News Analysis: Syria under pressure for resisting western plans in the region
2011-08-22 01:43:49
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-08/22/c_131064442.htm
by Hummam Sheikh Ali

DAMASCUS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could now smell the chill following some western countries’ intensified sanctions against his country over the week and their concerted demand for him to step down.

According to observers, Damascus’ solid ties with Iran and some regional groups that the West deems as terrorists, is probably the most logical reason behind the mounting international pressures on the Syrian government.

TOOL TO WEAKEN TERROR

For Washington and its European allies, drawing Syria from Iran and the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas means a sound step forward in weakening the Iranian leverage that is eyed cautiously and suspiciously by most Arab countries fearful of the spreading Shiite influence across the region.

Khaled Aboud, a member of the Syrian parliament, told Xinhua that there is “an open global battle run by all legitimate and illegitimate tools to downfall a strategic system — a reference to the alliance between Syria, Iran and other resistant groups in the region — and to rearrange the entire region.”

Meanwhile, George Jabbour, a former parliamentarian and currently a political analyst, said that Syria and Iran are two basic poles that support resistant groups in Lebanon and Palestine.

“This axis has been targeted since a long time and what is demanded from Damascus is a complete turnabout in its foreign policy, but this doesn’t work in Syria,” Jabbour said.

NEW SANCTIONS

In its latest move, the United States, which started imposing sanctions on Syria during former president George W. Bush’s tenure and renewed them after Barack Obama took office, slapped Damascus with new sanctions that targeted its biggest commercial bank and mobile telephone operator.

The fresh sanctions will also freeze the Syrian government’s assets under U.S. jurisdiction, bar U.S. individuals or companies from transactions with al-Assad’s government and ban U.S. import of Syrian petroleum.

Following that, the European Union (EU) on Friday decided to add 20 names to the list of Syrians targeted by asset freeze and travel ban. It said it is also preparing new restrictive measures including an embargo on the import of Syrian crude oil, and that it would soon suspend the technical assistance of the European Investment Bank.

SYRIA’S REBUTTAL

The sanctions were compounded by the U.S. and its European allies’ demand on Thursday of al-Assad’s stepping down due to alleged persistent military crackdown against protesters.

Despite al-Assad’s promise to the United Nations that the military operations have ended and that the Syrian army withdrew from all violence-hit areas, human rights activists said at least 20 people were killed on Friday in southern Syria and the Damascus suburb of Harasta, and that the regime is still allegedly using its machine guns to quell protests. These groups said over 1,800 people had been killed in the five-month-old unrest.

However, Syria persisted that the West’s calls simply unveiled the real face of the conspiracy and vowed to stand up to all pressures.

A front-page article published Saturday in al-Thawra newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Syrian government, said the West is targeting Syria’s fundamental role in the region and its status as a basic player in the Arab-Israeli conflict that has been dragging on for six decades.

“Shunning Syria out of the conflict was still a strategic target for Israel, Washington and the West,” the article said.

ROLE OF IRAN, RUSSIA

Both Syria and Iran share to a certain extent similar foreign policy objectives: opposition to what they describe as U.S. attempts to dominate the Middle East, hostility toward Israel and support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups fighting the Jewish state.

Syria has repeatedly voiced support to Iran’s right to own nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, while Iran’s economic and political support has enabled Syria to survive those sanctions and international isolation.

Syria as well viewed the pressures as aiming at getting more concessions from Damascus in any future peace deal between Israel and the Arabs. Syria has exercised adamant stand during previous peace talks with the Jewish state and backed Palestinian groups like Hamas, which is viewed by both Washington and Tel Aviv as terrorist.

Meanwhile, Syria’s strong ties with Russia explains part of its steadfastness in the face of increasing western pressure.

On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry cautioned the West against encouraging the Syrian opposition and said it did not support the calls for al-Assad to abdicate.

Russia believes al-Assad must be given sufficient time to fulfill promises of reform he has already commenced. Russia’s opposition will make it difficult for the U.S. and its allies to get UN Security Council backing for their sanctions.

Who will be the winner in the confrontation remains an open question. The answer is left to the Syrian people, taking into consideration that al-Assad still enjoys unwavering popularity among most of the Syrians.

“Only the Syrians have the sole right to call for their president to step down or to stay in power… Obama should be more respectful of human rights and democracy,” said Jabbour.

The news from Libya are very happy.  Bashar should learn a lesson but he is too stupid to learn.  Tripoli was considered pro Quaddafi.  It was not.  It is welcoming the rebels.  The unit protecting Quaddafi was reported to have surrendered.  

Seif al Islam was arrested. I am breaking my fast with Duval-Leroy Cuvee Femme champagne today. Time for celebration!

Next ?

allah suriya bashar w bass.

We will protect you ya bashar.

Souriya be khayr and Bashar be khair w nahna bkher.

“We don’t permit any country … to interfere in Syria”
However, it’s okay for Syria to interfere in Lebanon.

“We don’t permit any country … to interfere in Syria”

But it’s OK for junior to threaten his neighbors with Hamas, Hizbollah, the Kurds, Jihadists in Iraq and Shias in the Gulf.

Chère Annie ,nous aurons le plaisir de vous faire citoyenne d’honneur de la république syrienne libérée du joug des shababih menhebakistes.

Things are moving fast in Libya. There is no way to verify the news for now, but the Libyan rebels are reported to have announced the capture of Saif Al-Islam Al-Qaddafi.

انهيار نظام القذافي .. المجلس الوطني : إلقاء القبض على سيف الإسلام القذافي “تحديث مستمر “

Regardless, it doesn’t look good for Qadafi. It’ll be nice if he falls on Sept. 1st, the same day he took over 42 days ago.

Alhamdulillah, the people of Homs are not subdued.

Demos in Inshaat and Baba ‘Amr –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtmgIsefvho&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp-tfOeMP8A&feature=feedu

HUGE Demos in Douma –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJzx2ZG_qg&feature=channel_video_title

Good old Rastan –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BwtmPDF_XA&feature=channel_video_title

Conclusion – Buy your one-way Iran Air ticket to Tehran ya Bashar !!!

“Saif al-Islam, Moammar Gadhafi’s son, has been captured, according to the head of the Rebel National Transitional Council in an interview with Al Jazeera.”

This is coming in from CNN. If true, this will electrify the Syrian demonstrators.

Alhamdulillah, the people of Homs are not subdued.

Demos in Inshaat and Baba ‘Amr –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtmgIsefvho&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp-tfOeMP8A&feature=feedu

HUGE Demos in Douma –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJzx2ZG_qg&feature=channel_video_title

Good old Rastan –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BwtmPDF_XA&feature=channel_video_title

Conclusion – Buy your one-way Iran Air ticket to Tehran ya Bashar !!!

Bashar is seeming increasingly like Qadhafi.

These are exciting times. About 42 years of unprecedented tyranny are coming to an end in Libya. The monstrosities committed by Moaamar will finally be exposed.

Guess who’s next?

Professor Landis loves to post articles on tensions in post-Mubarak Egypt and the number of Iraqis killed under sanctions, subtlety implying that we should be careful for what we wish for.

And yet, I don’t see a single post about Qadaffi’s stunning downfall. I’d have thought it would be a big deal. Maybe it’s a lesson some people would rather we didn’t learn.

SYR.EXPAT

“Guess who’s next?”

Darn…no idea…give me a clue? 🙂

From Angry Arab

“The Green Book: the last edition

Qadhdhafi has just commissioned a new edition of the Green Book. It is very much like the old edition but he added this at the end: Help. Help. Help me, damn it. I am sinking. “

Syria and Western Media War Propaganda
Sunday, 21 August 2011 08:04
By Hiyam Noir
http://mwcnews.net/focus/politics/12924-syria-and-western-media.html
The Syrian news agency SANA report that on Saturday, in solidarity with Syria, a large group of Russian intellectuals, cultural and social researchers, politicians and academics, kicked of a two week long visit to Syria. Members of the delegation expressed pride of their long friendship with Syria and said that: “What is happening in this country (Syria) is of great concern to us as individuals, to our country and the concern we share for our own homes, not far away from the Syrian borders.

What is taking place in the house of Syria; also have an unwanted impact on our own house. Western neo-conservatives in collaboration with its international coercers have plotted a secret plan to carry out sinister acts against Syria, a conspiracy with political incentives. We are here to say that we are ready to provide support for the Syrian people at this moment of our history”.

The Vice President of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party, André Falibov said that:

“We are here today to see what is unfolding in Syria, we will assess the situation and after express our believes, that the solution to Syria’s internal conflict lies in the hands of the Syrian people, and in the command of President Bashar al-Assad and his adviser, who are both capable to confront this sinister conspiracy aimed at overthrow the Syrian government.”

– Mr. Falibov added:

The Russian delegation will transfer gathered information throughout the Russian media and to a broader segment of the Russian society.

On his part, Vićlav Matuszov, the President of the Russian Association for Friendship and Cooperation with the Arab countries, said that:

“The Russian position is quite different from U.S. relations, not only towards Syria, but toward the entire Arab world, since Russia views the developments on the Arab arena through the careful examination of a geopolitical perspective, not from the standpoint of a regional communal politic.”

Matuszov added:

“We have accurate information from valid intelligence sources, Western intelligence, not Russian or Arabic are providing important facts to us, that the West, United States and neo-conservatives in U.S, and members of the Jewish lobby inside the U.S. congress, are plotting the U.S. action plan of vandalisms that unfolds in Arab countries without exception, and these schemes are planned for years, step by step. And I can assure you, that not only Syria is under attack, but Arab societies at large. Aimed to weaken the Islamic and Arab world to make it manageable i.e. inoperative and powerless, paralyze the economy and political activities. With the consolidation of U.S. hegemony over a new international economic system, as a first step – a Western hegemony across the region. Russia sees these developments as the beginning of a U.S. expansion of hegemony against the Muslim world and the Middle East region; if uncontrolled it will paralyze the world politically.”

Vićlav Matuszov concluded :

“It is a great honor for the Russian delegation to visit Syria in this difficult time,”- explaining that: Russia will stand in the front- line of defense against the first serious plans by U.S. to take control in the Arab and Muslim world .We are able to solve internal problems without state intervention, we have political and moral strength, and we can affirm that the this covert imperialist/Zionist hegemony project will hit the wall and not be able to destroy the country of Syria ”.

Mohamed Salah Dinov, President of the Islamic Council of Russia, said that:

Syria is the most important country in the Arab and Muslim world,”- stressing- “Russia’s support for Syria’s government and its people. Russia is in opposition to any foreign interference in internal affairs.” Mr. Dinovsaid that: I believe that external actors are intervening in the Syrian affairs, intending to spread chaos and instability. Hence Syria has always been supportive of the national resistance, in both Lebanon and Palestine, and this support has become an obstacle to the Zionist projects, planted in discord and violation of the sanctities within the Arab society’.”

Furthermore, the press contact of the Russian newspaper, Pravda, Elena Bakayva said that:

“Western media do not report the truth, as it is waging a media war against Arab countries and the Middle East and conducting a malicious campaign to back them up. Bakayva confirm that Western media distorts the facts in cooperation with Arab satellite channels…

And she conclude:

“We have kept watching for months, the events in Syria and we see now how to cover the Arab channels , the particularly Al-Jazeera ,which became the right hand of the first Western journalists, against the region, confirming that with certainty, they are working for and paid by third parties.”

Elena Bakayva went to Syria as a representative of the newspaper Pravda, to transfer unbiased facts about what is going on in Syria and the Arab world.

Boris Dolubov on the other hand is a senior researcher and professor at the Institute of Orientalism and the Academy of Political Science in Moscow; he said that he wanted to visit Syria to see for his own eyes what is going on.

“I have visited Syria more than once and I know well of its friendly people, and I know the size in economic and social achievements during the last decades in Syria.” Dolubov expressed his belief that: Attempts of foreign interference in Syrian affairs aimed at imposing dominance to change Syrian policy, in particular its foreign policy …He said “We know that Syria supports the Palestinian national resistance and this policy is not stemming well with the goals of the Israelis and some Western countries. The Syrian leadership is the national leadership; they want to make internal reforms, “

Dolubov was stressing that –

“The solution to the crisis in Syria is in the hands of the Syrians without external intervention, in all its forms.”

For his part, Aleg Graybkov, the deputy editor of the Arabic section of the Radio Voice of Russia said:

”We came to Syria to assess the reality of the situation here, my professional crew intended to study the Media work here, to inform the outside world everything we observe and that’s what I’ll do, I feel and I wish with all my heart that the Syrian people, will come out of this crisis, which has become very challenging in these final stages.. In my view there are a lot of factors that can prove it.”

Oleg Fomin, Co-Chair of the Committee of Russia’s solidarity with Syria and Libya, and joint chairman of the Society for Economic Cooperation and Social Foundation, Moscow – Aleppo said that :

“My visit to Syria is an expression of solidarity with the Syrian people, and I reject any foreign interference whatsoever in the internal affairs of the sovereign country of Syria .”

Fomin explained that the Russian Solidarity Committee is representing a broad range of social groups in Russia, professors, intellectuals and young people, diplomats and members of the Parliament and the upper Chamber and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation. Fomin said that: “The relations between our two countries are dating back hundreds of years. The first Bishop in Kiev, which is dating back a thousand years, was Michael Ceren, a Syrian who said:” ..: Syria is the best example of the fruit of nationalism”- and that’s how it want to remain, we understand that external enemies want to ruin this beautiful image of Syria, for their own purposes, adding that; We as a committee will spare no effort to defend Syria – and the enemies of Syria are the enemies of all honest Russian people and enemies of the rest of the world. ”

For his part, Shamil Sultanov, President of the Center for the Study of Russia and the Muslim world, and the head of the previous parliament, to Syria’s pivotal role in the region and the world outside Syria. He said that: What is unfolding in Syria will affect the world in every direction, and the consequences of what is happening here, will reflect on the international situation, and our global and world politics. Syria is exposed to an external plot, external because it is located in the closest region where the resistance in the region arises from, against the conspirators of this region.”

Alexander Brochanov, the editor of Zafter Russia, Head of the Russian journalists club, said earlier:

“Syria is exposed to a media conspiracy against universe and – I am the editor of one of the most important newspapers of Russia. Hence, our newspaper has become very popular, and my intention is to talk to my readers about the fact that Syria, is exposed to a major plot, through the funding of acts of sabotage, and the transfer of arms to the (opposition), with the sinister aim to violently change Syrian policy in the direction, as it has been planned by the some Western country and among its interlockers.”- Brochanov concluded: “The major reforms undertaken by President Assad would have a positive impact on the lives of the Syrian people, and to the future life of Syria. So we will standby until these reforms are achieved, intended to give Syria peace and security.” adding that Russia:” At the same time Russia is defending Syria, it is guarding historical relations between our two countries, the warm and caring friendship, which have evolved throughout the history.“

Syria dissidents nix armed intervention
Sunday, August 21, 2011
İPEK YEZDANİ – ipek.yezdani@hurriyet.com.tr
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=syria-dissidents-nix-armed-intervention-2011-08-21
Syrian opposition groups are against international military intervention in Syria but would like to see increased diplomatic pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, according to an opposition member who was in Istanbul over the weekend for a meeting with other opposition groups.

“We insist this movement is peaceful. Although the regime is very violent toward the Syrian people, we insist the movement maintain its peaceful stand. After months of suppression, there are naturally some groups on the ground who want to resort to arms, but we are telling them not to do that,” said Dr. Louay Safi.

The groups convened in Istanbul in an effort to form a national council and called on the international community to communicate with them as the representatives of the revolution in Syria.

“The work we are doing in Istanbul is about forming a new council to represent the revolution in Syria, and we want all the opposition groups in Syria to be represented, however, Syrian opposition is very fragmented. Even the leftists and liberals are divided into different groups,” Safi, a member of the Syrian opposition in the diaspora and chairman of the Syrian American Council, told the Hurriyet Daily News in an interview on Sunday.

Representatives of opposition groups from Islamists, Muslim Brothers, leftists, liberals, Kurds and Turkmens came together in Istanbul to create a “national council” that will represent the Syrian opposition. The groups have been negotiating for two days to agree on the details of the council and the final declaration that will be announced to the international community. The declaration was expected Sunday, but the group has postponed the announcement because of disagreements within the opposition groups themselves.

Representatives of the opposition groups attending the meeting said more than 90 percent of the Syrian opposition was represented at the Istanbul meeting. There were also some people attending the meeting from the Syrian opposition who were resisting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on the ground, attendants at the meeting said.

Safi said they were continuing to negotiate because they wanted the opposition groups supporting the revolution on the ground in Syria to be onboard when the national council is formed. “Some members of the opposition in Syria are also attending the meeting. We would like to get more input from Syria, and these people are helping us get information from inside Syria,” Safi said.

“We are aiming to come up with a golden team, and then call on the international community to communicate with this group from now on,” Dr. Osama Kadi, another member of the Syrian opposition in the diaspora, told the Daily News in an interview on Sunday.

Kadi said it was very difficult to bring the major leaders of the opposition together, mainly because the major leaders are hiding from the Syrian government. “At the end of the day we need a very inclusive council that will represent all the aspects of the opposition. We are so open for all the opposition movements. But at the same time we are in a very urgent situation. The urgency of the situation requires that we decide on the national council as soon as possible, so don`t expect the negotiations to last more than a couple of days,” Kadi said.

