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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    The 'Arab Spring' Runs into Heavy Weather

    Syria's deadly crackdown on political protesters has provoked outrage at the UN, the European Union and from some Arab countries as well. International sanctions are not expected to make any difference to the regime of Bashar Assad, who's already killed some 400 of his own people.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Syria's deadly crackdown on political protesters has provoked outrage at the UN, the European Union and from some Arab countries as well. International sanctions are not expected to make any difference to the regime of Bashar Assad, who's already killed some 400 of his own people. But, even if he remains in charge, instability in Syria could have consequences for the balance of power in the Middle East and for alliances with western countries. We update the unrest and the implications for Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Does President Obama have a coherent strategy, or is he playing it by ear?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The United States Weighs Options against Syria
    1. 0:00Obama Releases Birth Certificate, Shakes up National Security Team
    2. 7:44The 'Arab Spring' Runs into Heavy WeatherYou’re reading this
    3. 43:09Palestinian Factions Reach Agreement
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Darrell Satzman

      Producer

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Borzou Daragahi

      BuzzFeed News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Ammar Abdulhamid

      Tharwa Foundation

    • KCRW placeholder

      Eyal Zisser

      Tel Aviv University

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The United States Weighs Options against Syria
    1. 0:00Obama Releases Birth Certificate, Shakes up National Security Team
    2. 7:44The 'Arab Spring' Runs into Heavy WeatherYou’re reading this
    3. 43:09Palestinian Factions Reach Agreement
    Back to To the Point