Livestream out of Syria

So Erdogan has decided to patch things up again with Israel? Done posturing? Or simply decided a common enemy...so why not play together?
 
holyland red said:
Seriously, do these retards have any hope as long as everything that is wrong with their backward society is blamed on the US and "the Zionists"?
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Echoing HR's words, Israeli PM on the explosions in Latakia two weeks ago:

"Oh, God, every time something happens in the Middle East, Israel is accused!"

But...
a July 10 assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, reported here for the first time, found that Israel was in fact responsible for the explosions in the Syrian coastal town of Latakia on July 5
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May be that's part of the reason why?
 
"a July 10 assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, reported here for the first time, found that Israel was in fact responsible for the explosions in the Syrian coastal town of Latakia on July 5"​
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what's this, and what does it have to do with my earlier post?
 
Syria: disillusioned rebels drift back to take Assad amnesty

Hundreds of men who took up arms against President Bashar al-Assad are defecting back to the government side, The Telegraph has learnt.

By Ruth Sherlock, Beirut
23 Jul 2013

Disillusioned by the Islamist twist that the "revolution" in Syria has taken, exhausted after more than two years of conflict and feeling that they are losing, growing numbers of rebels are signing up to a negotiated amnesty offered by the Assad regime.

At the same time, the families of retreating fighters have begun quietly moving back to government-controlled territory, seen as a safer place to live as the regime continues its intense military push against rebel-held areas.

The move is a sign of the growing confidence of the regime, which has established a so-called "ministry of reconciliation" with the task of easing the way for former opponents to return to the government side.

Ali Haider, the minister in charge, said: "Our message is, 'if you really want to defend the Syrian people, put down your weapons and come and defend Syria in the right way, through dialogue'."

Mr Haider, who has a reputation as a moderate within the regime, has established a system in which opposition fighters give up their weapons in exchange for safe passage to government-held areas.



Rebel fighters have privately said that they are aware of the amnesty offer, and that some men had chosen to accept it, although they say that the numbers involved remains a small proportion of those fighting the government.

"I used to fight for revolution, but now I think we have lost what we were fighting for," said Mohammed, a moderate Muslim rebel from the northern town of Raqqa who declined to give his last name. "Now extremists control my town. My family has moved back to government side because our town is too unsafe. Assad is terrible, but the alternative is worse."

The prevalence of extremist Islamist groups in rebel-held areas, particularly in the north, has caused some opposition fighters to "give up" on their cause.

Ziad Abu Jabal comes from one of the villages in Homs province whose residents recently agreed to stop fighting the regime. "When we joined the demonstrations we wanted better rights," he said. "After seeing the destruction and the power of jihadists, we came to an agreement with the government."

Mr Haider said that he had attended a ceremony yesterday at which 180 opposition fighters rejoined the government's police force, from which they had previously defected.

Although it was not possible to verify this claim, when The Daily Telegraph previously visited the reconciliation ministry's headquarters in Damascus the office was crowded with the family members of rebels fighting in the city's suburbs who said their men wanted to return.

A ministry negotiator, who gave his name only as Ahmed, was in the process of arranging the defection of a rebel commander and 10 of his men from the Ghouta district.

"It took us three months of negotiation and this is a test," he said. "If this goes well, the commander says that 50 others will follow."

He described the steps taken to allow the return of fighters willing to lay down their arms. First, he said, a negotiator must cross the front line for a meeting on rebel-held territory. "We have to hope the rebel commander orders his snipers not to shoot us."

Would-be defectors were given papers allowing them to pass through Syrian army checkpoints, and then waited in a safe house until the officials could get their names removed from wanted lists held by the more hardline defence ministry and intelligence agencies.

The rebels "did not sign up to be part of extremist Islamist groups that have now gained influence", he said. "Now they want to come back to a normal life."

In the days before the regime took the town of Qusayr last month, The Telegraph saw mediators on the Lebanese border work with the Syrian army to secure an amnesty for fighters wanting to surrender.

