World News Insights
1-3 Minute Gist
Search, personalize, or simply browse. Follow the world around you from gist and context to insights.
Who we are | Our Credo | Ways of using Lyrarc | FAQ | Send Feedback | First Letter From the Editor
Sign up. It's free and easy to use
Create an account
to personalize your feed of articles and topics.
All Topics Article
Senate Panel Examines Benghazi Attack
Keywords:
U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta describes plans to support forces of the Free Syrian Army during the summer of 2012. The efforts had the backing of key members of the National Security team and Secretary of State Clinton. The plans were rebuffed by president Obama and the election campaign team because of the approaching November 2012 election and the president's hesitation to get involved in the Syrian war. Plans were developed by CIA director Petraeus, supported by General Demsey of the Joint Chiefs, and Leon Panetta. Plans were to vet forces in the Syrian resistance, to provide training and arms. After Petraeus resigned because of an extramarital affair and Clinton had a concussion, these plans were not taken up again. This shows that by summer 2011 the consensus was for supporting Syrian democracy forces in the Obama administration, only to be held back by president Obama. This is likely to be a question for future generations of Americans as they assess the record of the U.S. in the Middle East and the missed opportunity.
The consensus in the Obama administration to support Syria's democracy forces in summer 2011, and the U.S. president's failure to act
08/23/2011
Defense Secretary describes the plans supported by key members of the National Security team to support Syrian democracy forces in the summer of 2011- supported by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Clinton, General Dempsey of the Joint Chiefs, and CIA director Petraeus. The president failed to act because of approaching elections and the general hesitation to act that was displayed since the start of the democracy movement in Tunisia, and then through the movement's spread to Egypt, Libya, followed by Syria. The U.S. failed to grasp an opportunity for the Free World and create goodwill in the Arab world by standing up to its ideals of democracy and freedom.
Grouped Articles
Israel Says Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons
New York Times 04/23/2013
New York Times 04/22/2013
Pentagon Plans for the Worst in Syria
Wall Street Journal 05/07/2013
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Mr. Mubarak and Mr. Obama
11/27/2010
The U.S. President visited Cairo and made a speech to students at the university there. The hopes he created there among young people have been quashed by the policies of the Obama administration. These policies have failed to vigorously support long delayed democratic processes in Egypt, and create a credibility gap for America in the Middle East.
Grouped Articles
Egypt erupts as security forces attack Morsi supporters - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/15/2013
U.S. Officials Fear Losing an Eager Ally in the Egyptian Military
New York Times 08/16/2013
How American Hopes for a Deal in Egypt Were Undercut
New York Times 08/17/2013
The Sissi regime continues Egypt’s repressive descent - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/19/2015
Mr. Kerry needs to speak the truth in Egypt - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/19/2015
The Sissi regime continues Egypt’s repressive descent - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/19/2015
American policy and one party rule in Arab and Middle Eastern countries
07/23/2009
In one of the ironies of recent times the Obama policy of engagement with the Arab and Middle Eastern countries leads to a tacit acceptance of one party rule and suppression of democratic freedoms in the Arab world.
Grouped Articles
New York Times 11/19/2014
Wall Street Journal 09/25/2015
Hillary Clinton Echoes the Bush Doctrine
Wall Street Journal 01/19/2011
New York Times 01/18/2011
The Arab world: Waking from its sleep
Economist 07/23/2009
Tunisia's revolution in the Arab press: What the Arab papers say
Economist 01/17/2011
How the Muslim world sees America, early in the Obama administration.
01/05/2009
Not much has changed, and in Pakistan it has become more unfavorable after Obama speeches in Cairo and Ankara. The Islamic world and the Middle East has not changed much and some experts say the Arabs see Obama as more rhetoric than substance.
Grouped Articles
âBeyond War,â by David Rohde
New York Times 05/03/2013
U.S. must suspend aid after Egypt’s coup - The Washington Post
Washington Post 07/05/2013
Rice Offers a More Modest Strategy for Mideast
New York Times 10/26/2013
Fouad Ajami: When the Obama Magic Died
Wall Street Journal 11/15/2013
Leaving U.S. Allies Adrift as Chaos Rises
Wall Street Journal 08/01/2014
The Arabs Have Stopped Applauding Obama
Wall Street Journal 11/29/2009
Turkey's new role under President Obama's vision for the Middle East in 2009-2012
05/26/2005
How Turkey comes to be seen as a strong secular democracy and a friendly Muslim country that the US will engage with on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. And how it sets the stage for a new vision for America's relations with the region that stretches from Iran and Iraq to Turkey and onto the South Asian subcontinent.
