Episode description

After eight gruelling years of war, the rebels in Syria seem to be making a last stand in the province of Idlib. The opposition stronghold in the northwest of the country has been under intense bombardment from government forces backed by Russia. Idlib is where many fighters from the defeated parts of the country were moved. It is also home to three-million civilians and the UN has warned of another refugee exodus and humanitarian catastrophe. Julian Worricker and a panel of expert guests examine the situation in Idlib and discuss how the Assad government has managed to consolidate power in the rest of the country. Why are Russia and Iran continuing back the Syrian government? Should Western countries accept reality and bring Syria into the fold? And - what does President Assad intend to do next?