August 5, 2012 | 1:32 am

August 5, 2012

Posted by Shmuel Rosner

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Syria President Bashar Assad meeting in Damascus in 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

In-depth

Iran’s Plan B in post-Assad Syria

Gozde Nur Donat of Zaman asks how Iran can maintain its influence in Syria after President Assad faces his much-anticipated ouster.

Iran’s proxy wars in destabilized regions are a well-known fact. In an effort to deepen the rifts in societies of many countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Lebanon, Iran provides financial and arms support to the Taliban, an Islamist militant group based in Pakistan, and has also been linked to the al-Qaeda militant organization, responsible for destabilizing operations in countries like Somalia, Yemen and Iraq.

Unpacking Chabad: Their Ten Core Elements for Success

Writing for eJewishPhilanthropy, Steven Windmueller explores the reasons for Chabad’s massive global success, and whether they can be applied to other organizations.

Through its intercontinental satellite programs, streaming video presentations, its Chanukah Live spectacular, the movement was able to target key constituencies and to deliver core messages. In doing so, Chabad achieved yet another of its marketing and mission functions: kiruv (outreach) to key Jewish and non-Jewish audiences.

Why the Palestinians are turning against al-Assad

The Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown has alienated even its most ardent Palestinian supporters, writes Jonathan Schanzer for CNN.

To be sure, many Palestinians have long appreciated Syria’s political and financial assistance to Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah, and other factions that have engaged in “resistance” against Israel. But it has become impossible for even these violent factions to support a state responsible for the deaths of an estimated 18,000 people.

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