"Sporadic aid convoys in such circumstances are really only a public relations ploy by the Syrian government and the Russians to ease the pressure of outraged international opinion." Like so many articles on the Syrian conflict these days, the only facts presented (and opinion statements of the author) act in service of a predetermined narrative: Assad and Russia are Bad. Yet missing from articles like this is any mention whatsoever of the most basic facts regarding the "rebels" Assad is trying to drive out of his country. Facts like, where do they get the majority of their funding from? Answer: directly from the US and Saudi Arabia (sending weapons purchased in record deals with the US arms industry). What are the goals of these "rebel" groups? Answer: to enforce a particularly brutal & repressive form of religious fundamentalism on the citizens under its control (far more extreme than the moderate Islam practiced under Syrian government controlled areas). Fact is, this conflict would end overnight if the US and its allies stopped supporting these "rebel" groups; this is far from a "grassroots uprising" or "Arab spring" situation. Not to mention, absent is any mention that these "rebel" groups are sprung from the same terrorist organizations (Al Nusra, Al Quaeda) that the US is supposedly there fighting in the first place. While this article may appear to be a balanced, fact-driven piece, it is conveniently ignorant of any other point of view other than the prevailing western media narrative surrounding Syria these days.

Patrick Cockburn's article seems to balance presenting the tragedy/horror of a besieged civilian population with a nuanced acknowledgment of the complexities of the Syrian civil war/the broader conflicts in the region.

I disagree with Dave S. only for his finding of bias. Patrick Cockburn is not serving the western msm narrative. Nor is he either unsympathetic to the victims of this war or blind to the geopolitics of the situation. I think Jared F. has that right. For a better feel of Cockburn's view of this war and the tactics of the rebels, I recommend the following article. http://www.unz.com/pcockburn/theres-more-propaganda-than-news-coming-out-of-aleppo/

Second article I've read of Patrick's, very informative and rich. Seems to be very knowledgeable of issues in the region. Some opinion does seep in but does not outweigh the reports of what is actually happening.

Patrick Cockburn writes this article more like a story of the tragic events taking place. I wish there were more sources to back up some of the statistical data Patrick states in this article, but I've read another article on this topic where Patrick Cockburn was extremely informed and detailed. Perhaps if Cockburn presented how we got some of the data (if it was anecdotal or collected elsewhere) I'd be less hesitant to review as Trustworthy.

A very informative piece that seeks to explain the current devastation in Eastern Ghouta.