2012-02-23, 00:52 | Link #62 | |
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 34
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I'm actually curious what the Lebanese are thinking about the civil war unleashed across their borders. Schadenfreude? Solidarity? Grave worries of spillovers? ROFLMAO? Die Assad die? But Syria's got a long border anyway. Get in a truck and ride across the desert if you want to try. Tell the rebels you're there to expose the evil government or something, hope you don't run into veteran Islamist militants from Iraq, and hide if you see government soldiers. It's not impossible for experienced journalists with enough crazy or conviction to go through with it. Problem is, nobody guarantees you'll live through it. But I think they're doing noble work, if not entirely sane. Someone must be there to observe, remember, and record the, face it, mass graves and atrocities. A civil war is never kind... Even so, die already Assad. Someone's got a stray cruise missile to spare they accidentally let loose? |
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2012-02-23, 01:06 | Link #63 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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I can't say about Jordan's people, but their King is definately pro-Western. They are making a Star Trek theme park on I think the Jordan River. He had a walk on role in Star Trek: Voyager when he was still a prince (non-union so he couldn't have a speaking role). About the only time I think there were not pro-Western was over Israel around 1967. Since then they've handed over the West Bank in 1988 to the PLO and basically said "good luck, and don't come back".
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2012-02-23, 09:30 | Link #65 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Advanced weapons = American Assassination = Jew Murder/Genocide = Bad Muslim Doesn't agree with me = Infidel So you see, firing a cruise missile either means American, Jew, Infidel or any combination of the three.
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2012-02-25, 15:12 | Link #66 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Some have already paid with their lives sadly. But things are really starting to heat up now, The Arab Spring, Israel threatening or supposedly threatening attack on Iran, Iran allegedly close to having an operational Nuclear Weapon, US-Iran Relations getting even more sour with the rise in gas prices and the Syrian Uprising, the situation seems like a war may break out. I hope it doesn't happen but it just looks like were getting closer to that point
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2012-02-25, 15:35 | Link #67 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Suburban DC
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If any one starts it it will likely be Isreal.
Even then I don't think the American populace at large will be gung ho about it, but we will resign to our normally "gotta protect" gears and the Isreal lobby will SCREAM BLOODY MURDER if we do not aid them. On Syria, as long as Damascus is quiet, what is there to be done? Not every faction is against Assad, far from it and we really all know that the US isn't about to put boots on the ground. |
2012-02-25, 18:32 | Link #68 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, England
Age: 37
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Unless someone can convince Russia/China to stop using their veto against major actions/decisions then I don't see how this situation will change. It is possible to convince Russia/China not to veto as both nations wanted to veto against Libya action but Britain, France and later the US persuaded the two nations to abstain from the vote. Then again with Libya: Britain and France had oil to motivate them into convincing Russia/China that vetoing was not the right thing to do. In the case of Syria no such motivation exists so it is less likely any powerful nations will twist Russia or China's arm to abstain. Plus Assad still has quite a few friends and until they are eliminated in some shape or form the unfortunate status quo will remain.
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2012-02-25, 18:36 | Link #69 |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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China/Russia are just using their veto powers to show the rest of the world that they are powerfully relevant. Besides, Russia has got tons of arms deals with Assad, and China has got investment in Syria.
Letting US seize both the money-making opportunities is a no-no for them.
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2012-02-25, 18:39 | Link #70 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Syria assails Saudi over arming opposition calls
"Syria lashed out at Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a day after the kingdom's foreign
minister backed the idea of arming the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime, accusing Riyadh of becoming "a partner" in the bloodshed in Syria. The sharp riposte from Damascus, which was published in a state-run newspaper, came as activists said at least 77 people were killed across the country and regime forces pounded rebel-held neighborhoods in the central city of Homs." See: http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/s...alls-1.3556538 |
2012-02-25, 18:51 | Link #71 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, England
Age: 37
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2012-02-26, 12:04 | Link #74 |
Me, An Intellectual
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 33
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According to the BBC, Russia has a navy base at the port of Tartus:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16797818
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2012-02-27, 14:07 | Link #75 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Dozens of Syrian soldiers 'defect to Iraqi Kurdistan':
"Iraqi Kurdistan said on Monday it has granted refugee status to 30 Kurdish Syrian troops who defected to the region in the first such instance in the revolt against Bashar al-Assad's regime." See: http://www.france24.com/en/20120227-...raqi-kurdistan ========================================== Qatar Favors Arming Syrian Opposition: PM: "Qatar’s prime minister said Feb. 27 he was in favor of delivering arms to the Syrian opposition that is battling President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “We should do whatever necessary to help them, including giving them weapons to defend themselves,” Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said during an official visit to Norway." See: http://www.defensenews.com/article/2...M?odyssey=tab| |
2012-02-27, 14:25 | Link #76 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Syria approves new constitution amid bloodshed
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8DB0BH20120227 As if the result had any credibility, given the current situation.
