With the first peace talks between the Syrian regime and opposition now set for January, a series of failed government efforts to forge regional truces underscores the deep mistrust between them. In most cases, what the government calls national reconciliation efforts are backed by the threat of force. Syrian troops have laid siege to many of the areas where the regime has tried to negotiate with rebels, according to government and military officials, opposition members, mediators and residents. Particularly around the capital Damascus and the city of Homs to the north, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has put pressure on civilians and community leaders in rebel-held areas, banking on them to force local fighters to either surrender and accept amnesty or flee. But in one sprawling Homs neighborhood of more than 400,000 known as Waer, where reconciliation talks have faltered, some consider surrender as tantamount to suicide. In another […]