By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Twelve potential Syrian rebel leaders are campaigning to become an interim prime minister with a singular start-up mission: Topple President Bashar Assad's government.
Syrian troops stepped up an offensive against rebels in the north on Wednesday, following explosions targeting security forces and a university campus that killed more than 100 people in two days.
Syrians took to the streets for the largest anti-regime protests in months in several cities Friday, taking advantage a lull in fighting as a cease-fire took effect at the start of a Muslim holiday. But scattered violence including battles over a northern military base and a Damascus suburb illustrated the difficulty of maintaining even a limited truce.
The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Friday extending the 300-strong U.N. observer force in Syria for a final 30 days but leaving open the possibility of an extension if the Syrian government stops using heavy weapons and the civil war's level of violence is reduced.
Russia and China again vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution Thursday aimed at pressuring President Bashar Assad's government to end the escalating 16-month conflict in Syria.
The U.N. humanitarian office's operations director on Monday said the Syrian president's regime has refused entrance visas to aid workers from Britain, Canada, France and the United States.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and international envoy Kofi Annan stepped up pressure on the divided U.N. Security Council on Friday, urging that it demand a halt to the escalating violence in Syria and promise "consequences" if the conflict doesn't end.
U.N. envoy Kofi Annan called Monday on "every individual with a gun" in Syria to lay down arms, saying he was horrified by a weekend massacre that killed more than 100 people, including women and small children.
BEIRUT | A "fragile" cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition.
A "fragile" cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition.
The bloody conflict in Syria spilled across two tense borders Monday when gunfire from government forces killed a cameraman in Lebanon and wounded at least six people in a refugee camp in Turkey, authorities said.
A U.N.-brokered plan to stop the bloodshed in Syria effectively collapsed Sunday after President Bashar Assad's government raised new, last-minute demands that swiftly were rejected by the country's largest rebel group.
The leader of Syria's main opposition group rejected calls Friday by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan for dialogue with President Bashar Assad's government, saying such talks are pointless and unrealistic as long as the regime massacres its own people.
Syrian security forces are still killing anti-government protesters despite the presence of foreign monitors in the country, the head of the Arab League said Monday. But he insisted the observer mission has yielded important concessions from the Damascus regime, such as the withdrawal of heavy weapons from cities.
The Arab League voted Saturday to suspend Syria in four days and warned the regime could face sanctions if it does not end its bloody crackdown against anti-government protesters. The decision was a symbolic blow to a nation that prides itself on being a powerhouse of Arab nationalism.
