Iran and Syria Audio Feature: Why Tehran's Conference "Stunt" Means Little --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Iran Hosts Peace Conference While Aleppo Rebels... by NewsLook

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's report on the Iran conference on Syria

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In a wide-ranging interview with Monocle 24's The Daily last night, I began by discussing Iran's "international conference" on Syria on Thursday, assessing the politics of the move and what comes next.

The interview also considered Israel's own stunt this week, with Minister of Defense Ehud Barak falsely claiming that a new US National Intelligence Estimate had found Iran was close to producing nuclear weapons.

But the take-away line may be at the end of the discussion. My reply to the question, "What can the world do to halt the instability in Syria?" --- "Nothing."

The conversation begins at the 1:12.02 mark.

Syria Audio Feature: Assessing the Latest in Aleppo and Beyond --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Insurgents in the Salah Ed Dine district of Aleppo today:

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I joined Monocle 24's The Briefing just after noon, British time, to assess the latest situation in Aleppo.

Although the situation is still in flux, I think the take-away line holds up: "The longer it takes the regime to retake the country's largest city, the greater the erosion of authority."

There is also discussion beyond the military situation, with consideration of the effect of the economic squeeze on the Assad regime and a compare-and-contrast with the example of Libya 2011.

The conversation begins at the 30:00 mark.

Syria Audio Feature: Assessing the Latest in Aleppo and Beyond --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Insurgents seize the Anadan checkpoint, three miles northwest of Aleppo, this morning

See also Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Is Aleppo "A Nail in Assad's Coffin"?

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I spoke with Monocle 24's The Globalist this morning about developments in Aleppo and, equally important, beyond Syria's biggest city.

The take-away lines? Inside Aleppo, "the Assad regime cannot impose its authority", and outside it, "in large parts of Syria, especially in the north, the insurgents have taken control".

There is also analysis of the US position and its balancing of overt and covert action: "What the Americans want is for Assad to step down before there is an even worse situation....I think it's wishful thinking."

And there is conversation about the position of Syria's opposition: "To be honest with you, I don't think this is a question of what the opposition wants one year from now, three years from now, five years from now. I think the fight has overtaken that."

To listen to the discussion, go to The Globalist's homepage, click Play on the programme for 30 July, and go to the 11:57 mark. 

Iran Audio Feature: How Significant is the "Chicken Crisis"? Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Protest over inflation, including food prices, in Neyshabour in northeast Iran, 23 July

I spoke with Monocle 24's The Daily last night about the growing "chicken crisis" in Iran, with prices soaring on the open market and queues growing for the supplies of subsidised poultry that can be found.

The Daily asked, "Will this lead to protests on the streets?" To answer that, we had a 10-minute chat about the political and economic situation.

To listen, open The Daily homepage, open the programme for 27 July, and go to 2:14:43 (near the end of the timeline, but showing as "14:43").

Syria Audio Feature: "A Conflict of Attrition...And the Regime is Losing" --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Insurgents in the Jabal al Zawiya region in Idlib Province celebrate beside a destroyed armoured vehicle of the Syrian military

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I spoke with Monocle 24's The Briefing at lunchtime, after overnight developments but before the latest news from Aleppo (see EA's Live Coverage).

Discussion covered the situations in Damascus, Aleppo, and around the country. The take-away line may be near the end of the interview: "The insurgents do not have to capture and hold territory in the biggest cities. They only have to attack and remain for 24, 48, 72 hours, withdrawing and then returning days or weeks later, to erode confidence in the regime."

To get to the item, open The Briefing's homepage, click on the programme for 24 July, and go to the 7:15 mark.

Syria Audio Special: The Importance of the Damascus Bomb --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Smoke rising from Damascus this morning

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I spoke with Monocle 24's Midori House this evening about the Damascus bombing and other events across Syria --- the conversation ranged from the impact upon President Assad to the impact upon the Syrian people. Take-away line, echoing EA's James Miller, "Beyond the bomb, the significance is in the damage to confidence in the regime."

To get to the discussion, click on the Midori House site and press Play for 18 July. The item begins at 6:43, with my contribution starting from 9:42.

Syria Audio Feature: "Gradually The Regime is Losing Control" --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

I had a lengthy, wide-ranging discussion with Monocle 24 this morning about latest developments in Syria, including fighting across the country,  last Thursday's mass killing in Tremseh, and diplomatic manoeuvres and facades.

To get to the interview, launch "The Globalist" page, click on the programme for 16 July, and go to 1:02.20.

Syria Audio Feature: "Assad's Latest Performance" --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

I spoke with Monocle 24 at lunchtime about President Assad's interview with German television (see separate EA feature), considering both the presentation and the politics.

Lots of take-away points, but the most interesting may be the conjunction of the interview with UN envoy Kofi Annan's visit to Damascus today. Could Assad be gambling for his survival on a Russia-Iran-Syria counter-weight to the international pressure upon him?

To get to the interview, go to "The Briefing" page, click on "Play" on the programme for 9 July, and go to the 18:30 mark.

Iran Audio Feature: Nuclear Talks, Domestic Politics, & a Worried Regime --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

I spoke at length with Monocle 24 last night about the latest statements and manoeuvres of the Iranian regime, linking nuclear talks with important domestic issues.

The launching point for the discussion was Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi's warning that a repetition of the protests following the disputed 2009 Presidential election would not be tolerated (see today's Live Coverage); however, it soon moved to the connection of that statement with Tehran's desire for a deal in the negotiations over uranium enrichment. And the conversation even picked up on another sign of the regime's concerns: the black comedy of the "disappearing polls" on State TV's website this week, with inconvenient results blamed on hacking by the BBC.

To get to the item, open the Monocle Daily site and click "Play" on the display for 6 July. The discussion starts at 1:04.50.

Syria Audio Feature: Scott Lucas with Monocle 24 "No Negotiation Possible --- This is War"

A regime tank burns in Idlib Province on Tuesday

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I spoke with Monocle 24's "The Briefing" this afternoon about latest developments in Syria. The take-away lines: "We're into a new phase in the Syrian conflict where I don't think a negotiated solution is possible. To put it bluntly, one side will have to win and one side will have to lose --- and quite clearly lose --- before we get close to a resolution."

To get to the item, open Monocle's Timeshift, select "The Briefing" for 27 June, and click Play.

The discussion starts at the 6:49 mark.