Graded IR Class

The main Kurdish political party in Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), say they are obvious allies for Western states as the only force with a proven track record of combating ISIS there. The Kurds are dismissive of the moderate Syrian opposition that has been backed by the West but outgunned by Islamist groups.

Since ISIS overran the Iraqi city of Mosul in June, the PYD has been offered a chance to address both issues in a flurry of contacts with foreign officials, including some from “major powers,” said Khaled Eissa, the PYD’s representative in France. He declined to identify the countries involved, citing diplomatic protocol.

Part of the White House’s plan is to enhance support for moderate Sunni Arab groups, who are fighting against both Assad and ISIS.

The Syrian government has ramped up airstrikes in Raqqa since August after insurgents seized an airbase and other military posts, capturing and executing dozens of soldiers and forcing remaining Syrian troops out of the area.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has previously called for support to fight the militants, but western governments have been hesitant to back a leader that has been accused of routinely carrying out dangerous tactics against militants, including the indiscriminate dropping of barrels packed with explosives that have killed scores of civilians across the country over the past three and a half years.

The ball was set rolling by Ryan Crocker, the whiz diplomat who made his reputation as the US ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan. In an article for the New York Times, he argued that it was “time to consider a future for Syria without Assad’s ouster." His reason? “It is overwhelmingly likely that is what the future will be.” His circular logic found few takers, though notable among them was former NSA and CIA chief Michael Hayden.

Crudely defined, the US has no interests at stake in Syria, and the Obama administration was never enthusiastic about overthrowing Assad.

According to the Daily Beast, the administration is already debating whether to embrace Assad as an ally in a war against terror.

lso sent 3 million people fleeing to neighbouring countries in search of refuge and left a further 6.5 million displaced inside their war-torn homeland.

Aminah is one of an increasing number of Syrian refugees who opt to marry Turkish men. Women's rights groups are worried: "A lot of women agree to these marriages out of sheer desperation. All they think about is how to feed their family, how to make ends meet. These arrangements might seem like the only way out, and men exploit this," says one activist from Gaziantep, who wished to remain anonymous. "At the same time, local women feel helpless and anxious about their own families breaking apart. Women on both sides of the border become victims this way."

Turkish authorities put the number of Syrian refugees in the country at nearly 1 million, a figure projected to rise by the end of the year to 1.4 million.

women and children constitute 75% of refugees in Turkey, with under-18s accounting for 50%. I

The Council has an independent investigation into war crimes by all sides in Syria, where more than 190,000 documented killings have occurred during the conflict that began in March 2011, according to a report by Pillay last month.

searching for new measures that will have more impact than the economic sanctions imposed so far, without risking major damage to their own industries or a military escalation that could spiral out of control.

new package of sanctions targeting Russia’s banking, energy and defense sectors, but expressed skepticism that the measures would force Moscow to reverse course.

provide arms and more intelligence to Ukraine’s beleaguered military.

Hezbollah acknowledged earlier that members of its militia were fighting in Syria alongside the regime leader Bashar Al-Assad which has led to a spill-over of the violence into Lebanon.

Al- Bahra said: "Although the Lebanese government has distanced itself from interfering in the Syrian affairs, this does not mean that the government abandons its responsibility towards the Syrian refugees on its territory."