Grouped Articles
âBeyond War,â by David Rohde
New York Times 05/03/2013
In Risky Deal, Ankara Seeks Security, Trade
Wall Street Journal 05/18/2010
Turkey and Iran Signal a Softening of Differences Over Syria
New York Times 11/01/2013
Wall Street Journal 04/07/2009
Washington Post 11/01/2014
Why this teenager is a threat to Erdogan - The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/27/2014
An account of the events for the democracy protests and struggle for freedom in Syria
04/27/2011
Grouped Articles
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Syrian Refugees in Jordan Struggle to Survive
New York Times 05/08/2013
The Economic Blunders Behind the Arab Revolutions
Wall Street Journal 07/12/2013
Want to Defeat ISIS? Help the Syrian Opposition
Wall Street Journal 08/14/2014
The long war against Islamist extremism has become more complicated than ever - The Washington Post
Washington Post 11/18/2015
The Syrian refugee crisis
11/14/2012
Grouped Articles
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Syrian Refugees in Jordan Struggle to Survive
New York Times 05/08/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Middle East Strains Under the Weight of Syria's Two Million Refugees
Wall Street Journal 09/03/2013
Syria Seen as Most Dire Refugee Crisis in a Generation
New York Times 11/23/2013
Buried in foreign soil | The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/16/2013
Syria and the failure to provide military aid to the Free Syrian Army
10/05/2012
Grouped Articles
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Want to Defeat ISIS? Help the Syrian Opposition
Wall Street Journal 08/14/2014
U.S. to Give Some Syria Rebels Ability to Call Airstrikes
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
Citing U.S. Fears, Arab Allies Limit Aid to Syrian Rebels
New York Times 10/06/2012
The National Syrian Coaltion as representative of the Syrian people
11/14/2012
Grouped Articles
France Recognizes Syrian Opposition Coalition
Wall Street Journal 11/14/2012
Britain Recognizes Syria Opposition Coalition
New York Times 11/20/2012
Syrian Rebels Win Broader Support
Wall Street Journal 12/13/2012
Senate Panel Examines Benghazi Attack
New York Times 02/07/2013
Criticism of the Obama administration's hesitant response to the protests in Egypt
01/28/2011
Vice President Biden says "I would not call Mubarak a dictator." President Obama fails to take a clear position in support of democracy, freedom of expression and economic opportunity in Egypt.
Grouped Articles
New York Times 08/14/2013
New York Times 08/25/2013
Rice Offers a More Modest Strategy for Mideast
New York Times 10/26/2013
Leaving U.S. Allies Adrift as Chaos Rises
Wall Street Journal 08/01/2014
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Mubarak
New York Times 01/28/2011
The U.S. needs to break with Mubarak now
Washington Post 01/29/2011
The Democratic Options in Tunisia and Egypt
01/27/2011
Roger Cohen of the New York Times calls the street protestors in Tunisia and Egypt "revolutionary Geeks." They are young, pragmatic, looking mainly to be free of the shackles of despotic regimes and the lack of economic opportunity. The one party rule of the Tunisian ruler, of Mubarak and Quadaffi add up to one hundred years of despotism says Cohen. The failure of President Obama and Hillary Clinton to take a clear stand in support of change and in favor of democracy in the Arab world.
Grouped Articles
Tunisian Islamist Finds Hope in Challenging Time
New York Times 08/03/2013
Second Opposition Leader Assassinated in Tunisia
New York Times 07/25/2013
Tunisian Constitution, Praised for Balance, Nears Passage
New York Times 01/14/2014
Assassination in Tunisia Draws Spouse Into Politics
New York Times 10/25/2014
New York Times 01/27/2011
Egyptian troops let protests proceed as Mubarak names vice president
Washington Post 01/29/2011
An assessment of the Obama administration's policies in the Middle East and the India-Pakistan region
01/01/2011
Grouped Articles
âBeyond War,â by David Rohde
New York Times 05/03/2013
Ex-Envoy Says Misunderstanding Runs on Both Sides of U.S.-Pakistan Ties
New York Times 10/22/2013
Fouad Ajami: When the Obama Magic Died
Wall Street Journal 11/15/2013
Wall Street Journal 09/20/2014
Voters’ Second Thoughts on Hope and Change
New York Times 11/04/2014
New York Times 02/07/2015
The U.S. in world affairs- the lack of a balanced approach from Bush to Obama
01/28/2008
U.S. leadership is needed in different ways, in Europe as it struggles with eurozone debt, in the Middle East and South Asia as it struggles to create opportunities for the fastest growing demographic in Asia, and in the Far East as the aging societies of Japan and China seek to find a way to manage the period following rapid post war growth. In the ultimate irony the U.S. finds itself making itself spending as much time and resources in recent years in a remote central Asian region that has little to do with the rest of the world.
