B
rebels?
you mean the foreign created; trained; funded death-squads?
that have been brought in from outside the country?
the same kind as they used in Guatemala?
Christians in Syria Fear ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
by JOE CARTER on TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013
Christians in Syria Fear ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ | Acton PowerBlog
what conspiracy theory?
whatever are you talking about?
who are the winners and losers in the Arab Spring fake popular uprisings?
this is one goal of what's going down today.
it didn't work last time, but if at first you don't succeed...try try again.
you figure it out.
Suez Crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
oh, yes spreading peace and democracy (that's newspeak for chaos and balkanization).
that's how you grab the stuff, man.
Am I missing something?
View attachment 56391
only brainwashed zombies would believe assad would use chemical weapons "on his own people
If you read the transcript this is not a prediction it is an intention.
a-a-a-a-and. there we have it AoK.
we get 9-11.
we get a war on terror.
we fund and create the terrorists.
they attack stable nations.
we blame the govt of that nation.
like....the script is so bad.
and yet it keeps working.
for the life of me i can't....uh....ya...n.m.
so, i ask myself....who is running the show down there?
it's a single agenda - voting for either "party" (which has been a single party for over 100 years, according to Carroll Quigley) is consent - consent to whatever they choose to do.
the GOP vs Dem scam is stupid.
i'm anti-revolution of any kind now that i'm a christian.
but surely there must be a way for the good guys (like Stewart Rhodes?) to just pull the plug and say no?
i reckon the private mercenaries are too embedded at this point
and if the Executive already has the power to act alone (or rather, with and through the United Nations Security Council - a private corporation) i dunno what can be done.
remember old Hans Blix was supposedly authorized by the "world" to go find those wmds in iraq.
he never found anything.
When I start to see all countries that have oppression, being treated equally, then I will start to think it is for the good of humanity.
When I start to see all countries that have oppression, being treated equally, then I will start to think it is for the good of humanity.
In other words you are above it all.
Who Are the Syrian Rebels? A Basic Intelligence Briefing On the Assad Resistance
Who Are the Syrian Rebels? A Basic Intelligence Briefing On the Assad Resistance![]()
© Freedom House
The early predictions of the Syrian revolution have proven to be unfounded. We know that our journalist's constant comparisons with the speedy downfalls of Ben Ali's Tunisia and Mubarak's Egypt were irrelevant in a country as complex as Syria.
The opposition — despite remarkable resilience against an enemy that can outnumber, outgun, and outmanoeuvre — still exhibits a chronic lack of resources and little central organization between factions. In its current form, the Assad government looks safe for some time to come.
Numbering 50,000 men, the Free Syrian Army, a self-declared non-sectarian group of early army defectors, remains the largest opposition group in the country. But during the past year other factions have entered the fray. If their numbers, as well as their political views are anything to go by, the possibility of a united front seems remote.
The Syrian Liberation Front, numbering 37,000 fighters, and the Syrian Islamic Front, numbering 13,000 fighters, operate in Syria's southeast and northeast respectively. Both of these groups espouse an Islamist ideology, in contrast to the self-declared non-sectarianism of the Free Syrian Army.
However the real challenge to the unity of the Syrian opposition lies in Jabhat al-Nusra, to whom thousands of Free Syrian army fighters have apparently defected. Numbering only 5,000 fighters as of January, but now perhaps many more, al-Nusra's core fighters come from Iraq's post-war insurgency and have recently pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Thanks to the supply lines and experience they forged in this period, Al-Nusra are far more organised and better than their counterparts in the Free Syrian Army, a mixture of ex-military and civilian fighters.
The lack of organizational structure both within the Free Syrian Army and between rival groups has allowed human rights abuses, such as the recent confirmation of rebel commander Khaled al-Hamad eating a dead man's heart, as well as many other alleged abuses, to become common and go unpunished.
This gives Assad an advantage in the propaganda war, in which he portrays all rebels as thugs and terrorists. As well as undermining their support on the international stage, this mobilises Assad's Alawite base and allows his ruthless crackdown to continue with impunity.
Even though support for the opposition has been forthcoming, with France and Britain pushing to ease EU arms sanctions and the U.S. looking to send $100m dollars in aid, the kind of military support that allowed the Libyan rebels to topple Gaddafi does not look likely.
The opposition's lack of organisational coherence and the Islamist element makes many in the West nervous about pledging anything more than token support. It is clear that a Libyan-style intervention remains politically difficult, and an Iraq-style occupation is economically impossible. Since Western wars are rarely, if ever, based on humanitarian rather than political concern, this civil war looks likely to remain in stalemate.
However the intentions of the West are, in the long run, largely unimportant to the fate of the average Syrian. If the great powers choose to abandon the rebels and allow Assad's reign to continue, he will no doubt continue to abuse and oppress those who have opposed him. Even if the Baathists leave Syria tomorrow, those left on the ground will be left to fight over what a future Syria will look like.
While the Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra are on the same side now, will they remain so friendly when the reins of power become available? And how will this new government handle the Alawites after decades of favoritism from the Baathist regime? While it is too early to make predictions, history tells us that wars such as this rarely come to a clean end.