The phone rang with desperate calls from the parents of the rebels. "These mothers know that this is the last chance for their sons. If they don't give up their weapons now they will die because they are losing the battle," said Ali Fayez Uwad, the mediator.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-rebels-drift-back-to-take-Assad-amnesty.html
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Assad endures

As President Assad looks increasingly confident, Britain, France and the US look weak

Telegraph Editorial
24th July 2013

It was a only a few weeks ago, at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, that David Cameron was demanding the removal of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, claiming that he had “blood on his hands” and that it was “unthinkable” that he could play any part in Syria’s future. Yet it now seems increasingly likely that, far from being forced from office, President Assad will retain control of much of the country. Certainly the recent successes recorded by pro-Assad forces appear to have had a disastrous impact on the morale of rebel fighters, with hundreds deciding to take advantage of an amnesty offered by Damascus to surrender their weapons and give up the fight.

This remarkable turnaround is in part due to the unstinting backing Damascus has received from its allies, Russia and Iran, both in terms of military support and diplomatic cover – especially Moscow’s refusal to sanction any UN resolution authorising intervention. The rebels’ cause, meanwhile, has been undermined by constant infighting and attempts by Islamist militants to hijack the opposition agenda; the presence of fighters with links to al-Qaeda has been one of the main reasons why those who wanted to arm the rebels have grown more cautious.

Faced with the awful complexities of the Syrian insurrection, the West collectively decided that the costs of intervention were too high. That may well have been the right decision. But inaction has its costs, too. With President Assad and his backers in Moscow and Tehran looking increasingly confident, those powers that demanded his overthrow – such as Britain, France and the US – look impotent and weak. Rather than convening international conferences to consider Syria’s future, they must now start thinking about how to deal with a regime clinging tenaciously to power.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/10199913/Assad-endures.html
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He has little going for him. Even if he were to completely crush every bit of armed opposition (highly unlikely), he would still be strangled out economically. He will eventually go, although the longer he stays, the uglier the aftermath will be.
 
Raoul said:
He has little going for him. Even if he were to completely crush every bit of armed opposition (highly unlikely), he would still be strangled out economically. He will eventually go, although the longer he stays, the uglier the aftermath will be.
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Who's going to do the strangling?

Should the West visit further hardship on the millions of Syrians presently being cared for in refugee camps were they to return? Are Israel, Turkey or the West going to sit contentedly whilst pockets of the country descend into fiefdoms al-Qaeda?

Even if the tide continues to flow in his favour Assad will of course be in a weaker position, the concession fo some limited reforms and putting a few reconstruction projects out to tender internationally would help that though.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
Who's going to do the strangling?

Should the West visit further hardship on the millions of Syrians presently being cared for in refugee camps were they to return? Are Israel, Turkey or the West going to sit contentedly whilst pockets of the country descend into fiefdoms al-Qaeda?

Even if the tide continues to flow in his favour Assad will of course be in a weaker position, the concession fo some limited reforms and putting a few reconstruction projects out to tender internationally would help that though.
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He doesn't really have many options at this point. Even though the tide looks to have turned in his favor in the past few months, his long term prospects of being a legitimate leader of a nation state are still quite bleak. The economy is already decimated after three years of civil war, and with Europe, the US, and most of the Arab world against him, the country will not be able to regenerate economically until there is a degree of peace, which isn't likely so long as the country is being run by an unelected dictator. The fact that there are so many disparate groups vying for a peace of the pie suggests that Syria still has years of turmoil ahead before a degree of national reconciliation can take place, which will require all citizens to believe they have adequate access to the political process, which of course cannot happen until Assad is gone.
 
Raoul said:
He doesn't really have many options at this point. Even though the tide looks to have turned in his favor in the past few months, his long term prospects of being a legitimate leader of a nation state are still quite bleak. The economy is already decimated after three years of civil war, and with Europe, the US, and most of the Arab world against him, the country will not be able to regenerate economically until there is a degree of peace, which isn't likely so long as the country is being run by an unelected dictator. The fact that there are so many disparate groups vying for a peace of the pie suggests that Syria still has years of turmoil ahead before a degree of national reconciliation can take place, which will require all citizens to believe they have adequate access to the political process, which of course cannot happen until Assad is gone.
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You don't think that many Syrians would settle for a return to pre-conflict norms at this point?

Assad's removal is no panacea when you consider some elements among the rebels, minority groups would have every reason to fear their rise to power.

I'd be sceptical of the West's continued backing for the opposition or at a minimum that they won't attempt to reach out to the regime albeit tentatively. For how long can Jordanian and Lebanese hospitality be relied upon, as it is we've got teenager girls being sold as child brides for a couple of thousand dollars in these countries.

An end to conflict and terrorism is a long way off i do agree, yet the consolidation of an increasingly secure core of Syria is another matter.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
You don't think that many Syrians would settle for a return to pre-conflict norms at this point?

Assad's removal is no panacea when you consider some elements among the rebels, minority groups would have every reason to fear their rise to power.

I'd be sceptical of the West's continued backing for the opposition or at a minimum that they won't attempt to reach out to the regime albeit tentatively. For how long can Jordanian and Lebanese hospitality be relied upon, as it is we've got teenager girls being sold as child brides for a couple of thousand dollars in these countries.

An end to conflict and terrorism is a long way off i do agree, yet the consolidation of an increasingly secure core of Syria is another matter.
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That's pure fantasy. It would be impossible to return to the way things were run before the civil war. Too many changes have happened; most notably the public, who were politically repressed during the Assad era, are now emboldened and won't stand for a return to the past. There is simply no going back at this point given the death, destruction, and hatred that has been stirred up by the upheaval of civil war. Simply put, a return to dictatorship is not a sustainable answer to the problem - whereas Democracy is, because it is the only form of governance that is able to inclusively allow most or all elements of Syrian society to participate in the political process through voting; thereby creating a degree of national unity which is the foundation of a sustainable nation state.

In the short term, the only way to stabilize the country quickly would be a large humanitarian intervention that would quickly rout Assad and the foreign Al-Qaeda type elements, set up humanitarian corridors, and create 3-5 year road map to draft a democratic constitution and and prepare legitimate national elections that are inclusive to all Syrians.
 
Raoul said:
That's pure fantasy. It would be impossible to return to the way things were run before the civil war. Too many changes have happened; most notably the public, who were politically repressed during the Assad era, are now emboldened and won't stand for a return to the past. There is simply no going back at this point given the death, destruction, and hatred that has been stirred up by the upheaval of civil war. Simply put, a return to dictatorship is not a sustainable answer to the problem - whereas Democracy is, because it is the only form of governance that is able to inclusively allow most or all elements of Syrian society to participate in the political process through voting; thereby creating a degree of national unity which is the foundation of a sustainable nation state.

In the short term, the only way to stabilize the country quickly would be a large humanitarian intervention that would quickly rout Assad and the foreign Al-Qaeda type elements, set up humanitarian corridors, and create 3-5 year road map to draft a democratic constitution and and prepare legitimate national elections that are inclusive to all Syrians.
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That's just as good a fantasy, I'm afraid. I think it would take more than 5 years for sunni and alawites to sort their differences and accept democratic rules. Iraq serves as a reminder...
 
Raoul said:
That's pure fantasy. It would be impossible to return to the way things were run before the civil war. Too many changes have happened; most notably the public, who were politically repressed during the Assad era, are now emboldened and won't stand for a return to the past. There is simply no going back at this point given the death, destruction, and hatred that has been stirred up by the upheaval of civil war. Simply put, a return to dictatorship is not a sustainable answer to the problem - whereas Democracy is, because it is the only form of governance that is able to inclusively allow most or all elements of Syrian society to participate in the political process through voting; thereby creating a degree of national unity which is the foundation of a sustainable nation state.

