care at eight pm thanks for watching. syria in collapse western backed rebels have either been routed or on the run saudi supported jihad it's now prevailed in rebel held territory civilian population steroids meanwhile assad remains in power with this military intact what's next for syria. one of the wonderful strong arming allies the polish face i'm sure you know. a pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i roll researcher. is a. hello and welcome to cross talk where all things are considered i'm peter all about syria in collapse western backed rebels have either been routed or on the run saudi has supported jihad it's now. veiled in rebel held territories civilian populations terrorized meanwhile assad remains in power with his military in town what's next for syria. to cross out the war in syria i'm joined by sonny who in london he is a contributor to al-jazeera and the guardian and in new york we cross to jason her he is a writer political commentator and contributor to counterpunch and dissonant voice sorry gentlemen crosstalk rosen effect it means you can jump in

things are considered i'm peter lavelle syria in collapse western backed rebels have either been routed or on the run saudi supported jihad it's now prevailed in rebel held territories civilian populations terrorized meanwhile assad remains in power with his military in taps what's next for syria. to cross off the war in syria i'm joined by sonny in london he is a contributor to al-jazeera and the guardian and in new york we cross to jason hearst. he is a writer political commentator and contributor to counterpoint and dissonant voice sorry gentlemen crosstalk roles in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want so me if i go to you first in london it looks like the western backed forces there rebels are basically dissipated they're on the run and the united states is talking about talking about dealing now with the national islamic front that's in syria right now i mean what do you think of that before. i mean i think it's dangerous because we don't really know who the rebels are and i also think that it's not clear exactly where where the peace talks will go you know i m

united nations is warning syria has become the most dangerous crisis for global peace and security since world war ii. we will go to the syria-turkish border to speak with doctors without borders and talk to foreign correspondent patrick cockburn. his latest piece is headlined, "starving in syria: the biggest emergency in the u.n.'s history." then the american studies association, an organization of close to 5000 professors, votes to to want to boycott israeli universities. we will host a debate. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. up to 500 people have been killed and 800 wounded in fighting between rival soldiers in south sudan. the violence followed with the south sudanese government called a foiled coup attempt against president salva kiir. thousands of people have taken touge in u.n. facilities escape the fighting. six u.s. troops have died in an air craft hash -- aircraft crash in afghanistan. it was the deadliest incident for american forces in afghanistan this year. the military says the crash

of middle eastern policy yes but they mean syria if you like it or not it's still a sovereign state and it has a internationally recognized government so it is making them equal and is. under international law and doesn't make a whole lot of sense jason if i can go to you in new york come back to you jason if i go to you in new york the u.s. state department is considering dealing with the islamic front to meet certain particularly people that have much well let's say western values no but i think what we've seen is the ruse that the free syrian army is the epicenter of political opposition to the saddam regime has been exposed so the united states and france and britain are in a trouble spot and i think they are looking for practical solutions here i mean the they basically were withdrew their support from the free syrian army not completely but to a degree when the. basically ransacked the free syrian army headquarters. close to the border of turkey and that was kind of a statement that really the free syrian army and the syrian national coalition are not powerful they're not take

fishing is taking the bread out of our mouths. the potential obstacles to peace talks on syria and why nato holds military drills as seemingly. foreign minister sergei lavrov visits altie studio i'm sure as his thoughts. about the time kills fourteen people endangers over one hundred at a security building in northern agent the government spokesperson blames the muslim brotherhood a brand to get a terrorist group. on the us a personal diplomacy in south sudan as a raging battles between all the functions threaten to shut up american farms out of oil. this is all seem to national coming to live from moscow hello and welcome to the program. russia's top diplomat says serious humanitarian crisis is being used as a tool to disrupt negotiations on ending the civil war that. spoke exclusively to c and he was among those who interviewed the foreign minister and joins me now live back how they you were what did the foreign minister have to say well we spoke for around an hour and touched upon a lots of issues but with the recent diplomatic breakthroughs that took place this year with the i

