The Syrian Conflict Thread

[AntiGanda]

[video=youtube;iK3RWdjywMg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK3RWdjywMg[/video]

 

[MrGray]

Not sure if this has been posted before. But anyway, interesting hearing Putin's opinion directly (in 2014):

[video=youtube;OQuceU3x2Ww]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQuceU3x2Ww[/video]

 

[marine1]

So what do you think of Obama's foreign policy with regards to Russia?

Obama has a foreign policy with Russia? Thats a laugh

 

[Nanfeishen]

Well, the way Assad handled the so called "Arab Spring" protests played a large role too.

The "Arab Spring" movement in Syria , was hijacked by the Islamists very early on, so one should really look at how Assad handled the beginnings of the "Islamist Spring".
Syria has a history of Islamist uprisings, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists dating back to 1964, there was a major one in 1982 as well.
Its a country divided by very strong secularism, and it was that secularism that was exploited in the so called "Arab Spring" to try destabilise Syria and overthrow Assad, except in his case it didnt work.

If Assad and his forces fell tomorrow, the Islamic State would be sunning themselves all along the Syrian coast, sitting next to the Golan heights, and on the borders of both Jordan and Lebanon.
Anybody who believes that any form of peace or democracy or free elections or stable government would take place with his removal is just horribly naive.

 

[marine1]

Please, the Arab Spring was a bull**** CIA job from Obama and his brothers' Muslim brotherhood to hijack the middle east. I am sure ISIS full of them

 

[cybershark]

You mean the way the West accused him of handling the "Arab Spring" protests while they set about trying to undermine him as has been their policy for decades?

Again, if Assad was such a big factor for the refugees, why doesn't anyone interview them and ask their reasons? The fact that no one seems to be interested in doing this strongly suggests to me that we're being told what the situation is instead of being shown what the situation is. And that should set off a red flag for any reasonably sceptical person.

So, your "world view" is Assad is completely innocent, the western media lies, the Saudi's and Qatar manipulated him. So must believe everything from Russian news sources, btw self reference isn't a new source...

I saw an interview in the last 2 days, about a Syrian who left due to choice of join Assad's army or death. You post like you know everything, seen every interview, read every article, can judge everyone's motives.

 

[Space_Chief]

So, your "world view" is Assad is completely innocent, the western media lies, the Saudi's and Qatar manipulated him. So must believe everything from Russian news sources, btw self reference isn't a new source...

I saw an interview in the last 2 days, about a Syrian who left due to choice of join Assad's army or death. You post like you know everything, seen every interview, read every article, can judge everyone's motives.

I have to agree with Xarog to a degree. Assad is no angel, but the way the whole thing was done and the way it's continuing to be done is off.

Arab spring turned out to be a disaster for most states. To want more of that for Syria is just wrong.

Joining Assad's army or death? Assad is heading the official government of Syria, and if their constitution has conscription in times of war, it can be seen as treason or dereliction of a citizen's duty not to enlist in the military. And treason for lack of a better term, may carry the death sentence.

Now I'm not a fan of Assad but he's not unique to the Middle East. And he's way better than Al Nusra, Al Qaeda and DAESH/ISIS.

At this time our 100% priority should go to stopping ISIL etc. Then a peace needs to be imposed so people especially innocents stop dying.

Then some PEACEFUL solution needs to be found. Maybe a government of national unity. By all means Syria can copy South Africa in that regard if they so wish. But heavy handed X must go, despite people on the ground being murdered by our common enemy is not morally correct IMO.

 

[cybershark]

I have to agree with Xarog to a degree. Assad is no angel, but the way the whole thing was done and the way it's continuing to be done is off.

Arab spring turned out to be a disaster for most states. To want more of that for Syria is just wrong.

Joining Assad's army or death? Assad is heading the official government of Syria, and if their constitution has conscription in times of war, it can be seen as treason or dereliction of a citizen's duty not to enlist in the military. And treason for lack of a better term, may carry the death sentence.

Now I'm not a fan of Assad but he's not unique to the Middle East. And he's way better than Al Nusra, Al Qaeda and DAESH/ISIS.

At this time our 100% priority should go to stopping ISIL etc. Then a peace needs to be imposed so people especially innocents stop dying.

Then some PEACEFUL solution needs to be found. Maybe a government of national unity. By all means Syria can copy South Africa in that regard if they so wish. But heavy handed X must go, despite people on the ground being murdered by our common enemy is not morally correct IMO.

Syria has no peaceful solution, only a forced one where death tolls will have tripled by the time Russia has finished and most of those will be civilians. And if Putin in his arrogance miscalculates the Shia/Sunni frictions it will explode.

 

[Nanfeishen]

Please, the Arab Spring was a bull**** CIA job from Obama and his brothers' Muslim brotherhood to hijack the middle east. I am sure ISIS full of them

I dont disageee, i believe it started out as a simple movement that became exploited through social media and eventually hijacked to encourage and bring about regime changes and create destabilization in the region.

 

[marine1]

So, your "world view" is Assad is completely innocent, the western media lies, the Saudi's and Qatar manipulated him. So must believe everything from Russian news sources, btw self reference isn't a new source...

I saw an interview in the last 2 days, about a Syrian who left due to choice of join Assad's army or death. You post like you know everything, seen every interview, read every article, can judge everyone's motives.

