Considering both the importance and relevance of this subject, we are enormously grateful for the opportunity to discuss these issues with the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist Anthony Shadid. In this colloquy, Shadid stresses that Turkey’s relations with Iran are in trouble; it has no diplomatic relations with Israel; there is potential crisis in Cyprus; Syria is extremely unstable. As reflected by international media coverage, the international community is anxious about the prospect of civil war in Syria. However, Shadid does not agree that the defections in Syria pose a threat, adding that there is real integrity among Syrians right now.