A Special Edition of BBC Newshour – On World Radio 89.5 HD3, Tuesday, Feburary 7 at 8:00 am
Syria is in the eye of the storm. Thousands of civilians have died as President Assad's forces battle a growing insurgency. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent the violence worsening have stalled. The Arab League and western powers have condemned the government in Damascus and want to isolate it still further. Russia and China continue to support it, and argue strongly against intervention. The BBC is one of the few media organisations with eyewitness reporting of the battle for Homs, Syria's main opposition stronghold. We have also reported from Damascus on the recent street fighting in the country's capital.
As the Russian Foreign Minister flies to Syria to meet President Assad, we have a special edition of Newshour at 8:00 am. Join Claire Bolderson as we ask whether Syria is on the brink of full-scale civil war, why President Assad still enjoys significant support, and what makes Syria so different from Libya, Egypt and the other countries of the Arab Spring. We'll speak to the civilians trying to survive as the fighting spreads, we'll hear from politicians and diplomats, and we'll look at fears that growing unrest in Syria could drag the Arab world into a wider religious conflict.