legacy as far as chemical weapons are concerned especially in syria where with his bold dire proliferation on prohibition over the space of a few months well to discuss based on knowledge joined by our math isn't due director general of the organisation for the politician of chemical weapons mr ism just thank you very much for taking part in the program. thank you very much separator now you call two thousand and thirteen a truly historical here i hear that so at the office the w. embark on probably the biggest challenge in its history trying to eliminate syria's chemical weapons in the midst of an active war but i wonder how much progress has been achieved so far. the progress has been cost says it will. several categories of chemical weapons have already been destroyed and chemical weapons production facilities have been rendered to unusable you know very short time all chemical weapons were identified and prepared for transportation to outside syria so now we are entering into a new phase but so far the progress has been very significant and now despite these successes tha

conference happens fighting terrorism should be the top priority this is the biggest threat for syria and other countries in the region at the moment. of course there will be other issues on the agenda is will including humanitarian issues is. the coordination of the political approach elections is. the best way to arrange the elections necessary institutions for the transition period but all of this should be based on the consensus between the government and the opposition as reflected the unique community kids up today after the first geneva conference. and i really hope in this respect that our western partners and our partners in the region. who have. influence on the opposition the most will do all the can to make sure that the opposition. will be well represented at this conference. and that they come to this conference without any conditions without any preliminary conditions. which is very central idea of this russia u.s. initiative is to bring the two parties together without any preliminary conditions to work out a way to implement. the principles of the genuine community ki

settlement in syria was so this breakthrough if it was indeed a breakthrough was the result of russia's long term afterwards and patience when the arab spring began russia was said to be on the wrong side of history to have lost the arab world and the middle east unfortunately at the time our western partners and some of our partners in the region by the way weren't looking for solutions that would help stabilize the situation and help the nations in the region to implement their right to a better life instead they opted for information warfare tactics i'm just stating the facts that's what was happening at the time then up until the beginning of this year but i admit that in the end western partners have come to important and wise decisions so the breakthrough was the result of profound groundwork and a second reservation about using the word breakthrough has to do with the future decisions regarding syria and iran far from being fully implemented as for destroying syria's chemical stockpiles everything is going according to plan with minor deviations concerning the timeframe of the in

question and then we will go to all of you for your questions. how does syria figure into all of this? who would like to talk about that? >> certainly it's a complication because it's going to be an additional fact there in the course of the next few months. namely is it going to be to rein which will have to be engage in some sort of forcible solution in which case a collision with iran on a limited scale is more like lee orza going to be something under the international umbrella that is now -- we would be able to achieve and therefore calmed down that access that otherwise could be inflammatory to the relationship involves? >> the your question really is a reminder that is often forgotten about some members of congress. we actually have independent interest in this region for many of our allies or enemies that we approach this region and different way. we are ending a decade in which post-9/11 we decided we would try to deal with this region directly with boots on the ground and that has proven extremely costly. we know the whole story yet we still have an interest even more t

and thirteen will leave a mixed legacy of parts chemical weapons are concerned especially in syria where it's witness both that proliferation and probation all within the space opera for me among well to discuss based on knowledge joined by aftermath of them do director general of the organisation one of politician of chemical weapons mr isn't just thank you very much for taking part in the program. thank you very much separator now you call two thousand and thirteen a truly historic cohere i hear that so at the office the w. embark on probably the biggest challenge in its history trying to eliminate syria's chemical weapons in the midst of an active war but i wonder how much progress has been achieved so far. the progress has been cost says it will. several categories of chemical weapons have already been destroyed and chemical weapons production facilities have been rendered unusable you know very short time all chemical weapons were identified and prepared for transportation outside syria so now we are entering into a new face but so far the progress has been very significant no

agents the most hazardous missed materials which were supposed supposed to be removed from syria by the end of this year that deadline is going to be missed i wonder whose responsibility do you think that is. actually for me the deadline is off destruction elimination of first syrian chemical weapons is at the end of june two thousand and fourteen and there have been each immediately that lies or timelines which have been very ambitious and one of them as you said was the transportation of a category one prior to our chemical weapons outside of syria by the end of the year which will not happen there were several reasons for that technical mostly. weather conditions. disrupt the transportation of necessary lodges six equipment and metro you russian federation as well as others of the other coast prosser of the process of the united states and the united nations have been very active in the past weeks in delivering the necessary equipment for transportation and now most of the equipment are made a little and we expect to see you know authorities take action soon so i wouldn't blame a