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2012-03-07, 17:29 | Link #77 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Syria news.
Under cover of the night, Syrians cross into safety:
"Each night, across this river and all along the border, new secrets of the bloodshed in Syria arrive. Rickety wooden boats ferry a stream of people, some walking and some wounded, to the safety of Turkey, on a flight from cities and villages racked by fighting." See: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46650656...ew_york_times/ ===================================== Are Western Special Operators Already Inside Syria?: "Western special operators may well be on the ground in Syria covertly conducting reconnaissance missions and training rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad, much like Western SOF troops did in Libya last year, according to the STRATFOR documents that were recently published by Wikileaks." See: http://defensetech.org/2012/03/06/ar...-inside-syria/ ===================================== General: Syrian air defense complicates US options: "The advanced air defense weapons Russia has provided to Syria's regime would make it difficult to establish a no-fly zone there as part of an effort to help the rebellion, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East told senators Tuesday." See: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...s_iran_threat/ ===================================== Syria to keep seat on UN human rights committee?: "U.N. cultural agency UNESCO is set to condemn Syria at its executive board meeting on Wednesday but fall short of Western and Arab hopes of expelling it from its human rights committee, according to a draft resolution obtained by Reuters." See: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news...ghts-committee |
2012-03-12, 19:37 | Link #78 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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For thoses than can understand french ( or not) :
Pourquoi Netanyahou soutient implicitement Assad ( Why Netanyahou implicitly support Assad) http://www.rue89.com/2012/03/12/pour...t-assad-230132
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2012-03-13, 10:14 | Link #79 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Age: 32
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The western media outlets (those the likes of CNN, BBC, Reuters, and now Al Jazeera) have a record of giving voice to one side, and silencing the other. Some even went to lows of forging evidence. Consequently, we have recently witnessed resignations of staff from Al Jazeera over bias directed at the Arab Spring.
For Russia, Libya was of little economical and geopolitical interest, thus they decided to leave it to its fate, and at the same time study UN and NATO further actions, in order to establish a firmer grip on Syria. This of course by no means justifies the no-fly zone, which indeed is a military intervention into a sovereign state. A state which has not attacked its neighbors or any NATO member, for that matter. And those who attempt to justify US and NATO actions in Libya, are siding with a force which has destroyed the country's infrastructure, caused deaths of innocents and dubbed them as "collateral damage", and has promoted an un-democratically elected leadership, which now is forced to deal with a situation when several of the country's important regions are seeking partial or complete independence from the central government. Syria is of great interest to Russia, not just because of a naval base, which is Russia's only link to the Mediterranean, but because Syria is an Iranian ally and poses important geopolitical significance to those opposing the constantly expanding NATO block. US and European "democrats" became hesitant about imposing a no-fly zone right after Russian and Iranian military ships paid a brief visit to Syria. Their stay wasn't long and, in a sense, mysterious it would be fair to assume the packages have reached their destination. The resolution which has received Russia's and China's veto and caused an uproar in the media was strategically important, as it called for government forces to cease fire and withdraw. This scenario has already been played out in Yugoslavia, when the government forces were forced to lay down their arms and abandon their positions, letting the KLA easily seize control of the area. In Syria, such a scenario would be catastrophic. Firstly, because the opposition is divided among itself, unlike the government troops and police, who act as a unified force, and secondly, because the opposition isn't big enough to account for controlling half of the country. Giving the FSA more ground would only increase security risks. And I'm even not mentioning the reports of the FSA shooting civilians. Russia's refusal to cease arms' trade with Syria is obvious. And no, it's not because Syria accounts for half of Russia's economy (which some probably believe). But because the FSA is also receiving arms from abroad, and this isn't even debatable. As for Syria's probable future, its fate will be decided in the following months, depending on the internal political situations within Russia and Iran, and the west's level of despair to push forth with its agenda, before it's too late.
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