Turkish stance puzzling

Kadi said the recent political stand of the Turkish government regarding not calling Syrian leader Assad to step down created questions in Syrian people`s minds. “The Turkish government was so supportive of all the Syrian opposition. However, the latest position of the Turkish government after U.S. President Barack Obama called on Assad to step down, was not understood by the Syrian people. Most opposition members believe the Turkish government stands with the Syrian people. However, now they are questioning the Turkish government`s political attitude. Because we would like to hear Turkey make the same call as the Obama administration,” Kadi said.

Safi also said they would like the Turkish government to take a harder line against the Syrian regime. “The Turkish government still thinks they can have an influence on the Syrian regime, they are expecting more reforms from Assad, but the regime is repressing anyone calling for reform inside the country,” Safi said.

10. ABOUD said:

“SYR.EXPAT
“Guess who’s next?”

Darn…no idea…give me a clue?”

Okay. Will give you just one clue. His name contains the letter “B” and it’s not Obama.

Another of Qadhaffi’s sons is reported to have surrendered to the rebels. I hope it’s true. Can’t wait to hear the confirmation.

Alf Mabrouk to the Libyan brothers.

This is sweet news. Justice will be served.

Master Bashar and his gang are on the clock.

Tara, save me some bubbly.

The chief of Libya’s mukhabarat just told the world’s press that Al-Qaedaa is in command of NATO’s efforts in Libya. Wow, and this is the guy was supposed to be the intelligence chief? No wonder Qaddafi lost.

SYR.EXPAT @14

Benjamin Netanyahu!

🙂

NATO:
On the dole right now.
Looking for new and exciting job oportunities.
Very impressive CV.

This is what i wrote in 2006 on the Baath Web site,

In the economic point Syria needs simple changes without selling the country,The gov should provide good roads ,uninterrupted electricity good alimentary to high school education ,affordable post high school education ,Railroad system , good airport ,seaport,establish contract law and enforce it ,establish a fair tax system with a flat tax of about 17% after the first 60,000.00 Syrian pounds with deduction for business expense, mortgage on first home and donation to charities approved by the Government ,provide low interest rate loans to small businesses ,establish a stock market with rules that will prevent speculations and encourage Syrian companies to enlist with preferred contracting status foreign companies who enlist will have a preferred treatment to a lesser extend dividends that are payed to Syrians from these companies will be subjected to the same tax rate IE 17% but on Syrian companies the tax on dividends and capital gain will be 10% to improve investment in Syrian companies no Syrian companies should be owned by more than half by a foreign firm without regulatory Syrian approval,and at the end the Syrian government should get out of trying to regulate what Syria needs and leave that to the market so if i want to open a pharmaceutical factory they should give the permit if i am qualified and get out of deciding what drug i can make because other people making similar drug and leave that to the market,if i am better i will stay in business and the other will get out of business ,the gov could make it easier to export Syrian products by friar and fairer trade.some people thing that Syria needs heavy industries to have a good economy but the American economy and many other economies are composed of small businesses where most the jobs are and that is easy to achieve if the government gets out of the way and be happy collecting the 17% tax.Tax should be estimated and certified only by certified accountants,that will prevent bribery and make Syrians willing to pay their fair taxes as everybody will be paying.

5/15/2006 06:10:00 ص

GREEN SQUARE (Re-post)

In libya, it started in the Green Square, and it seems to be ending right there. Saif-Al-Islam (Libya’s Besho) is captured according to sources, and daddy Qaddafi is hiding along the Algerian Borders waiting for Sarkozi to tell his friends in Algiers to let him in.

The Libyan Rats (my relatives, and I am proud of them) said, the blood of the martyrs will not be in vein. It is not. Long live liberty.

The trials and tribulations of the Arab Spring will be told for generations to come. The Arabs will walk head high, and they will sweep all the dictators, their sons, and their regimes. No longer will they tolerate their dignity to be hostage in the hand of those who played with their causes, betrayed their dreams, squandered their wealth, and caused them so much pain for so long.

The road ahead is not a rosy one. But the youth have spoken, and they will guard their revolution. In the past, it was a bunch of military egos getting their tanks against the former government and calling their coup a revolution. They pulled stunts and believed their own lies. No longer this is the case. In each and every country, it was the people who revolted.

For those who believe that Men7ebbak are a Majority, and even had the audacity to tell us that Qaddafi is loved by his people, look closely at Tripoli, and tell me how many Qaddafi lovers you can see. When these thugs fall, it will be fast, and surprising, even to the revolution.

Good luck Libya. And may we get rid of our tyrant and of the family that has suffocated our country for forty years. As for those who accuse us of destroying the country, they will recognize that what they are doing is maintaining a regime that has kept the country under total demolition for decades. Let them cry over their spilled milk. Let them cry, it heals their pain, since we are not rising to cause anyone pain, only to stop the thugs from causing more.

Guessing over

Aboud and SYR.EXPAT

Could it be Bali ABdulla Baleh

Spirit of Independence

Besho utterred

“We don’t permit any country … to interfere in Syria”

When did Syria withdraw recognition of Iran as a country?

“17. ABOUD said:
…
SYR.EXPAT @14
Benjamin Netanyahu!
”

I am disappointed at you ABOUD. I’ll give you another clue. The name contains the English letter “s.”

HAMSTER #20,

Cheers! “…But the youth have spoken, and they will guard their revolution”. So true!!
.

19. NORMAN said:

Unfortunately, your good advise (I agree with most of it) fell on deaf ears.
They have no one but themselves to blame.

Thank you Hamster, that was very eloquent. I’m sure glad Besho overlooks Hamsters when he hires his trumpets.

SYR.EXPAT

OK, I got it now…

Silvio Berlusconi! All those sex scandals were bound to catch up with him.

🙂

By March 13 1973, the late Hafez Assad was able to put the finishing touches on one of the most intricate houses of cards ever assembled. That was the day of course when the current Syrian constitution was adopted. This essentially helped codify his master plan and legally shield his house of cards from any attempts to bring it down. Those who have read all the 156 articles that make the construction cannot help but be impressed by the air-tight quality of its construction. Article 8 of course is the linchpin that ties the entire system together. The constitution even foresaw the need for what is currently is referred to as the “shabihha”. It refers to them more officially as popular organizations or
“lijan Shaabiye”. Set below is the relevant article:

Article 49 [Organizational Functions]
The popular organizations by law effectively participate in the various sectors and councils to realize the following:
(1) Building the socialist Arab society and defending the system.
Defending the system is, therefore, the “constitutional” right and duty of these organizations.

When Bashar came to power, he may have had all the right intentions. By his own admission, he was not particularly into politics growing up. Presumably, he was not appreciative of how tightly and intricately his father constructed his house of cards. His first instinct was to allow some free speech. The Atassi forum quickly followed. Too quickly and successfully for the “system” it turns out. Those in the security services, in particular, had to sit the young President down and show him the full master plan that his father used to construct this system that he was now in charge of.

It did not take long for Bashar to realize that this was a house of cards. Many of us built those during our childhoods. No matter how impressive the structure is, pulling out one card inevitably results in a speedy crash.

One does not need an advanced engineering degree to realize that a house of cards can come down with the slightest of tinkering (reforms).

Prior to the fourth appearance today, many were hopeful that some reforms were soon on the way. Some even speculated that article 8 was going to be deleted, modified, frozen, suspended, something. 10 minutes into the interview all such hope were dashed, yet again.

Deleting article 8 from the constitution is akin to telling the Baath party that your 48-year monopoly on power is history. That all its 2-3 million members are just like the rest of their country fellowmen. No privileges. No access to power. No monetary or social benefits. Most importantly, that its head will not have the luxury of an uncontested referendum that quickly lands him at the highest office in the land unopposed. Indeed, we were told today that changing article 8 was thought to make no sense (gheir mantiki) as it is “jawhar al nizam al siyassi”. To be sure, during the interview we were told that the reason for keeping it was because it is interlinked with other articles and that unless the whole constitution is rewritten it would be hard to cancel it alone.

Today’s interview helped clarify beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Syrian system will not be tinkered with. It is built on resisting America and the west. It is built on giving the appearance of strength regardless of the external and internal realities. It is built on giving the security services a carte-blanch to promote – well security. It is also built on steadfastness and sacrifice (accept poverty) to achieve the nation’s lofty and noble goal.

Why did I think that this interview was rather scripted?

1- My wife thought that the answers were given too fast after the question was asked. Surely a short pause to think and calibrate the answers during such a crucial period would have made more sense unless the questions were prepared in advance.

2- Surely, the Saudi decision last week required an explicit question. It seems that the two sad interviewers were not allowed to go there.

I was waiting for this video to come out.

Homsis return to the New Clock square for the first time since the massacre in April and paint over pro-junior graffiti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1TVMDv32qA&feature=player_detailpage

Some security chief in Homs is gonna sh*t a brick today LOL!

25. ABOUD

My disappointment is growing. SYRIAN HAMSTER is getting there. May be you too can work it out. 🙂

All is calm in Damascus
Natalya Kovalenko
Aug 21, 2011 21:17 Moscow Time
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/21/54967616.html
The last few days, contradictory reports are coming from Syria. Some say that the opposition is terrorizing the country, some, on the contrary, that the regime of President al-Assadis suppressing the opposition.

A UN delegation has visited Syria to see with their own eyes what is really happening there. At the same time, a Russian delegation visited this Arab country – politicians, public figures, clergymen, journalists and experts on Eastern affairs.

In an interview to the Voice of Russia, a member of the Russian delegation, the President of the Society of Friendship and Business Cooperation with Arab Countries Vyacheslav Mutuzov shared his impressions.:

“Streets are calm in Damascus. Even if some people are not satisfied with the government, they do not set demonstrations, to say nothing of armed clashes. The real picture is very different from the one that some Western media are trying to present.”

“I think that, in the 21st century, the world, so to say, will see a new kind of wars – wars of electronic media sources,” Mr. Mutuzov says. “Such a media war is already being held over the Syrian events. From what I saw with my own eyes, I can drive a conclusion: like in every country, there are people in Syria who are not satisfied with the governments’ actions and with the living standards. But, for all their dislike of the government, they are not very inclined to overthrow it. It is the West which is warming up oppositionist moods in Syria. And, as far as I can judge, in other Arab countries, the situation is nearly the same – the anti-government moods are warmed up by the West, because it is trying to overthrow the not-too-loyal-to-the-West regimes with the help of the peoples of these countries.”

“However,” Mr. Mutuzov continues, “nobody, be it even the US president, can dictate to Arab countries what regimes or what presidents they must have. This runs counter to the UN Charter and other international laws.”

“From what we saw in Damascus,” he says, “we may conclude that these plans of the West do not correspond with the moods of the Syrian men-in-the-street. Damascus is living its usual life. People sell, buy, bargain or walk idle. Sometimes, they do scold the government – but nothing more than that. It looks like nobody wants to overthrow the al-Assad regime, besides the West.”

Bashar interview is like “much ado for nothing”

I got it. It must be:

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Just heard the following on Aljazeera

عاد الوطن المخطوف الى اهله٠ عاد الوطن المقهور المظلوم بعد اربعة عقود الى اهله٠

I can’t stop crying.

Tara,

Promise me no tears when Master Bashar and his gang go down the drain. I want to see smiles.

“36. ZIADSOURY said:
I got it. It must be:
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah”

Hopefully, all of these rulers are next, but you haven’t hit the jackpot. Not yet.

KOOK ALERT!

Natalya Kovalenko said:

“All is calm in Damascus”

So was Tripoli yesterday!

“Bashar interview is like “much ado for nothing””
Very eloquently said.

How about Queen Elizabeth?

King Qaddafi compared himself to her.

Sorry I mean Queen Asma….

My advice in 2006,

At 4/07/2006 08:19:00 PM, norman said…
Bashar Assad can be trusted more than the opposition ,If we look at where they come from we should know where they are trying to take Syria ,until now the only thing we hear is that they are believers ,no platform no plans for the economy or the defence of the country, minority rights, woman rights peace with Israel and we know what the MB did in the seventies and early eighties when they killed many of our university teachers because of their religion ,Al Qaeda is doing the same thing in Iraq killing shia Iraqis every day and driving the country to civil war,should we trust khadam who was in power during the wost of Hafiz Assad rule and did nothing to show his displeasure ,could be because he was stealing enough and did not want to change a good thing for him ,when people are not politically mature they tend to vote for people they associate with in Syria religous association.election in Syria when the people are not ready will lead to problem like Algeria and Syria can live without a problem like that.

Ziadsoury

I promise I will try. I cry a lot.. when happy too.

The prosecutor of the International Court of Justice was the one who announced the arrest of Seif al Islam. I hope Quaddafi does not get killed or commits suicide today. I want him arrested and tried.

From Syria-News:

“الثوار الليبيون في وسط طربلس
اوردت تقارير اعلامية متطابقة بان الثوار الليبين دخلوا الى وسط العاصمة طرابلس وسط انباء عن القاء القبض عن ثلاثة من ابناء القذافي.
”

It seems the news is true.

Saf AlIslam and Saadi and Muhammad Gaddafi all are arrested,CNN reported

Mahzale from all sides, what a pathetic joke.

Waiting for photo confirmation of the arrests. Without this type of confirmation, I can’t celebrate.

You can step on flowers but you can not delay the spring,Let bashar learns Gaddafi is gone too, and now all eyes are on Bashar

#34

All calm in Damascus just as all calm in Tripoli just a day before the fall of Qaddafi. Qaddafi was fighting armed gangs and Islamic terrorists just as Bashar is claiming to fight them. There was a western conspiracy in Libya just like the “alleged” western conspiracy in Syria. Both claimed Arabism. Both claimed pseudo resistance. Seif al islam presented himself to the world as a reformer just as Bashar deceived the world before. Qaddafi fell and Seif will be prosecuted. The Syrian regime will also fall and both Maher and Bashar will be prosecuted for their crimes.

You all are dreaming, Qaddafi in Libya is a one man rule, Bashar Assad is not, he is the face of the Baath party of at least 2 millions and the army, even if president Assad wants to quit today, another one elected and chosen by the Baath party will take over, The opposition is better off seeking talk with a president that does not like to stay in power than dealing with somebody new, The other option is civil war and with that there are no winners , The Libya style change will not take place , we will see an Algeria or Iraqi type civil war, the people who refuse to reach a deal are the only people responsible ,

These fearless leaders are even willing sell out their own kids. Reports say he left to South Africa.

I am so glad the rats are in control and can not wait for the germs to do the same in Souria. Queen Asma will be looking very hot in a burka and Master Bashar and company in beards in Tehran.

Qaddafi thought the libyans were dreaming. They dreamed for 6 month but eventually their dream came true. Bashar will face the same fate. No doubt about it

“You all are dreaming”
That’s what Qhadhafi and the other despots before him implied. Look where they are now. It all starts with a dream. “I have a dream!”

“The opposition is better off seeking talk with a president that does not like to stay in power”
Are you talking about Assad Jr? Are you serious?

Norman,

I still have a bridge for sale. You are so delusional. Even if Bashar wants to step down!!!!!. Wake up. The time for tyrants in the Middle East is over. They will all fall including the head of the snake (KSA). The Arab world will be a different one in 5 years period. We will be liberated from these thugs. Long live Souria Al7oura.

Saif Al-Islam was definitely day-dreaming when he said what he said below.

سيف الاسلام القذافي يؤكد أن النظام لن يسلم ولن يرفع الراية البيضاء
2011-08-21
http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=latest\data\2011-08-21-05-25-00.htm

سيف الإسلام القذافي

طرابلس- (ا ف ب): أكد سيف الاسلام القذافي أحد أبناء العقيد الليبي معمر القدافي أن نظام طرابلس “لن يسلم ولن يرفع الراية البيضاء”، داعيا في الوقت نفسه الثوار إلى الحوار.
وفي خطاب بثه التلفزيون الليبي الرسمي صباح الأحد، قال سيف الاسلام القدافي أمام عشرات الشباب السبت “نفسنا طويل. نحن على أرضنا وبلدنا. سنقاوم ستة اشهر، سنة، سنتان وسننتصر”.

واضاف “لن نسلم ولن نرفع الراية البيضاء. هذا ليس قرار سيف الاسلام أو القدافي انه قرار الشعب الليبي”.

ودعا نجل العقيد الليبي الثوار إلى الحوار. وقال “اذا كنتم تريدون السلام فنحن مستعدون”، مذكرا بأنه اشرف على اعداد مشروع دستور”.

وجاء خطاب سيف الاسلام بينما سمع دوي انفجار واطلاق نار طوال ليل السبت الأحد في طرابلس حيث تحدث شهود عيان عن “مواجهات” في بعض احياء العاصمة الليبية.

it’s a scary omen for bashar, the recent libyan news.
usually after his “historic speeches”, his supporters gather and chant verses worshiping him. today it was the same, only this spontaneous, genuine support wasn’t so large.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc6I2aemGIE
oh and for the record , the country’s so called pan-arabism is a sham, these supporters were chanting ” if you don’t clap your mother is a qatari”

this demonstration is genuine and spontaneous, no 1 was bussed in. except the shabeeha standing at the back.

SubhanAllah.

People have commented how Gaddafi had no support in Tripoli and this should be a lesson for Syria.

Truth shall banish falsehood.

Did anyone watch Alex Crawford of Sky News? In her report from Tripoli she said she had got hold of a military cheque book used to pay pro Gaddafi demonstrators. The Gaddafi military were paying these people. The report said that the money would have been irresistable to the poor and other members of society.

I cant find info on this online but if I do I will post it.

some guy ,even most of those hypocrites will curse yel3an roho and spit on menhebak portraits when the road turns.
such hypocrites existed under all similar regimes without exception.

Allah mhayeek ya Bashar al Assad!

