Assad: The rehabilitation of a war criminal
Syrian President Assad’s return to the Arab League culminates years of spin and war crimes denial. Plus, the outlet investigating Ecuador’s narco trade.
After 12 years of being shunned for his crackdown on protests that pushed Syria towards civil war, President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League’s annual summit. The process of al-Assad’s rehabilitation – spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman – has taken years of PR, spin, photo ops and the casting aside of history.
Contributors:
Arwa Damon – Former senior international correspondent, CNN
Faisal Al Yafai – International editor, New Lines magazine
Nabih Bulos – Middle East bureau chief, Los Angeles Times
Sarah Hunaidi – Human rights advocate
On our radar:
With a year and a half left to go before the US presidential elections, a sideshow has been unfolding within the right-wing media – it is all about who gets to tell the story first. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on the battle that sees Twitter pitted against Fox News.
The exposé that exposed the Ecuadorian president
Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, is hanging by a thread. He faces an impeachment trial with accusations of corruption at the highest level. Producer Flo Phillips looks into the journalists and the investigative outlet – La Posta – that broke the story.
Contributors:
Andersson Boscán – Founder and editor-in-chief, La Posta
Manel Palos-Pons – Assistant professor of journalism, San Jose State University
María Sol Borja – Political editor, GK