They are all the same. The leaders there
Swap one lunatic for another.

 

[marine1]

I dont disageee, i believe it started out as a simple movement that became exploited through social media and eventually hijacked to encourage and bring about regime changes and create destabilization in the region.

It's without doubt in my mind.
Funny how the Muslim brotherhood took over Egypt an funny how obamas brother is involved them.

 

[Dave]

Excellent, these Hinds were extremely effective in Afghanistan.

You won't catch an Apache at that low level.

Every now and then you come out with some really special ignorance, you also wouldn't find a 747 at that low level. The Apache is far more sophisticated and has the weapons and sensors to do its job from safer altitude, it's a strength of the Apache as opposed to the weakness you are trying to portray it as.

 

[Space_Chief]

Syria has no peaceful solution, only a forced one where death tolls will have tripled by the time Russia has finished and most of those will be civilians. And if Putin in his arrogance miscalculates the Shia/Sunni frictions it will explode.

It's already exploded, post Arab Spring.

 

[Space_Chief]

They are all the same. The leaders there
Swap one lunatic for another.

All the same?

Syria was a very tolerant society where people like Christians enjoyed a higher degree of privilege and protection than in Saudi Arabia or Qatar. So I don't think they are all the same.

Right now DAESH is throwing gays off rooftops and decapitating the heads of POWs. They only don't do more because they lack more extensive firepower.

 

[marine1]

All the same?

Syria was a very tolerant society where people like Christians enjoyed a higher degree of privilege and protection than in Saudi Arabia or Qatar. So I don't think they are all the same.

Right now DAESH is throwing gays off rooftops and decapitating the heads of POWs. They only don't do more because they lack more extensive firepower.

I think you are gravely mistaken. How many Jews were there in Syria?
Yes they are and were all the same.
One lunatic leader for another

 

[Xarog]

No clearly it's you. Where have I said violence should used against Russia lol.

But okay if you're not an appeaser then you must be a warmonger.....

You're claiming that Russia is being appeased. So clearly not enough is being done. Hence my question about you doing a better job. Cuz for someone who's criticising the behaviour of others, you sure don't seem to have any idea what should be done, yourself.

 

[Space_Chief]

I think you are gravely mistaken. How many Jews were there in Syria?
Yes they are and were all the same.
One lunatic leader for another

Religious and ethnic landscape

Syria’s eighteen million population is a mosaic of ethnically, culturally, and religiously distinct communities. Ninety percent of the Syrians adhere to an Arab identity;[12][13][14][15][16] another roughly nine percent is Kurdish, Armenian, Circassian, and Turkomans filling out the mix.[17] It is estimated that Sunni Muslims make up seventy-four percent of Syria’s overall population. As such, Sunnis provide the central symbolic and cultural orientation. Of these, a minority are of the Yazidi faith, reducing the core Sunni Arab majority to roughly two-thirds of the populace.[18] Approximately another sixteen percent of the population, while Arab in ethnicity, consists of a few Twelver Shi`a, and various offshoots of Shi‘a Islam – Alawite, Druze, and Isma'ilis. The ‘Alawis are by far the largest community in the category of non-Sunni Muslims. Their number is estimated at eleven percent of the overall population. Christians, of various Orthodox and Uniate traditions and the Latin Rite, along with a smattering of Protestants, make up ten percent of the population.[19] Syria’s Arab Jewish community has, to a great extent, disappeared as a result of emigration in the early 1990s.[20] In 1993, it was reported that there were 3,655 individuals of the Jewish faith comprising 584 families distributed throughout the various Syrian governantes.[21]
Religious clauses are constitutionally entrenched

The Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic that was passed in 2012 guaranteed religious freedom in Article 3 and Article 33. Article 3 stipulates:
“ The State shall respect all religions, and ensure the freedom to perform all the rituals that do not prejudice public order; The personal status of religious communities shall be protected and respected. ”

Despite claiming to be a secular state, the 2012 constitution also states in Article 3 that the President must be a Muslim, and that the majority of laws will based on Islam. Despite being prevalent in the constitution, Syria is seen as a secular state without having its laws based on Islam.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_Syria

Not bad, not bad at all.

 

[Xarog]

So, your "world view" is Assad is completely innocent, the western media lies, the Saudi's and Qatar manipulated him.

I'm sure everybody has sins. It's just when someone shouts at the top of their lungs about the sins of another they usually have an ulterior motive for it.

So must believe everything from Russian news sources, btw self reference isn't a new source...

Where did I say you must believe anything anyone says? lol

I just assume that everyone is always lying, but that their lies hide the truth they're trying to protect. Nation-States have geopolitical goals, they can be identified through what they say if you pay careful attention. Their decisions, and thus their lies, will revolve around those goals.

I saw an interview in the last 2 days, about a Syrian who left due to choice of join Assad's army or death. You post like you know everything, seen every interview, read every article, can judge everyone's motives.

I can judge a media channel's motives given the fact that it has a longstanding editing policy as to what "news" looks like. This is true of any publication.

 

[Xarog]

I dont disageee, i believe it started out as a simple movement that became exploited through social media and eventually hijacked to encourage and bring about regime changes and create destabilization in the region.

This.

 

[Xarog]

.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/...d-obama-retaliate-russia-214438#ixzz3ntpV6xmx

Still think he's in the same league as Reagan? I think he's a war-mongering Russophobe.