Syria Intervention

BrianCantin

Rookie
Aug 8, 2012
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2
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The point of the Empire's sword is directed toward Syria. The following is an issues list related to the Syrian intervention.

* Sanctions always hurt civilian populations. Carried to an extreme, as with Iraq, sanctions can decimate the population of a nation. In addition, sanctions do not hit the privileged elites anywhere near as hard as they do the general population.

* Military intervention always hurts civilian populations. The Western powers are already intervening in Syria, with disastrous results for the Syrian people.

* Attacks on Syria by Western powers strengthen domestic support for the Assad regime. The Syrian people rightly perceive foreign assaults as being imperialistic.

* Much of the reporting on Syria consists of dubious propaganda. Both sides of the civil war lie, but the Western media plays up the side of the Syrian opposition without applying any appropriate degree of skepticism.

* Syria is a stepping stone on the path to regime change in Iran. Not only is Syria an Iranian ally, Syria also funnels arms into Lebanon. Those arms could be used against Israel if Israel attacks Iran. Thus, the Western powers want Syria out of the way in order to facilitate regime change in Iran.

* Sunni/Shia divisions - Syria, Iran, Lebanon(mixed), and Iraq form a Shia alliance. Saudi Arabia leads a Sunni alliance(Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates) that wants to break up the Shia alliance. The Western powers want to play up the divide, in a classical imperialist manner, in order to maintain and extend hegemony over the Middle East.

* It is a grievous mistake to align yourself with any government. The Syrian government, the United States government, the Russian government, the Saudi Arabian government, etc., all have their own agenda that has nothing to do with the welfare of the Syrian people. The critical point is to allow the Syrians, and everybody else, to determine their own fate.

* The assault on the Syrian government is straining the relationship between the United States and Russia, a Syrian ally. Anything that strains the relationship between the two nuclear superpowers is a bad thing.

* Foreign powers are funneling arms to the Syrian rebels. The result is not only an increase in violence, but the whole opposition movement is being taken over by the most violent elements.

* Imposing regime change on Syria is likely to have dire consequences for religious minorities. For example, religious minorities in Iraq suffered enormously after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

* In a time when the United States government is running deficits of over a trillion dollars a year in order to prop up its teetering economy, and the European banking system is in danger of collapse, do the Western powers really need to take on the expense of imposing regime change in Syria?

* Do the actions of the United States toward Syria conform to international law?

* What should opponents of a Syrian intervention do to stem the assault? At Tolstoy put it, what is to be done?
 
* In a time when the United States government is running deficits of over a trillion dollars a year in order to prop up its teetering economy, and the European banking system is in danger of collapse, do the Western powers really need to take on the expense of imposing regime change in Syria?

* Do the actions of the United States toward Syria conform to international law?

* What should opponents of a Syrian intervention do to stem the assault? At Tolstoy put it, what is to be done?

* What US/Europe elites do is an "expense" for the "great unwashed" masses of their respective countries; from elites' stand point -- it's an investment.

Post WW2 US is like an alien from a film: it needs a "host body" to exist. The reason US came out of its horrendous economic depression and built itself into what it is now, is -- after WW2 US latched onto the countries of the Western Europe, then it moved onto sucking the life out of Africa...

By the end of 1980-s the West and US were slipping into a deep economic depression, US needed some other "host body" in order to survive. That "host body" became the USSR and the former socialist block of East European countries. US robbed them like there is no tomorrow, and it allowed US to postpone the crisis until 2007.

Now, to destroy and plunder Libya and the ME is no longer enough for US to survive; it needs all it can get out of Central Asia and Russia. Without this mega plunder the US as a superpower will collapse.

The stakes are too high for US and allied to it UK, French and to a lesser degree -- German elites to back off.

* US and EU idiots buried international law the day they recognised Kosovo.

* Pray for another Stalin in Russia; save that, pray for Putin to have enough balls to break away from US constructed oligarchic system of Russian elites and together with China to stop the US.
 