syria to bring up to speed also headlining a fresh immigration initiative in the united kingdom is slammed as ethnic profiling by the united nations who fear it could trigger a sweeping crackdown on workers and asylum seekers who are there legally. may freeze alec celebrates its nuclear program if washington introduces new sanctions something that could undermine the new historic geneva agreement seen as a key breakthrough twenty four. and legal cases brought against russia's former all togged a cult skeered to be reviewed moved by the country's highest court could lead to previous sentences being overturned. kevin oh it is just past eight pm here in moscow our top story tonight hellfire missiles drones and fighter jets the iraqi military is about to get an upgrade from the united states that lethal aid is meant to help baghdad fight al qaeda linked groups are gaining territory both in iraq and in syria to. reports. the iraqi prime minister asked for help because al qaeda is not just active in iraq but it's gaining territory to an extent that they're talking about in the islamic st

states interest in syria and iran. we will hear from mike rogers, chris vanholland and former advisor for the foreign committee. >> mr. chairman, thank you. the theme of the conference is has led to the passage of resolution 2118 about the destruction of chemical weapons in syria. do you consider this a positive sign about russia's role in the middle east? >> i think it is a positive sign if you take it for what it is and where russia wants to go. russia has at the head of their agenda, the only security and policy interests. if is good for russia they will be at the table. that is a double edge sword. it can be a great way to solve strife problems across the middle east. but b we need to be cautious of setting the table so any agreement or plan with the russians protect our interest in the renaling -- region as well -- we got chemical weapons off, but the russians cleaned up and we alientaated our allies. >> let's continue the conversation on syria. you were a sponsor of the syria act to provide arms and support to the syrian rebels. this takes in the threatened united states attack that

on chemical weapons with syria in context. i remember when we spoke back in the spring, you were cautious about what you called the unintended consequences of the u.s. support for arming the syrian rebels. is this u.s.-russia deal a blueprint for dealing with nonproliferation and conflict resolution in syria? >> first of all, let me thank me, all theng organizers for putting this together. needswer the question, we to look at how the whole situation evil with respect -- evolved with our respect to chemical weapons in syria, and how it unfolded. number one, as you indicated, the united states and the international community have, ever since world war i, said that chemical weapons as weapons of mass destruction are particularly heinous forms of warfare, and numerous international conventions to prohibit their use. i believe it was absolutely appropriate for the president to draw a line on the use of chemical weapons in syria. lots of terrible weapons used in syria, but the international community has recognized that that line is one that we want to prohibit from being crossed. i th

play. and power signal a rethink in their support for syria's rebel movement apparently acknowledging that the fall of assad could boost extremists such as those implicated in a recent massacre outside damascus got live comment on that coming up this hour. a new year approaching and a new start for thousands of russian prisoners who will be freed under a game changing amnesty law that has just passed parliament is good news than for the punk protest band pussy riot as well as the greenpeace activists the rest of did not arctic drilling protests. and ukraine's multi-billion dollar deals with russia draw cries of treason from kiev is the most radical opposition leader who accuses president got a code which of porn in national assets for a chance to fix the budget. we're going to bring for me kevin and if you just joined this it's the live from r.t. h.q. in moscow just after nine pm here now our top story this neither a killer nor a terrorist but an online activist of alleged hacking but yet these being held in conditions worse than those of mass murderers one of the founde

destabilizing all of the surrounding areas of israel this includes syria lebanon jordan iraq and even egypt and saudi arabia and this long term goal is part of the greater israel project so in terms of the sectarian divide you see happening in iraq today it's actually all part of a very well designed plan to try and secure the goal this fantasy goal of the greater israel project ok why would israel benefits from an unstable middle east and stable arab nations because what we see that this instability actually is followed by a fundamental islam. and people who are lonely or if there are either they're replaced by fundamentalist powers or there's just more sectarian violence that grows yes and it would seem on the surface from a sane point of view that everything is going wrong but in fact when you fracture a country along sectarian divide divide ultimately we can the country the last thing that israel or the united states wants is a strong master type leader an arab nationalist who will seriously ensure that the resources of that country or are taken and protected and used for the benefit of the

? will he attend the syria talks in generva to add more than two years of killing and destruction? what is behind iran's overtures to the west? you will find out as iran's prime minister talks to al jazeera. thank you very much indeed for talking to al jazeera. iran's nuclear program is an issue. many people in this part of the world say this is a red line. the iranians should not acquire nuclear weapons because this is going just to make this an explosive situation in this part of the world. >> we share that view with them. iran does not seek nuclear weapons. we do not believe that nuclear weapons will increase our security. in fact, we believe even the perception that iran is seeking nuclear weapons is destructive of our security, detramal to security. we are against nuclear weapons based on religious doctorine, based upon strategic consideration, based upon ethical considerations and based on political considerations. for us, nuclear weapons have no place whatsoever in our defense doctorine. i believe all of us in this region need to unite against a nuclear program that has bee

wide area and one retired general told al jazeera that all the leaders of the march 14th anti-syria group were due to be in the area for a meeting when the bomb went off. >> we were waiting for very important target and go to the meeting. but when you talk about terrorism, security can minimize the damage and it can release the operations but cannot stop. >> reporter: one academic describes what kind of man mohamed shutter can be. >> a very ideological man who was one over the faces of the march 14 movement and the group. >> reporter: his killing comes as he was preparing for meetings in january of the tribunal looking at the 2005 assassination of the former prime minister. a prominent economist and diplomate he was the ambassador to washington in the late 1990s, but it's his closeness to start now which may have cost him his life. dominick cain, al jazeera. >> reporter: and our correspondent joins us from beirut, she is at the scene of the blast. and if i can first get you to begin by describing the scene there and what happened. >> okay, we are here in downtown beirut. as you can

syriasts with respect to and to the assad regime. we want to make sure that whatever happens in syria that we do not have an al qaeda like situation. you have an influx of foreign so you have a toxic of theseria now extreme elements. >> are you hopeful for the geneva process in syria? do see the russian collaboration as a step in the right direction in trying to bring the parties together to end of the war? >> i think most people recognize the only solution to the challenge in syria is through some kind of negotiated settlement. to the extent that we are trying to get people around the table to negotiate a settlement, that would be an important step. people recognize the challenges are huge in being able to bring people together and reach a settlement. believe this is another -u.s.le where russian cooperation could bear for. ars on one common interest. to see a transition away from a regime that does not create a vacuum that brings in what is an even worst-case scenario, which is allowing syria to become a base of operations for some of these extremist groups that are exploiting the s

. religious officials played for action to protect syria's christians where a group of nuns is still being held by rebel forces and. there's no doubt where the united states stands on this. america weighs in on ukraine's ongoing crisis supporting the opposition this protest is give president. an ultimatum. i. start shooting. party looks ukraine's hardline nationalist groups and the claims they are hijacking the country's pro e.u. demonstrations. and i welcome you watching r.t. international with me andrey farm. now sweden's been helping america's n.s.a. to spy on russian leaders and provided washington with a list of high profile targets swedish state t.v. site documents leaked by whistleblower edward snowden the program which revealed the claims is called mission investigate and its chief editor joins us live now on r.t. thank you very much for being with us this evening that this is a juicy story isn't it in a nutshell what your program find at. well we have revealed that. very close relationship between the swedish defense radio authority air ferry and their american counterpart n.s.a.

including even european countries the us the russian federation's a lot of militants fight in syria to set up a caliphate here and not just in syria in this entire region so this is. attempts to in impose democracy from outside this destabilize is the situation and produces new threats nur risks. so. and on the contrary stability any chances and democratic process season makes them more effective so i have no doubt that the conference which will probably take place on january twenty second i really hope that nobody will contest it. and i hope that the opposition will not make any unreasonable demands to disrupt this conference i think when this conference happens fighting terrorism it should be the top priority this is the biggest threat for syria and other countries in the region at the moment. of course there will be other issues on the agenda is will including humanitarian issues is. the coordination of the political approach elections. the best way to arrange the elections the necessary institutions for the transition period but all of this should be based on the consensus between the

over western dealings with iran disappointed that obama didn't bomb syria and determined to export its radical form of islam and one of its only real friends in the region is israel given all of this can the house of saud afford what it calls an independent foreign policy. to cross talk saudi arabia i'm joined by my guest brian becker in washington he is the national coordinator of the answer coalition and in nashville we cross to mark levine he is a senior fellow with the truman national security project and a radio show host or a gentleman cross talk rolls in fact that you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it brian is it time for washington to tell saudi arabia to pound sand. well i think it's been long established that the u.s. government considers the saudi government to be an indispensable ally not its only ally and perhaps now not its principal ally but certainly an important one ronald reagan made it clear more than thirty years ago that there would be quote no revolution in saudi arabia because the us was just absolutely determined to keep the absoluten