In the short term, the only way to stabilize the country quickly would be a large humanitarian intervention that would quickly rout Assad and the foreign Al-Qaeda type elements, set up humanitarian corridors, and create 3-5 year road map to draft a democratic constitution and and prepare legitimate national elections that are inclusive to all Syrians.
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Of course the clock can't just be turned back and ghastly incidents of the last few years undone, however i would question the desire for democracy ahead of stability in the near term, both in the lives of the people and the the country.

Democracy any time soon is by far a a grater fantasy than the regime maintaining its position with some appeasement down the road.

There is unless you can inform me otherwise, no inclination nor plans for the sort of large scale intervention which you suggest.

Whilst some of the population is emboldened much of it is also displaced in camps or abandoned both inside and outside Syria. A minority are fighting and of that an increasing number with motives quite unrelated to democratic reform.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
Of course the clock can't just be turned back and ghastly incidents of the last few years undone, however i would question the desire for democracy ahead of stability in the near term, both in the lives of the people and the the country.

Democracy any time soon is by far a a grater fantasy than the regime maintaining its position with some appeasement down the road.

There is unless you can inform me otherwise, no inclination nor plans for the sort of large scale intervention which you suggest.

Whilst some of the population is emboldened much of it is also displaced in camps or abandoned both inside and outside Syria. A minority are fighting and of that an increasing number with motives quite unrelated to democratic reform.
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The displaced population in Jordan and Turkey aren't likely to be interested in returning to the mess the country is in now. Even if Assad were to crush the opposition (next to impossible, but let's fantasize), he would have to rule with such a savage iron grip, probably with a good helping of retribution against various groups, that it would make it impossible for refugees to return. Conversely, the Al-Qaeda types would likely exact even more carnage. There's no way out excepting a massive international intervention.
 
Syria army 'retakes' key Homs district of Khalidiya

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Rebel fighters seized control of Khalidiya in 2011

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Syrian government forces have fully captured a district that was a key rebel stronghold in the central city of Homs, state media report.
State television said the military had "restored security and stability across the neighbourhood of Khalidiya".
There has been no confirmation from activists, but on Sunday they said most of the area was under army control.
The announcement comes a month after troops launched an offensive to oust rebels from Syria's third largest city.
 
Syrian Christian towns emptied by sectarian violence

Towns and villages in Syria that have been home to Christians for hundreds of years are being steadily emptied by sectarian violence and targeted kidnappings.

By Ruth Sherlock, Istanbul
02 Aug 2013

Tens of thousands Syriac Christians – members of the oldest Christian community in the world – have fled their ancestral provinces of Deir al-Zour and Hasakah in northeastern Syria, residents have said.

"It breaks my heart to think how our long history is being uprooted," said Ishow Goriye, the head of a Syriac Christian political Hasakah.

Mr Goriye, told The Daily Telegraph how, over the past two years he has watched as Christian families from Hasakah pack their possessions on the rooftops of their vehicles and flee their homes "with little plan to come back".

Conflict in the area, desperate economic conditions, lawlessness, and persecution by rebel groups born from the perception that Christians support the regime, remain the main reasons for why Christian families are fleeing the area.

The growing presence of radical jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda, has also seen Christians targeted.



"It began as kidnapping for money, but then they started telling me I should worship Allah," a male Christian resident of Hasakah who was kidnapped by jihadists said.

"I was with five others. We were tied and blindfolded and pushed down on our knees. One of the kidnappers leant so close to my face I could feel his breath. He hissed: 'Why don't you become a Muslim? Then you can be free'."

Another Christian in Hasakah said he knew of "five forced conversions" in recent weeks.

Mr Goriye's Christian 'Syriac Union' party has long been in opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

While speaking to The Telegraph, its members were loath to criticise the opposition rebels, but many confessed that the situation had become "too bad" not to talk about it.

