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From Our Own Correspondent: Syria and the USA

Syria and the USA

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Syria and the USA

Sidestepping impossible demands: why an Assad loyalist chose to flee Syria

Gabriel Gatehouse hears one former pilot and Assad loyalist's tale of prison and exile; David Willis on why Californians fund politicians - but hate it when they snarl up traffic.

A defector's story
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are leaving their country - not just to find a place of safety, but also to sidestep impossible demands on their loyalties. Recently, in Jordan, Gabriel Gatehouse  heard the story of how one man - a former Assad loyalist and air force pilot - came to choose sides. 

It wasn't as simple or straightforward as you might expect - not just a matter of religious or local ties. Despite a good job and a measure of security while working in the machine of Bashar Al-Assad's regime, he was still in danger, and from unexpected quarters.


Why the political spotlight means heavier traffic
In the US, super-storm Sandy has turned the upcoming presidential election – as well as the landscape of the eastern seaboard -  on its head. The candidates for the Presidency temporarily suspended campaigning during and after the emergency.  And although they're a continent away, that must also have come as a relief to the people of California. 

The state with arguably the biggest concentration of wealthy Americans is not where presidential candidates go to campaign for votes. No, it's where they go to raise cash for their campaigns. And as David Willis explains, when politicians visit to chase their donations, the knock-on effects on the ordinary commuter can be ... annoying.

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