Syria is in the news. But not enough says Professor Bill Harris.
After his introduction to the Middle East, Bill comes back to provide us with Syria 101.
- What is going on? (long story but Bill walks us through it, short story: at least 100,000 dead)
- Can we just wait for this to play out? (no)
- What will it take for the West to notice and what could they do about it? (don’t know for the first, provide air-cover in the North)
- Who are the main players? (long list with complicated relationships)
- What is the role of external parties? (Iran, Hezbollah, Russia, US, France, Saudi Arabia all implicated)
- What will happen next? (don’t know how strong the regime forces are nor how deluded the regime is)
- Is there any possibility for an elegant peaceful solution? (Sadly, but emphatically, no).
(Note: this podcast is an extended version of the show that went to air).
Shane’s number of the week:Â 980 heat related death in 2009 in Melbourne (Australian Climate Commission).
Sam’s joined-up-thinking: Sam is thinking about participatory cultures. Upcoming guests on that front include Dr Andy Williamson and Beth Karlin.