* Syria is a stepping stone on the path to regime change in Iran. Not only is Syria an Iranian ally, Syria also funnels arms into Lebanon. Those arms could be used against Israel if Israel attacks Iran. Thus, the Western powers want Syria out of the way in order to facilitate regime change in Iran.

* Sunni/Shia divisions - Syria, Iran, Lebanon(mixed), and Iraq form a Shia alliance. Saudi Arabia leads a Sunni alliance(Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates) that wants to break up the Shia alliance. The Western powers want to play up the divide, in a classical imperialist manner, in order to maintain and extend hegemony over the Middle East.
This part is 100% correct. :cool:
 
its so good of the shiites and sunnis to have engaged in slitting each others throats for the past 1400 years -----JUST SO THE USA CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LITTLE DISPUTE
 
590 Bodies Found In Syria this weekend...
:eek:
At least 150 reported killed across Syria; activist says families executed
Sun August 26, 2012 - Activists report 62 killed in Damascus and its suburbs, including an entire family; Video shows Syrian VP in Damascus after defection claims; An opposition activist says Daraya is under fire because it revolted against the regime; 440 people were reported dead Saturday, including more than 200 bodies found in Daraya
A day after more than 440 bodies were recovered -- the highest single-day death toll to date in the nation's civil war -- at least 160 more people were found dead in Syria on Sunday. Here are some of the latest key developments in the country's 17-month crisis.

On the ground: Daraya becomes a horror story

On Sunday, 62 people were killed in Damascus and its suburbs, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. The LCC said 21 people, including an entire family, were found dead in the Damascus suburb of Daraya. It said 48 people were killed Sunday in Daraa, the town south of Damascus near the Jordanian border where Syria's uprising began. CNN spoke by Skype to an activist named Osama, who said the army was executing families in their homes in Daraya and stealing some possessions. He said shelling began last Monday and the military closed all the ways in and out, but he kept in contact with people inside Daraya through the Internet.

He was told the army moved into the neighborhood on Friday and began sweeping through buildings where families were taking cover. At least 50 bodies were found in one apartment basement, he reported. Saturday's death toll included more than 200 bodies found in Daraya, but it was unclear when those victims were killed. CNN cannot independently verify reports of death tolls, as the Syrian regime has severely limited access by international journalists.

It's not surprising that Daraya came under attack, opposition activist Rafif Jouejati said. "Daraya is being targeted because it is the closest to the capital, and it is one of the first cities that revolted against the Assad regime and was the spearhead of the peaceful demonstrations in the beginning of the revolution," said Jouejati, a spokeswoman for the LCC. "I believe the regime thinks that the only way to end the revolution is (to) kill, kill, kill. Deep down, they know they are failing, but they want to destroy as much as possible before it is over." But the Syrian government had a different take on the situation in Daraya: "The armed forces cleared the town of Daraya in Damascus countryside from terrorists ... eliminating a large number of them," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

Inside Damascus: VP surfaces

See also:

New Cold War emerging between U.S., Russia
Opposite positions over Syria set up conflict
WASHINGTON – Moscow has informed Washington it will not put up with unilateral U.S. sanctions against Russian companies because of their continued trade with Iran, says a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. The Kremlin has pointed out it has adhered to sanctions passed by the United Nations but will not abide by unilateral sanctions imposed on its companies by the United States or the European Union.

This development is but the latest as the United States and Russia are heading for a confrontation over their opposite positions on Syria. Moscow continues to support the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Russians have a strategic base at the Syrian port of Tartous, which is used for intelligence gathering and to service Russian naval ships for access to the Mediterranean Sea. The Russians perceive the U.S. effort to oust al-Assad really is aimed at the Syrian regime’s alliance with Iran.

Because Moscow also supports Tehran, it may be on a collision course with Washington over geostrategic concerns that a weakened Iran would pose for it. For Russia, Shi’ite Iran, like the Shi’ite Alawite regime of Syria’s al-Assad, has been an impediment until now to the spread of the more radical Sunni Salafist form of Islam which has al-Qaida as an adherent. To some analysts, the U.S. effort to oust al-Assad in an effort to sever the alliance with Iran has put the U.S. in the position of siding with al-Qaida and the Salafists who are being pushed by Sunni Saudi Arabia.

China is in a similar position. Beijing, like Moscow, sees Shi’ite Iran as a bulwark to the spread of Sunni Salafist radicals into its western region of Xinjiang province. For that reason, neither Moscow nor Beijing trusts Saudi Arabia, which has exhibited a more assertive foreign policy approach to stem the influence of Iran in the Arab countries. Analysts agree if the U.S. presses further for the ouster of al-Assad, it could put Washington on a greater collision course with Moscow, resulting in a possible freeze in relations, or worse.

Source
 
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New Cold War emerging between U.S., Russia
]

?????!!!!!!! Good Lord! News do travel slow in the West!

This "New Cold war" is already reaching a stage of a "hot" one along Caucasian and Central Asian Russian borders!
 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan opposed intervention of the international community in the internal affairs of Syria.

"We are concerned about the continuing bloodshed in Syria, the increase in the number of dead and wounded. We believe that the interference in the internal affairs of Syria and any attempt at outside influence can lead to a complication of the situation not only within the state but also in the region as a whole ", - said Abibullayev
 
Civil War Closes In On Damascus...
:eusa_eh:
Residents in Syria's capital 'stuck in the middle' as civil war closes in
Mon September 17, 2012 - "I am worried sick ... but there is nothing we can do," a woman in Damascus says; Another worries about how to respond to regime or rebel fighters who might stop her; Artillery shells explode just a few miles away from busy city streets
After 18 months of violent unrest, clouds of black smoke suggest conflict is closing in on Syria's capital. On the streets of Damascus, no one flinches when artillery shells explode just a few miles away. Residents who support neither the government nor the opposition say the situation is out of their control. "Every day, we are hearing this boom, boom and everything else, but there is life that is going on," said Rama Hamdi, seeking a bit of normalcy at a beauty salon. "I am worried sick about it, but there is nothing we can do."

Despite an abundance of people at an ancient bazaar, several storekeepers say business is down. They said they are afraid to talk on camera, worried about what the government might say and what the rebels might do to them. When asked about the shelling heard in the background, the storekeepers say they are afraid because they think the war is getting closer. And they're right. Destruction from when government forces chased the rebel Free Syrian Army lies just a 10-minute drive away.

On many days, the reported death toll from around the capital is far higher than from areas surrounding other cities. "Nowadays, I cannot go to the countryside without being worried someone will stop me," said Rauda Alaita, the salon owner. "Is it the real army or the other army stopping me? What answer should I answer them with (about) who I am? Now it's really difficult because you are stuck in the middle." At a news conference under the banner of unity -- and in an array of anything but united -- opposition figures called for talks with the government.

There is an air of urgency here as speakers discuss how the situation is worse than it was a year ago. They say they need to be united and need to speak with a common voice. Even as these talks are going on, here you can hear a blast in the distance. But members of the armed opposition, such as the Free Syrian Army, aren't present. They'd be arrested. The opposition members gathered here are the ones the government tolerates. Some, like Mazen Bilal, know they are powerless. "We are demanding from the regime ... guarantees for the safety of this opposition to come in," Bilal said, "but we can't impose this on the regime."

Residents in Syria's capital 'stuck in the middle' as civil war closes in - CNN.com
 
Civil War Closes In On Damascus...

waltky

Western media is trying to keep the tune going; but in actual fact, the OPEN WAR phase is practically over. Syrian forces are cleaning up outskirts of some major cities and pushing "revolutionaries" towards the Turkish border.
 
Civil War Closes In On Damascus...

waltky

Western media is trying to keep the tune going; but in actual fact, the OPEN WAR phase is practically over. Syrian forces are cleaning up outskirts of some major cities and pushing "revolutionaries" towards the Turkish border.

