Dear Deeply Readers,

The diplomatic drama that unfolded over Syria this week will be just a footnote in
history. But in these days of disintegrating conditions on the ground, it serves as a
snapshot of global paralysis and geopolitical dysfunction that prevents any degree of
accountability and containment in Syrias conflict.

This round of debate began when France, backed by dozens of countries, made a push to
refer Syrian war crimes to the International Criminal Court. But as the resolution moved
to a vote in the Security Council on Thursday, Russia and China swiftly blocked it. By the
BBCs count, it was the fourth time those two states have vetoed action by the U.N.
Security Council, protecting their strategic allies in the government of President Bashar
al-Assad. That leaves Assads opponents to look for strenuous alternatives. As the New
York Times explains, they can now look to set up a special tribunal, outside the remit of
the ICC, or pursue a relatively rare Uniting for Peace resolution at the U.N. General
Assembly, which would bypass a deadlocked Security Council.

Its not the only case study in the need to work around international rules. This week the
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made the case that its time to sideline Syrian state
sovereignty in order to deliver aid to rebel-held areas without regime consent. The
government is failing in its responsibility to look after its own people, Ban wrote in a
confidential report, cited by the New York Times. Government blockades have reportedly
left 241,000 people without access to food, with millions more lacking health care and
basic services.

The accelerated debate over how to bend the norms to benefit Syrias people comes
alongside an escalating battle on the ground a surge in fighting and
bombings that lifted Syrias death toll to at least 162,000 people, a spike of roughly
10,000 casualties over the past two months. The British-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, which keeps the count, estimated that pro-regime troops have lost more
fighters than rebel forces part of the high cost of maintaining a relative upper hand, in
what has devolved into a turf war in each Syrian province.

On Sunday al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra launched four suicide bomb attacks on army
positions, while announcing it would create an arms factory to supply its fighters in
Syria. Last week Assad troops lost their chief of air defense forces when Lt. Gen. Hussein
Ayoub Ishaq was killed in battle. Elsewhere, a mortar shell hit an Assad election rally in
Deraa, killing an estimated 21 people. The bombing of Aleppos Carlton Citadel
Hotelearlier this month is still providing rebels with a palpable morale boost, says one of
the oppositions most wanted commanders. He revealed himself to the Guardian as the
architect of the Carlton attack, describing the ongoing campaign to tunnel under the city
of Aleppo and strike government targets with underground explosives.

All this at a time when Syrias military is, generally speaking, on the up in the fight. The
Syrian army launched a counteroffensive against rebels in Deraa, who have been fighting
each other in a spate of rivalrous infighting. Back in Aleppo, government troops repelled
rebel forces who have been fighting to take control of a landmark prison an offensive
that has lasted for roughly a year (weve covered how prison inmates have languished in
the shadows of the fight).

Outside prison, civilians are languishing in broad daylight. Areas of Aleppo have been
without power and water for weeks; some Damascus suburbs have also gone dark. Deir
Ezzor is feeling a heavier hand of Sharia law, as we documented in one case of a
womans wedding celebrations, interrupted. And according to a new report, Syria is now
the worlds biggest crisis of internally displaced people, or IDPs. More than three years
into the conflict, roughly 9,500 Syrians are being displaced each day approximately
one family per minute becoming refugees on their own home soil. Its proven to be a
scale of disaster that the world is either unwilling or unable to handle.

Highlights from Syria Deeply:
As Rebels Fight Each Other, Government Heightens Offensive on Southern Front
In Deir Ezzor, Rebels Battle for More Than Just Oil
In Deir Ezzor, Sharia Law Interrupts a Woman's Wedding
Surge in Fighting and Bombings Lead to Sharp Increase in Death Toll
Weeks of Power Cuts Hit Damascus Suburbs
One on One: Kareem Shaheen, Reporter, the Daily Star
Syria Is Now the World's Biggest IDP Crisis

Headlines from the Week:
Washington Post: U.S. Inaction on Syria Helped Make it Hell on Earth
Frontline: For Syrians Fleeing Violence, Scant Refuge or Relief
New York Times: Syrian Fighting Gives Hezbollah New but Diffuse Purpose
Reuters: No Sign Syria Is Handing Over Chemical Weapons
Reuters: U.S. Steps Up Scrutiny of American Fighters in Syria
Reuters: Syrian al-Qaida at Foothills of Israeli-held Golan
BBC News: Anthony Loyd: Kidnapped and Beaten in Syria
Were fielding your feedback on how to better serve you and cover the story. You can
reach our team on email at info@syriadeeply.org.
Sincerely,

The News Deeply Team