A genuine insider, retired Syrian General Akil Hashem, tells us about the strength of Assad's army.
A documentary tracing the transformation of a son of Saudi privilege into the world's most wanted terrorist. WATCH ONLINE
Part 1: Syria peace plan on life support The U.K.'s ambassador to the U.N. tells Christiane Amanpour that the Annan peace plan is on life support in Syria. Part 2: The spread of Misinformation online Google's executive chairman discusses the spread of misinformation online in modern warfare. Part 3: Eric Schmidt Google's executive chairman discusses the spread of misinformation online in modern warfare.
The U.K.'s ambassador to the U.N. tells Christiane Amanpour that the Annan peace plan is on life support in Syria.
Google's executive chairman discusses the spread of misinformation online in modern warfare.
A misused image shows the rush to tell the story makes it harder to tell the truth.
Episode #32: Thursday, May 30, 2012
By Lucky Gold
(CNN) – The massacre in Houla has been perceived by some as “the tipping point” in Syria – an atrocity so horrific that it will surely lead to the end of the Assad regime. But Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power and the opposition rebels are asking the world to declare the peace initiative of international envoy Kofi Annan officially dead.
Britain’s U.N. Ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant, isn’t prepared to pull the plug: “Clearly it is on life support but it isn’t dead, yet.”
Appearing Thursday on Amanpour, Ambassador Grant remained committed to the process: “We are directing all our efforts into trying to make it work. But I think to make it work we’re going to need to increase the international pressure on the Syrian regime… so that they begin to comply with the six point plan that Kofi Annan has set out. But it isn’t dead yet.” FULL POST
Former Greek PM Papandreou tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Greece is beign scapgoated.
A look at Obama's increasing use of drone strikes abroad and his secret 'kill list'
Part 1: Papandreou: Greece We are not the problem The former Greek Prime Minister tells Christiane Amanpour that Greece is being scapegoated. Part 2: The Obama you never knew A look at Obama's increasing use of drone strikes abroad and his secret 'kill list'
Episode #31: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
By Lucky Gold
(CNN) - George Papandreou, the former Greek Prime Minister, was indignant: “Many people have been pontificating, and patronizing, and moralizing, and scapegoating, saying you Greeks, you are the problem. I would say we Greeks have a problem. We are not the problem.”
On the Amanpour program, Papandreou fired back at those who believe Greece is a tax-evading drag on the European Union: “If we were the problem, it would be very convenient – kick Greece out, everything’s fine. What would happen to Spain, what about Portugal, what about Italy, what about the whole of the eurozone? We need more cooperation and less simplification and prejudice.”
FULL POST
By Samuel Burke
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the average Greek employee works 2,017 hours per year, more than their counterparts in any other European country. The Dutch, on the other hand, work on average 1,377 hours per year – the least amount in all of Europe. Germans work 1,408 hours a year – the second least amount in Europe. Of course, working more hours doesn’t always equal more productivity. Even if Greeks are working many more hours than Germans, the OECD finds that the Netherlands and Germany are the most productive countries in Europe. After the jump, see the lists of the countries that work least hours, plus a list of the most and least productive countries.
Most hours worked for total employment:
1. Greece
2. Hungary
3. Poland
4. Estonia
5. Turkey
6. Czech Rep
7. Italy
8. Slovakia
9. Portugal
10. Iceland
FULL POST
Part 1: With the U.N.'s ceasefire plan in tatters and international unwilling to intervene, who can stop the violence in Syria? Part 2: Overestimating the Syrian military Former Syrian general Akil Hashem rejects Western claims that Syria's army are well equipped.
With the U.N.'s ceasefire plan in tatters and international unwilling to intervene, who can stop the violence in Syria?
Former Syrian general Akil Hashem rejects Western claims that Syria's army are well equipped.
Episode #30: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
By Mick Krever
(CNN) – Syrian defenses under a western attack would “collapse right away,” a former Syrian general told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Tuesday.
Akil Hashem dismissed as “just excuses” the idea, promoted by Western intervention skeptics, that Syrian air defenses are very sophisticated.
It was an idea articulated by Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, in testimony before the U.S. Congress in March.
“They have approximately five times more sophisticated air defense systems than existed in Libya,” Dempsey said. “All of their air defenses are arrayed on the western border, which is their population center.”
Hashem refuted this.
“They know more than me that this is not the truth,” he said. “It is good to face civilians…but when it face a superior power, it will collapse right away.”
FULL POST
(CNN) - You've heard of CNN, but unless you pay close attention to photo and video credits on news sites, you've probably never heard of the Syrian group SNN.
The Shaam News Network is one of several groups that aggregates photos and videos taken by citizen journalists in Syria and tries to show them to the world.
Most recently, the group came into the news on Friday after it played a role in distributing images from a U.N.-condemned massacre in the village of Houla, which left 108 people dead, including some children who reportedly were axed to death. FULL STORY
Part 1: Harry Belafonte on non-violent resistance The singer and activist on civil rights in history and today. Part 2: Lyndon B. Johnson and Civil Rights CNN's Christiane Amanpour talks to historian Robert Caro about President Johnson. Part 3: Photos of President Lyndon B. Johnson A look at intimate yet forceful photos of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Singer and activist Harry Belafonte on civil rights and non-violence resistance, in history and today.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour talks to historian Robert Caro about President Lyndon B. Johnson.
A look at intimate yet forceful photos of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Episode #29: Monday, May 28, 2012
'Sing Your Song' is film that looks at the singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. He was born in New York and raised in Jamaica, but returned to Harlem in his early teens where he discovered the American Negro Theater and began his life as a performer. Many people know him for his music, but he has also been a champion for human rights. The movie looks at his life in the arts, but also chronicles what it was like to be black singer in a time of Jim Crow laws. The film delves into his involvement in the Civil Rights movement, to which he not only gave his money but also gave his voice. Today, Belafonte is 85 years and remains politically active. You can see more about his film here and read the first pages of his book by clicking here.
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