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A Struggle for Regional Supremacy: Syria Conflict Escalates as World Powers Debate Assad's Future

Syria is seeing some of the worst violence of the 11-month uprising against Bashar al-Assad amid an ongoing international standoff over how to respond. Assad’s forces have launched what appears to be one of their fiercest assaults on the flashpoint city of Homs to date. Both the United States and Britain have closed their embassies in the Syrian capital of Damascus and withdrawn diplomatic personnel, citing safety fears. As the crisis escalates,...
Feb 07, 2012 | Story
Syrian Activist Speaks from Hiding: The Bloodshed is Continuing Despite International Criticism

Street battles are raging at the gates of the Syrian capital of Damascus, and activists say at least 62 people were killed nationwide on Sunday. This comes as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Syrian leadership, particularly President Bashar al-Assad, to end the violence against the demonstrators immediately, and plans to take up a draft resolution this week calling on him to step down and transfer power. "They...
Jan 30, 2012 | Story
2 Years After Devastating Earthquake, Haiti's Rebuilding Weighed Down by Legacy of Foreign Meddling

On the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed roughly 300,000 people and left more than 1.5 million homeless, we speak with Randall Robinson, author of "An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President." The United Nations estimates international donors gave Haiti over $1.6 billion in relief aid since the earthquake and more than $2 billion in recovery aid over the last two years....
Jan 13, 2012 | Story
As Syria Toll Tops 5,000, Activist in Hiding Urges Global Action to Stop Assad Regime Crackdown

International pressure on the Syrian regime is increasing as the death toll there continues to rise. This week the United Nations estimated the death toll in Syria since March has surpassed 5,000, including hundreds of children. "The regime is given time after time to kill more people and more civilians," says Razan Zaitouneh, a human rights lawyer in Damascus who is living underground for her safety. "Every time, there is a new...
Dec 15, 2011 | Story
Hopes Fade for Binding Climate Deal as Durban Summit Enters Final Stages

We are broadcasting from Durban, South Africa, in our week-long exclusive at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Talks have entered their 10th day, but doubt is growing that a legally binding deal to combat climate change will be reached by Friday. On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged that such a deal is "beyond our reach" for now due in part to the global financial crisis. But Ban urged world...
Dec 07, 2011 | Story
Tuvalu Minister Urges World Leaders to Save Pacific Nations from Rising Seas

One of the most impassioned speeches at the United Nations Climate Change Conference was given today by Apisai Ielemia, the minister of foreign affairs, trade, tourism, environment and labor for the Pacific island state of Tuvalu. Ielemia’s country is among a number of island nations threatened by the rising seas caused by global warming. "It is vitally important that the international community take immediate and decisive action to...
Dec 07, 2011 | Story
Nobel-Winning IPCC Chair Rajendra Pachauri Urges Obama to "Listen to Science" on Global Warming

One of the world’s most prominent experts on climate science, Rajendra Pachauri, is criticizing negotiators at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban for not paying enough attention to science. Pachauri is chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore. "What we have done is we have increased the concentration of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere far beyond...
Dec 07, 2011 | Story
"Cry, the Beloved Climate." By Amy Goodman

The United Nations’ annual climate change summit descended on Durban, South Africa, this week, but not in time to prevent the tragic death of Qodeni Ximba. The 17-year-old was one of 10 people killed in Durban on Sunday, the night before the U.N. conference opened, when torrential rains pummeled the seaside city of 3.5 million.
Nov 30, 2011 | Columns & Articles
Syrian Human Rights Lawyer Razan Zaitouneh Speaks from Hiding, Says Over 4,000 Killed in Uprising

Daily protests continue in Syria even as the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates the government has killed more than 3,500 people during the last eight months in its attempt to silence a growing popular uprising. Over the weekend, protesters carried out a general strike in several cities. We get a live report from Damascus from Razan Zaitouneh, a lawyer and human rights activist, who says she believes at least...
Nov 14, 2011 | Story
Arab League Suspends Syria, Concern Grows over Foreign Intervention to End Crisis

Today the European Union decided to impose sanctions on 18 Syrians in response to the killings of protesters by Syrian forces under President Bashar al-Assad. The move comes after the Arab League formally suspended the Syrian delegation on Saturday over its violent crackdown on eight months of protests. In a new report, Human Rights Watch accused the Assad government of "crimes against humanity" for alleged killings of protesters dating...
Nov 14, 2011 | Story