Syria
# UN report uncovers crimes by both Assad regime and rebels
# "Why Russia is Now in Control of the Syria Crisis" - Major Garrett, "The Atlantic"
# "It won't work"
# "How Assad Wooed the American Right" - David Kenner, "Foreign Policy"
Middle East
# Muslim Brotherhood goes back underground
# Refugees face resentment in Istanbul
Russia
# Vladimir Putin's op ed in "The New York Times"
# What's behind the Russian calculus?
# Millions with disabilities face discrimination in Russia
# Second summer causes Tyumen's trees to bloom again
Iran
# Putin may renew major arms offer to Rohani on Friday; Putin spokesman denies; but arms sales may be used as leverage to prevent Syria attack
# "Iran's Nuclear Bomb and Peace with Palestine" - Dadav Eyal, The Daily Beast
# "The US With Iran in Syria" - Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Project Syndicate
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Afghanistan beats India, winning first international football trophy
# "Ten Years of War, but Afghans Know Little of Peace" - David Filipov, "The Boston Globe"
# What release of Taliban leader means for peace
# Privatization plans in Pakistan concern workers
Iraq
# Iraq builds moat to keep car bombs out
# At least 35 die in blast at Shiite mosque
# "Iraq's Cold War Leaves Country on Edge" - Tom A. Peter, Christian Science Monitor
Eastern Europe
# Russia bans Moldovan wine
# Ukraine puts 45 coal mines up for sale
# Interpol denies warrants issued at behest of Belarus
Central Asia
# "Tajikistan’s Dream" - Joshua Kucera, "The Wilson Quarterly"
# Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan
# Goat polo tournament begins in Kazakhstan
Caucasus
# In Armenia, murder charges dropped against politically connected
Balkans
# Large mass grave found in Bosnia
Of Interest
# The U.S.'s illicit "child exchange"
# The American who watched 9/11 unfold from space
# World's largest arms fare comes to London