to see in the context of this discussion about iran more attention paid to syria. i know i've become this sort of bore who is talking about syria. but i would like to see any work with iran based on action with iran in terms of reign ink the president who virtually single-handedly financially and militarily supporting. it's essential to see iran play more active role in facilitating some type of a peace agreement in syria. >> i agree. i agree with you but it's a lovely fantasy. obama administration has two agreements with the regimes in the middle east, syria to get rid of the chemical weapons and iran to begin negotiating on the nuclear side. doesn't seem to be any interest on obama administration to open other files. auto ran is the major state sponsored terror in the world. and there's not an interest in discussing that. and there doesn't seem to be much interest in discuss syria. >> i don't think as a result the administration has reputation in the middle east for having a complete lack of consistency and its policy while they have been good at sort of spying opportunities and zo

news america." reporting from washington, i'm katty kay. the u.k. governments accuses syria of murdering this british doctor who was on a mission of delivering humanitarian aid. his family asked to the bbc. distraught. we were in shock. we were expecting him home on friday. >> vladimir putin offers a lifeline to cash strapped ukraine. and reaching out to relatives online is nothing new, but were these children it is providing a connection to a father who is behind bars. welcome to "bbc world news america." a british doctor imprisoned in syria for more than a year has in effect been murdered by the assad regime. that is the charge by the u.k. government tonight. he went to syria on a humanitarian mission to help victims of the war. now he has died in prison there. a british official says that his death was at best "extremely suspicious." the syrian government claims that he committed suicide. >> yes, three days ago here in damascus, a senior government official told us that the doctor would be freed within days. this was a gesture that has been described as a goodwill gesture to

other equipment are rebels in northern syria. after the islamic militants in stealing here. washington says the queensland scientists and ukraine over the crackdown on protesters demonstrate their son now in week four of their occupation of the ads. sinclair angry over the government's rejection of the ctu trade pact. another blow for gay rights the high courts in australia writes down a man aged nation's capital territory one day after ordination he aptly states that colonial era ban on sentence. he was to foster cat thanks for turning us for st is our britain and the us say they both are suspending not in the way to syria after his mom as opposition groups seized control of bases from the main western backed rebel groups oppose the us and the uk say they are investigating the incident. see they won't restart supply and to think about what happens. disasters since the beginning of the syrian conflict in western countries to come under pressure from your position to supply them with daddy. brett oakley says that they needed help to defend themselves against china has on me. the one he

, what are your specifically? general dempsey, on sera, and positionabout syria's is right now. -- how do you see the future of the modern mission? >> on my conversation with the general this morning, as you know, i spoke to him about 30 times since july. developments, the charges against morsi, which we discussed. i am not going to get down into -- their judiciary and analysis of the charges, but what i said was, it is what i have been consistently saying, is that every time one of the developments occurs, the world sees that. we see it. we in the united states, most of the world wants a stable, secure, free, the credit egypt. most countries want to help them get there. when these kinds of development occur, that sets back the effort. fact they are going to continue to make progress on their democratic road map, as they have who forward on a restitution will reform texts, that they are putting that where referendum to the people revote ash by the way, he said a will welcome international observers into the country to observe the elections, observe the polling places, observe everythin

of the surrounding areas of israel this includes syria lebanon on jordan iraq and even egypt and saudi arabia and this long term goal is part of the greater israel project so in terms of the sectarian divide you see happening in iraq today it's actually all part of a very well designed plan to try and secure the goal this fantasy goal of the greater israel project ok why would israel benefits from an unstable middle east and stable arab nations because what we see that this instability actually is followed by fundamental islam and people who are only. there are either they're replaced by fundamentalist powers or there's just more sectarian violence to gross. yes and it would seem on the surface from a sane point of view that everything is going wrong but in fact when you fracture a country along sectarian divide divide ultimately you weaken the country but the last thing that israel or the united states wants is a strong master type leader an arab nationalist who will seriously ensure that the resources of that country or are taken and protected and used for the benefit of the pe

