The State Department is taking steps to base its negotiations off the capabilities and realpolitik of key rebel militias in Syria, rather than tethering its priorities to civilian political bodies. 

The Syrian ambassador to the United Kingdom laughed at a reporter Wednesday who asked him about the recent bombings of civilians and aid workers in Aleppo.

Here's video of #Syrian Ambassador responding to @baysontheroad with laughter when he asks if #Syria bombed #Aleppo hospitals pic.twitter.com/oURrl4mOjo

— Whitney Hurst (@whitney_hurst) September 28, 2016

A convoy carrying food and medical supplies to Aleppo and a warehouse operated by the Syrian Red Crescent were bombed, leading the United Nations to halt aid operations and drawing condemnation from all quarters. American officials claim Russian warplanes were behind the attack, while Russians suggested terrorists had followed the convoy in a truck and shelled it with mortars.

The ceasefire's future is in doubt after a mistaken United States airstrike wiped out a Syrian Army company. The agreement, which lasted until Sunday at midnight, was to be followed by Russia-U.S. efforts at coordinated strikes against ISIS elements. That seems less likely after a week characterized by mistrust that left an aid convoy with enough food to feed hundreds of thousands for a month stuck at the Turkish border.

"How can people distance themselves from a group that fights both Assad and ISIS?" is a frequent question in Aleppo today. 

On Monday, a defiant Assad promised just before the ceasefire to retake the entire country. Despite a few skirmishes, the ceasefire seemed to hold into the evening.

The reason for the ceasfire? Rebels have seven days to separate themselves from the Syrian Conquest Army, which Washington and Russia have agreed to target while the jihadist army promises, ceasefire or no, to continue to try to overthrow Assad.

With most young men in Syria at war or seeking work abroad, polygamy is popping up, with some divorcees having little choice but to become a second wife.

Polygamy is legal in Syria, but refugee brides in Turkey face unlikelihood of legal recognition for their new partnerships. 

The ceasefire coincides with Eid al-Adha, a holiday during which Muslims celebrate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, traditionally with the sacrifice of a halal animal. The feasting means payday in Somaliland, which exports massive numbers of sheep and goats to nearby Muslim nations.

In America, Eid al-Adha was marked by hate when an arsonist set on fire the mosque where Omar Mateen prayed. 

Syrian President Assad appeared the day of the ceasefire in Daraya, a suburb suffocating under the heel of a four-month government siege that left some citizens surviving on grass.

It's worth noting that 90% of the inhabitants of Daraya have left or died.