US may try to raise the stakes for Russia in Syria
The politics of humanitarian corridors; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham tries a shakedown in Idlib; Ben Caspit to interview former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Al-Monitor podcast.
A way forward at the UN for Syria
US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft this week criticized Russia and China for obstructing humanitarian assistance to war-torn Syria, Elizabeth Hagedorn reports.
There is a Security Council vote in July to reauthorize the two remaining assistance corridors from Turkey into Syria. The United States is also seeking to reopen a crossing from Iraq that had been closed in January as a result of Russian and Chinese pressure (more below).
The situation in Syria is dire. There are already 5 million refugees and 6.2 million internally displaced Syrians; combined, that’s about half of a prewar population of 22 million. The economy, because of war, corruption and sanctions, barely exists. And Syria, like the rest of the world, is dealing with COVID-19.
