Seems like with events going as they are in Syria it should have its own thread now. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18866265
It should be clear to all regardless of what side you are on in this issue that the situation is deteriorating and more innocents are being caught in the middle of this now Civil War. With russia solidly backing the regime, and china unwilling to decide to back resolutions against syria this situation is going to continue to worsen. And with it so goes the UN and their usefulness as a world body.
The top world powers have always have had to have a consensus for the UN to be effective on security issues. There is nothing new to see here.
Which is exactly why the UN isn't effective on security issues. The situation in syria is yet another example of UN impotence. Well that is really a whole other topic as well, I digressed with the whole UN point. As for syria, maybe the best solution is to evacuate as many non-coms as possible and let each side fight it out to see who wins? I have given a little thought as to why Russia is so intent on protecting assad and I keep coming back to syria's chemical weapons and I wonder how much of what they have has a Russian brand on it?
Which is exactly why the UN isn't effective on security issues. The situation in syria is yet another example of UN impotence. Well that is really a whole other topic as well, I digressed with the whole UN point. As for syria, maybe the best solution is to evacuate as many non-coms as possible and let each side fight it out to see who wins? I have given a little thought as to why Russia is so intent on protecting assad and I keep coming back to syria's chemical weapons and I wonder how much of what they have has a Russian brand on it?
It is effective to the extent that the Big Powers want it to be so. There is a good chance that without the Big Five Security Council veto, there would be UN action that went against US interests like a UN intervention in Lebanon during any of the Israeli invasions. Because of the Security Council set-up no one even contemplated that. The UN is ineffective like the US Congress is ineffective, there is a large amount of agreement that is needed to move foward not just a majority;.
Looks like the Free Syrian Army pulled off a big attack against 2 top officials in assad's regime: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-syria-crisisbre8610sh-20120702,0,1984433.story
It sounds like it is not a question of "if" anymore but "when" and "how". I still think we need to stay out of it.
No argument there. The US needs to stay out of this and. Let the me sort itself out. Turkey, Iran and the other Arab states need to resolve this issue.
Where did you get this image from? I would love to see the related article. Well interestingly enough, I was not able to find any recent articles that shed any light on what the support for assad is internally in syria. I did find this: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=274888 But then there is the "survey" made supporting assad in syria....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17155349 Well that pretty much makes the statement that assad is supported by the majority of nationals a myth. I hope that there is a more conclusive and accurate survey out there for any one trying to claim assad has a majority support. You know, one that can stand up to analysis.
Oh and for that last statement on the image, what EU Military Combatants has syria been facing? Be nice if there were some accurate or even truthful statements there....
In memory of the Syrian officials and civilians, including the highest-ranking Christian in Syria, who were recently murdered in cold blood by the Wahabi mercenaries in a cowardly terrorist attack in Damascus.
Yes everything is about Iran. It is a little known fact that the British started World War II to get at an Iranian who was involved in earlier battles against the British Empire.
Everything happening in the Middle East is indeed about Iran, only because certain people with power, in certain corners are obsessed with Iran. As the Russians say, all the roads lead to Tehran.
Video from BBC Arabic with English subs: Iraqi and Syrian refugees fleeing to Iraq, tell horror stories of abuse and ethnic cleansing by the so-called "Free Syria Amry" and their Salafist/Wahhabi allies.
Say YES to an Alawite police state! Look there is no good answer and I am one wanting to keep us out. But Assad is a big bastard too, not a reformer. If he ends up swinging from a rope don't shed a tear
Outside of Turkey and Israel, every state in the Middle East is essentially a police state. The United States can't afford to keep out much longer. Eventually, the tipping point will be reached and the US (out of security interests) will be forced to get directly involved in the conflict. Right now, the US role has simply been to approve of arms sales by its Arab allies to the rebels. But the rebels can't do what a professional army can do and that is to hold territory. It seems to be able to launch successful attacks but it can't hold territory. So right now, the rebels are good at conducting guerilla warfare but can't hold territory. I don't think anyone will shed a tear if Assad swings from a rope.
The end of colonialism in Syria? Here is what Rami Khouri, a Jordanian-Palestinian who's a columnist for the Daily Star has to say. <This was the case with the shah of Iran, Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania, Suharto in Indonesia, Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, and dozens of other collapsed autocracies around the world. Assad, like them, is strong in military terms, but weak and vulnerable by any other standard, and totally lacking in legitimacy and respect in the eyes of the majority of his own people – the ultimate criteria that determine the fate of a regime. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2012/Jul-21/181417-syria-embodies-the-end-of-colonialism.ashx#ixzz21Nbs9LUx
Assad is a bastard too, but he ain't different from all the other bastards in the region, many of whom are your bastards. But as bad as Assad is, in comparison to those he is fighting, he is the lesser of the two evils . This choice here is between modernity and 7th century Arabian society, between secularism and Wahabi fundamentalism, between a politically- authoritarian state with a constitution and some civil and social freedoms for ALL, and a Saudi-style Khalifa with no constitution,no elections and no rights, politically and socially, for men, women, Christians, and other minorities. So open your eyes, these are the people Assad is fighting: Most of them are not even Syrians, they are Saudi/Jordanian/Libyan/Egyptian Wahabi mercenaries with a non-Syrian look/accent who make no secret of their affiliation with Saudi Arabia by raising a giant Saudi flag in front of the cameras: They target Christians and other minorities And they're engaged in ethnic cleansing