Memo To: Assadists of all Races, Creeds & Colors

RE: Sayings of the God Besho

“…such remarks (about stepping down) should not be made about a president who was chosen by the Syrian people…”

And they wouldn’t be made if you were chosen by the Syrian People. But you weren’t. You were handed the job by your Daddy who was a vicious, hateful pig and who thought Syria was his private estate…

“…when they speak of reforms, Western colonialist countries mean that we must give them everything they want…”

Careful, Besho. Syria is the biggest colonialist and Imperialist in the Middle East. For how many years did you and your father rule Lebanon as if it were your colony? And when a Lebanese PM finally came along with the guts to say, “Syria, Get out!”, what did you do? You had your Lebanese collaborators kill him. So don’t lecture the West on colonialism…

Norman,

I agree, they are dreaming, but let them dream, it’s all they can do, continue living in the realm of delusion.

Those who advocate the invasion of Syria, sanctions against Syria and support this terrorist revolution are not true Syrians, just supporters of terror and destruction.

When this is over, Syria will be stronger; President Bashar Al Assad will be stronger and will continue to move Syria forward into a positive future.

The days of this terrorist revolution are numbered.

لن تركع أمة قائدها الأسد
Rise Syria.

Syrian Hamster.

Great article Green square.

“The Arabs will walk head high, and they will sweep all the dictators, their sons, and their regimes.”

Yes reminds me of Sheikh Nazim predicting in his video ‘All regimes will collapse this year’ that ‘..they will be swept away..’

From Syria-News:

“المحكمة الجنائية الدولية تؤكد اعتفال سيف الاسلام القذافي
أكد المدعي العام للمحكمة الجنائية الدولية اعتقال سيف الاسلام القذافي ، فيما اكد محمد النجل الأكبر لمعمر القذافي بانه سلم نفسه للثوار بعد دخولهم لطرابلس.
“

Memo To: SYAU

RE: “…when this is over, Syria will be stronger; President Bashar Al Assad will be stronger and will continue to move Syria forward into a positive future…”

When this is over, Besho will be dead or in exile. And the only person in Syria who doesn’t know this is Besho. Because no one around him has the guts to tell him…

What I’m seeing from Libya tonight is better than all the Ramadan shows that we didn’t get to see this year *sniff wipes tears*

Well done Free Rats, very very well done 🙂

Did you all see how Gadafi’s PM turned on him yesterday? The Athad brothers will do the same when the time comes, each will accuse the other of being the real power behind the regime when they are both hauled off to the Hague.

Oh, and who was the silly imbecile who said that the fall of Tripoli was a myth like the Damascus Lesbian blogger? ROFL!

Libya is the first notable success for the foreigner policy of the European Union,the next test is Syria.

Why isnt SANA reporting the Libyan story?

How are Syrians supposed to know what is happening in the world?

Also I wander if the Libyan revolutionaries have a message of encouragement for the Syrian revolutionaries?

67. UZAIR8

“Why isnt SANA reporting the Libyan story?

How are Syrians supposed to know what is happening in the world?”

SANA, being the highly credible news outlet it is, doesn’t report stories unless their are confirmed 100%. The world needs to learn from SANA.

Dale# 64

Absolutely correct. One of the people close to Qaddafi said today that all people around him lied and told him that he is LOVED by all the Libyans and that Libyans will defend him to the last man. He probably never believed otherwise.

Well my prediction of the speech was spot on.
Ehsani’s analysis was also spot on as to the lack of true and genuine desire for reform.

Now I love to read the pro regime comments. They are clearly scared witless as NATO and the rebels triumphed. This means that Syrian diplomacy must work over time and over drive to try to prevent a consolidation of opinions around the need to change the regime from without rather than from within.

Let us see what the response would be in the next few days.

The fall of Qhadhafi is very bad news for the menhibak crowd. No wonder they’re busy hitting the dislike button for merely report in the news from Libya!

However, for the Syrian protestors, it’s a great day. I think the fall of the Qhadhafi regime will electrify them and give them a huge boost in the arm. Let’s see how this major event impacts the Syrian street.

#71 Syr.Expat

“The fall of Qhadhafi is very bad news for the menhibak crowd. No wonder they’re busy hitting the dislike button for merely report in the news from Libya!”

LOL. That was hilarious. LOL

Comparing Syrian situation to Libya has no bases.Syria is similar to trying to remove the lowest box from a column of boxes,it will make all the boxes fall.I personally feel that Syria should detach itself from Iran and Hizballa,even without the current pressure,because I see Iran as different colour from extremism,it is almost like wahabi Shia crap.I think all the current stand with Iran is just a temporary sedative and will not change the long term outcome which will be consistent with geography and history,and will be with Syria’s alliance with it’s neighbors .I think that if the regime has made a final decision to stand with Iran against the world,it is a historical mistake and the whole country will suffer as a result of that.Assad should be like his dad and be able to look 10 years ahead,sticking with Iran is a losing game.

This is definitely a good day for Libya and the region. It is depressing that it took the fire power of NATO and the death of tens of thousands of Libyans to get to this point.
What kind of a regime Libya will have after Qazzafi? We just have to wait and see.
As for concerns about the infiltration of islamists into Arab uprisings,we must not deny the fact that the whole Arab world is becoming more religious and that islamists have as much rights as seculars in voting for the people they support. The problem comes when they dominate the government,then they may act like Baathists except that they will use religion to justify their exclusionary behavior. Democracy with all of its ills is better than one party rule,and those who want a separation between religion and the state need to stop complaining and start organizing.The Libyan success will inspire some who want to apply it to Syria,i am not adding anything new when I mention that this destructive idea has some support among the opposition.I was not eager to hear words like: السفاح..العصابه…المجرم..etc ,this type of language and the criticism directed at anti regime Syrians in Syria is not reassuring,we have more work to do ,obviously. Who of you think that taking pics with Clinton will help the expat opposition win any new support among Syrians? Does any of you have a list of the transitional council members? It is not fair that almukhabarat gets that list before the readers of SC do 🙂

SNK,

Syria is not supporting Iran, Iran is supporting Syria in it’s quest for the Golan, they could have separated Syria from Iran easily if they pushed Israel to return the Golan, They want to separate Syria from Iran to weaken the Arab quest for a just peace for the Palestinians and force a peace agreement ,

“Now I love to read the pro regime comments. They are clearly scared witless as NATO and the rebels triumphed. ”
They’re almost a no-show for the last several hours. Reality is starting to hit them hard. The tyrants are falling one after the other. The king of KSA better take notice and start “real” reforms before he becomes another statistic.

What is amazing about these dictators is that they could have avoided all the disgrace they’re being subjected to by doing the right thing. Even if we’re to buy the claim that the Arab Spring is a manufactured event to further divide the Arab world, the dictators could have at least tried to stop that from happening. History would have been kinder to them. However, when the inner eye is blinded, there’s no hope.

@73 I’m afraid it’s far too late for junior to try to detach himself from Iran. The Iranians know all of junior’s dirty secrets, as they have helped him suppress his own people from day one.

Junior is too beholden to the Ayatollahs, and has now made Syria subservient to Iran, just as Lebanon was is subservient to Syria.

“and will be with Syria’s alliance with it’s neighbors”

To this day, I don’t understand what Syria’s beef with Jordan is. Papa Assad’s antagonism towards King Hussein predated Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.

“Comparing Syrian situation to Libya has no bases”

It most definitely does have a basis. There is something fundamental at work here, something that involves basic human aspirations and needs. It would be similar to claiming that just because the weather is different in each country, the same laws that govern rain and clouds humidity and winds don’t apply.

The Egyptian revolution took longer than the Tunisian one, but Mubarak fell. The Libya revolution took longer than the Egyptian one, but the will of the people was irresistible.

What possible method can junior use to subdue the revolution? He has proven to the world that he lacks creativity and imagination.

He is like the Soviet Union that tried to compete on making the world’s biggest steel mills, when the real economic power had shifted to those who could make the smallest computer chips.

I’m surprised at the turn of events in Libya. The rebels there seemed like such a rabble, I hadn’t expected them to succeed even with Western firepower.

I think it was a mistake for the West to support the Libyan rebels. Not because Gaddhafi was a good leader (he wasn’t), but because:
1) he was far short of the sort of monstrous wickedness and real and present danger that Saddam posed. He was a despot, but there are many worse.
2) he had co-operated with the West at a delicate time in the War on Terror, to his own disadvantage, and to the West’s advantage.

To have thus opportunistically savaged a dictator who had co-operated with the West, just for revenge or for public relations, is sure to have bad consequences. How likely is it that the *really* bad guys – like Kim Jong Il – will ever do anything to de-escalate now? Seeing that nothing they do will ever buy them any good will or good faith from the West?

I think, even if the Libyan rebels turn out to produce a good government (which is a wide-open question), the long-term diplomatic consequences will be very poor.

As far how this effects Syria: well, Pres. Assad really *is* a good leader – the best thing going for Syria, and the best hope for peaceful political development. (Syria also, incidentally co-operated with the USA and the West during the War on Terror and the Iraq War.)

Pres. Assad has a timetable for elections. He’s enough of an insider to make it happen peacefully.

The West’s plan looks like no-plan. Israel wants revenge from humiliation; what does Middle East peace and stability matter when the Jews want blood?

The Syrian people are to be punished, for what? To satisfy the spite of the Jews? I understand that the USA will always dance to the tune of Tel Aviv, but when did the Europeans become so stupid?

73. SYRIA NO KANDAHAR said:

In my opinion, the greatest foreign policy failure is not having a far greater relationship between Syria, Turkey and Lebanon. The ties culturally, politically and economically are huge and date back to thousands of years. But we were too busy being Arabs!

One size does not fit all,and every country is different. Syria is not Egypt,Tunisia or Libya.
The disease is almost the same but the cure may not be identical. Syrians will eventually figure a way out. I did not want to see the interview until it was posted here and I got curious,and I wish I did not. Bashar has obviously decided to try the old strategy that helped him and his dad to overcome previous challenges to his regime hoping that time will be on his side. It is the opposition to this regime and the reaction of Syrians inside Syria that can force a change,the regime is unwilling and unable to make any real concessions without internal pressure,especially that the regime heads are convinced that there will not be any military intervention in Syria in the near future. Sanctions never toppled a dictatorship and never empowered average citizens,and the regime knows that very well,what the regime heads fear is not sanctions,it is a unified opposition and a determined youth movement that refuses to keep things the same.

Syria is not supporting Iran, Iran is supporting Syria in it’s quest for the Golan”

Norman,
According to you Iran has been supporting Syria to liberate the Jolan. Well let’s see how effective that has been. Iran’ support started in the late 70s. Let’s examine how effective this partnership has been for the last 32 years.

• Not a single bullet has been fired across the Jolan.
• We have not liberated a single CM or Inch.
• The Syrian Security forces with the backing of their Iranian experts have killed more Syrians than the IDF.
• Allowed the destruction of Lebanon by the IDF on many occasions
• Allowed the killing of Palestinians in Lebanon and Gaza
• Allowed the IAF to attack Syria on multiple occasions without any consequences

Wow. That is an impressive record. I am sure you are very proud of it.

SYAU,

You are the one who is delusional. Syria will not move forward under Assad. The man has had ten years in which to implement reforms, the fact that he has failed to do so is why we are in this situation today.

But you realise that his failure to reform is not a problem in itself? Japan has had a decade of zero economic growth and yet they aren’t experiencing the same degree of social unrest. The one big difference is that the Japanese can rid themselves of an underperforming government peacefully, that mechanism does not yet exist in Syria. This is such a painfully obvious point, but still there are idiots such as yourself who persist in labelling protesters as terrorists, who think that this is all some big conspiracy orchestrated by Western powers. It’s not. Who wouldn’t want a say in how they are governed?

Western powers are sticking up for the legitimate rights of peaceful protesters, it’s not about imperialism, it’s about humanity. My guess is that you live in the US, enjoying freedom of speech and the rule of law (without properly realising it) and yet at the same time believing that the West can be boiled down to a pair of Nike trainers and an IPOD.

The truth is you actually don’t mind whether Assad is in power or someone else, as long as you can maintain whatever benefits that are currently accruing to you then you’re happy. And there’s the rub, as soon as this regime collapses and democracy emerges the inevitable competitive pressures will put paid to whatever business interests you have. Enjoy it while it lasts.

As John Donne said:
“No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee….”

Ziadsoury, ‘you are making the argument of the Saudi, and yes surrender will save your lives and avoid destruction but will be slave to Israel,
Anyway, this will explain to you what is wrong with Bashar Assad and why he is not moving as fast as we all want,

When is a dictator not a dictator?

Bashar al-Assad leads an authoritarian regime, but the workings of power in a country such as Syria are surprisingly complex

Brian Whitaker
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 December 2009 09.00 GMT
larger | smaller

Decision-making in authoritarian regimes can be a lot more complicated than it looks. The idea that dictators simply dictate is often wide of the mark: they may not care much about public opinion but they do have to juggle with conflicting demands inside their own power base, and sometimes they can’t even be sure their instructions will be implemented.

Syria is one country where the inner workings of the regime can seem baffling. A diplomat in Damascus once told me that although Bashar al-Assad’s position as president seems secure, nobody knows how much power he really has.

A report published by the International Crisis Group (ICG) earlier this week – mainly about Syrian foreign policy – sheds some light on this intriguing puzzle. In Syria, it says:

Many decisions witness a contest between various lines of thought that coexist within the regime, each reflecting a slightly different worldview, diverging private interests or personal rivalries. Some decisions ultimately reflect a balance between diverse institutional power centres; others, a more decisive victory by a particular one … Further confusion arises from the fact that officials occasionally take initiatives or make pronouncements that are inconsistent with the authorised line – in an attempt to influence it; as a means of drawing attention to themselves; in order to express frustration; or, quite simply, out of ignorance.

In theory at least, the president’s decision is final but much of the time he sits back, waiting to see which way the wind will blow. One Syrian official told the ICG:

Overall objectives are set by the president with input from those around him. Then, it’s up to others to suggest how to achieve them. For instance, if the minister of foreign affairs makes an interesting proposal, the president will give him some leeway – but only up to a point, because he still has to contend with other tendencies. Moreover, the leadership tends to maintain multiple, parallel channels on any given issue. But, in the end, the president always remains in a position to arbitrate and distribute roles. The balancing and real decision-making takes place at the top. No one else is even fully in the picture.

Even the most loyal official, familiar with the workings of the system, can find this confusing. But then there are others who think they know what the policy is – and try to subvert it. In an opaque, compartmentalised and heavily bureaucratised system such as Syria’s it’s by no means certain that decisions, once made, will stick. “Follow-through often is lacking, as the process creates considerable room for either active or passive obstructionism,” the ICG says. “Policies frequently are adjusted or rectified, even after apparently final decisions are made.”

One recent example was Syria’s association agreement with the EU, which both parties spent years negotiating. Then, just as it was about to be signed, Syria unexpectedly put it on hold – possibly because of objections from local business interests.

This chopping and changing happens at a national level too. A Damascus lawyer told the ICG: “There are several centres of power. Much-needed legislation can be enacted and then, within a few months, is amended and amended again. The reason is that the legislation interferes with the interests of people influential enough to step in and have their way”.

Clearly, Syria is not a one-man dictatorship and a senior official quoted in the report sees this as a positive development, a “sign of a dynamic debate”. Dynamic it may be, but it’s still a closed debate, conducted mainly in private, by those in the loop. The rest of the country is excluded.

On the domestic front, this opacity is likely to slow down the pace of reforms or limit their extent. In order to succeed, such reforms will need buy-in from the public as well as the regime’s insiders and the only way to achieve that is through open debate that helps ordinary Syrians to understand the rationale behind them.

Internationally, the opacity makes Syria one of the most difficult countries for negotiators to deal with. Martin Indyk, an assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration, told a congressional committee last year:

Just about every leader that has attempted to deal with President Bashar al-Assad has come away frustrated. The list includes Colin Powell, Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy, Hosni Mubarak and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. The cause of their frustration is the disconnect between Assad’s reasonableness in personal meetings and his regime’s inability or unwillingness to follow through on understandings reached there. It is unclear whether this is because of a lack of will or a lack of ability to control the levers of power.

This was echoed by a foreign official who has worked closely with the regime and is quoted in the ICG report as saying:

In dealing with Syria we always need to ask ourselves, ‘Are they reluctant to do this or simply can’t they do it?’ … We should not take any promise as a given, if only because many are beyond their capacity. This is a systemic problem. Syria is an authoritarian system of a particular kind, in which the ruler isn’t necessarily obeyed. Besides, the system is largely inefficient. People step on each other’s toes; institutions lack capacity; and things are disorganised.

And even when the president speaks, it’s difficult to know whether he’s telling people what he really thinks or what he thinks they want to hear. A Turkish official interviewed by the ICG said: “Bashar has two lines of speech, one for the region and one for the west. He doesn’t say the same thing on BBC and al-Jazeera. It’s double-talk. Here [in the Middle East] it is acceptable. His interlocutors must understand this is not unusual in the region. Americans might think it devious. He sees it as being polite”.

011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

This is what the US said about Mubarak,and compare that to what they want from syria,

Friday, January 28, 2011 5:34 PM EST

Joe Biden: Mubarak is no dictator and should not step down [VIDEO & FULL TEXT]

Never shy about sharing his opinion, Vice President Biden had some controversial comments about Egypt’s 30-year ruler Hosni Mubarak.

When asked if Mubarak should step down, Biden said “no.” Instead, Mubarak should be more “responsive to some of the needs of the people out there.”

These people are “middle class folks” looking for “more opportunity.”

Biden also said: “I would not refer to [Mubarak] as a dictator.”

Below is the video of the interview with PBSNewsHour’s Jim Lehrer.