Hasakah and other towns in northeastern Syria have long been one of the main population centres for Christians, who make up approximately 10 per cent of the country's population. Residents estimate that at least a third of Christians in northeastern Syria have fled, with few expecting to return.

One Hasakah resident who has now escaped the area said: "Rebels said we had to pay money for the revolution. My cousin is a farmer, and wanted to check on his land. I warned him he should take armed security but he refused. A group kidnapped him in the barn of his farm. We had to pay $60,000 [£52,000] for his release. They are milking the Christians".

Though accused by some opposition groups of supporting Mr Assad, much of Syria's Christian community has avoided "choosing sides" in the war, seeking self-preservation in neutrality.

But the strategy has left Christians defenceless in the face of sectarian attacks and the lawlessness that now define rebel-held areas. Last year, when government forces pulled out Hasakah province, leaving the terrain in the hands of Kurdish groups and Sunni opposition rebel, Christians became an easy target.

A Christian man calling himself Joseph and living in Hasakah said: "The only unprotected group are the Christians. The Arabs had arms coming from Saudi and Qatar, the Kurds had help from Kurdistan. We had no weapons at all."

Local residents said many Christians had tried to join the rebellion against President Assad, but their efforts were marginalised early on by sectarian minded Sunni rebel groups.

Joseph added: "We are not with the regime. Many times the Islamists didn't want us to join them in the demonstrations. We tried to participate but we were not given a role. It felt as though it was a strategy to force Christians out of the revolution".

Bassam Ishak, a Christian member of the main opposition bloc the Syrian National Coalition, who comes from Hasakah, said he and his colleagues had tried "several times" to approach western officials asking for weapons for Christian groups to defend their areas.

"The West wants to arm the seculars or 'West friendly' people, well we, the Syriac Christians those people. We want arms to protect our communities," he said. "We spoke to western diplomats asking for help, and everyone ignored us".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...tian-towns-emptied-by-sectarian-violence.html
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Can someone translate this. This is not for the feint hearted. I believe its Assad Army troops desecrating a dead body. Not sure what the purpose of this is.


 


Syria, Iran to run for U.N. Human Rights Council: envoys

By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS | Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:59pm EDT
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria and Iran are planning to run for a spot on the U.N. Human Rights Council later this year, U.N. diplomats told Reuters on Wednesday, despite criticism from watchdog groups about widespread rights abuses in both countries.
The General Assembly's annual elections for the United Nations' 47-nation Geneva-based human rights body will be held later this year in New York. There will be 14 seats available for three-year terms beginning in January 2014.

From the so-called Asia group, which includes the Middle East and Asia, seven countries - China, Iran, Jordan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam - are vying for four seats, U.N. diplomats said on condition of anonymity.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-syria-iran-un-idUSBRE9690XC20130710
 
I'm still here. Again, because of the tenuous precedence these stories have I'm inclinded to be cynical.

I don't see the link between Assad and Manning anyway. Strange dig that.

Also, what I find amusing is how you go all wax lyrical about Manning being a traitor for releasing documents whereas you're defeaningly silent when your government supports Al Qaeda militants in Syria. Should I bring out the 'H' word for that one?
 
Raoul said:
http://news.sky.com/story/1131320/syria-hundreds-killed-in-gas-attack

Looking quite bad
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Reports now are suggesting over 1300 people have been killed in the attack. The footage/photos emerging is showing children in body bags being lined up in the dozens, women and children in hospitals convulsing and frothing at the mouth. If this is a chemical weapons attack, it would be the worst the world has seen in over 20 years since Saddam gassed the Kurds. If the use of chemical agents is verified, you have to wonder where the feck the UN/US/EU goes from here.

Was Obama's 'red line' meaningless?
 
Kaos said:
I'm still here. Again, because of the tenuous precedence these stories have I'm inclinded to be cynical.

I don't see the link between Assad and Manning anyway. Strange dig that.