Who Are the Syrian Rebels? A Basic Intelligence Briefing On the Assad Resistance
Who Are the Syrian Rebels? A Basic Intelligence Briefing On the Assad Resistance![]()
© Freedom House
The early predictions of the Syrian revolution have proven to be unfounded. We know that our journalist's constant comparisons with the speedy downfalls of Ben Ali's Tunisia and Mubarak's Egypt were irrelevant in a country as complex as Syria.
The opposition — despite remarkable resilience against an enemy that can outnumber, outgun, and outmanoeuvre — still exhibits a chronic lack of resources and little central organization between factions. In its current form, the Assad government looks safe for some time to come.
Numbering 50,000 men, the Free Syrian Army, a self-declared non-sectarian group of early army defectors, remains the largest opposition group in the country. But during the past year other factions have entered the fray. If their numbers, as well as their political views are anything to go by, the possibility of a united front seems remote.
The Syrian Liberation Front, numbering 37,000 fighters, and the Syrian Islamic Front, numbering 13,000 fighters, operate in Syria's southeast and northeast respectively. Both of these groups espouse an Islamist ideology, in contrast to the self-declared non-sectarianism of the Free Syrian Army.
However the real challenge to the unity of the Syrian opposition lies in Jabhat al-Nusra, to whom thousands of Free Syrian army fighters have apparently defected. Numbering only 5,000 fighters as of January, but now perhaps many more, al-Nusra's core fighters come from Iraq's post-war insurgency and have recently pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Thanks to the supply lines and experience they forged in this period, Al-Nusra are far more organised and better than their counterparts in the Free Syrian Army, a mixture of ex-military and civilian fighters.
The lack of organizational structure both within the Free Syrian Army and between rival groups has allowed human rights abuses, such as the recent confirmation of rebel commander Khaled al-Hamad eating a dead man's heart, as well as many other alleged abuses, to become common and go unpunished.
This gives Assad an advantage in the propaganda war, in which he portrays all rebels as thugs and terrorists. As well as undermining their support on the international stage, this mobilises Assad's Alawite base and allows his ruthless crackdown to continue with impunity.
Even though support for the opposition has been forthcoming, with France and Britain pushing to ease EU arms sanctions and the U.S. looking to send $100m dollars in aid, the kind of military support that allowed the Libyan rebels to topple Gaddafi does not look likely.
The opposition's lack of organisational coherence and the Islamist element makes many in the West nervous about pledging anything more than token support. It is clear that a Libyan-style intervention remains politically difficult, and an Iraq-style occupation is economically impossible. Since Western wars are rarely, if ever, based on humanitarian rather than political concern, this civil war looks likely to remain in stalemate.
However the intentions of the West are, in the long run, largely unimportant to the fate of the average Syrian. If the great powers choose to abandon the rebels and allow Assad's reign to continue, he will no doubt continue to abuse and oppress those who have opposed him. Even if the Baathists leave Syria tomorrow, those left on the ground will be left to fight over what a future Syria will look like.
While the Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra are on the same side now, will they remain so friendly when the reins of power become available? And how will this new government handle the Alawites after decades of favoritism from the Baathist regime? While it is too early to make predictions, history tells us that wars such as this rarely come to a clean end.
did i miss the part about western influence; arming; training and funding?
where'd you cover that part?
oh this is just a civil war - with the west sending pizza or something.
ya.
maybe you guys are right.....once they take out that Monster Assad, things will be all peaches and sunshine.
life got better after the Beast Saddam went. and the Colonel too.
just look at the peace and prosperity in those countries.
now that i think of it, all those recent 'humanitarian interventions' are shining examples of the righteousness of the cause of freedom and democracy for the oppressed people of Syria and all the peoples (who never asked for it to begin with) - western style.
Rand Paul: My colleagues just voted to arm the allies of al Qaeda
"You will be funding, today, the allies of al Qaeda. It's an irony you cannot overcome."
Posted By John Hudson Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 5:51 PM
Rand Paul: My colleagues just voted to arm the allies of al Qaeda | The Cable
but what can be done?
no matter al Qaeda attacked America on 9-11 *cough*
they're the good guys now.
good enough anyway.
or whatever.
Lockheed Martin thanks you.
Name me one country the USA has ''taken out''?
I can name quite a few we beat in a war and then helped rebuild them.
Evil USA....just pure evil.
amazing
did i miss the part about western influence; arming; training and funding?
where'd you cover that part?
oh this is just a civil war - with the west sending pizza or something.
ya.
maybe you guys are right.....once they take out that Monster Assad, things will be all peaches and sunshine.
life got better after the Beast Saddam went. and the Colonel too.
just look at the peace and prosperity in those countries.
now that i think of it, all those recent 'humanitarian interventions' are shining examples of the righteousness of the cause of freedom and democracy for the oppressed people of Syria and all the peoples (who never asked for it to begin with) - western style.
Rand Paul: My colleagues just voted to arm the allies of al Qaeda
"You will be funding, today, the allies of al Qaeda. It's an irony you cannot overcome."
Posted By John Hudson Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 5:51 PM
Rand Paul: My colleagues just voted to arm the allies of al Qaeda | The Cable
but what can be done?
no matter al Qaeda attacked America on 9-11 *cough*
they're the good guys now.
good enough anyway.
or whatever.
Lockheed Martin thanks you.