By Samuel Burke

This week countless leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York are joining in condemnation of Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime.

Yet Assad hangs on to power, thanks to strong support from a handful of nations – among them, Russia, China and Iran.

But Syria is also getting a helping hand from an unlikely source, Iraq.

The U.S. has angrily accused the Iraqis of allowing Syria’s friend, Iran, to fly over their territory with planes full of weapons for Assad's forces.

It's a bitter irony for America, which badly wants Assad out, even as it considers itself Iraq’s patron and best friend.  FULL POST

By Samuel Burke

At this year's U.N. General Assembly, Syria's civil war is top of the agenda.

There has already been a lot of talk about the violence and the climbing death toll, but even the leaders making those speeches are skeptical that any real action will come of it.

Even British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has played an active role in trying to find a solution, tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he doesn’t see one on the horizon.

This week the prime minister of Qatar told Amanpour that he felt there was a “Plan B” in the works for Syria, but Hague doesn’t know anything about that plan.  FULL POST