Below is the full transcript of the interview (click here to see it on PBS’ website):

JIM LEHRER: And now to our newsmaker interview with the vice president of the United States.

I spoke with Vice President Biden this afternoon in the Secretary of War suite at the Old Executive Office Building in Washington — the first subject, the protests in Egypt.

Mr. Vice President, welcome.

U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Good to be with you, Jim.

JIM LEHRER: Has the time come for President Mubarak of Egypt to go, to stand aside?

JOE BIDEN: No, I think the time has come for President Mubarak to begin to move in the direction that — to be more responsive to some of the needs of the people out there.

These are — a lot of the people out there protesting are middle-class folks who are looking for a little more access and a little more opportunity.

And the two things we have been saying here, Jim, is that violence isn’t appropriate and people have a right to protest. And so — and we think that — I hope Mubarak, President Mubarak, will — is going to respond to some of the legitimate concerns that are being raised.

JIM LEHRER: You know President Mubarak.

JOE BIDEN: I know him fairly well.

JIM LEHRER: Have you talked to him about this?

JOE BIDEN: I haven’t talked to him in the last three days.

I — last time I — actually, I haven’t talked to him in about a month. But I speak to him fairly regularly. And I think that, you know, there’s a lot going on across that part of the continent, from Tunisia into — all the way to Pakistan, actually. And there’s — a lot of these countries are beginning to sort of take stock of where they are and what they have to do.

JIM LEHRER: Some people are suggesting that we may be seeing the beginning of a kind of domino effect, similar to what happened after the Cold War in Eastern Europe. Poland came first, then Hungary, East Germany.

We have got Tunisia, as you say, maybe Egypt, who knows. Do you smell the same thing coming?

JOE BIDEN: No, I don’t.

I wouldn’t compare the two. And you and I used to talk years ago about what was going on in Eastern Europe.

JIM LEHRER: Yes.

JOE BIDEN: A lot of these nations are very dissimilar. They’re similar in the sense that they’re Arab nations, dissimilar in the circumstance.

For example, Tunisia has a long history of a more progressive middle class, a different set of circumstances, a different relationship with Europe, for example. And the difference between Tunisia and Egypt is real, beyond the fact that Egypt’s the largest Arab country in the world.

So, I don’t see any direct relationship, other than there seems — it might be argued that what is happening in one country sparks whatever concern there is in another country. It may not be the same concern. It may not be even similar, but the idea of speaking out in societies where, in the recent past, there hadn’t been much of that occurring.

But I don’t — I think it’s a stretch at this point. But I could be proven wrong. But I think it’s a stretch to compare it to Eastern Europe.

JIM LEHRER: The word — the word to describe the leadership of Mubarak and Egypt and also in Tunisia before was dictator. Should Mubarak be seen as a dictator?

JOE BIDEN: Look, Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region: Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing the relationship with Israel.

And I think that it would be — I would not refer to him as a dictator.

JIM LEHRER: Mr. Vice President, should we be — should the United States be encouraging these protesters, whether they’re in Tunisia or Egypt or wherever? They want their rights. And should we encourage them to seek them, if it means going to the streets or whatever?

JOE BIDEN: I think we should encourage both those who are, to use your phrase, seeking the rights and the government to talk, to actually sit down and talk with one another, to try to resolve some of what are the — the interests that are being pursued by those who are protesting.

Now, so far, there seems to be some differences. And, historically, in the past, the concern was in some of these countries that some of the more radical elements of the society, more radicalized were the ones in the streets.

Some could argue, might argue that what’s going on in Lebanon was different than what’s going on in Egypt, in terms of who is the — who the protesting forces are. Hezbollah is not, doesn’t seem to be what is the nature of the protest that’s going on in Egypt right now.

But — so, not every one of these circumstances is the same, which was my point before.

JIM LEHRER: Sure.

JOE BIDEN: We’re encouraging the protesters to, as they assemble, do it peacefully. And we’re encouraging the government to act responsibly and to try to engage in a discussion as to what the legitimate claims being made are, if they are, and try to work them out.

JIM LEHRER: Does the U.S. have any role to play in this?

JOE BIDEN: I think the role we have to play is continuing to make it clear to us that we think violence is inappropriate on the part of either party — either of the parties, the government or the protesters.

JIM LEHRER: But there was something said today. I think the president said or the president’s spokesman said the United States is not going to take sides in this dispute in Egypt.

Is that correct? Is that a correct…

JOE BIDEN: Well, look, I don’t — I wouldn’t characterize it as taking sides.

I think that what we should continue to do is to encourage reasonable accommodation — accommodation and discussion, to try to resolve peacefully and amicable the concerns and claims made by those who’ve taken to the street. And those that are legitimate should be responded to, because the economic well-being and the stability of Egypt rests upon that middle class buying into the future of Egypt.

So, it’s very much, I would argue, in the government’s interest. But it’s also in the interest of those who are seeking those rights. Again, that’s different than some protests that occur in that region of the world that are really designed to overthrow a government for the purpose of establishing an autocracy that is more regressive than anything that exists.

JIM LEHRER: New subject, Mr. Vice President.

In light of the Tucson tragedy, are you in favor of federal legislation that would ban the sale of these multiround cartridges, holders?

JOE BIDEN: Jim, you may remember, in the old days, when I had some real power…

JIM LEHRER: Oh, yes.

JOE BIDEN: I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

(LAUGHTER)

JOE BIDEN: I’m the guy that first passed and wrote the assault-weapons ban and — and also tried to pass legislation relative to the size of magazines, that is the — those clips that hold all the bullets that get shoved up into the rifle.

JIM LEHRER: The 31 — those 31 rounds.

JOE BIDEN: Yes. And there’s all kinds of them of various…

JIM LEHRER: Sure. Sure.

JOE BIDEN: So — so, I, as a senator, and I, as an elected official, have been on record as supporting — and we did originally have an assault-weapons ban in place.

But here’s what’s going on right now in the administration. There are a number of proposals coming forward that are going to be looked at by the Justice Department and the president will speak to, as he takes a look at what some of the suggestions are relative to how to deal with what is deemed by most Americans as, you know, not appropriate or consistent with the Second Amendment, which we strongly support.

And — but — but the president has not made a decision on those at this point. And we’re just getting the input from the House and the Senate and others. And the Justice Department is looking at it. And the president, as his spokesman said, will be speaking to those.

JIM LEHRER: But if the president asks you, the answer is going to be, yes, ban them, right?

JOE BIDEN: Well, my advice, as you know — and you have been doing this so long — shoot, if it’s going to have any impact, it shouldn’t be delivered to him through a news program.

JIM LEHRER: Gotcha.

JOE BIDEN: It should be delivered to him by me personally.

JIM LEHRER: Why didn’t the president even mention that in his State of the Union address?

JOE BIDEN: Well, look, there’s so many things — I was asked earlier, why didn’t the president mention mental health? Why didn’t he mention — there’s a thousand things that could have legitimately been mentioned.

And had he 10 hours, or this were going to be five States of the Union, there’s a lot more that could have been mentioned. His purpose was to, number one, recognize the tragedy and the human loss and the impact it’s had on the individual families, as a consequence of what happened to Gabby Giffords’ town hall or grocery store meet-and-greet, and to recognize how — how barbaric and how sort of totally out of character with our American democratic system that kind of action is.

My guess is that, just as his, I thought, incredibly, incredibly moving talk in Tucson was, this is — he does not — did not want to get into this blame-game issue and have it divert from — the main concern right now is the empathy for those who have passed, the prayers and help of them whose have survived and trying to make it, like Congresswoman Giffords, as well as talk about the state of the union.

And the state of the union, I think, he laid out very well. He pointed out, Jim, that, relative to the rest of the world, we shouldn’t forget we are so much better positioned than any part the world. Our GDP is three times what the Chinese is. Our individual GDP is one — theirs is one-twelfth.

We are a vibrant, vibrant country — reminding people the base from which we start, but saying, if we’re going to maintain this position, the rest of the world is starting to move, and we have to invest in education, innovation and infrastructure in order to maintain our leadership in the 21st century.

JIM LEHRER: Mr. Vice President, we did some reports on the NewsHour last night from around the country, public media…

JOE BIDEN: Yes. Yes.

JIM LEHRER: … various public media reporters, about how the State of the Union went down, the address went down.

And many, many people said, well, that was great, talking about high-speed rail 30 years from now and whatever, but I need a job now.

JOE BIDEN: Yes.

JIM LEHRER: And the president didn’t speak directly to that.

JOE BIDEN: Well…

JIM LEHRER: That — that…

JOE BIDEN: Well, I think, in fact, the president did speak directly to that by pointing out that the initiatives we have taken, as controversial as they were, are actually beginning to bear fruit, that, if you look at the surveys, a significant portion of the corporations in America are saying they’re going to be hiring beginning the middle of this year and moving on.

We — he could have used as the example the automobile industry, which has hired now back over 75,000 people, how we are beginning the confidence and the economic recovery is taking root. People are beginning to invest. The one — one dark spot for a while here is going to be housing and housing foreclosure. But almost every other indicia of growth and — and employment is moving up.

And so he — what the message was, what we have done is taking root. It’s going to increase, and it’s going to increase much more rapidly. But, in order to be able to move to a better place than we were before we went into this god-awful recession, which we inherited, we have got to begin to put in place the things that are going to sustain us and kick-start us for the next 20 years.

JIM LEHRER: Is it correct to say, though, Mr. Vice President, that as a practical matter, the tools available now to the president or to the federal government generally to create jobs are few — fewer and fewer?

In other words, interest rates are already down. There are so many things that have already — no more stimulus package is politically viable.

JOE BIDEN: Yes.

JIM LEHRER: Most of it is dependent on it just happening through — through the natural flow of events?

JOE BIDEN: Well, there’s — there’s some truth to that.

Let me parse that a little bit.

JIM LEHRER: Sure.

JOE BIDEN: First of all, the Recovery Act, which was much maligned by the opposition, still has a — billions of dollars left to spend out over the remainder of this first six months, which is acting as stimuli and actually employing people.

The second piece of this is the — the tax deal we negotiated in the lame-duck session with Republicans. Remember, it was thought it was going to be a terrible thing. And I remember coming out and pointing out that this is going to raise the GDP by somewhere one and one-and-a-half percent, increase employment and confidence.

It has. It’s just kicking in. The payroll tax is kicking in now. People are beginning to realize what, in fact, they will have, which will mean they will have at least $1,000 bucks more in their paycheck this year. It’s like a $1,000-buck tax break.

Consumer confidence is responding to the fact that we’re actually beginning to work together, and that payroll tax cut, along with the whole deal on taxes, so — and what the president’s proposing, as well, in terms of innovation, particularly in infrastructure.

Infrastructure creates jobs. Now, I know our Republican friends talk about it’s another spending program and let free enterprise do it. Name me a company that’s going to build an interchange to allow them to get in and out of their corporate headquarters. Name me a company that’s building highways or railroad beds in order to have their products be able to get to market.

Name me a country that’s — a company that’s able to invest what is needed in order to — expanding broadband across the United States of America, so that we can increase economic activity and independence.

So, the fact of the matter, infrastructure creates jobs. And the only outfits that can do it are the government. And so it has a dual effect of enhancing our ability to grow, but also immediately putting people to work.

And the president’s proposed it. We will see how — you know, that old thing. You know, it’s the president’s to propose and the Congress’ to dispose. But hopefully, they will see the wisdom in something we offered.

JIM LEHRER: But doesn’t that also just bring into stark relief the different — differing philosophies?

JOE BIDEN: It does. It does, Jim.

JIM LEHRER: You — I mean, the role of government. I mean, you and the Democrats might think one way.

JOE BIDEN: You’re absolutely right.

One of the things that I — that I was — I have lunch with the president regularly. I had — he and I have lunch alone together. We just — whatever’s on each of our minds. We had lunch today, as a matter of fact. And…

JIM LEHRER: What did you talk about?

JOE BIDEN: Well, we talked about this.

JIM LEHRER: No, I’m just…

JOE BIDEN: No, no, no, I’m serious.

JIM LEHRER: OK. OK.

JOE BIDEN: It’s not classified.

JIM LEHRER: Sure. Sure.

JOE BIDEN: We talked about economic recovery. We talked about what we had to do.

And one of the things that was pointed out is, Congressman Ryan’s response, for example — he’s a bright and totally earnest guy — but it reflects the fundamental, philosophic difference that exists about the role of government.

For example, I find it fascinating, today’s Republicans eschew what former Republican presidents have done, whether you go back, the — the government has no role. The Intercontinental Railroad would not have been built, were it not for the fact that a Republican named Lincoln decided to give $16,000 in government bonds for every mile of railroad that private enterprise would build across the country.

It would have taken another 20 to 30 years for it to happen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, we — you know, we talk about the Sputnik moment. What everybody forgets, he said, look, we have — we have got to make some big changes. And he set up this thing in the Defense Department called ARPA, which is a research arm in the defense piece.

ARPA spent $25 million to come up with a thing called ARPANET. ARPANET is the Internet. No company was prepared to invest that kind of money.

So, the idea that, somehow, investing seed money in innovative projects is somehow contrary to the free enterprise system and what is needed by government — I find it interesting. The Chamber of Commerce endorsed — the Chamber of Commerce, who spent, legitimately, millions of dollars to defeat Democratic candidates, as they — their right, endorsed our plan relative to infrastructure.

And, yet, you have Republican congresspersons up there saying, no, no, boy, this is not — this is just wasteful government spending.

It’s a philosophic difference on the role of government.

JIM LEHRER: Finally, you mentioned having lunch with the president today.

JOE BIDEN: Yes.

JIM LEHRER: How would you describe the relationship you have with President Obama?

JOE BIDEN: It’s one that — I will tell you how he’s described it. He’s described it as one where we have become close, personal friends.

Literally, today, we were talking about a matter relating to foreign policy, and I said, “You know what’s made this” — this is literally a conversation, where I said: “You know what’s made” — I won’t tell you the exact subject, but I said: “You know what’s made this job so easy for me? Of all the candidates running for president when we were debating one another, the only two that didn’t have one single philosophic difference are you and I.”

And it’s literally true. If you go back and look at every disagreement all the candidates had, the only one — ours were slight, nuanced differences. But we were philosophically on the same page in everything, which also makes it easier, and makes it easier, because he can just — he can give me big chunks of responsibility, and says just do it, no checking on it: “Do Iraq, Joe. Do it. Do the — do the Recovery Act” — or whatever.

So, it’s been a really — this was an office I did not seek, and I wasn’t, as you probably heard, enthusiastic about wanting to do it to begin with.

(LAUGHTER)

JOE BIDEN: It’s the best decision I have made.

And he is — he says — I’m sure he’s just trying to be nice to me — he says it’s the best decision he’s made.

I think that’s how we both feel about it. The relationship is really good. But, most of all, there’s absolute trust. And he knows I will always have his back, and I know he has mine.

JIM LEHRER: Do you expect to be on the 2012 ticket with him?

JOE BIDEN: He asked me if I would do that over a year ago.

(LAUGHTER)

JOE BIDEN: And I told him I would, yes.

JIM LEHRER: All right.

Mr. Vice President, thank you very much.

JOE BIDEN: Thank you.

You hear that people???
Its the chant of people power.
It goes out as a warning to all those who made us suffer.
Besho’s luck keeps getting worse
The fall of qadzafi, the numerous calls to step down, and what’s worse…next friday. Its gna be a double combo. Laylet al 2der on friday night.

Norman,

I am not arguing or making any arguments on behalf KSA. I just stated facts. We are a much weaker country than 50 years ago. This is another fact. Can you dispute these facts?

BTW, I believe KSA will fall in 3 years time. Yes their turn will come.

Ziadsoury,

Time and time again our leaders proved that they lack the determination to fight a long war, in Vietnam, the US lost the war even though they won all the battles , the Russians did the same in Afghanistan, what decide the winning party is the determination of the waring parties not their weapons,

Norman, the Arabs don’t give a dam about Palestine or anything other than protecting their ass. They are all inline after King Faisul threatened the west that he was going to pray in Aqsa mosque in the early seventies and shortly after that his nephew finished him.

The Bedouins of Arabia do not have anyone else to be a “big Kahuna” as GW Bush I think called Tony Blair before the Iraq invasion. Any why should they care about Palestine, they are too busy broadcasting their culture everywhere.

Iran is not supporting Syria’s efforts to return the Golan,Iran is a regional power that uses all means to protect its interests and weaken its enemies,Arab governments on the other side are busy protecting their crowns and fighting each other. While I agree that the Syrian army did not do much since 1974,I find that expectations from that army are too high. Syrians however deserve an army that is mostly concerned in defending Syria’s borders and protecting civil peace when national security is threatened. The regime used and abused the army to stay in power but the answer is not to attack the army and equate it to the IDF. No single Arab army can defeat Israel alone,the closest Arabs came to defeating Israel was in 1973 when Syria and Egypt worked together,with support from few Arab nations. Pushing the Syrian army to a classical war with Israel will be a dream comes true for Israel who fears a group like Hizbullah a lot more than the Syrian army or even the Egyptian army. I wish Nasrallah stayed quiet and did not voice support for the Syrian regime. Nasrallah’s position in my opinion was a political mistake,but trying to destroy the only deterrence against Israel is another mistake.
Omar Abu Risheh summarized the status of the Arab world in 1967 as:يا أمة ضحكت من جهلها الامم,and this statement is still true today until our Arab Spring produces the changes we all are hoping for.

from Syria news,

المحكمة الجنائية الدولية تؤكد اعتفال سيف الاسلام القذافي

أكد المدعي العام للمحكمة الجنائية الدولية اعتقال سيف الاسلام القذافي ، فيما اكد محمد النجل الأكبر لمعمر القذافي بانه سلم نفسه للثوار بعد دخولهم لطرابلس

Bashar al-Assad, Syrian Leader, Now A Global Pariah
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/21/bashar-assad-syrian-leader_n_932353.html

I liked this comment:
“If Assad hurrys; ha can catch a ride with Moammar Gadhafi.”

