STRATEGY

‘Friends of Syria’ Meet in Paris

As top Syrian general defects.

Over 100 countries sent representatives to Paris Friday to determine what can be done to end the violence that's been raging in Syria for over a year, resulting in close to 16,000 deaths. French President Francois Hollande opened the meeting by declaring Syria a threat to world peace and insisting that it is "a human and political necessity" to step in. As Syrian allies Russia and China block efforts to intervene, U.N. Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-Moon plans to release a report on the U.N.'s monitoring mission in the country. A member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle, Syrian Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, has reportedly defected and fled to Turkey on Friday.