The civil war in Syria: The conflict, U.S. policy and how might it end

GUESTS:  SAMER ABBOUD and ANDREW TABLER

Last week, for the first time since the civil war in Syria began two years ago, the U.S. announced its support for the Syrian opposition movement.  In a major shift in policy, the Obama administration said that aid would include food and medical supplies and not militarized weapons that it fears could fall into the hands of radical groups.  Since the fighting began, 70,000 Syrian civilians have been killed by pro-Assad forces and over 1 million refugees have flooded neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon raising concerns that the conflict is escalating throughout the already unstable region. Joining us to talk about U.S. policy towards Syria, the extent of the conflict and its possible outcomes are Syria specialists SAMER ABBOUD of Arcadia University and ANDREW TABLER from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki