Syria The brutal response by the regime of Bashar al-Assad to the popular revolt is exposing failures in western policy and the wishful thinking of policymakers who believed the president was a reformer
China, opening a significant gap with Russia, has yet to decide whether to attend an international ‘Friends of Syria’ gathering in Tunis
The intensifying assault on the city of Homs killed dozens, including two western journalists, sparking fresh pleas for international action
Award-winning war correspondent at the Sunday Times Marie Colvin is killed along with a French photographer in the shelling by regime troops
Widespread attacks on Homs and Idlib, as Russian refusal to join group dominated by anti-Assad governments highlights diplomatic schism
Beijing accuses the west of stirring up civil war in Syria, and two Iranian warships dock at a Syrian naval base, as international tensions rise
This map shows the focus points for dissent across Syria and the diplomatic issues that have beset the regime as the violence has continued
As pro-Assad forces act ever more bloodily to suppress a popular uprising, regional powers and the west are seeking to support the opposition – but in ways short of a Libya-style intervention. By Michael Peel and Roula Khalaf
Fears of fuelling sectarian tensions are misplaced. Inaction, not intervention, will inflame the region’s divisions, writes Radwan Ziadeh
The calls grow louder for external actors in Europe, Turkey and the Gulf to start arming the disparate defectors operating under the Free Syrian Army
To listen to Moscow’s explanations for backing the Assad regime, you would think the Syrian rebellion was a US-inspired plot, writes Philip Stephens
Move to contain row between rival dissident army officers in bid to bolster armed opposition to the Assad regime
Serious consideration should be given to whether to arm the rebels and how and when to establish humanitarian corridors
Businesses describe a perfect storm of troubles linked to sanctions, inflation and insecurity that feed commercial fears
The Arab League had hoped an international consensus would push Bashar al-Assad into implementing a peaceful plan