“sticking with Iran is a losing game”
I can’t disagree with that.

Aboud @21

FYI, it is mainstream news that some Libyan operatives had/have ties to Al Qaeda, he just added salt and pepper. And if you are one who thinks that Al Qaeda is to some degree created and aided by the CIA (much like the cat/mouse of the drug wars that are run by the same master) then what he said has some merit.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8407047/Libyan-rebel-commander-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html

One less tyrant, but at what cost? The libyans are forever indebted to the Europe and the West for their liberation. God knows how many deals have already been agreed upon and inked for the rebuilding of Libya and the Libyan oil reserve has already been sliced among the wolves.

Dale Anderson;

“Besho will be dead or in exile. And the only person in Syria who doesn’t know this is Besho. Because no one around him has the guts to tell him…”

Actually, 3umi Bashar knows that he will remain the leader of Syria for years to come. So do the millions of people who support him, so do the countries that oppose him, and so do you, and those like you, who are still living in denial. Why no-one will tell him that he will be exiled, is because no one will allow that to happen. We will be behind Bashar al Assad till the death. Im not sure if you realised, but that is what “b rouh, b dum, b nafdeek ya Bashar!” means.

The only ones that will be dead, or in exile, will be the traitors, and the murderers who have killed innocent people in the name of freedom and democracy. The dirt on the shoe of the smallest kid in Syria is better than the heads of those who have been betraying their country, those who have killed out of malice and hatred, those who have killed in the name of God. Those who have mutilated murdered and dismembered innocent people.

The time will come when the world will see, and then it will be out in the open that the US and the UN and all other foreign countries are just power hungry, blood thirsty, home wrecking, country destabilising asses, who really, really need to get a bloody life.

Allah mhayeek ya Bashar!

http://www.alarabonline.org/index.asp?fname=%5C2011%5C08%5C08-21%5C960c3.htm&dismode=cx&ts=21-8-2011%207:34:36
خيارات صعبه

Results update …

The people Vs The regime

Wins 3 – Losses 1

Two matches are underway as we speak, and the league is far from over. The semi finals in Riyadh, and finals in Jerusalem INSHALSHAAB.

IF YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN OF SYRIA THEN MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, IF YOU ARE NOT SYRIAN THEN MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER PRESIDENT SHOULD “MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS”

80 by Abughassan; “the regime heads are convinced that there will not be any military intervention in Syria in the near future. Sanctions never toppled a dictatorship and never empowered average citizens,and the regime knows that very well,what the regime heads fear is not sanctions,it is a unified opposition and a determined youth movement that refuses to keep things the same”.

1. You just stated that Syria is different than other countries. The regime is going nowhere and I do not think that internal unrest would be able to bring the regime down on its own

2. There will be no crack in the army that is standing solid behind the president; 5 months passed and the army still united under the leadership of Assad. If a defection is to happen, then I may agree that the regime would be in danger but that depends on the number and the leadership of such defection. This is extremely unlikely and you mentioned that in your post. NATO intervention is another dream for the opposition which will remain a dream. There will not be any NATO intervention because the price of such intervention would be too heavy. The Assad had mentioned in his interview the geographic location of Syria several times and i expect he is refering to the state of Israel. It is a fact, not fiction, that Syria military heavily relies on the rocket systems it has, that can make such NATO intervention a nightmare for neighboring countries. The last senario that the opposition is relying on is the youth movement along with the criminal gangs of the MBs; true this movement is going to weaken the society and spread fear amongst minorities (this fear already exists because of lack of trust with the opposition) but will not be able to bring the regime down.

Samara et al.

In case you missed it, here is the latest from the “Millions” of Assad supporters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc6I2aemGIE

I suggest you and other menhebakites pack your bags and head back to Syria, you and SYAU will effectively raise the number of supporters from 13 to 15. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you a dime, just leave a post on one of the “Syrian youth facebook” pages and they will gladly send you a free plane ticket, you mighy even get a chance to appear on state TV as a member of the “independent group of foreign intellectuals” visiting Damascus!.

Abughassan ” Pushing the Syrian army to a classical war with Israel will be a dream comes true for Israel”

If it would have been that easy, the NATO would be attacking Syria tomorrow. I agree with you that the Syrian army is not as equipped as the Israeli army but the syrian army have enough rocket system to cause a significant damage. Add to that the damage that could be cause by HA. I truly believe that peace is in the interest of Israel on the long run as well as Syria, and I do not believe that it is a dream come true for the any part to enter into war. MOreover, I believe that the Israel would benefit from a secular regimes rather than religious ones who believe that muslims would take over Russia and Muslims would make up to 25% of the American society as stated recently on SC by Shami and his groups. This type of mentality is more riskier for the state of Israel than the secular regime of the current regime or any other secular regime that may come in the future. We have to fight religious extremists and do not allow them to control the country becaus ethey are the worst weapons with mass destruction abilities. Examples: Sept 11, crimes conducted by MBs throughout history, and many more crimes conducted by Al Qaeda.

To : Ziadsoury, SYR.EXPAT, uzair8, Tara (full time paid blogger) , Sheila , Shami, Aboud, Dale Andersen aka Amina, Khalid Tlass aka Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa , NK, majedkhaldoon, Revlon, OFF THE WALL, Abu Omar and etc…

Nobody can describe your culture and background better than Daniel Greenfield:
“The majority of the Muslim world is not interested in Whiskey, Sexy and Democracy. Rather they want Whippings, Sharia and Dhimmis. They want security and stability, and that can only come from either a dictatorship or an Islamic state. They want state subsidized prices and jobs, which makes for a stagnant economy. And they want Islamic morals policing and second class status for non-Muslims and women, which means there is no room left for human rights”

“خرجت جماهير من الليبيين إلى شوارع العاصمة طرابلس مساء الأحد وفجر الاثنين للاحتفال بسيطرة الثوار عليها، في حين أكدت قيادات عسكرية وميدانية للثوار توقف الاشتباكات في المدينة بعد السيطرة على معظم أحيائها باستثناء منطقة باب العزيزية المقر الحصين للعقيد معمر القذافي.”
http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7D7F2AB8-EE73-4578-9F07-02AB63243A1C.htm

Israel does not want a strong government in Syria. It does not want an Islamist government but it does not mind a regime like the one we have now if they can keep it weak and consumed with a long internal unrest. Why do Syrians have to choose between an Islamist state dominated by Harirites or the current regime?

أيتها الأقليات لا تقفي في وجه الثورات!
الكاتب فيصل القاسم
الأحد, 21 أغسطس 2011 21:40

ليس هناك شك بأن من حق الأقليات في العالم العربي أو في أي مكان آخر من العالم أن تعيش بأمان، وأن تحافظ على خصوصياتها الثقافية والاجتماعية والدينية دون أي ضغوط، أو اضطهاد، أو ابتزاز، أو إرهاب من طرف الأكثرية، لكن الديمقراطية والمواطنة التي تحفظ حقول الجميع، بمن فيهم أتباع الأقليات، تؤكد في الآن ذاته على أن توجهات ورأي الأكثرية هو الأهم. فكلنا يعلم أن جوهر الديمقراطية هو حكم الأكثرية، حتى لو كان الفرق بين الرابح والخاسر في الانتخابات ربعاً بالمائة.
صحيح أن الدول الديمقراطية تحفظ حقوق الأقليات تماماً بغض النظر عن انتماءاتها الروحية أو العرقية، إلا أنها في الآن ذاته قلما تسمح لأتباع الأقليات بتولي المناصب العليا كمنصب رئيس الدولة، حتى لو كانت بعض الأقليات تحظى بنفوذ اقتصادي أو سياسي هائل، كما هو واقع الأقلية اليهودية في الولايات المتحدة. فرغم استحواذهم وسيطرتهم على مفاصل المال والاقتصاد والإعلام، إلا أن اليهود مثلاً لا يحق لهم أن يصبحوا رؤساء للولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، مهما بلغوا من قوة وشأن، لأن الرئاسة طبيعياً من حق الأكثرية البروتستانتية، فهناك اتفاق عُرفي في أمريكا ينص على أن يكون الرئيس مسيحياً من البروتستانت، والرئيس الأمريكي الوحيد الذي كان من المسيحيين الكاثوليك هو “جون كينيدي” الذي مات قتيلاً.
وقد لاحظنا الضجة الهائلة في وسائل الإعلام والأوساط السياسية والشعبية الأمريكية أثناء الحملة الانتخابية الرئاسية الأخيرة حول الأصول الدينية للرئيس الحالي باراك أوباما. فقد ظن البعض أنه من أصول إسلامية، مما جعل الكثير من الأمريكيين يرفضون الأمر رفضاً قاطعاً. بعبارة أخرى، لم يأبه الأمريكيون بمشاعر أكثر من سبعة ملايين مسلم في أمريكا، وكانوا على الدوام يظهرون رفضهم القاطع لأن يكون رئيسهم غير مسيحي.
ولا شك أننا لاحظنا أيضاً كيف لم يترك أوباما مناسبة إلا وحاول أن يتبرأ من ظلاله الإسلامية، وأن يثبت للشعب الأمريكي أنه مسيحي قلباً وقالباً.
باختصار شديد، رغم علمانيتها المعلنة، فإن دساتير الدول الغربية تنص على أن يكون الرئيس أو الملك من طائفة الأكثرية، فحسب المادة الثالثة من قانون التسوية البريطاني ينبغي على كل شخص يتولى المُلك أن يكون من رعايا كنيسة إنجلترا. أما الدستور اليوناني فينص في المادة 47 على أن كل من يعتلي حكم اليونان يجب أن يكون من أتباع الكنيسة الأرثوذكسية الشرقية. ولا بد أن نعلم أن اليونان فيها الملايين من المسيحيين الذين يتبعون الملة الكاثوليكية والبروتستانتية، بل ويوجد الملايين ممن يتبعون الديانة الإسلامية، ولم يعترض أحد على المادة 47 من الدستور اليوناني، طالما أن المفهوم هو أن غالبية أتباع الدولة اليونانية يتبعون الديانة الأرثوذكسية الشرقية.
أما في إسبانيا فتنص المادة السابعة من الدستور الإسباني على أنه يجب أن يكون رئيس الدولة من رعايا الكنيسة الكاثوليكية، باعتبارها المذهب الرسمي للبلاد.
وفي الدنمارك، فالدستور الدنماركي ينص في المادة الأولى على أن يكون الملك من أتباع كنيسة البروتستانت اللوثرية، مع العلم بأن الدنمارك يعيش فيها الكثير من أتباع الملة الأرثوذكسية والملة الكاثوليكية وأتباع الديانة الإسلامية، ولم يعترض أحد على المادة الأولى من الدستور الدنماركي.
وفي السويد، فالدستور ينص في المادة الرابعة على أنه يجب أن يكون الملك من أتباع المذهب البروتستانتي الخالص، مع العلم بأنه يوجد الكثير من أتباع الملة الأرثوذكسية والكاثوليكية وأصحاب الديانة الإسلامية في السويد. هل طالب أحد بإلغاء المادة الرابعة من الدستور السويدي؟
أليس من حق الإسلاميين في البلدان العربية على ضوء ذلك أن يجادلوا بأن الغلبة السياسية والاجتماعية والثقافية يجب أن تكون للأغلبية المسلمة بحكم أنها الأكثر عدداً داخل هذا البلد أو ذاك، كما هي الحال في الدول الديمقراطية. أليس من حقهم أيضاً أن يطالبوا بالسيادة العامة في بلادهم في كل المجالات عملاً بالمبدأ الديمقراطي، وبأن لا تـستخدم شماعة الأقليات للانتقاص من حقوق الأكثرية كما هو حاصل في بعض البلدان العربية؟
وبناء على ذلك، لا بد للأقليات في العالم العربي أن لا تقف أبداً في وجه تطلعات الأكثرية في أي بلد مهما كانت الأسباب. ومن السخف الشديد وقلة الحكمة أن تتحالف الأقليات فيما بينها، أو تصطف إلى جانب أي نظام تثور عليه الأكثرية، حتى لو كان ذلك النظام مناسباً ومقبولاً بالنسبة لها، مع العلم أن الأنظمة الديكتاتورية الساقطة أكثر من أساء للأقليات وداس عليها، لأن الطواغيت لا يفرقون بين أقلية وأكثرية، بل يريدون أزلاماً تلعق أحذيتهم. إن مناصرة الأقليات لهذا النظام أو ذاك هي نوع من الانتهازية الآنية الحقيرة والساقطة، ولا يصب حتى في مصلحة الأقليات، ناهيك عن أنه يحرّض الأكثرية على الانتقام من الأقليات لاحقاً عندما تصل إلى الحكم. ولن يلوم أحد الأكثرية في أي بلد عربي فيما بعد لو اتهمت الأقليات بأنها وقفت من قبل مع هذا النظام أو ذاك ضد طموحات وتطلعات وتوجهات الغالبية العظمى من الشعب. فلتفكر الأقليات دائماً قبل الانجرار الأعمى وراء هذا النظام أو ذاك من أجل مصالح مرحلية زائلة. ويقول كاتب كبير في هذا السياق: ” ألا ترى الأقليات ما وقع للمسيحيين في العراق، حيث كان ارتباطهم بالسلطة المسوغ الذي استخدمه مجانين الإسلاميين للقــضاء على وجودهــم في بلاد الرافدين؟ وهل فكرت الأقليات بالمعنى التاريخي الهائل للتغيير الذي يشهده العالم العربي الآن، وبانعكاساته على الجماعة التي ينتمون إليها وعليهم هم أنفسهم؟.. وإذا كان بعض مرتزقة الأقليات قد أصبحوا جزءا من الســلطة، فما هي المزايا الـتي عادت عليهم من ذلك؟ هل يبرر التحاقهم بالسلطة انفكاكهم عن الجماعة التاريخية، التي لطالما انتموا إليـها وتكفلت باستــمرار وجودهم بينها، وبتمتعهم بقدر كبير من الحرية الدينية والمدنية، علما بأنها هزيمتها على يد السلطة الحالية ليست غير ضـرب من المحال أو من المصادفات العابرة؟ هل وازنت الأقليات بين الربح والخسارة، وقررت الرقص على جثث الجماعة؟” يتساءل الكاتب متألماً. جدير بالذكر هنا أنه في الوقت الذي يضحي الألوف في بعض المناطق الثائرة من أجل الحرية يقوم أتباع بعض الأقليات حفلات غنائية ماجنة “يـمجد خلالها النظام القائم وتعظم رموزه، مع أن رائحة الموت تزكم أنف البلاد”، ناهيك عن أن المذبوحين على أيدي برابرة النظام لا يبعدون عن المطبلين والماجنين أحياناً بضعة كيلومترات. عجباً كيف يتعايش أبناء الأقليات مع جيرانهم المسلمين لاحقاً فيما لو سقط النظام الذي يطبلون ويزمرون له؟ لماذا لا يفكرون بالارتباط الجغرافي الذي لا انفكاك منه؟ يا الله كم هم مغفلون وتاهئون! “هل فاتت الراقصين هذه الحقيقة، وهل فات من يستطيعون التأثير عليهم من حكماء مزعومين أن رقصهم في الملاهي الليلية بينما جيرانهم يذبحون بفاشية عز نظيرها قد يفضي إلى مزيد من القطيعة والعداء بين مكونات الشعب الواحد، التي عاشت متآلفة متآخية على مر تاريخ يمتد لنيف وألف وخمسمائة عام.. وللعلم، فإن التاريخ لن ولا يجوز أن يرحم أحدا إن هو وقف جانباً، أو رقص على جثث من يموتون من أجل حريته” كما يجادل الكاتب نفسه محقاً.
أليس من العيب أن تسمح بعض الأقليات لنفسها بأن تكون ألعوبة أو عتلة أو رأس حربة، أو مخلب قط في أيدي بعض الأنظمة الحاكمة بحجة الخوف من وصول أتباع الأكثرية إلى الحكم، ومن ثم تنكيلهم بها لاحقاً. فلا خوف أبداً من الأنظمة القادمة لأن فيصلها سيكون الديمقراطية. أيتها الأقليات: كوني بعيدة النظر، ولا تدعي البعض يتاجر بك لأغراض سلطوية نفعية مريضة!
ولو كان هناك حكماء حقيقيون في أوساط بعض الأقليات العربية المتهورة وليس مجرد ثلة من المرتزقة والمأجورين قصيري النظر لوقفوا مع تطلعات الأكثرية، أو على الأقل أوعزوا إلى أتباعهم بالتزام الصمت وعدم استفزاز الأكثرية الثائرة، بدل التطبيل والتزمير لأنظمة آيلة للسقوط عاجلاً أو آجلاً، فلا ننسى أن التاريخ صولات وجولات، والبقاء دائماً للأكثرية. وكم كان الأديب الأمريكي مارك توين محقاً عندما مرّ قبل مائة وخمسين عاماً على إحدى المدن العربية المسلمة الضاربة جذورها في التاريخ، وقال قولته الشهيرة: “لقد رنت عيون هذه المدينة إلى آثار ألف إمبراطورية خلت، ولا شك أنها سترى بعدُ قبور ألف إمبراطورية قادمة قبل أن تموت”.

