DON’T BE A DUMB BASTARD: Patton advises Israelis in conflict with Syria’s proxies to topple Assad

Share/Save/Bookmark

DON’T BE A DUMB BASTARD: Patton advises Israelis in conflict with Syria’s proxies to topple Assad
by Darius Kadivar
31-May-2012
 

"I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country." -George Smith Patton (11 nov 1885 – 21 dec 1945)

 

Israel is isolated geographically and diplomatically by an ocean of Arab hostility ... why not use that to it’s advantage ? ...

 

In a recent public statement Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned the recent massacre in Syria's Houla, expressing "revulsion" and placing blame for the incident squarely on Syrian President Bashar Assad. Netanyahu joins a growing chorus of condemnation by world powers, including the United Nations, the United States, Russia, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union. Netanyahu expressed his "revulsion over the ongoing massacre being perpetrated by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad against innocent civilians, which continued over the weekend in Houla and included dozens of innocent children," a press release stated. The prime minister also took the opportunity to condemn Iran and Hezbollah for their roles in the ongoing violence in Syria. "Iran and Hezbollah are an inseparable part of the Syrian atrocities and the world needs to act against them," Netanyahu added. (More Here)

My Blunt Opinion :

Before I write the core of my thoughts below, let me first say that there is absolutely no pleasure in advocating war. War must always be the last option in any given conflict but when all peaceful options fail what is there left to do ?

In the past I have advocated American intervention in Libya because I felt that the American president who had preached democracy in Cairo ( after making a beautiful speach about universal individual rights and hence boosting democratic hopes amongst people in the region) had the moral duty to stand by those very people he encouraged to revolt. Ultimately the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate ( a Peace Prize for What May we ask ?) was paralyzed by indecisiveness and if it were not for the French President Sarkozy Gaddafi would have most certainly still be in power today.

I haven't changed my opinion the slightest on the Intervention on Libya. It was the RIGHT THING TO DO !  

WARLORD's INTELLECTUAL: BHL the Mind behind Sarkozy's Libyan Success

 

Where it took President Sarkozy in cooperation with Britain’s PM Cameron less than One Month to convince the UN and the Arab League to interfere in Libya in several stages : a No Fly zone, followed by a Humanitarian Corridor and only then arming the rebels to overthrow their bloody tyrant, the Conflict in Syria on the otherhand has been lingering for nearly 15 months and has cost to date 10 000 lives and many, many horrific deaths of children as witnessed by numerous war correspondents who lost their lives while reporting them.

Critics by the liberal left have strangely endorsed the Russian and Chinese stance on Libya. Since many suggested that Sarkozy and the Coalition are responsible for going beyond their declared intentions by actively bringing down the Gaddafi regime which led to an average 50 000 deaths during the Libyan conflict. How presumptuous of organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to now complain on the lack of action by Western Democracies in regard to the Human Rights Violations which are occuring amidst the so called « Arab Spring » ( see Related BBC News) …

Might as Well know what you want ?

Unlike the war in Iraq and Afghanistan the libyan conflict was something which was largely demanded by the Libyans themselves. Without which Gaddafi would have most probably committed far more bloodshed than Assad today. In addition from a purely military perspective the conflict did not cost the Coalition the slightest human casualty.

How convenient for Pacifists to sit in that confort zone of intellectual discourse by dismissing the slightest accountability.

Post Gaddafi Libya may not be a Paradise but it is better off with Gaddafi Six Feet under. True much needs to be done to unify the country and disarm a population which had to fight for it’s survival. That Libya may or may not choose the Charia no different than the Egyptians tomorrow as a model of social and political organization is after all their choice. To want to project our own ideals of a Jeffersonian democracy on societies which have other outlooks still deeply rooted in tradition and shaped by different historical evolutions is after all not our business, nor can we dictate to people who have fought at the risk of losing their lives for their recently acquired freedom. Up to each nation and it’s people to build their own country based on the choice of the majority as in all deemed democratic societies.

But how can we preach « universal values » when we ignore the very calls for help from people who share them or claim to share them ?