Also, what I find amusing is how you go all wax lyrical about Manning being a traitor for releasing documents whereas you're defeaningly silent when your government supports Al Qaeda militants in Syria. Should I bring out the 'H' word for that one?
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you really are stupid. supports AlQueda??? You are supporting a murderer Assad. Do you deny he killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians? So the rebels have used this chemical weapons??? of course your Assad would not do such a thing.

Manning is a traitor fyi.
 
rednev said:
Reports now are suggesting over 1300 people have been killed in the attack. The footage/photos emerging is showing children in body bags being lined up in the dozens, women and children in hospitals convulsing and frothing at the mouth. If this is a chemical weapons attack, it would be the worst the world has seen in over 20 years since Saddam gassed the Kurds. If the use of chemical agents is verified, you have to wonder where the feck the UN/US/EU goes from here.

Was Obama's 'red line' meaningless?
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Yes it was. The EU is busy forcing "democracy" on Egypt. The UN is doing what it has always done, i.e. feck all.
 
The suffering of the casualties shown lying in makeshift hospitals is consistent with the after-effects of gas. Footage of this sort is extremely difficult to stage-manage. One British official said the latest evidence was “significant enough” to warrant the statement issued by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, on Wednesday morning.

However, two questions remain. First, even if the pictures are genuine, when did the chemical weapons attack actually take place? Activists say that it happened early on Wednesday morning, coinciding with a bombardment of areas around Damascus by the regime’s forces.

But this explanation is open to doubt. Mr Assad has been advancing recently, beating back the rebels and recapturing territory. Using chemical weapons might make sense when he is losing, but why launch gas attacks when he is winning anyway?

Moreover, United Nations inspectors charged with discovering the truth about chemical weapons in Syria arrived in Damascus on Sunday. Superficially, it would seem strange for the regime to gas its enemies within 72 hours of letting these experts into the country.

In sum, a terrible incident probably did take place; whether it really happened on Wednesday morning is questionable.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...k-is-real-but-the-timing-is-questionable.html
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Hundreds of Alawite civilians have been killed, kidnapped or have disappeared during a rebel offensive on President Bashar al-Assad’s heartland province of Latakia, local residents have reported.
 
Red Dreams said:
you really are stupid. supports AlQueda??? You are supporting a murderer Assad. Do you deny he killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians? So the rebels have used this chemical weapons??? of course your Assad would not do such a thing.

Manning is a traitor fyi.
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Calm down.

Weapons have been channeled towards FSA fighters, the most prominent of which are Al Qaeda militants. The US has been instrumental in facilitating this, so yes they have been contributing to the strengthening of the AQ core in Syria. The Syrian death toll is numbered in the region of 100,000 - but that includes ALL deaths, including those committed by the FSA and various acts of terrorism. So to claim that Assad has murdered "hundreds of thousands of Syrians" is hysterical to say the least.

Assad is also no fool, UN inspectors are scheduled to visit Syria this week, why would Assad choose now of all times to go postal with chemical weaponry? Doesn't exactly do himself any favours.

You might also want to revisit the definition of treason.
 
Kaos said:
Calm down.

Weapons have been channeled towards FSA fighters, the most prominent of which are Al Qaeda militants. The US has been instrumental in facilitating this, so yes they have been contributing to the strengthening of the AQ core in Syria. The Syrian death toll is numbered in the region of 100,000 - but that includes ALL deaths, including those committed by the FSA and various acts of terrorism. So to claim that Assad has murdered "hundreds of thousands of Syrians" is hysterical to say the least.

Assad is also no fool, UN inspectors are scheduled to visit Syria this week, why would Assad choose now of all times to go postal with chemical weaponry? Doesn't exactly do himself any favours.

You might also want to revisit the definition of treason.
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Not a huge Assad fan, but I have to admit that something doesn't add up here. I wouldn't rule out a provocation here.
 
rednev said:
If the use of chemical agents is verified, you have to wonder where the feck the UN/US/EU goes from here.