فيصل القاسم

الكاتب وطن
الأحد, 21 أغسطس 2011 18:20

أريد للمسلسل السوري “فوق السقف” الذي يعرض على الشاشة السورية، والذي اشتغل على عجل قبيل شهر رمضان بقليل، ولا يزال تصويره مستمرا، أن يحمل رسائل سياسية تدعم ما تعتبره السلطة توجهات للاصلاح، ولعله أول عمل سوري رسمي يتطرق إلى قضايا ساخنة، كقضية الأكراد والتظاهرات، وسواها.

ومع أن المسلسل وهو من إخراج سامر برقاوي وتأليف مجموعة من الكتاب أراد أن يقدم رسالة مفادها أن الحال قد تغير، وأنه قد صار من الممكن الحديث في قضايا كانت من المحرمات كتلك الحلقة التي تتحدث عن عجوز كردي قضى حياته يحلم بأن يكحل عينيه برؤية بطاقة الهوية السورية.

إلا أن المسلسل سرعان ما اصطدم بمحاذير الرقابة، وأقلها لم يستطع الاحتفاظ بالاسم الذي اختير له، وهو “الشعب يريد”، فتحول إلى مسلسل بعنوان “فوق السقف”.

ثم راح العمل يتعرض للشطب، وصولا إلى محاولة إيقاف المسلسل برمته، وقد مر يوم رمضاني من دون بث العمل، قيل معها إن الاحتدام مع الرقابة وصل أوجه. هذا بالإضافة عن الامتناع عن بث ثلاث حلقات جرى تصويرها بالفعل.

ولكن هل يمكن لعمل تنتجه جهة رسمية أن يقدم رواية الجانب الآخر؟

العمل يحاول مرة الوقوف هنا، ومرة هناك. فإذا كان يغمز في حلقة اسمها “شريك المال” (تأليف بسام جنيد) من قناة شهود العيان، حين يظهر رجلا يعتاش على الاحتجاجات، فيبيع للموالين أعلاما، وللمتظاهرين ماء وسندويتشات، ولا يتورع عن تقديم نفسه كشاهد عيان، بشهادة مزورة في مقابل مبلغ من المال، فإننا نجد في المقابل تناولا جريئا لصورة رجل أمن في حلقة أخرى.

وفي الحلقة يخرج رجل أمن بسيط (يؤديه أندريه سكاف) ليلاقي خطيبته، لكنه لا يلوي على مال يوصله إليها. يفكر أن يورط سائق التاكسي بكلام ضد النظام، كطريقة لابتزازه لغض النظر عن أجرته، لكن سيكتشف أن السائق هو رجل أمن زميل له، وكان يحاول ابتزازه بالطريقة نفسها “وهذه قد أصبحت صورة شائعة لسائق التاكسي”.

كانت هذه توطئة لشرح معاناة رجل الأمن البسيط هذا مع الحياة، إذ ليس بإمكانه، كأي سوري آخر، أن يؤمن متطلبات الحياة والزواج.

وفي مواجهة بين عناصر الأمن والمتظاهرين سيستمع بطل الحلقة إلى مطالب المتظاهرين، ليجد أنها مطالبه هو الآخر، يروح يفكر وهراوته في يده بينما زملاؤه بدأوا عملهم في ضرب المحتجين، يظل هو ممسكا بعصاه، سارحا في التفكير، وصوت وراءه يأمره للتحرك والضرب. لكن الحلقة ستقفل من دون جواب، من دون نهاية صريحة، غير أن مطالب المتظاهرين، وقد جعلت معاشية لا سياسية، تجعل المتفرج يرجح كيف ستنتهي الأمور.

فراس دهني مدير مؤسسة الإنتاج التلفزيوني، الجهة المنتجة للمسلسل، قال لوكالة الصحافة الفرنسية “أردنا أن نصل إلى حالة من الحرية في التعبير، وأنه لا يوجد سقف رقابي، وإن نجحنا في ذلك ستكون خطوة للدراما السورية أن تعبر بكامل الحرية عن هموم الناس”.

لكن دهني لم ينف تعرض العمل لمشكلات رقابية إذ قال “هل يمكن أن تسقط فجأة كل المعايير الرقابية؟ نحاول أن نكون جريئين لأبعد الحدود، والمسلسل يحمل طموحا لأن يصل فوق السقف”.

وردا على سؤال حول ما إذا كان المسلسل، باعتباره من إنتاج جهة رسمية، منحازا قال دهني “حجم الضغوط يدل على أننا نسير على خط يحاول أن يلاقي بين وجهتي نظر”. وأضاف “أهم رسالة في هذا العمل أن هناك ضوءا في نهاية النفق”.

Read more: مسلسل (الشعب يريد) حولته الرقابة السورية إلى (فوق السقف) وهددت بوقفه لدعمه الاصلاحات http://www.watan.com/flash/مسلسل-الشعب-يريد-حولته-الرقابة-السورية-إلى-فوق-السقف-وهددت-بوقفه-لدعمه-الاصلاحات.html#ixzz1VjCxhMMX

100. SF94123 said:

I think Mr Greenfield mixed his words, there is plenty of Whiskey and sex in KSA and Iran too for that matter. You just have to get it from the hypocrites who control the system. He is only right in saying they are not interested in democracy and human rights. In the meantime they will be making sure that women are suppressed for their own good off course, Otherwise, there would be no more room in hell left for others.

“القذافي ولّى وليبيا حرّة”
http://www.elaph.com/Web/news/2011/8/677537.html

Voices of reason?
http://www.youtube.com/user/FreedomWoBas#p/u/0/F_W9nSyo2qc

President Assad’s Speech,gave the Opposition{BOZOS}a heart-burn&a Bed_wetting night,they are weak as water plus without backbones.

1*going,going… Qaddafi gone,British and U.S”aggression against Libya”was for Lockerbie revenge–Pan Am Flight 103
the French aggression was revenge for downing french airliner UTA Flight 772 in the late 1980s.
avenging is a good enough reason to remove Qaddafi&an inevitable foregone conclusion..Daffy Duck Qaddafi out&Nato plus allah and akbar in.

2*kingdom of evil arabia VS syria,why?
history tidbit first:

Hisham Sharabi was Professor Emeritus of History and Arab Culture at Georgetown University.
his brother 85 years old Nazeem Sharabi is friend of mine,retired and lives in whashington-DC,every other day we meet over coffee at borders book store

Nazeem worked as a First Executive for Chairman Abd al-Majid Shuman of Arab Bank.
then quit and spent the rest of his energy working with Saudi royal family,like prince Fahd,then became king Fahd……..

Rafik al- hariri mother was prince Fahd concubine,Nazeem Sharabi told me about this years before hariri assassination,so Rafik is the illegitimate child of fahd.

so is prince Bander bin sultan is an illegitimate child from a sudanese concubine

Fahd made Rafik a billionaire doing construction stuff

to the royals,Rafik is a family like Bander,so they blame ASSAD for his death,they saudis want blood,after all they are bedouins..eye for an eye
is KSA promoting democracy in syria?Iknow it,s a far fetched idea,regardless,their game plan to bring down the house on the regime heads even if syria and syrians become dust in the wind…monstors they are with their petro_dollar filth.

Cairo Sunday morning
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CGMQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahram.org.eg%2FAl-Mashhad-Al-Syiassy%2FNews%2F96622.aspx&rct=j&q=%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA&ei=iNtRTuaNB4WDtgeH8s3KCQ&usg=AFQjCNGXeWnzFBay1YiZnWXIWntO0VlpBQ

100. SF94123

“I really do not care what Mr. Greenfields thinks of the Arabs. I care about my fellow brothers want. They want dignity and equal opportunity. They are tired of gangs running and ruining their lives. They want to break the shackles that have been in place for the last 50 years.
That is what I care about.

These comments are very racist. It is the same story line for the last 100 years that Arabs only understand the language of force.

Look at what the Arabs are doing? Non-violent revolutions (Libya the exception). We are showing the world that we are very peace loving people.

Tell Mr. Greenfield to stick it where the sun does not shine and to stop crying for the good old days of Mubarak and the rest of the thugs in the ME.

More good news coming fromLibya?
There is talk about the arrest of Qhadhafi. Can’t wait to hear the confirmation.

http://www.alwafd.org/أخبار-وتقارير/11-عربية/85671-خارجية-ليبيا-سنسلم-القذافي-للجنائية

: سمر فواز منذ 4 ساعة 37 دقيقة
أكد أحمد جبريل وزير الخارجية والمتحدث الرسمي باسم المجلس الانتقالي الليبي أن المجلس ملتزم بتسليم معمر القذافي ونجليه إلي المحكمة الجنائية الدولية لتتولي بنفسها التحقيق فى الجرائم التي ارتكبوها بشأن الشعب الليبي من مجازر دموية وغيرها، وأشار جبريل فى مداخلة هاتفية لبرنامج “آخر كلام” إلى أن المجلس ينتظر بعض الإجراءات لإعلان سقوط القذافي رسمياً.

وكانت قناة الجزيرة قد أذاعت منذ قليل خبر اعتقال العقيد معمر القذافي واستقبل الأهالي في بنغازي الخبر بفرحة عارمة ساجدين شكرًا لله رافعين أعلام الثورة وهو المشهد الذي سبق وأن تناقلته الفضائيات الإخبارية ووسائل الإعلام حين أعلن هروب الرئيس التونسي زين العابدين بن علي إلي السعودية، وأيضا تنحي الرئيس المصري السابق حسني مبارك، ليكون القذافي ثالث الرؤساء المخلوعين .

To 110. ziadsoury:

Here is what your fellow brothers want:

Khalid Tlass in yesterday’s post # 174 and 175 (sanctions and their impact) wrote: “””” comment was deleted by moderator””””
“Vous fils de putes, il vous sera bientôt fini Inchallah. Vous serez suspendu à des échafaudages”
“Votre virginité des femmes seront autorisés à nous par le Guerre, nous les aurons, nous allons vous montrer ce que nous sommes”
GOOGLE TRANSLATION:
You son of bitches, you will be over soon Inshallah. You will be suspended from scaffolding
Your virginity women will be allowed to us by the war, we will, we will show you what we are.

And PLEASE don’t say Arabs, say Muslim Arabs..

To 110. ziadsoury:

Another fellow of yours wants,

116. tara said (sanctions and their impact)

“if you live in the US or Russia, you should plan from now where you want your kids to immigrate. That is called long term planning… The problem is, we Muslims are ubiquitous. We are everywhere and we bite”

The official Syrian media is mum about Libya. Can anyone guess why?

“Syria unrest: Assad says his government will not fall”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/14610318

Where are Qaddafi loyalists when Libyans freemen entered Tripoli?

All the clamour and support they promised their idol, their leader has gone with the wind, once the protesters turned rebels entered the capital.

He and his wannabe are on their way to the Hague.

I do not think Arabs have short memory, remember how the father and son of Libya threatened Libyan with civil war, then a divided country. They were colourful in the language they used against the protesters and shot their people point blank. Their savagery was legendary like all dictators.

Alas Libya is rodents free. Free from Qaddafi and family. Congratulations to every Libyan who was at the forefront to disinfect Libya from Qaddafi and his irrational supporters.

All over Libya, minarets were not targeted by Qaddafi’s men.

You can hear Allah U Akbar resonating all over Libya, celebrating an end to 42 years of a tyranny.

Eid arrived earlier and will linger for a long time. Happy Eid Libya

“Eid arrived earlier and will linger for a long time. Happy Eid Libya”
It’ll definitely be a sweet Eid. However, the real work starts now. People need to be humble and work together to create a better Libya. The last thing we need is another tyranny. I also hope the rebels show a lot of mercy.

To those who still have doubts about the mental status of menhebakites please check out this link

http://on.fb.me/nsAFMM

those guys are clinically brain-dead.

In Homs, they are singing

حمص – القذافي طار طار و جاء دورك يا بشار 21-8-2011

108. Afram,

I am sure you work for a tabloid magazine, and a graduate of Baath Journalism, were you on the honors list?

118. SYR.EXPAT,

I agree. Let us hope that Homsis chanting will come true.

Dear Joshua, your entry on the statement of the High comission of the Syrian Revolution and the related commentary from the Umawi website need to be clarified.
Your forward in bold and regular fonts belong to the first and second respectively!

The High Commission of the Syrian revolution (Ground coordination activists) issued a statement urging convening opposition in Istanbul to postpone efforts directed at the formation of bodies representing (assumong or implying representation) the Syrian people.

Instead, they have urged them to concentrate on consolidating efforts to support the revolution on the ground.

The Umawi website (Advocacy activists in exile) issued a commentary in respone. Your forward ” They say it does not keep pace with the ambitions of the Syrian Street” came from their commentary.

I posted the texts of both announcement and the commentary, preceded by own forward in English, in your previous edition, in posts number 42 and 53 and commented on the debate debate in post number 44.

They seem to have been mixed up in your English forward!

Cheers

Libyans have got rid of Qaddafi now it is Syria turn to get rid of Assad. The Alawis have to make hard choices if they continue to support Assad then they will judged harshly.

بيان من أطباء سوريين مقيمين في بريطانيا

http://on.fb.me/pn5j0K

إننا وفي ضوء ما يتعرض له أهلنا في سوريا من قتل وسجن وتنكيل واعتقال نستنكر ما آلت إليه الأوضاع ونحمل هذا النظام الفاشي مسؤلية ما حدث ويحدث من مجازر مروعة و سفك للدماء وإعتداء على المواطنين الأبرياء العزل الطامحين للحرية, ونحن على قناعة تامة ويقين لا يساوره الشك “كما هو حال جميع الشرفاء داخل سوريا و خارجها” بأن إعلام النظام السوري كاذب لا يقارب الحقيقة ولايعرفها وهو في معظمه نسيج أجهزة المخابرات السورية التي لا تتورع عن اختلاق الأكاذيب وعكس الحقائق وتزويرها.

ونعلن وقوفنا الثابت والحازم مع أهلنا في جميع أنحاء بلدنا الغالي, ونؤكد لإخوتنا و أخواتنا وثوارنا الأحرار بأننا معهم بكل ما أوتينا من إمكانيات وندعم مطالبهم كافة وعلى رأسها اسقاط النظام, وأننا جزء لا يتجزأ من هذه الثورة المباركة نقف إلى جانبها وندافع عنها ما استطعنا إلى ذلك سبيلا .

ونطالب بما يلي:

1- السحب الفوري للجيش من المدن والبلدات السورية ووقف المجازر التي يرتكبها النظام بحق إخواننا في سوريا .

2- تأمين دخول المساعدات الطبية والغذائية والإنسانية بشكل عاجل.

3- حل كافة أجهزة الأمن القمعية.

4- وقف الإعتقالات والإفراج الفوري عن جميع المعتقلين.

5- تسهيل عمل العاملين في المجال الصحي وإعادة فتح المشافي والمستوصفات العامة والمراكز الصحية.

7- محاسبة المتسببين في اراقة دماء الناس.

8- إيقاف الحملة الإعلامية الكاذبة التي تتحدث عن عصابات مسلحة.

9- التأكيد على أن التظاهر السلمي حق مشروع للمواطنين للتعبير عن آرائهم ومطالبهم.

10- نبذ العنف والطائفية والتمسك بالوحدة الوطنية.

11- الدعوة إلى إنشاء مجلس وطني انتقالي و التحضير لمرحلة ما بعد سقوط النظام.

ونهيب بزملائنا الأطباء السوريين في بلدان العالم قاطبة أن يصدروا بيانات مشابهة لدعم أهلنا في الداخل.

كما أننا سنعمل وبالتعاون مع زملائنا الأطباء في بريطانيا على نشر الوعي بين أوساط البريطانيين والتعريف بهذه الثورة المباركة وأهدافها النبيلة وحجم المعاناة والقهر والظلم الذي تعرض و يتعرض له شعبنا العظيم في سوريا من خلال وسائل الإعلام البريطانية ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني و منظمات حقوق الإنسان في بريطانيا و أوروبا على حد سواء, وأننا سنواصل الضغط على الحكومة البريطانية لطرد السفير السوري من بريطانيا, الذي أصبح رمزا من رموز هذا النظام الفاسد وأنه لم يعد يمثل السوريين في هذا البلد .