President Obama’s hesitations and lack of a long term vision forced others in the Free world to act on Libya instead. Despite enormous challenges to rebuild the country and the difficulties of the Transitional Government to impose itself on the country, it should be noted that the ultimate outcome resulting from the Libyan campaign has been a success and quite contrary to what the some in the Liberal Left dishonestly claim being the contrary..  Libya is Free from it’s tyrant … Free from a GENUINE TYRANT and not merely a « dictator »  

Up to the Libyans now to find their way back in the concert of nations as a democratic and reliable nation in it’s own right. Ultimately Nations are responsible for their own choices (good or bad) but at least if they can make those choices they have come a long way …

But how about the Syrians today ? Aren’t the Syrians entitled to something ? If they can’t choose their lives shouldn’t they at least be given the right to at least choose their death ?

Otherwise The alternative is to be slaughtered to the last …


NIGHT OF THE GENERALS : Paul Conroy describes "pure, systematic slaughter of civilians"


If the world is sitting idle then why not consider the option of seeing a nation in the region to act alone. I was hoping to see Turkey or the Arab League to do play this role. But in the absence of the slightest intervention since why not consider another nation to do what others have shyed away from ?

You got it that nation is no other than the Syrian Government ( and people’s) greatest foe : Israel !

If Netanyahu and the Israeli’s seriously think that and that their « tears » for the Syrian people is not just crocodile tears then why not topple Assad ?

 

Indeed if I were Netanyahu (which fortunately I’m not) … I would attack Assad and "Liberate" the Syrians ...

 

Why you may ask ? Simply because the battle in Syria is a Proxy War with Iran anyhow via the Hesbullah and other anti zionist groups in the region 

 


NIAC Ambassador Majid Rafizadeh: Appeasement with Iran But Sanctions & intervention on Syria?

 


IRI Press TV Shocked by Israeli settlers shooting but blames Lebanon Unrest on «terrorists

 

so what has Israel to lose ?

 

Taking the risk of making new enemies or turning former foes into potential allies ? …

 

So in Israeli shoes might as well take advantage of the situation ...

 

Had The Stupid Turk Leadership done so early on it would have given the Turks an immense popularity and prestige across the Arab World many of whom are frustrated that what happened in Tunisia and Egypt has not been followed as successfully (or should we say with less bloodshed) in their respective nations.  Not only Ehad rdogan’s government taken the same type of initiative as Sarkozy in Libya, he would have put put Turkey ( the only truly secular democracy in the region along with Israel) at the center of regional diplomacy and geo strategic decision making which the Turks have always aspired to since the fall of the Ottoman Empire …

 

But well don’t count on the Turks or Arabs to establish their ‘Arab Union’ anytime soon ( See Related news) …

 

The Europeans can’t come together after more than 60 or More Years since the inception of the European Union so how do you expect the Arab League to get it’s acts together ? …

 

But Now imagine if Israel the quintessential foe of the Arab World would come and "save" them ?

...

 

Not Only It would change the Entire Geo politics of the region and even lead to a peace treaty with the Palestinians on the long run cause it would put the Hamas which has been supporting the Assad Regime in an embarrasing situation forcing them to abandon their anti Israeli rhetoric ...

 

All the more Israel has never been so isolated geographically and diplomatically by an ocean of Arab hostility ...

 

The US and Europe are too tied up with major elections which could seal their respective governments fate in the months to come and they are sinking in the face of major Economic challenges.

 

The Russians and Chinese don’t seem to want to help the Syrians either and hope to see this conflict turn into a civil war …

 

The same russians and Chinese may even find common ground with the Europeans in that they will then want to sell their military equipement to all the major powers in the region who fear that the Syrian conflict may Spill in their territory …

 

So instead of seeing Syria turn into an ever lingering Civil War like in Spain and see other Syrian towns be martyred to the last … Why Not take the initiative and strike when everyone else is sitting idle and saying : « Lengesh kon ? »

 

Syrians were amongst the first arab nations to wage war against Israel …

 

What an Irony and sweet Revenge for the Israelis to now become their saviors ? …

 

But then I'm not an israeli ...

