UN Claims Progress on Syria Peace Plan

... sounds like it's the entrance to a rabbit warren though ... I haven't watched this yet, ... I have to go and beg now, ...

See this very interesting piece from 2001, on Al Jazeera's influence in Syria, amongst other things, ... including the subversion of intelligence services in Assad's government. That, and oil, which in 2001, was not a significant part of Syrian GDP.

See also Five Years of War in Yemen, and this in particular:

Here's a recent interview with Max Blumenthal from Damascus.