1-د٠عمار المصري – طبيب وجراح عيون London GMC number 4364717
2-د٠محمد نجار – طبيب في أمراض القلب London GMC number 6034019
3-د٠خالد الصالح – المكتب الصحي الكويتي London
4-د٠نزار توبه – طبيب في الامراض الداخلية London GMC number 6068284
5-د٠رامي حسين – جراح عظمية London GMC number 4179359
6-د٠فاضل مغربي – جراح قلبيةوصدرية London GMC number 4669041
7-د٠احمد الصياصنة – جراح نسائية London GMC number 6069015
8-د٠غسان ايوبي – طبيب وجراح عيون Windsor GMC number 4187158
9-د٠حسان دبس وزيت – جراح بولية Cambridge GMC number 4407601
10-د٠محمود الاقرع – جراح بولية London GMC number 3518759
11-د٠حمزة الشيخ سليمان – جراح عصبية Edinburgh GMC number 6032607
12-د٠انس عنجاري – طبيب وجراح عيون Norwich GMC number 6122035
13-د٠جهاد صالح – طبيب وجراح اسنان Norwich GDC number 188962
14-د٠ظافر الرفاعي – طبيب اطفال Sussex GMC number 6098771
15-د٠اسامة مخزوم – طبيب وجراح عيون Coventry GMC number 5198883
16-د٠شهاب الرميض – طبيب وجراح اسنان London GDC number 103841
17-د٠محمد انس نشاوي – طبيب وجراح اسنان Scunthorpe GDC number 104033
18-د٠رضوان الموسى – طبيب وجراح عيون Cornwall GMC number 6033647
19-د٠بشار حسني – جراح قلبيةوصدرية Harefield GMC number 4787228
20-د٠عبدالخالق دبل – جراح عظمية Scunthorpe GMC number 6056117
21-د٠محمد فادي صافي – طبيب وجراح عيون Bradford GMC number 7090879
22-د٠عمار درويش – جراح عام Manchester GMC number 5200568
23-د٠سميح الحايك – جراح بولية Bristol GMC number 4588852
24-د٠نزار حمودة – جراح وجه وفكين London GDC number 83100
25-د٠عبد السلام الصالح – طبيب عصبية Wolverhampton GMC number 4677390
26-د٠عبد الله حنون – جراح عظمية Bath GMC number 6025786
27-د٠احمد رامي حامد – جراح عظمية London GMC number 4591089
28-د٠احمد عبد الرحمن – جراح بولية London GMC number 5205881
29-د٠هاني زاكري – طبيب نفسي Glasgow GMC number 6128832
30-د٠بكري كعكه – جراح قلبية وصدرية Nottingham GMC number 6109988
31-د٠مضر خليل – طبيب عصبية Hull GMC number 6109987
32-د٠ جمال الصفدي – طبيب اسنان London
33-د٠ محمد قاسم – طبيب قلبية اطفال Birmingham GMC number 6083887

London 19th August 2011

Dr دبس وزيت and Dr كعكه if they treat you,you will have سكري

Dr الأقرع
اختصاصي زرع شعر

Well you’re consulting the wrong doctors, I suggest booking an appointment with Dr زاكري, although I’m pretty sure he’ll just refer you to Dr شيخ سليمان who will suggest some brain implants.

SF94213 # 100

Wow, you hit the jackpot and managed to expose our inferior cultural background jut by reading a hate-filled comment from an ultra-zionist, islamophobe member of the Pipes-Horowitz mafia. Congratulations… I hope to see your name signed on the next PNAC document that will propose getting rid of Islam and nuking its cultural background…. Way to go. You earned your wings as a “Sceular”. My question is, do your new friends know that you are an “Airab”? or you have managed to convince them that you are a good “Airab”,

As I have read the comments and the “supposedly” feed back mechanism employed recently, i could not help but notice that in her comment # 36 TARA, writes:

Just heard the following on Aljazeera

I can’t stop crying.

Clearly, there is nothing in this comment about SAMARA’s tall blue eyed uncle, and yet we had 18 imbeciles pushing the dislike button on this heartfelt comment celebrating the end of the reign of the clown of Arab dictators and the man who gambled the wealth of his people, and the lives of countless Arabs and Africans over 42 years of despotic, mentally imbalanced, adventurous reign of terror. Eighteen scared souls, who could not see beyond their noses, and whose fears froze their intellect and conscious. I know TARA cares less about your button clicking capabilities, and i myself give a rat’s behind (sorry Hamster) to the same athletic skills, but just think about those reading this forum, and imagine what kind of impression will they get of Syrians. Congratulations, you have just managed to show that a majority of posters on Syria Comment are exactly as Aboud said, mindless drones.

SNK:
My nephews stopped making fun of family names by the time they reached third grade. You keep amusing me with your abilities.

Syrian Revolutionary Dabke with English translation.

“There will be no crack in the army that is standing solid behind the president; 5 months passed and the army still united under the leadership of Assad”

One more weary time, you expose your own ignorance of the history of every single conflict ever fought. Three weeks ago, Qaddafi looked very secure. WW2’s most decisive battles were in its last year. WW1 was decided in its last four months after four years of grinding trench warfare.

Every conflict that was prolonged, was eventually decided in its last days. The Six Day War and the American invasions of Iraq were over quickly, because one side had an overwhelming advantage over the other.

After more than six months, it is obvious that junior does not have that overwhelming strength, otherwise he would have managed to crush this revolution just like the Iranians did.

“but the syrian army have enough rocket system to cause a significant damage”

Again with the myth of the Syrian Army’s rockets. Have you ever done a serious analysis of the Syrian Army’s out of date arsenals of rockets? The vast majority of them couldn’t reach Tel Aviv even if they were place smack up against the Golan. And the warhead tonnage of the rest don’t come close to what the Israeli, Turkish or NATO airforces will unleash in retaliation.

And what idiot thinks that the opposing armies will just stay behind their lines while the Syrian Army goes about its merry way and sets up rockets.

They will launch incursions into Syria to put their population centers out of range of Katyushas. And we have all seen how completely helpless and incapable of fighting a professional and modern force the Syrian “Army” is. It is not an army made for fighting a 21t century war, it is an army created to brutalize and slaughter its own civilians.

Professor Landis loves to post articles on tensions in post-Mubarak Egypt and the number of Iraqis killed under sanctions, subtlety implying that we should be careful for what we wish for.

Aboud,

Professor Josh has been so pro-Baathist for years, it’s hard to break old habits.

Congratulations to the LIbyan people for deposing one of a handful of self-appointed ME despots.

I hope there are more to come; the people deserve better.

I also hope real leaders emerge who can institute freedoms, rule-of-law and security. This is the next step, and no less important.

Like the Egyptians, the Syrian people have been “resisting” the Baathist regime w/o any significant outside help. Their bravery tells the world they have nothing to lose.

سورية: هزائم الفرقة الرابعة وخيارات الذئب الجريح

… بقلم: صبحي الحديدي

منذ الأسابيع الأولى للإنتفاضة السورية بات جلياً أنّ صحيفة ‘الوطن’، وهي جزء من مملكة رامي مخلوف، تعبّر عن تفاصيل الموقف العملياتي اليومي داخل حلقة النظام الأمنية الأعلى، والأضيق؛ أكثر ممّا تفعل، أو تستطيع أن تفعل، جرائد أخرى حكومية، أو حزبية، مثل ‘الثورة أو ‘تشرين’ أو ‘البعث’. ولأنّ جرعات التذاكي التي يعتمدها تحرير ‘الوطن’ لها حدودها في نهاية المطاف، بالقياس إلى هول الوقائع، وبالمقارنة مع بلاغة الصورة، فإنّ المخفيّ طيّ العناوين والتقارير والمقالات يظلّ أشدّ انكشافاً وافتضاحاً من كلّ ظاهر علني. هنالك شؤون أمنية بالطبع، وأخرى سياسية، وثالثة حزبية، ورابعة اقتصادية… والناظم الدائم هو خطّ التضليل المنهجي، إذا جاز تصنيف السلوك الديماغوجي ضمن أية منهجية.

خذوا، على سبيل المثال، هذا الخبر الذي نشرته ‘الوطن’ يوم أمس: ‘نفى مصدر رسمي سوري لصحيفة الخليج، الأنباء التي تحدثت عن حصول انفجارات في مقر الفرقة الرابعة التي يقودها العميد ماهر الأسد وأكد أن هذه الأخبار عارية عن الصحة تماماً’.

المصدر هذا، ولا نعرف صفته المدنية أو العسكرية أو الحزبية، اعتبر أنّ ‘الأخبار التي تحدثت عن حصول انفجارات كبيرة في مقر الفرقة الرابعة قرب معضمية الشام عارية عن الصحة تماماً’؛ وأنها، بطبيعة الحال والعادة، ‘تأتي في إطار الإشاعات التي تستهدف الجيش السوري والفرقة الرابعة تحديداً منذ بداية الأحداث’. كذلك، في نصّ الخبر ذاته، أكد المصدر أنه لاصحة للأنباء عن وقوع ‘انفجارات ضخمة وقوية دوّت في مطار المزة، وحصول انشقاق كبير داخل الجيش السوري، وإعدامات بحقّ الضباط والجنود المنشقين’؛ وهنا أيضاً أكد المصدر أنّ هذه الأخبار ‘تأتي في إطار الحرب النفسية وحرب الإشاعات التي تستهدف سمعة الجيش والقيادة السورية’.

ليس المرء أمام مريب يكاد أن يقول خذوني، كما في القياس الشائع، فحسب؛ بل أيضاً أمام طراز طريف من الإثبات بنيّة النفي، في نبرة الخبر التي تتوسل الإيحاء بالموضوعية، مثلما في مفرداته التي تطابق حقيقة الواقعة رغم أنها تسعى إلى الانفلات منها. صحيح، وصار أمراً يتضح يوماً بعد آخر، أنّ الغالبية الساحقة من ضباط وصفّ ضباط وأفراد الفرقة الرابعة يدينون بالولاء الأعمى لقائدهم الفعلي، العميد ماهر الأسد، وعلى نحو لا يُقارن بولائهم للقائد الأعلى للجيش والقوات المسلحة، الفريق بشار الأسد. صحيح، كذلك، أنّ قائد الفرقة انخرط ـ منذ أسبوع الإنتفاضة الأوّل، وبعد تظاهرات درعا مباشرة ـ في عمليات متواصلة من فرز، وإعادة فرز، عناصر هذه الفرقة لكي لا يقتصر ولاؤهم على الإنحيازات العسكرية أو السياسية أو الشخصية، وحدها؛ بل أيضاً على اعتبارات طائفية وعشائرية صرفة، تجعل مصير الفرد مرتبطاً بمصير الفرقة، ومصير النظام في الحساب الأخير.

كانت عمليات الفرز تلك ضرورة قصوى، سياسية ونفسية وعسكرية، لكي تصبح
الفرقة الرابعة ذراع النظام الضارب في قمع الإنتفاضة، ولكي تنتشر حيثما اقتضت عمليات حصار المدن أو اقتحامها أو قصفها، عبر المدرعة أو الدبابة أو الحوّامة، فضلاً عن كامل الأسلحة النارية الأخرى، الثقيلة قبل الخفيفة.

هذه فرقة مدرّعة في الأساس، وتسليحها نخبوي ومتميّز، وترسانتها لا تقتصر على العدّة العسكرية بل تشمل أدوات القمع الأخرى (من العصا الكهربائية إلى الغاز المسيل للدموع، مروراً بالهراوة والقنابل المسمارية…)؛ وامتيازات عناصرها، من حيث الراتب والتعويضات والسكن والتأمين، لا تُقارن بما يحصل عليه العسكريون في جميع وحدات الجيش السوري الأخرى. ولهذا، حين زُجّ بالفرقة في عمليات كسر الإنتفاضة، تنقّلت كتائبها من محيط المقرّ في المعضمية، إلى مناطق حوران، ثمّ ريف دمشق، وبانياس، وحمص، وتل كلخ، وجسر الشغور، واللاذقية، وحماة، وجبل الزاوية، ومعرّة النعمان، ودير الزور، والبوكمال، وحماة مجدداً، ودير الزور مجدداً، فاللاذقية مجدداً، وجبلة هذه الساعة…

وفي أداء مهامها القمعية هذه، أو حين كانت بعض وحداتها المدرّعة تُوضع تحت تصرّف المفارز الأمنية التابعة لأجهزة المخابرات العامة أو العسكرية أو الجوية أو الأمن السياسي؛ أو حين يُستعان بها لتمهيد الشوارع والساحات أمام زحف قطعان ‘الشبيحة’ وميليشيات النظام الأخرى التي تتقنّع بأسماء شتى؛ ظلّت الفرقة الرابعة تخضع لمزيج من الضغوط اليومية الهائلة، تكفّلت بإدخالها في متوالية جهنمية أرادها النظام أن تكون انتصارات ساحقة ضدّ الإنتفاضة، فانقلبت إلى سلسلة من الهزائم الميدانية النكراء. وكان السيناريو الكلاسيكي قد انطوى على وصول هذه الوحدات إلى القرى أو البلدات أو المدن، وفرض الحصار عليها، قبل اقتحامها، وقتل المواطنين أو حرق الشوارع والساحات أو قصف المجمعات السكنية، ثمّ الاضطرار إلى الإنسحاب الذليل، ليس دون إذكاء عزيمة المنتفضين أكثر من ذي قبل!

وإلى جانب الإرادة الشعبية العبقرية هذه، ترنّحت دبابات ماهر الأسد تحت ثلاثة أنماط من الضغوط اليومية، أوّلها اهتراء معنويات أفراد الفرقة أمام الصمود الأسطوري للتظاهرات، وارتقاء الشعارات يوماً بعد يوم، في علاقة طردية مع اشتداد آلة القهر. كلّما حوصرت منطقة، ودُمّرت بيوتها وسُفكت دماء أبنائها، نساء ورجالاً وشيوخاً وأطفالاً، ارتفعت أكثر فأكثر روحية المطالبة بإسقاط النظام، والتعريض المباشر برموزه العليا، بشار الأسد وشقيقه على نحو محدد. وكلما أوغلت الفرقة في الإجراءات الكفيلة ببثّ الفرقة بين السوريين (مثل قصف مئذنة هنا، أو العبث بمسجد هناك، أو كتابة شعارات مذهبية وطائفية بين حين وآخر…)، جاء الردّ الشعبي أكثر تمسكاً بالوحدة الوطنية، وأعلى وعياً بمخططات النظام.

نمط الضغط الثاني كانت تصنعه حقيقة أنّ الفرقة الرابعة هي هجين مختلط من بقايا وحدات عسكرية سابقة، كانت لها صولاتها وجولاتها في التاريخ القمعي لـ’الحركة التصحيحية’، وتوجّب على حافظ الأسد أن يفككها ويعيد تركيبها، بين حقبة وأخرى. تلك السيرورة فرضتها اعتبارات تخصّ قطع الطريق على الأجندات الخاصة لقادة تلك الوحدات، من أمثال رفعت الأسد (قائد ‘سرايا الدفاع’)، وعلي حيدر (قائد ‘الوحدات الخاصة’)، وعدنان الأسد (قائد ‘سرايا الصراع’)… صحيح أنّ هؤلاء باتوا خارج المشهد القيادي، حتى قبل أن تبدأ عمليات توريث الأسد الابن، إلا أنّ ما جرى تكريسه على نطاق التوريث داخل البيت الأسدي، جرى أيضاً استلهامه بصياغات متغايرة على صعيد مناقلة النفوذ والامتيازات بين قادة الصفّ الأوّل، ووكلائهم قادة الصفوف الثانية والثالثة.

وهكذا، يعرف الضابط في الفرقة الرابعة أنّ ماهر الأسد اختار له البقاء في كتائبها، فلم يشمله بأعمال التطهير التي أعقبت اندلاع الإنتفاضة، لأنّ ولاءه ثابت، وقد تمّ التحقق منه خلال هذه العملية أو تلك؛ كما لا يجهل، وهنا التفصيل الأهمّ، أنّ انتماءه إلى هذه العشيرة أو تلك، من هذه الضيعة التابعة لهذه المنطقة، وليست تلك التابعة لمنطقة أخرى، كان حاسماً في ترشيحه للبقاء. لكنه، أغلب الظنّ، لم يتطهر تماماً من ذاكرة شخصية تضمنت ولاءه السابق، وامتيازاته التي لم تكن أقلّ، بل كانت أوفر ربما، مع ضباط من أمثال العقيد معين ناصيف (صهر رفعت الأسد، والضابط الأبرز في ‘سرايا الدفاع’)، أو العميد هاشم معلا (بطل حصار حلب، 1980، و’مدمّر الإخوان المسلمين’ حسب التسمية المفضّلة لدى محبّيه)، أو العميد محسن سلمان (حاكم لبنان العسكري أواسط الثمانينيات، إسوة بحاكمها الأمني غازي كنعان)…

ثمة، هنا، اختلاط في ماضي المرجعيات وحاضرها، ليس لأنّ القدماء كانوا شرفاء مع الشعب والجدد أوغاد، فالموازنة هنا غير مطروحة أساساً؛ بل لأنّ الولاء الأعمى لا تكفيه عصا واحدة يتوكا عليها، خاصة إذا اختلطت امتيازات الأمس، بكوابيس اليوم، وتبدّى المصير من خلال هذا الخليط المتنافر، ضدّ الشعب تحديداً، وفي مواجهة شارع لم يرفع حجراً في وجه الدبابة. وهذا يصنع الضغط الثالث، إذْ أنّ من المحال على ماهر الأسد، مثلما كان محالاً على سواه في الماضي، أن ينتزع الحسّ الوطني الأصيل من نفوس أفراد الفرقة الرابعة، جميعهم أو غالبيتهم الساحقة. محال، كذلك، أن يحوّلهم إلى مجندين صمّ بكم عمي يقاتلون سورية بأسرها من أجل نظام آل الأسد وآل مخلوف وآل شاليش وآل الأخرس وآل الشلاح وآل الغريواتي. والقاعدة الذهبية التي تسري على أبناء الطائفة العلوية أينما كانوا، تسري بالضرورة على أفراد الفرقة الرابعة: هذه طائفة وطنية عريقة، لها ما لكلّ السوريين، في كلّ أعراقهم وأديانهم وطوائفهم ومشاربهم، من حصة في الحرية والكرامة والديمقراطية؛ مثلما دفعت، إسوة بالسوريين، ثمناً باهظاً جرّاء سياسات نظام الإستبداد والفساد، هذا الذي لا يمثّل طائفة واحدة، ولا يقتصر على دين بعينه.

