly be fiercely resisted.
Rebel reinforcements are likely to be called in from other parts of the country if necessary. However, even if the assault succeeds – a big if – the question is, can the regime maintain control of the whole of Aleppo?
It has become clear that the regime’s battlefield successes – particularly following the direct military intervention of Hizbollah and later Russia – are due to the forces of its foreign allies. Major offensives are typically planned and led by Iranian forces or Hizbollah, with Shiite militias participating as foot soldiers and Moscow providing air power.
Regime troops often play a supporting role, so they are unable to keep hold of captured territory without foreign military backing. What ground Mr Al Assad has gained since Russia’s direct military intervention last year – and it is not as much as he or his allies would have hoped for – does not signify the regime’s renewed strength but its continued endemic weakness.
Mr Al Assad acknowledged manpower shortages in his army last year, and they would have only worsened since. Indeed, the likelihood of the regime’s collapse led to Moscow coming to its rescue.
Meanwhile, Mr Al Assad’s “regime of calm” – announced on April 30 – is as nonsensical as it sounds, because it covers only regime strongholds, which it will obviously not attack. Some new fangled substitute name for a ceasefire, it is as absurd as ISIL declaring a ceasefire in its Syrian capital Raqqa. This is a public relations ploy by Mr Al Assad designed to continue his offensives under a fig leaf of restraint.
A fundamental reason why the Syrian conflict and humanitarian catastrophe continue is impunity. This is most starkly evidenced by a regime that confidently commits war crimes and crimes against humanity, violates ceasefires and negates peace talks by refusing to discuss a transition of power.
“Accountability … must form part of any political solution,” said UN investigators in February, upon releasing a report detailing regime conduct that “amounts to extermination as a crime against humanity”.
However, the regime – responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths – is spared this accountability by Russia and China, which have vetoed UN Security Council attempts to refer the conflict to the International Criminal Court.
This despite such a referral covering atrocities committed by all sides. Opposition groups are pushing for such a move – the rejection by Mr Al Assad and his allies points to their awareness of the extent of the regime’s culpability. Much like American mediation efforts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Russia cannot claim to be an honest broker in diplomacy over Syria while acting with impunity.
Sharif Nashashibi is a journalist and analyst on Arab affairs
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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