 

Politics is a cynical game and as De Gaulle Once Said « War is too serious a matter to be left to Generals »

 

But maybe De Gaulle was thinking about nation building once the war was won …

 

For as many historians have rightly observed it’s far easier to win a war than to prepare peace …

 

Well in the meantime there is a war going on in Syria, call it what you want : a slaughter house destined for innocent civilians, a genocide, a laboratory for cold blooded murderers, a shameful spectacle for our generation … Make your choice of the best description …

 

But eitherway given the odds what has Israel or the innocent Syrian population got to lose other than sitting idle till the angels of death of Bachar Al Assad henchmen come to skin them alive, rape and torture the men, women and children before finishing them off at gun point ? …

 

There is no clean war … but there are wars which are just !

 

Saving the Syrian people is a duty … If the deemed « Free and democratic » world can’t get it’s acts together …

 

Then maybe the Syrian Nation’s best friend is no other than it’s former Zionist Enemy …

 

So if the Israelis want to make the best out of an already desperate situation they might as well follow General S. Patton’s advice :  

 

 

Movie "Patton" (1970) by Franklin J. Schaffner :

 

Full Speech:

 

Recommended Reading :

 

Israel must topple Assad in next conflict with Syria proxies by Oded Tira (The writer is a reserve brigadier general and former head of the IDF artillery corps)

 

Related Blog :

MORAL DILEMMA? Obama & Cameron suggest “peaceful” transition in Syria instead of revolution

 

Related Blogs:

STUBBORN WALLS: Ben Gurion, Hussein, Nasser interviews on ME Peace Process

 

Tunisia could benefit from bitter lessons of Iran’s clumsy '79 revolution

 

AUTHENTIC FRONTIER GIBBERISH: Egypt's Rebuffs Washington's Speed Up Calls ;0)


Share/Save/Bookmark

more from Darius Kadivar
 
Darius Kadivar

Israeli tanks 'hit Syrian units'

by Darius Kadivar on

Israeli tanks 'hit Syrian units' (bbc)

 

Israel's military says its tanks have scored 'direct hits' on Syrian artillery units after Syrian mortar shells landed near an Israeli army post.


Darius Kadivar

Syrian mortar fire hits Golan: Israeli army

by Darius Kadivar on

Syrian mortar fire hits Golan: Israeli army - AFP (France 24) A picture taken on March 30, 2012, shows a new ceasefire gate between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, in the Druze village of Majdal Shams. Syrian mortar rounds, apparently fired during fighting between government forces and rebels, fell in Israeli-held territory early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said 

Darius Kadivar

Syria crisis felt in Israel and occupied Golan Heights

by Darius Kadivar on

BBC News, Golan Heights

Northern danger (bbc)

 

How Israel is making contingency plans for Syrian conflict fall-out

 

The deepening crisis in Syria threatens to have a destabilising effect on all of its neighbours but Israel has a particular set of concerns.

Technically, the two countries have been in a state of war since 1948. Israel also continues to occupy the Golan Heights, Syrian territory which it captured in 1967 and later annexed, in a move that is not internationally recognised.

Yet under President Bashar al-Assad, there has been a long-standing truce and for the past 40 years the border between the two countries has been relatively calm.

Now Israeli leaders are revising their strategic assessments. There are worries that fleeing Syrian refugees could try to enter the Golan Heights and that Mr Assad's missiles and chemical weapons arsenal could fall into the wrong hands.

 


Darius Kadivar

Shimon Peres: Israel in "open war" with Iran

by Darius Kadivar on


Darius Kadivar

Israel ready to take Syria guns

by Darius Kadivar on

Israel ready to take Syria guns (cnn, VIDEO)

 

Israeli Pres. Shimon Peres says Iran is in "open war" with his country and Israel is ready to seize Syrian weapons. 


Darius Kadivar

Jonathan Marcus: Bus Attack may draw Israel into Syria crisis

by Darius Kadivar on

Attack may draw Israel into Syria crisis (bbc)

As the Syrian crisis worsens, if you thought that things in the Middle East were already complicated and unstable enough, then the attack on an Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria has just made things that much worse.

Israeli security experts believe that this is just the latest - and the first successful - attack in a series of operations against Israeli targets around the world, planned by the overseas operational arm of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

And behind Hezbollah the Israelis see the hand of Iran; an Iran smarting at a series of attacks against its nuclear scientists, widely believed to have been planned, maybe even carried out, by the Israelis.

For its part Hezbollah insists that it had nothing to do with the Bulgarian attack.

