Syria getting bad

[Darth Rotor]

Any of you people ever heard of a little place called Hama, in Syria? Do a bit of reading on that, OK? I think a few of you have, but a few seem not to have.

Young Mister Assad is being, for someone in his family and position, a moderate.

Let's see how this works out. Not all the cards have been played yet.

When that little minority of Alawites are no longer in power (if things change) I wonder how "moderate" the average Sunni with a chip on his shoulder is gonna be.

Could be most interesting, aka sanguine. Rwanda North, even.

 

[Eddie Dane]

Regarding Hama:

The situation was very different.
The fundamentalists used terrorist tactics and challenged the authorities in a military manner. Attacking police stations and taking them over. Killing police officers etc.
Plus they were looking to install some kind of Sharia state.

I suspect that the average Syrian wasn't all that sad about that movement being stamped out in a particularly effective manner.

 

[Virus]

.

Young Mister Assad is being, for someone in his family and position, a moderate.

But compared to other Arab regimes that were told to get out "yesterday" he's not.

 

[leftysergeant]

But compared to other Arab regimes that were told to get out "yesterday" he's not.

By the same token, Mubarack was not dealing with such a ruthless domestic enemy.

 

[Virus]

By the same token, Mubarack was not dealing with such a ruthless domestic enemy.

Syria exports those ruthless enemies. And it funds ruthless enemies. Next to Iran, it's the most dangerous regime in the region. If I had to choose between feeding Gaddafi to the hogs or Assad, I'd pick Assad.

 

[geni]

By calling Assad a reformer, and telling Mubarak "he has to go" America is punishing its allies and appeasing enemies. It sends out the message that if you're relatively light on repression, then you're a bad guy. But if you machine gun protesters you're a reformer.

Nope. The "he has to go" statements were issues when Mubarak was already on his way out. It just makes the US appeal slightly more to whoever runs egypt next.

Other states that haven't yet been hit hard by protests will remember that.

Err you think what the US will say is a significant factor in how these countries are planning to deal with protests you are sadly delusional. The lession so far is don't mess around, crack down hard unless the protestors manage to establish at least local territoral control in which case attempting to crack down will get you bombed.

I don't consider that good diplomacy.

Slight problem being that there is little evidence of any knowlage of diplomacy on your part rendering any such judgement worthless.

I do agree however that it's part of the administration's fruitless attempt to engage with Syria based on erroneous assumptions about how Arab societies work.

Hey the US has avoided giving him extra ammo for his "plot" properganda line.

Now do you have any evidence of the US seriously trying to engage with Syria?

 

[geni]

If I had to choose between feeding Gaddafi to the hogs or Assad, I'd pick Assad.

You don't have the millitry capacity to do either so your fanities are of no relevance.

 

[Thunder]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/interna...-assad-blames-unrest-on-israeli-plot-1.353049

Syria's dictator President is blaiming the protests and revolts on Israel.

In response to this and the rest of his speech, thousands more people are protesting.

I am curious as to whether or not this Israel conspiracy theory will backfire for him.

 

[Virus]

You don't have the millitry capacity to do either so your fanities are of no relevance.

What are "fanities"?

 

[Mr. Skinny]

What are "fanities"?

I think he meant "fantasies".

(I think Geni is dyslexic. He not the best at spelling sometimes. He's also free to correct me if I'm wrong. )

 

[Thunder]

I think he meant "fantasies".

(I think Geni is dyslexic. He not the best at spelling sometimes. He's also free to correct me if I'm wrong. )

 

[Darth Rotor]

Well, when you consider how quick the Shrub was to throw his support behind the coup that almost overthrew Chavez ...

You have to come to the conclusion that, for once in his life, W was right.

The last nine years have shown that Chavez is not good for Venezuela, if what you hope for in Venezuela is a democratic/pluralist/republican form of government.

Useless autocrats in South America are a dime a dozen. Chavez is nothing new, he's the same old, tired, dead fish stinking crap that's been around since the Bolivarian revolutions were betrayed about a hundred and fifty years ago.

DR

 

[geni]

You have to come to the conclusion that, for once in his life, W was right.

The last nine years have shown that Chavez is not good for Venezuela, if what you hope for in Venezuela is a democratic/pluralist/republican form of government.

Recognising the coup however didn't exactly help in that process since it slightly destroyed the credibility of the US in the area.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Recognising the coup however didn't exactly help in that process since it slightly destroyed the credibility of the US in the area.

Maybe so.

The rest of you lot in the free world (aka "The West") were about as useful as tits on a boar.

 

[Skeptic]

The last nine years have shown that Chavez is not good for Venezuela, if what you hope for in Venezuela is a democratic/pluralist/republican form of government.

There is no such thing as a democratic/pluralistic/republican form of government in the communist world. When is Castro up for re-election again?

 

[Eddie Dane]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/interna...-assad-blames-unrest-on-israeli-plot-1.353049

Syria's dictator President is blaiming the protests and revolts on Israel.

In response to this and the rest of his speech, thousands more people are protesting.

I am curious as to whether or not this Israel conspiracy theory will backfire for him.

Not happy that you are living a society held in an iron grip by a deeply corrupt "elite"?
My, that means you are an Israeli agent!

That will go down very well.

 

[geni]

Maybe so.

The rest of you lot in the free world (aka "The West") were about as useful as tits on a boar.

Historicaly the US has not reacted well to europe getting involved in south american politics.

 

[AlexBr]

Useless autocrats in South America are a dime a dozen. Chavez is nothing new, he's the same old, tired, dead fish stinking crap that's been around since the Bolivarian revolutions were betrayed about a hundred and fifty years ago.
DR

Previous Latin American autocrats were clinging to either the Western or the Eastern (Soviet) block. Since then the Eastern block has fallen. Now, Chavez is trying to re-create the anti-Western geopolitical block and to become its king (or at least the Sovereign of its South American domain). He is busy making friends with anyone who supports his anti-Western agenda without threatening his dominant position in South America.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Historicaly the US has not reacted well to europe getting involved in south american politics.

Also true.

 

[hgc]

Al Qaeda has said that the revolution in Libya would be good for starting an Islamic government.

Why can't Syria be just the same story?

Yes, al Qaeda could say the same thing about Syria too. That doesn't make it any more likely in either case.