counterterrorism corporation is strong on some levels, but worrisome when you talk about syria and other things. we could talk for the whole session about this. the relationship is quite strong. another sizable anti-take ezell delivered from -- iran, why they have been stating publicly their concerns, you ask them if they accept the agreement, strip away the rhetoric and you'll see there is a pragmatism that is there. syria is a big divide. egypt, again, syria's different. which is where i will close. despite the tensions, there is common interest. divergence of values. we need to talk about its. if i have advice for this current administration, what i hear a lot is that there is nobody they perceive inside the obama white house as their go to parson. somebody they can talk to. not because we love them and share their values, in terms of effectively advancing policy interests. that would be one recommendation. they want somebody they can talk to and listen to. their public statements are reflection of their own frustration with the advancement of their goals. i would submit user that is not a b

at u.s. interests in syria and iran. after that, house democrats review the possibility of extending long-term benefits. then the house education subcommittee on pell grants and college affordability. >> in a survey of major newspapers made in 19 nine -- 1909, the kansas city star was all0 more in favor over the other0 metropolitan newspapers in the united states kind. -- combined. not want this to you a lot of literary essay. i want to get things done. nelson followed up his strictures on past performance with an editorial that rejected the notion that roosevelt was a man on horseback. he is a builder recalled to his works. after his arrival from africa, there were even clubs formed back like napoleon. >> the impact of william rockefeller nelson on the progressive movement in the campaign to win back the white house. later today on c-span3's american history television. >> there are tables out in front with pamphlets prior to entering the gun show. they are all how the government is trying to move away. the government is doing this and obama is doing that. those are the gu

help. how to reach the millions of people forced from their homes, but still inside syria. >> we are not doing, as an international community what we should do for all of the people trapped in this horrific weather, inside syria. >> reporter: the u.n. will work with ngos and others to help reach people inside syria. most recently camishly in northeast syria. so remote aid agencies had trouble driving in convoys. now shipments will be flown in from iraq. both the syrian government and aid agencies are accused of block humanitarian assistance even simple stoves that can keep people from freezing to death. >> the big message is let the humanitarians us do our work to get to millions in a desperate situation. inside syria i can see the snow clad mountains in there. people are going to die from the freezing cold there. >> and civilians are still dying in government attacks. the latest in the city of aleppo aleppo. >> we have not rested since morning. more than ten different areas of aleppo came under bombardment. as you can see this is the only equipment the civil defense team has. we don

, welcome, everyone, to today's panel own private gulf donors and extremist rebels in syria. i direct the brookings project on u.s. relations with the islamic world. i'll be moderating today's panel. to the left is elizabeth dickinson, a gulf correspondent becaused, author of the new brookings paper: playing with fire: why rebels risk igniting conflict at home," and to her left is kris tin, an assistant professor forever comparative and regional studies at the american universities school of international service. she's also a nonresident fellow, senior fellow, at the atlantic council career center. to her leaf, tom keeting, a formal managing director for jpmorgan and scholar of terror threat financing. beth, i want to start with you. when i began to look at this issue back in 2012, i didn't start looking at foreign financing for extremist groups in syria. i was mainly focused on the groups in syria, particularly one of the larger groups, and they are one of the more vocal groups op line. they put a lot of material out on facebook and on twitter, and i noticed several times they would

on the russian leadership also. of the christian community in syria. religious officials played for action to protect syria's christians where a group of nuns is still being held by rebel forces plus. there should be no doubt where the united states stands on all of this. america weighs in on ukraine's ongoing crisis supporting the opposition as protesters give president . old some item. and r.t. look to ukraine's hardline nationalist groups and make claims that they're hijacking the country's pro a huge demonstrations. and i welcome you watching r.t. international coming to you live from moscow. now sweden's been helping america's n.s.a. to spy on russian leaders and provided washington with a list of high profile targets swedish state t.v. site documents leaked by whistleblower edward snowden let's go live now to our tease peter oliver he was got more details for sir peter what exactly is emerging here. well these latest leaked documents look into the swedish national defense radio establishment that's known as the the f r a that monitors communications in the swedish intelligence