Was Obama's 'red line' meaningless?
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Not exactly, the red line wa cited when Obama publicly declared that weapons would eb supplied to the rebels.

Beyond that however the same constraints and worries still exist for Western governments. Cameron for example would have a hard time getting parliamentary approval for the direct supply of weapons let alone more active intervention.

The secular or moderate elements within the rebels are not in a strong enough position to consolidate a post-conflict Syria which leaves the extremists to have their bloody and oppressive way. Now this isn't to say that Assad isn't doing his share of the latter, however to what end would be the toppling of Assad unless the West was willing to make a significant military and economic commitment to the country afterwards [something for which there is little evidence of being in the works].

And also at this moment we've got a new surge of refugees fleeing across the border into northern Iraq, 10,000s by all accounts and the UN isn't sitting there all ready and prepared.
 
Red Dreams said:
and your suggestion what the US should do?
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Syria- Should have avoided handing ultimatums which they can't/ have no intention to enforce. The Iranians must be pissing themselves at that imaginary military option regarding their nuclear program.

ME in general- try to avoid repeating mistakes. A glaring one was promoting "democracy" in the Arab world.
 
Kaos said:
Calm down.

Weapons have been channeled towards FSA fighters, the most prominent of which are Al Qaeda militants. The US has been instrumental in facilitating this, so yes they have been contributing to the strengthening of the AQ core in Syria. The Syrian death toll is numbered in the region of 100,000 - but that includes ALL deaths, including those committed by the FSA and various acts of terrorism. So to claim that Assad has murdered "hundreds of thousands of Syrians" is hysterical to say the least.

Assad is also no fool, UN inspectors are scheduled to visit Syria this week, why would Assad choose now of all times to go postal with chemical weaponry? Doesn't exactly do himself any favours.

You might also want to revisit the definition of treason.
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Al Queda have their own motives. That does not mean the rebels or the US are working in coordination with them. Stop making things up. Oh...so your Assad only killed in the tens of thousands..that Ok then. A drone strike killing him and his family would be applauded all over the world. Assad is no fool...just a murderer. So you are seriously saying here that the rebels used these chemical weapons?? You are completely agenda driven.

You might want to revisit the definition of critical thinking.
 
holyland red said:
Syria- Should have avoided handing ultimatums which they can't/ have no intention to enforce. The Iranians must be pissing themselves at that imaginary military option regarding their nuclear program.

ME in general- try to avoid repeating mistakes. A glaring one was promoting "democracy" in the Arab world.
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ahh. the old right wing solution..invasion. The fact is the US is tired of war. other than try and supply weapons, we are not going to put boots on the ground.
 
Red Dreams said:
ahh. the old right wing solution..invasion. The fact is the US is tired of war. other than try and supply weapons, we are not going to put boots on the ground.
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Where did you find in my post any suggestion that the US should put boots on the ground?
 
holyland red said:
Where did you find in my post any suggestion that the US should put boots on the ground?
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read your own post. are you seriously saying Iran's action warranted military action? Are they not 'contained'? Their economy is in tatters. The US and Israel will not allow them to be a real threat. If that is not what you meant why mention Iran pissing themselves?
 
Red Dreams said:
Al Queda have their own motives. That does not mean the rebels or the US are working in coordination with them. Stop making things up.
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How do you explain the activities of groups like Al-Nusra or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan?

We know that there has been coordination during the conflict [between the AQ types and FSA when expedient], we also have reports of their fighters buying sophisticated weaponry from parts of the FSA.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
How do you explain the activities of groups like Al-Nusra or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan?

We know that there has been coordination during the conflict [between the AQ types and FSA when expedient], we also have reports of their fighters buying sophisticated weaponry from parts of the FSA.
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we are conducting drone strikes against Al Qeda operatives....thanks for saying AQ types. That does not mean the US does not deal with these 'types' of people. I'm not going to sit here and defend the US and all their actions. For them these 'types' are a lesser evil atm. welcome to the world of politics. It is not all black and white.
 
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