Grouped Articles
âBeyond War,â by David Rohde
New York Times 05/03/2013
Wall Street Journal 06/05/2013
Germans Loved Obama. Now We Donât Trust Him.
New York Times 06/29/2013
As Bush Settles Into Dallas, Golf Tees and Family Time Now Trump Politics
New York Times 11/02/2013
Fouad Ajami: When the Obama Magic Died
Wall Street Journal 11/15/2013
U.S. Beefs Up Military Options for China as Obama Reassures Allies in Asia
Wall Street Journal 04/28/2014
American public opinion on Syria's Assad regime
06/06/2012
Grouped Articles
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
With the World Watching, Syria Amassed Nerve Gas
New York Times 09/07/2013
Wall Street Journal 09/29/2015
Assad's Fall Is In America's Interests
Wall Street Journal 06/06/2012
Spillover effects for Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. from the civil war in Syria- Sept-Nov. 2012 and by 2014
05/21/2011
The Syrian civil war is spilling over into Iraq. Iraq is unable to protect its airspace from being used by Iran to ship supplies to the Assad regime, or to prevent Turkey's warplanes from using Iraqi airspace to attack Kurdish separatists. There is also a danger of a Sunni-Shiite conflict being exacerabated by former Sunni insurgents in Iraq joining up with Sunni refugees from Syria. The Maliki government in Iraq is moving closer to Iran as the Syrian civil war escalates and brings Sunnis together against the Assad regime. Turkey is also seeing the effects of a flow of refugees on its border with Syria. The Obama administration has been slow to respond to the rapidly developing situation as it concentrates on a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq with the lack of agreement on a residual U.S. troop presence. This leaves the U.S. less than the minimum leverage that is needed just as the sectarian divisions are worsening, after years of investing resources in the region. With the EU countries focussed on economic problems, and the Obama administration's lack of active support for the Free Syria movement, the broader involvement of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Russia in the region, the situation is likely to lead to an international crisis without U.S. leadership.
Grouped Articles
New York Times 04/22/2013
Clashes Carry Worries of a New Civil War
New York Times 04/28/2013
âBeyond War,â by David Rohde
New York Times 05/03/2013
Pentagon Plans for the Worst in Syria
Wall Street Journal 05/07/2013
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
The Obama administration slow response to the situation in Syria
08/23/2011
Grouped Articles
Israel Says Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons
New York Times 04/23/2013
New York Times 04/22/2013
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Wall Street Journal 08/23/2011
The escalation of the Syrian conflict with the Assad regime's shelling of Turkey's border town of Akcakale
10/04/2012
Turkey responds on October 4, 2012 with an artillery attack on a Assad regime forward base with help from the Free Syria Army in locating the base which was moved.
Grouped Articles
Arabs Ask U.S. to Lead on Syria
Wall Street Journal 05/09/2013
Turkey’s Erdogan to air policy differences with Obama - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/13/2013
Turkey's Spymaster Plots Own Course on Syria
Wall Street Journal 10/10/2013
In Southern Turkey, Renewed Fears of Sectarian Strife
Wall Street Journal 11/07/2013
Want to Defeat ISIS? Help the Syrian Opposition
Wall Street Journal 08/14/2014
Syrian War Increasingly Colors Turkish Politics
Wall Street Journal 10/28/2014
Obama's second term- (4) the U.S. president's foreign policy failures in Syria and Iraq seen up close by Leon Panetta
02/07/2013
Linked Articles
Former Defense Chief Panetta Criticizes Obama in New Memoir
Wall Street Journal 10/07/2014
Senate Panel Examines Benghazi Attack
New York Times 02/07/2013
We took a different way to help millions around the world build educated informed mindsets that affects and shapes their lives. For a future that is open, global and digital, with everyone having access to high quality information. We believe in the renewal of America, renewal of Europe, the renewal of India, the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The renewal of our supply chains, health, education, infrastructure, as we rebuild our countries after the pandemic. Literacy and knowledge we believe cannot thrive and grow in a world of web bots, web crawlers, or AI. This requires human curiosity, human learning, and human imagination. We take as inspiration the saying- “One has to be free, and as broad as sky. One has to have a mind that is crystal clear, only then can truth shine in it.” Every contribution whether big or small is precious- in this crisis and ahead.
Support Lyrarc from as small as $1
Terms and Conditions | Copyright Policy | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