there but compared to syria where hundreds of thousands of being massacred by iran and hezbollah and the syrian government and al-qaeda moving in and iraq in libya in tunisia yes saudi arabia is that beacon of stability compared to all the other in stable places there ok brian if i go back to you but i mean. syria is unstable because of saudi arabia and it's exporting its jihad oh yes other oil that is so well documented none of the money go to brian but it's so well documented right now and it's one of the reasons why i'm doing this program is because the u.s. is supporting people that are against his own national interest brian first and we'll go to mark go ahead ron. you know mark's comments are are somewhat laughable i would say remember when jimmy carter stood next to the shah of iran in one nine hundred seventy seven and said shah you are an island of stability in a sea of turmoil and the u.s. premised its foreign policy based on being connected to join with the shah a time that was two years before the government was overthrown by a popular people's revolution of course saudi

will call his friend and say, we need to do this to support our brothers in syria. much more quieter. it is notable that a number of the most prominent businessmen in kuwait who are shia also have very significant foreign investment in syria. they have both a personal stake and a business date and the maintenance of the status quo. this goes a long way to explaining at least some of the cash flows that i believe are moving. this funding, at least what i have so far sort of tapped into, like the sunni side, and i want to stress this, is equally sectarian in nature in its rhetoric. i do not see an angel here. both sides are employing rhetoric that is truly despicable and it is demeaning to other people who live in their own countries. >> right, and that is the final question i want as before i turn to kristin. what risk is there to gulf societies and particularly to kuwait of allowing this kind of sectarian activism -- even though it is being aimed abroad what risk is there? >> i think it is a great risk. it would be naÏve to think that people are so actively involved in can really be

. you'll hear about how money so licited -- solicited and channeled into syria. this runs about 90 minutes. >> all right, welcome, everyone, to today's panelbe on private gulf donors and extremist rebels in syria. i'm william mccaptains, i direct the -- mccants. i'll be moderating today's panel. to my left is elizabeth dickenson who's a gulf correspondent for the national newspaper based in abu abu dhab. she's the author of the new brookings paper, "playing with fire: why private gulf financing for syria's extremist rebels risks igniting sectarian conflict at home." to her left is kristin diwan chos an assistant professor at the american university school of international service. she's also a nonresident fellow, senior fellow at the atlantic council's hariri center. and to her left is tom ceeting who's a former managing direct director for jpmorgan and an i tin rant scholar of counterfinancing. beth, i want to start with you. when i began to look at this issue back in 2012, i didn't start looking at foreign financing for extremist groups in syria, i was mainly focused on the group

over into lebanon from the civil war in neighboring syria. and the british economy could limp past a sluggish germany within the next two decades a new forecast but for those who are not part of the affluent elite there is little cause to celebrate. and the a k for a k forty seven creator mikhail kalashnikov is being seen off in style as his funeral gets under way with all the pomp and circumstance of the man to put his stamp on global war fare. the certainly international coming to live from moscow i'm marina joshing. it's been almost three years and there's still no an inside for the war in syria which has escalated way beyond conventional standoff between rebel forces and the government the year two thousand and thirteen has brought more trial and trauma for the people of the country and more obstacles for the global players trying to broker a solution. now a study by had a fan's consultancy earlier this year showed that out of one hundred thousand rebels in syria who are fred matted into multiple gangs more than half are extremist jihadism fact make up around ten percent of the a

terrorism charges that could result in his execution also mccain visited syria back in may where he met with rebels and became the biggest supporter of arming the opposition in the syrian civil war since then that opposition has been routed and far more radical elements of the opposition are exhibit was earning more and more control and initiating violence within the ranks. mccain also met with rebels in libya back in april of two thousand and eleven specifically he met with them in benghazi and we all know what happened there later so it seems like wherever mccain goes the situation deteriorates which doesn't bode well for ukraine and one has to wonder how a senator like john mccain has garnered such respect in the senate when it comes to foreign policy today the united states is nearing a nuclear deal with iran but just a fear you few years ago this was senator mccain solution to the situation in iran and then over the whole beach boys song bomb iran. but anyway. at i think iran is a great threat that the rays are continuing their efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon. mccain was al

countries including in syria as we know now now the direct motive is not different from the previous attacks on moscow on other locations inside russia and i would say it is not so different from attacks that has happened around the world while god a c.b. it's against democracy is against countries that they want to consider as enemies with a tragedy like this when they hit volgograd just days ahead of the new year's celebrations it's no surprise authorities thought it more appropriate to cancel the festivities and to clear the first three days of twenty one teen as a period of mourning in volgograd margaret how well are seeing more. and longer at howell is following events on the scene there and you can also get regular updates on her twitter she says locals in the safe here are struggling to come to terms with the tragedies that while keeping an eye on the investigation for tomography and on twitter for the night just. to be in the. meanwhile russia's president has met with top government officials and ordered security be put on high alert following the bombings are going to cry as