But a series of arrests - most recently in Cyprus - have given credence to Israel's claims of a long-running Hezbollah plan to attack soft Israeli targets abroad.

The Burgas attack has potentially brought Israel into the frame of a crisis in which, up until now, it has been a concerned bystander.

 

 

 

 


Darius Kadivar

Syrian refugee begs for weapons to fight

by Darius Kadivar on

Syrian refugee begs for weapons to fight (bbc, VIDEO)

 

Fighting is intensifying across the Syrian capital Damascus, where the military has deployed tanks and helicopters, activists say.

Rebel forces say they have launched an all-out assault on the capital, calling it Operation Damascus Volcano.

UN envoy Kofi Annan has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow over the crisis.

 

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary William Hague visited a camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, and the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was with him.


Darius Kadivar

Ex-Syrian ambassador calls for foreign military intervention

by Darius Kadivar on

My defection may 'hurt regime most' (cnn) July 15, 2012 -- Updated 1857 GMT (0257 HKT) CNN's Ivan Watson gains an insight into the regime from the former Syrian ambassador to Iraq.


Darius Kadivar

Assad 'regrets' downing of plane mistaken for Israeli Plane

by Darius Kadivar on

Syria-Turkey tension: Assad 'regrets' F-4 jet's downing (bbc)   

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is quoted as saying he regrets "100%" that a Turkish jet was shot down after entering Syrian airspace.In an interview with Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper, he argues that the plane was flying in an area previously used by Israel's air force.    

Jonathan Marcus BBC Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent :  

 

In saying that he "regrets the incident 100%", Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seeking to reduce tensions with Turkey and turn the page on an episode that risked bringing the two countries to the brink of war.However, this falls well short of an apology. President Assad is still sticking to Syria's story that the plane was engaged in Syrian airspace, something the Turks dispute. Mr Assad sought to deflect criticism by saying that the plane was flying at low level "in an air corridor used three times in the past by the Israeli air force". The soldier who shot it down, he said, had no radar and could not know to which country the plane belonged.


But did this really look like an Israeli attack?

And surely somebody in Syria's comprehensive air defence network was monitoring the plane on radar.

  

Darius Kadivar

Bodies of Turkish jet crew shot down by Syria found

by Darius Kadivar on

Bodies of Turkish jet crew shot down by Syria found (bbc)  

 

 

 

 

The bodies of the crew members of a Turkish jet shot down by Syria last month have been found.Turkey's TRT television said the two airmen were found on the Eastern Mediterranean seabed by a US deep-sea exploration vessel, according to AP.The F-4 Phantom jet was shot down on 22 June, after Syrian authorities claimed it had violated their airspace, a claim disputed by Turkey.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he regretted the move "100%".The Turkish military named the crew members as Air Force Captain Gokhan Ertan and Air Force Lieutenant Hasan Huseyin Aksoy, according to Reuters.The military did not say precisely where the bodies were found, and said the plane itself had not been spotted, said AFP. 


Darius Kadivar

Turkey scrambles F-16 jets on Syria borde

by Darius Kadivar on

Turkey scrambles jets to Syria border (bbc)

Turkey scrambles six fighters after Syrian helicopters fly near the border, the army says, further raising tensions after a Turkish jet was downed last month.


Darius Kadivar

Clearly the Israelis are Dumb ...

by Darius Kadivar on

For a People who have experienced Genocide First Hand ... What Are you wating for to intervene ? And then You are Surprised that some deny the reality of the Holocaust ? ...

Darius Kadivar

Turkish jet 'missing' near Syria

by Darius Kadivar on


Turkish jet 'missing' near Syria (bbc) Turkey's government calls an emergency security meeting amid reports that one of its fighter jets was shot down by Syrian security forces.


Darius Kadivar

Peres: Removing Assad is Arabs' job, not Israel's

by Darius Kadivar on

Peres Tells NBC: Removing Assad is Arab League's Job (VIDEO

 

Though Israeli president Shimon Peres denounced Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as a “murderer’’ in an exclusive interview with TODAY’s Ann Curry on Tuesday, he believes it’s not Israel’s place to attempt to remove him from power.