Yeah, whatever. Listen Princess, according to your updated REP rating - and I quote - "mememe sucks off goats." Since that is your new position allow me to suggest you quit swallowing ... your killing what few brain cells you have left. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
The point of the Empire's sword is directed toward Syria. The following is an issues list related to the Syrian intervention.

* Sanctions always hurt civilian populations. Carried to an extreme, as with Iraq, sanctions can decimate the population of a nation. In addition, sanctions do not hit the privileged elites anywhere near as hard as they do the general population.

* Military intervention always hurts civilian populations. The Western powers are already intervening in Syria, with disastrous results for the Syrian people.

* Attacks on Syria by Western powers strengthen domestic support for the Assad regime. The Syrian people rightly perceive foreign assaults as being imperialistic.

* Much of the reporting on Syria consists of dubious propaganda. Both sides of the civil war lie, but the Western media plays up the side of the Syrian opposition without applying any appropriate degree of skepticism.

* Syria is a stepping stone on the path to regime change in Iran. Not only is Syria an Iranian ally, Syria also funnels arms into Lebanon. Those arms could be used against Israel if Israel attacks Iran. Thus, the Western powers want Syria out of the way in order to facilitate regime change in Iran.

* Sunni/Shia divisions - Syria, Iran, Lebanon(mixed), and Iraq form a Shia alliance. Saudi Arabia leads a Sunni alliance(Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates) that wants to break up the Shia alliance. The Western powers want to play up the divide, in a classical imperialist manner, in order to maintain and extend hegemony over the Middle East.

* It is a grievous mistake to align yourself with any government. The Syrian government, the United States government, the Russian government, the Saudi Arabian government, etc., all have their own agenda that has nothing to do with the welfare of the Syrian people. The critical point is to allow the Syrians, and everybody else, to determine their own fate.

* The assault on the Syrian government is straining the relationship between the United States and Russia, a Syrian ally. Anything that strains the relationship between the two nuclear superpowers is a bad thing.

* Foreign powers are funneling arms to the Syrian rebels. The result is not only an increase in violence, but the whole opposition movement is being taken over by the most violent elements.

* Imposing regime change on Syria is likely to have dire consequences for religious minorities. For example, religious minorities in Iraq suffered enormously after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

* In a time when the United States government is running deficits of over a trillion dollars a year in order to prop up its teetering economy, and the European banking system is in danger of collapse, do the Western powers really need to take on the expense of imposing regime change in Syria?

* Do the actions of the United States toward Syria conform to international law?

* What should opponents of a Syrian intervention do to stem the assault? At Tolstoy put it, what is to be done?

Now what are we going to do?
 
Syria's Assad Retakes High Ground on Israeli and Jordanian Borders
Haaretz

Reuters
Aug 09, 2018

The Syrian flag is again fluttering on the ground zero, a triangle of Syrian territory slicing between Jordan and the Israeli Golan Heights with the Syrian army taking full control of the Yarmouk Basin in southwestern Syria after routing Islamic State militants.

This triangle is located in the far western countryside of Syria's southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the Syrian war, which was recently recaptured by the Syrian army.

It is a high ground with a Syrian flag raised at its entrance and the Syrian soldiers seen standing guard looking both ways to Jordan and the Israeli territories. Turning right, an Israeli observatory is spotted from a distance on the Golan Heights; looking the other side, the Jordanian territories are seen.

During the crisis, the Syrian army almost lost all border points, except for a crossing with Lebanon. The Syrian government has repeatedly charged that weapons, munition, and fighters were being smuggled into the country from the loose border points that had fallen to the rebels.

During a wide-scale campaign that started in late June in Daraa and nearby rebel-held areas, the Syrian government forces have succeeded in restoring all border points with Jordan and were also deployed along the separation line with the Israeli Golan Heights.
 
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Syria should be in the news more. This war is winding down after many years. Syria was the major news story for a long time. Try to keep up at this historic juncture in the Syria crisis.
 

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