Dr. Ayman Haidar is an internist and founding member of the Syrian American Forum. He explains the pitfalls of what could happen without the rule of the Assad Regime, such as concerns about the country falling into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood. 

The 11-month-old Syrian uprising has been making headlines especially after the government onslaught on Homs on Wednesday. The revolt has turned deadly with many civilians losing their lives in the struggle for regime change. But who are the people behind the opposition? The Takeaway gets a perspective on the ongoing violence in Homs, Syria.

The uprising in Syria is the most serious threat the ruling Assad dynasty has faced since it first came to power more than 40 years ago. With the violence against civilians in Homs, the Syrian government is being criticized by much of the international community. The exception is Russia who has long been an ally of Syria in the Arab Middle East.

David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times and contributor to WQXR's The Washington Report, explores the history of Syria from the Ottoman Empire to the present day dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. At a time where civilians are under attack by Assad's oppressive regime, Sanger explains the president's rise to power and his family's 40-year reign. He goes in-depth about the complicated relationship with Israel and Syria's ties to Hezbollah.

Over the weekend, China and Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have supported an Arab League peace plan for Syria, claiming the plan would have violated Syria’s sovereignty. On Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the veto during a speech in Sofia, Bulgaria, stating, "Faced with a neutered Security Council we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future."

Back in February 1982, then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad unleashed his troops on the city of Hama in an attempt to wipe out the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters. The Massacre lasted for a month and tens of thousands of Syrians lost their lives. Now the Syrian people are rising against the current president Bashar al-Assad in hopes of ending a 40-year dictatorship of the Assad family.

Our partner the BBC has gotten its hands on a secret NATO report on the state of the Taliban. It shows Pakistan's security services are directly assisting the Taliban in Afghanistan and know where senior Taliban leaders are hiding. Joining us now is Bilal Sarwary, correspondent for our partner the BBC.

Twenty five of the EU's 27 member states have agreed to join a fiscal treaty to enforce budget discipline. The Czech Republic and the UK refused to sign up. And there's still the question about what to do about Greece. Joining us now is Duncan Crawford, European correspondent for our partner the BBC

On Monday Arab League representatives met with the United Nations Security Council to discuss a plan of action for Syria. More than 5,000 Syrians have been killed by government forces since protests against President Bashar Al-Assad began last March. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton delivered a strong message of support to the Syrian resistance the same day: "The longer the Assad regime continues its attacks on the Syrian people and stands in the way of a peaceful transition, the greater the concern that instability will escalate and spill over throughout the region."

The U.S. is out of Iraq. President Obama made that point in last week's State of the Union address. But there are still eyes on Iraq particularly those places where there are still U.S. personnel — such as the U.S. Embassy In Baghdad. Those eyes are in the form of predator drones, watching over Baghdad according to Eric Schmitt terrorism correspondent for our partner The New York Times.

Earlier this month we reported the U.S. was taking steps to talk to the Taliban in Qatar. Plans have been agreed to set up some kind of public affairs office but that move did not play well with the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. And so he's jump-started the talks by attempting to create his own dialogue with the Taliban. 

Early Sunday morning, approximately 2,000 Syrian soldiers launched an assault on the suburbs of Damascus. Armed tanks rolled into the outskirts of the city where many dissident soldiers have taken up residence. This latest spate of violence comes as the Arab League officially suspended its monitoring mission in Syria citing increasing violence and civilian deaths.

Millions of Americans love their Apple products: from iPods to MacBooks to iPads. But there's a story behind the beloved devices. How do they get made and what price is paid? Our partner The New York Times has been investigating and this morning's story is a riveting read, in particular the safely problems at a Chinese factory that makes iPads.

Today marks the one year anniversary of the uprising in Egypt’s that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Over the past twelve months, the country has taken big steps to transition to a more democratic government. Egypt rewrote its constitution and the first freely elected parliament in more than 60 years held their first session this week. Yolande Knell, correspondent for our partner the BBC, gives us a report from the ground.

U.S. Special Forces rescued two hostages in Somalia, including one American, who were being held by pirates. The Navy Seal team was the same the killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. President Obama says the mission reasserts the United States will stand against threats to its people. Nick Childs, world affairs correspondent for our partner the BBC, joins us for an update on the situation.

One in five African's are Nigerian and it's an underestimate to say that it's a worrying time for the country. This morning, doctors in the city of Kano says the death toll from Friday's bomb attacks by Islamist militants is certain to rise further. 160 people have so far been confirmed dead but bodies are still arriving at the city's mortuaries. So as a reminder Boko Haram, which wants an Islamic state, says it launched theses attacks because the authorities refused to free a group of its members from jail.

Egypt's first freely elected Parliament in more than 60 years held its first session this morning. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party which took more than 40 percent of the seats has vowed to guide Egypt through the transition from military to civilian rule. Joining The Takeaway is David Kirkpatrick, Cairo bureau chief for our partner The New York Times. Also on the program is Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at The Century Foundation.

While we are distracted by the circus of the GOP political race, the war continues in Afghanistan, and we have several tragic stories out of that country this morning. A NATO helicopter crashed in Afghanistan last night killing six service members. The cause is still being investigated. Also this morning. An Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops, leading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to suspend its training programs in Afghanistan. Matt Rosenberg is a reporter for our partner The New York Times.

What exactly happened on board the Costa Concordia? How did a luxury cruise go so wrong? Expertise in the psychology of risk perception, the explanation for why our perception of and response to risk sometimes seems pretty irrational. We’re too afraid of some things, and not afraid enough of others, which sometimes leads to new risks all by itself.

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is infamous for many atrocities. As one of the first African leaders to be tried for war crimes, Taylor was a notorious dictator who oversaw the murder of over one million people. He was also an active participant in the diamonds-for-guns trade, and at one point gifted Naomi Campbell a pouch of blood diamonds. Monday the Boston Globe revealed that during his rise as a ruthless despot, Taylor worked with U.S. spy agencies like the CIA and Pentagon since the early 1980s.