“Israel cannot help,’’ Peres said. “Our intervention may be perceived as the wrong intervention, even from their point of view. We must be careful not to make it an Israeli issue. The best alternative is that Arabs will do it themselves.’’

Peres believes the Arab League should take action to remove Assad, whose military has massacred thousands of Syrian civilians and children, according to reports by the United Nations and other human rights groups. However, if the League does not oust Assad, Peres does not believe this is Israel’s fight. 

 


Darius Kadivar

Shimon Peres calls for military intervention into Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

MIDEAST - Israel calls for military intervention into Syria amid clashes

 

President Shimon Peres called on the international community to bolster its efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria, saying he hoped the rebels “will win” their struggle.

In an interview with Israeli public radio ahead of a trip to Washington, Peres said the “efforts of the international community are insufficient.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned “massacres of civilians” in Syria yesterday, and accused Iran and Hezbollah of helping the regime. “The Syrian government, and those who help them,Iran and Hezbollah, reveal their true face, that of the ‘axis of evil.’ This is the environment we live in,” he said. 

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz criticized Russia for arming Damascus and repeated Israel’s demand for international military intervention to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pushed Russia’s idea of an international Syria conference including Iran on June 9 as he reaffirmed its opposition to the use of force.

 


Darius Kadivar

Lord Ashdown: Why west can't act in Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

Ashdown: Why west can't act in Syria (bbc, VIDEO)

 

Lord Ashdown said "we can't act even though we would like to" as he looked at what the UK and the west could do over Syria - compared to previous actions in Libya, Iraq and the Balkans.

The former Liberal Democrat leader spoke about the diplomatic moves needed for the west to win over Russia, which is allied to the current Syrian leadership, and said the outlook was "pretty gloomy and bleak". 


vildemose

Hillary Clinton: Russian Helicopters attacking syrians

by vildemose on

Russia Sends Syria Attack Helicopters Hillary Clinton Warns of Escalation

 

 

//www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/russia-sending-syria-attack-helicopters-us-says_n_1590407.html#comments

 Russia Sends Syria Attack Helicopters Hillary Clinton Warns of Escalation

 

 

 

 

All Oppression Creates a State of War--Simone De Beauvoir


vildemose

Syrian regime losing

by vildemose on

Syrian regime losing grounds.

 Syria Conflict Is Civil War, Says Herve Ladsous, U.N. Peacekeeping Chief

 Yes, I think we can say that," U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous said in an interview with Reuters and one other reporter when asked if the Syrian crisis could now be characterized as a civil war.

"Clearly what is happening is that the government of Syria lost some large chunks of territory in several cities to the opposition and wants to retake control of these areas," he said. (Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Sandra Maler)

 //www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/syria-civil-war-herve-ladsous_n_1590271.html#comments

All Oppression Creates a State of War--Simone De Beauvoir


Darius Kadivar

Amanpour: Elie Wiesel talks Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

Amanpour: Elie Wiesel talks Syria   (CNN, VIDEO)

 

Two perspectives on the crisis in Syria: NPR correspondent Deborah Amos and Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel. 

 

 


Darius Kadivar

Jonathan Marcus:Options for military intervention in Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

Analysis: Military intervention (bbc)

 

As the civilian death toll mounts in Syria, is the international debate reaching a tipping point?

For all the unease about direct outside military intervention, will there come a moment when humanitarian concerns and the fear of a wider regional crisis shift the balance, making action inevitable?

 

Syrian military strength

Manpower

Active military manpower - 325,000

Active mobilised army manpower - 220,000

Land weapons

Tanks - 4,950

Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers - 3,950

Artillery - 3,440

Air forces

Combat aircraft - 555

Fighters - 150

Armed helicopters - 71

Naval forces

Frigates - 2

Missile patrol boats - 21

Source: CSIS (2010) 

 


Darius Kadivar

West Bank settlement to expand

by Darius Kadivar on

West Bank settlement to expand (bbc)

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the construction of 300 new homes at the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank.

 


amirparvizforsecularmonarchy

DK I understand the argument being made

by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on

but I believe it is not truthful in the slightest. James Rubin is only right in that Syria and IRI cooperate, the rest is not correct and is really influenced by geopolitics which is covered up entirely.  Irans problem is how to remove the IRI or other extremists which the US/UK/France want to keep in Power or bring to power in Iran.

