ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

US sends arms to rebel units in Aleppo province while UN considers dropping food and medicine to besieged areas by air. More than 270,000 people are dead and millions have fled since 2011 [Reuters] The US has reportedly dropped weapons to rebel fighters in Syria as the UN Security Council considers dropping food and medicine by air to civilians. Witnesses say the US delivered the weapons to armed units battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in Syria. Is there still a political way out of Syria's crisis? The developments come as a former Russian diplomat tells Al Jazeera that his country is seriously considering putting boots on the ground in Syria. The weapons supplies were airdropped to rebels in Marea, a town in the northern province of Aleppo, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. "Coalition airplanes dropped ... ammunitions, light weapons and anti-tank weapons to rebels in Marea,...

Video Policy advisor Simon Anholt has dreamed up an unusual scale to get governments thinking outwardly: The Good Country Index. In a riveting and funny talk, he answers the question, "Which country does the most good?" The answer may surprise you (especially if you live in the US or China). Posted June 04, 2016 - Recorded June 2014 TEDtalk http://goodcountry.org/

Kremlin insider tells Al Jazeera that Moscow is considering sending special forces to fight against Syrian rebel groups. By Zeina Khodr Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin may deploy special operations forces on the ground in Syria, a former official has told Al Jazeera, a move that might be made to ensure "a decisive victory". It has been more than eight months since Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict, and at the time Putin said there were no plans to participate in ground operations - but he also said "for now". Putin is reportedly discussing with military commanders the possibility of deploying combat troops on the battlefield. "This is under discussion, there are plans for this," Andrei Fyodorov, a former deputy minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. The reinforcements could be special forces or volunteer soldiers who are willing to fight alongside the Syrian army and its allies. "This is a delicate issue for our military. ...