obviously it's not just the wall and the west bank and gaza they're in lebanon or syria actually because it's true poland they're in they're drilling gassed or they're taking somebody else of gas and oil. hello welcome to sophie and co i'm so see shed art not say chemist o'keefe served as a humorist were weaned but after being discharged he was left with only a feeling of the disappointment he burned his password and dedicated himself to a different cause his rich accept his biography includes being a human shield in iraq sailing on again as a flotilla protecting marine life and how why and helping to establish dialogue with iran and he is our guest today. for the kids to rock. his view of the world. ever since he has been fighting a war against more bracing american bombs as human shields really began to blockade . is never afraid to speak truth to power who want to take action for others so i'm here with activist candace o'keefe it's really great to have you on our show ken as i know that you've led a human shield action in iraq right before the war started and then you were de

be told precisely where we are but a moment. syria an international chemical x. birds converge in moscow to discuss how damascus can get its toxic arsenal out of the country a condition that prevented an american strike in the war torn state. saudi blogger and activist faces execution for rejecting islam after already being sentenced to seventy years in prison and six hundred lashes we talked to human rights campaigner about his case. and the british economy could the one pass a sluggish jurors like germany within the next two decades say new forecast but for those who are not part of the affluent to leave there is little cause to celebrate . in the russian capital which international with me marina joshing now it's been almost three years and there are still no an inside for the war in syria which has escalated away beyond the conventional standoff between rebel forces and the government the year two thousand and thirteen has brought more trial and trauma for the people of the country and more obstacles for the global players trying to broker a solution. a study by had defense co

strip away all the rhetoric you will see a pragmatism that is there. syria, they divide. i hope we talk about that. egypt again, serious differences, that can be navigated, which is where i'll close. despite the tensions, this, nature is. divergence of values, which i agree with elliot here. if i had one advice for this current administration, what i hear quite a lot in the region and our friends in saudi arabia and gcc is there is nobody papers even say the obama white house or the administration of their go to person, somebody they can talk to. again, not because we love them and share values, but effectively encina policy interest would be one recommendation that they want somebody they can talk to and listen to. unlike their publics they been a reflection of their own frustration with the effectiveness of their daddy g. but also common sense that the u.s. doesn't like us anymore. i will submit to you that is not a bad name for u.s. policy. maybe potential for leverage this exercise in some sort of way. again, going back to the broader point i don't think we know what we want wr

know everywhere, including syria, trying to support a rogue government there as a puppet state maybe for iran. mr. rouhani is a smooth talker in my opinion. different than ahmadinejad who was a flame thrower with his but seems to hang his own people and we continue to talk about and han been resolved, mek, dissident group, five attacks on them. no one has been brought to justice in the iraqi government and the criminals haven't been brought to justice. the latest one -- excuse my partner here. when they were attacked december 1st, the murders occurred in ir iraq. fifty people were murdered, many while wounded, tracked down and murdered. i believe iran was behind this attack. of course no one has been held accountable, not iran, iraquis, not the criminals themselves. there are some other examples. my question is this, big picture. as the supreme leader changed his position that iran wants to eliminate israel and iran wants to eliminate the united states? >> congressman, let me begin by saying i agree with each of the concerns you've expressed. there is no question but that the icbm mi

sight for the war in syria which has escalated way beyond the conventional standoff between rebel forces and the government the year two thousand and thirteen has brought more trial and trauma for the people of the country and more obstacles for the global players trying to broker a solution. a study by a defense consultancy earlier this year showed that out of one hundred thousand rebels in syria who are fed manage into multiple gangs more than half are extremist jihadism fact make up around ten percent of the armed opposition while more than a third are sought to be islamic hardliners the rest are more moderate but their voices are being creasing we drowned out by the radicals are. was in the midst of the war on the christian town of mali which suffered a deadly assault from al qaeda linked radicals. but. the mood is cheerful soldiers are smiling and relieved the jihadists have been booted out. but some of them were killed some of them escaped the locals joined the army to defend the native town the soldiers in light colored uniforms of the so-called national defense but the ter