If the Shah were to come back to Iran, Syria's regime would have difficulty surviving with only Russia's help and Assad would be over for helping the IRI in IRI's policies against the people of Iran.  My view is that removing Assad with Extremists is in the long term worse for the region.  The inability of the USA to create a full blown civil war, wiith the main stream of sunni's and alawites working together shows the limits of US power and the process of trying to achieve sunni extremist victory over assad infact proves a far more important point for all to be fully aware of.

While the USA is relative to others still immensly powerful, the very heart of its leadership and decision making faculties are in decline, gradually in a generation of say 20 years time this will cause a terrible change of events for Americans and their place in the world.


Darius Kadivar

The Real Reason to Intervene in Syria - By James P. Rubin

by Darius Kadivar on

The Real Reason to Intervene in Syria - By James PRubin |(Foreign Policy)

 

Cutting Iran's link to the Mediterranean Sea is a strategic prize worth the risk.

 

We're not done with the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran. Given that the current round of negotiations with the world's major powers will not fundamentally change Iran's nuclear program, the question of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is likely to return to center stage later this year. In addition to hard-headed diplomacy and economic sanctions, there is an important step the United States can take to change Israel's calculations -- helping the people of Syria in their battle against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

 

 


Darius Kadivar

Nathan Gonzalez: Why Israel Should Intervene in Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

Nathan Gonzalez: Why Israel Should Intervene in Syria (Huffington Post)

 

There is much talk in the news about Israel weighing its military options against Iranian nuclear facilities. Yet if for a moment Israel stops focusing on the region's military balance, and starts thinking of its long-term security as a Jewish state in the post-Arab Spring Middle East, it will realize that its warplanes would be of greater use flying over Damascus than over Tehran. In coalition with other nations, Israel can and should intervene to stop the current humanitarian catastrophe in Syria for the sake of its own long-term security.

 


Darius Kadivar

New 'massacre' reported in Syria's Hama province

by Darius Kadivar on

New 'massacre' in central Syria (bbc)

 

At least 86 people, including many women and children, have been killed by Syrian pro-government forces in Hama province, opposition activists say.


Darius Kadivar

Quick Guide to the Syrian opposition

by Darius Kadivar on

Guide to opposition (bbc)

 

Nearly a year after the uprising began in Syria, the opposition remains fractious and deeply divided.

The wide variety of political groups, exiled dissidents, grassroots activists and armed militants have been unable to agree on how to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Several groups, however, have tried to form coalitions to unite opposition supporters in Syria and gain international help and recognition.

Here is a guide to some of the most prominent groups. 

 

 


Darius Kadivar

Syria's Web of power:The military, the militias and the spies

by Darius Kadivar on

Web of power (bbc)

 

BBC security correspondent

 

Syria has a large conscript army and a permanent, Alawite-dominated force of 200,000 regular soldiers

 

When it comes to the forces of the Syrian government there is an extraordinarily complex and opaque relationship between the military, the militias, the numerous intelligence agencies and the various power centres that control them.

This is one of the reasons why apportioning individual blame for massacres like the one that took place at Houla last Friday is so difficult and why Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has been able to keep a straight face while denying any culpability for recent atrocities. 

 

Syria has a large, powerful, but far from invincible military, equipped with weaponry supplied mainly by Russia and recently Iran. 


Darius Kadivar

Fareed Zakaria's Take: The case against intervention

by Darius Kadivar on


Darius Kadivar

Gruesome video details Syria horror

by Darius Kadivar on

CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest updates and gruesome video of the violence in strife-torn Syria.  

 

Syrian crisis leads to global blame game (CNN, VIDEO)


 


radius-of-the-persian-cat

Afraid of the Martyrs

by radius-of-the-persian-cat on

I fear not so much the generals who want to win the war. At least at a certain point in their startegies they want to stay alive, and they don't want to be charged for war-crimes after the battle is over.

I much more fear those ones who want to gain eternal fame as a martyr and aim for a life-after-death in martyrs paradise. They dont care if another million or billion people die together with them.

Radius

PS: To clarify one thing:  Although we occasionally have a common view on certain points, Radius is nothing more than an annagram of Darius (that happend by chance). It is not a faked double ID.