Ayman Mohammed Talk has been circulating about the possibility of the West, and specifically the United States, staging a military operation against the Syrian government. However, since the beginning of the peaceful protests, most activists have been in agreement in their refusal of any direct external intervention. They see this as a war on the local, home-grown uprising to topple [...]

Yasmine Maree (Gaziantep, Turkey) - Syrian activist Noura al-Amir, 26, recalls the demonstrations of early 2011 in which she participated. “‘Oh Sniper Sniper…here are our necks and heads’ was not merely a silly chant,” Amir said. “Demonstrators were singing it knowing the snipers lurked in wait for them. It’s the revolution, the spark that started in Tunisia and lit up [...]

*Editor’s Note: Syrian government military forces have recaptured the village referred to in this story. The interviewees requested that The Damascus Bureau not publish the name of the village. The Damascus Bureau has also changed Tariq’s name for his own safety. Last winter, 34-year-old Tariq was a wanted man. The Syria’s feared security services sought his arrest for his active [...]

The last two years have witnessed the emergence of new media tools that have accompanied the Syrian revolution. These new tools have relied on the efforts of men and women volunteers, and reached its audience through the Internet, thus challenging the government’s monopoly on media. Among the most significant tools are radio stations that broadcast over the internet, offer a [...]

Ward al-Assi The controversial television preacher, Sheikh Adnan Arour, 65, has been able to build up a large popular base in Syria using religious programs as a platform for launching vehement attacks against the Syrian regime. He also uses his pulpit for what many have characterized as sectarian incitement against Shia and Alawites.

Youssef Kanaan “We revolted against tyranny because it poisons and disregards our lives,” says the poet and writer Mohamad Dibo, 36, explaining why he stopped actively participating in the uprising after the initial peaceful protest movement devolved into war. “In a peaceful struggle, the probability of getting arrested is about ninety percent, with a ten percent chance of being killed,” [...]

The third online talk of the series of online lectures of ‘From Activist to Activist’ presented journalist and documentary filmmaker Amer Mattar. Mattar talked about the media in Syria and how it is being used during the revolution. You can watch the full video below.

Syrian writer and human rights activist Hanadi Zahlout discussed in the second online talk of ‘From Activist to Activist”, the role of women in the Syrian revolution. You can watch the full lecture in the following video.

Activist Rami Nakhle discussed in an online lecture the danger of sectarianism in Syria and how to counter it. You can watch the full lecture in the following video.

Sadiq’s face betrays no emotion as he watches the footage of bodies being played on the satellite channel Al-Arabiya. He is silent at first, and when he does speak he repeats the same thing he always tells his friends with whom he goes out to film protests, funeral processions and the devastation left by the shelling of southern Damascus. “If [...]