خبر ‘الوطن’، حول انشقاقات ومواجهات وإعدامات داخل صفوف الفرقة الرابعة، ليس بحاجة إلى تدقيق أو تمحيص، إذاً، فهو حصيلة منطق بسيط محّص ذاته بذاته، ودقّقته أسابيع الإنتفاضة، حيثما توجهت كتائب الفرقة الرابعة، في جنوب سورية مثل وسطها، وفي شرقها وشمالها مثل غربها وساحلها. وما لا تستطيع ‘الوطن’ التعمية عليه هو حقيقة انسحابات هذه الكتائب من قرى وبلدات ومدن دخلتها بذرائع كاذبة، ثمّ خرجت منها بذرائع أدهى كذباً، فلم تفلح في إخفاء التسمية الوحيدة الفعلية التي تصف ذاك الدخول وهذا الخروج: الهزيمة النكراء. وما يطلق عليه النظام صفة ‘وقف العمليات العسكرية’، اليوم، ليس سوى التوصيف البائس الأشدّ مراوغة لانهزام تلك العمليات العسكرية، وأنّ كامل خيارات الحلّ الأمني ـ العسكري، التي اعتمدها النظام في مواجهة الإنتفاضة، تدنو من حافة الإنهيار الختامية.

ولقد رأت سورية اجتماع بشار الأسد مع 500 من كوادر حزب البعث (‘صحّ النوم’ كما قد يقول له قائل ساخر، أو ‘لماذا لا تسمع نصيحتي؟’ كما قد يعقّب رجل جادّ مثل أدونيس، صاحب نظرية تحميل حزب البعث، وحده، أوزار مآسي سورية المعاصرة)، لكي يذرّ المزيد من الرماد في عيون أتباعه (بافتراض أنّ العيون ما تزال شاخصة إليه أصلاً)، فيعيد المعزوفة المكرورة إياها، حول إصلاح ‘نابع من قناعة ونبض السوريين وليس استجابة لأي ضغوط خارجية’. وقبل هذا استمع السوريون إلى تصريحات الجيران الأتراك، الذين نفضوا أيديهم من تسريبات مهلة الـ 15 يوماً التي تردّد أنهم منحوها للأسد كي يحسم؛ فبدا وكأنهم يعلنون الوجهة الثانية للفخّ الذي قيل إنهم نصبوه للأسد وشقيقه: هيهات أن تبلغا الحسم، وهذا آخر كلامنا! وبالأمس، فقط، وبعد قرابة 2600 شهيد وعشرات الآلاف من المفقودين والسجناء والجرحى، انتبه الرئيس الأمريكي باراك أوباما إلى أنّ الوقت قد حان لكي يتنحى الأسد!

أين موقع الفرقة الرابعة، من هذا كلّه؟ أغلب الظنّ أنّ الأنماط الثلاثة للضغوط التي تتعرّض لها كتائب ماهر الأسد هي، في منطقها الجدلي الموازي، ما تبقى أمام عناصرها من خيارات: إمّا متابعة الولاء الأعمى، والذهاب أبعد في خيانة الوطن والشعب؛ أو أعادة توزيع الإنحيازات، بحيث تُنقل البندقية من كتف إلى كتف؛ أو، أخيراً، الرجوع إلى جادة الوطن والحقيقة، حيث لن تزر وازرة وزر أخرى في سورية المستقبل ودولة القانون. ولا يغيب، بالطبع، ذلك الخيار الرابع، الرهيب، الذي قد ينتهجه أيّ ذئب جريح، لا يترنّح ويتهاوى فحسب، بل يخرّ أرضاً وينزف ويحتضر…

‘ كاتب وباحث سوري يقيم في باريس

#132,
Interesting expression of Israeli triumphalism, ‘Aboud’ …

“Interesting expression of Israeli triumphalism, ‘Aboud’”

Geesh, no one believes I’m a Homsi. Oy Vey.

🙂

Tell me, who served their country better, the German generals who took an honest look at why they lost WW 1, and came up with the Blitzkrieg, or the French who thought that the fixed fortifications of the Maginot Line were still the way to go?

The Syrian army is hopeless. It needs to be torn down, and rebuilt from scratch. No more reliance on 50s era Soviet antiques, which just drain the military budget and are useless in a modern war.

The nature of military service must be changed. Scrap the conscription system, and give us 100,000 highly motivated professional warriors, better than 450,000 conscripts who go about their service as if serving out time in prison.

Make military service a chance for a Syrian to pick up some real world skills and experiences. Use it as a vehicle for social advancement and national cohesion. Promote officers based on military professionalism, and not Baath party ideology. What exactly is Cro Magnum Maher’s military experience, that he was put in charge of a division?

When the Israelis are faced with the prospect of taking on a modern, professional army on its northern border, Syria will get back the Golan without a shot having been fired.

125 by ARSALAN “if they continue to support Assad then they will judged harshly”.

Judged harshly?????
Can you give us an insight on the way and shape they will be judged harshly so they can take protective measures!

Do you think any Alawite will trust you.

I believe Alawite are being judged harshly now, as they are a target now. Many stories of families being stopped by your thugs, and getting a well done harsh judgement and on the radical MB Islamic way, preceeded and followed by the words ALAH WA AKBAR, if you know what I mean

Dear OTW,

I share your criticism regarding the arrogant language used by Pipes and Horowitz. But ignoring the point that they want to make (Arabs want security, stability a strong leader and Sharia), is just avoiding hard questions. As you probably know by now, I support the uprise. But not without worries. And what if Horowitz is right? No one proved him wrong so far.

This is a revolution of the youth. As one commentator in GPS Farid Zakaria’s show said last night, “What Aiman Zawahiri couldn’t achieve in 30 years (toppling Mubarak), young Egyptians with laptops did in 3 weeks”. It is not an Islamist revolution. but what’s next? can you soothe the worries?
.

Dear Amir

Your post caught my attention just as I am trying to leave to work. Let me give you an analogy. Worrying that Arab in general want Shariaa law after toppling dictator is just like saying Jews in general want Talmud law. Do you see my point?

All Dear Muslim friends:

Please do not pay attention to any criticism against Islam. When Christianity was back in the dark, the Muslims were at the zenith of their civilization. Just to remind you some of their achievements, remember that the Canons of Avicenna (Ibn Sina) was the first medical book to be taught in the European Medical schools in 12th and 13th centuries. The roles that Avicenna put for clinical trials are still valid till now. Remember that there is now in Paris with the name “Avicenne”. Also remember Averroes (Ibn Rushd) is the one who introduced Europe to Aristotle. It is through Averroes that Thomas Aquinas (the biggest saint in Catholicism)knew Aristotle. That introduction was the beginning of the current European civilization. Please do not care about those destructive voices who want keep the Muslims down. Islam is not against civilization. Islam is not against human dignity. It is Evil that is against civilization and human dignity. It is Evil that wants the Muslims to be down.

Arabic physician and philosopher, Avicenna, gave such inquiries a more formal structure.[6] In The Canon of Medicine in 1025 AD, he laid down rules for the experimental use and testing of drugs and wrote a precise guide for practical experimentation in the process of discovering and proving the effectiveness of medical drugs and substances.[7] He laid out the following rules and principles for testing the effectiveness of new drugs and medications:[8][9][verification needed]
1.The drug must be free from any extraneous accidental quality.
2.It must be used on a simple, not a composite, disease.
3.The drug must be tested with two contrary types of diseases, because sometimes a drug cures one disease by its essential qualities and another by its accidental ones.
4.The quality of the drug must correspond to the strength of the disease. For example, there are some drugs whose heat is less than the coldness of certain diseases, so that they would have no effect on them.
5.The time of action must be observed, so that essence and accident are not confused.
6.The effect of the drug must be seen to occur constantly or in many cases, for if this did not happen, it was an accidental effect.
7.The experimentation must be done with the human body, for testing a drug on a lion or a horse might not prove anything about its effect on man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_trials#History

Cold blooded killing of a child near the Homs New Clock, today August 22nd

The killing was in response to this demonstration today, at the New Clock, Homs’ equivalent of Cairo’s Tahrer Square.

The UN commission got a good look at everything.

Mr. Haytham Khury comment # 141

Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna, was a Shia.

Most Muslims of today consider Shia as Infidels. He also was not an Arab.

The Arabs and the Sunnis Muslim of course have been giving us a distorted history filled with lies.

The knowledge that you have about the “Arab” civilization is mostly lies as evidence had proven so far.

Remember that Ibn Sina/ Avicenna was also a philosopher, and I do not need to tell you about Sunni Islam’s view of Philosophy.

Syria opposition may announce council names this week
http://www.dunyatimes.com/en/?p=15811
Senior Syrian opposition figures expect to finish talks this week on nominating a broad-based council to support the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, organisers said on Tuesday.

They say one main purpose of forming such a council would be to allay concerns of a power vacuum if Assad should be toppled by the ongoing unrest in the country.

“The discussions are focusing on moving away from quotas toward a more merit-based council,” Professor Wael Merza, a political scientist based in the Gulf, told Reuters after a second day of talks ended early in the Turkish capital

“We expect to reach consensus on the list of names by the end of this week,” he said.

Another delegate, who declined to be named, said participants are dealing with the delicate issue of the safety of would-be council members from inside Syria.

Assad’s forces have killed 2,000 people, including activists and protest leaders, and jailed thousands during the five-month uprising, activists and other sources estimate.

The council would speak for dissidents in exile and activists on the ground, opposition figures said.

Western governments, which have stepped up sanctions on Assad in reaction to his crackdown on protesters, privately have expressed frustration with opposition’s lack of unity.

At a meeting with anti-Assad Syrian activists in Washington this month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encouraged them to work toward a “unified vision” for Syria.

@143 “and I do not need to tell you about Sunni Islam’s view of Philosophy.”

Generalize much? No matter how much you try to worm out of it by using words like “mostly”, you are a blatant sectarian with a massive chip on your shoulder. How many more tormented souls do we have to put up with here on Syria Comment? It seems to be a place to vent for pathetic losers with a grudge over some idiotic line of succession 1400 years ago.

Wa wa wa wa, Ali didn’t succeed Mohammad. Get over it.

Moe & Larry:

http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Opening+of+Arab+Summit+hiD2KrmLFxDl.jpg

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/the-three-stooges.jpg

140. HAYTHAM KHOURY said:

“All Dear Muslim friends:

Please do not pay attention to any criticism against Islam.”

Mate, I am at a loss at what advice you are attempting to give. Positive criticism I would think is a welcome step. Almost everyone knows the achievements in the early years, however, now adays what people are hearing most about, are the ridiculous Islamic preaching by Salafi and extremist Islam preachers broadcast on Saudi funded satellite stations.

Mate, some of the material preached by Sheikh Abu Ismaili, who is running for Egyptian president and his cohorts like Zugby, Hassan Gneim and many others would make ibn Sina and early Islamic thinkers ashamed. I have a suspicion you never heard of these esteemed gentlemen and the messages they are filling the airwaves and it is all based on Qur’an and Ahadith.

Somehow your comment sounds as if to tell Muslims bury your head in the sand and let the petro-dollar sheikhs take over. Muslims should confront this emerging force because it is well funded and has a hidden agenda, and ignoring it is not the best advice.

Lebanon halts anti-Assad protest near Syria border
August 22, 2011 12:22 PM
The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Lebanese authorities prevented a protest against the Syrian government organized by pan-Islamist party Hizb Ut-Tahrir near the border with Syria Sunday, a security source told The Daily Star.

The protest was halted because demonstrators had planned to continue to the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, according to the source.

The source said the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces personnel stopped roughly 1,000 demonstrators at Bar Elias in east Lebanon around 9 p.m. Sunday, as local television channels were airing Syrian President Bashar Assad’s interview with Syrian state TV.

They chanted slogans in support of the Syrian people protesting the Assad regime’s crackdown.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Aug-22/Lebanon-halts-anti-Assad-protest-near-Syria-border.ashx#ixzz1VlJGgLOf
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Dear Arsalan:

You are making big generalizations about the Alawite in Syria. The Alawite are different tribes and are from different regions. Not all of them are with the Assad family (including large proportion of the Makhlouf, Jedid and Kinj families). I would assure you that less than 20% of alawite have full allegiances to the Assad family. You can not put all of them in the same basket. You can’t ask them more than they can. Remember that there is still sizable proportion of Sunni, Christian, Druze and Isma’ili are with (or at least not against) the regime.

Mjabali

Kindly provide us with your views of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Thank you.

After the Jamahiriya: TNC Draft Constitution
https://themoornextdoor.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/6943/
Brian Whitaker notes that the draft interim constitution released by Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) includes no reference to Libya as an “Arab state”. Article 1 of the document reads as follows:

Libya is an independent democratic state wherein the people are the source of authorities. The city of Tripoli shall be the capital of the State. Islam is the Religion of the State and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia). Arabic is its official language while preserving the linguistic and cultural rights of all components of the Libyan society. The State shall guarantee for non-Moslems the freedom of practising [sic] religious rights and shall guarantee respect for their systems of personal status.

The omission of any form of ethnic or racial identity is notable; Arab, Berber or African identities receive no specific mention. It has been reported that Berber strugglers in the west of the country had drawn up a list of demands on this issue, in hopes of gaining protections for Berber culture and communities (which simply did not exist under the Qadhafi regime).
More….

Beaware

Hi! Sorry to bother you but you appear to be one of the best read people on SC. I know you don’t take requests and not interested in dialogue but I thought it is worth to ask you to post more articles about the success of the Libyan revolution and how it defied all predictions in term of chaos and civil war. It is inspirational. Thank you in advance!

Dear Darryl:

I know the danger of those you mentioned. Those are the extremist. I know how some of those are evil, but you can’t judge the Islam based on them. Those bad ones have been minorities in the past and the present of Islam. There are many people in this forum who are devout Muslims. You can’t make those ones feel bad because of few bad extremists living in other countries. In general, Syrian Muslims are not extremists. I will revisit this issue later. Now, I should go to work.

Few days ago Sheila mentioned that the Christians in Syria should not be scared; it is the Alawites who should be in fear. I agree completely with her. Indeed, the Christians are in anxiety mode not in fear mode. In order to explain more my previous statement. Let me define for you the meaning of anxiety and fear (in psychology). Anxiety is the apprehension from undetermined and intangible factors, whereas fear has a defined specific subject. Indeed, the Christians have no defined danger to be afraid from, All what they are worried about is the unknown future the undetermined future political system in Syria. On the other hand, the Alawites fear is real. The fear of reprisal and vindication from the whole community for what few of them have done.

Mr. Aboud comment # 145

Sunni Islam considers philosophy as Zandaqa, i.e heresy. The rule is clear, decreed and implemented.

How many philosophers did the Sunni Muslims produced in the last one thousand years?

What was the Sunni religious establishment view and attitude when some Sunnis like the few Egyptians in the 20th C. dared to enter into the philosophical realms? Did the Sunni collective participated in the assassination of Faraj Fuda for example.

Where are your philosophical contributes to modernity?

I do not carry mr. Aboud any religious grudges. I want religions to go away from my life because all I saw is division and violence especially from Sunni Islam. You do not get it as obvious.

I am not an emotional wreck like you. I believe in the power of the law and rationality, things that are far away from you as we could tell.

AS for taking us back to the claims of Ali ibn Abli Taleb and what happened after the death of Muhammad. I care less about that fake history and who should became the Khalifa or not. Khilafa for me in this day and age is going back to the Stone Age. I rather Modern way of rule that includes all and do not base itself on religion, especially a discrminatory religion like Islam that does not accept any Other.

I really doubt if any one of the Khalifas really exist.

Speaking of fake, yesterday I read that you were debating weather the area of Lattakia that witnessed chaos recently was poor and conservative or not. You referred to it as al-Rimmal.

I laughed when I read this because this shows that you have no clue about what you get yourself into. First, this area is called al-Raml.

al-Rimal is a beach club next to Tartus for the rich, mostly from Hums escaping the heat and the conservative elements in the summer.

And as for being poor and conservative: up to when I reached my teens that area was composed of two parts: al-Mukhayam, where the Palestinians lived and Harat al-Shahadin حارة الشحادين i.e the Panhandlers, which became later al-Skanturi . With time it added some orchards like Bustan al-Sidawi. You have no clue as obvious about what you were talking about.

AS for “how many tormented souls you have to put up” I have no answer to this. You should direct that to the one who is sending tanks to the streets and not me.

I am against all of this Mr. Aboud. I am against the bloodshed of any Syrian, Shbeeh or Mundas. It is Syrian blood to me.

I wish every individual case is investigated and the criminals to jail.

You on the other hand try to be a military adviser one day, while on the next wanna boil soldiers in urine. Someone need to check your mental capabilities.

Now, I need to do some work since I am not a professional paid professional blogger.

Tara Comment # 150

Why do you want to know about my opinion of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb?

I have noticed that you like to ask way to many questions and when you are put on the spot you deny the existence of the elephant in the room!

I have to work now and promise to write you about Ali Ibn Abi Taleb but you should of course answer why you want to know about my views of this person? Do you care? Why you want to know the belief system of other people?

I care less about what you believe in as long as it does not hurt other people, me included.

OTW,

If you do not give a “rats behind” about the negative feedback you and your budies are getting, why the constant nagging? You and Aboud are clearly infuriated by that, and it is so funny hearing you blokes go on about it, and make it out as if you dont care. It truly is something to laugh about.

God bless my beautiful blue eyed uncle. Allah yehmeek ya Assadna.

Heard 2 days ago on Al Jazeera, who runs a ramadan programme on the prophet Mohammed and his hijra: “and then the constitution of Medina was written, the first constitution (dustur) in human history”.

With such friends, you won’t need enemies, dear Libyans.

Mjabali,

Tara’s question echoes sectarianism.

Mjabali
Ibn Sina,was born to Ismaili father, but he turned to Sunni,hanafi.

SAMARA
The constant nagging is simply to keep hammering to you the point that your position lacks moral and intellectual foundation. As you well know repetition teaches even…..

Even OTW

SNK,

LOL. True, true… 😉

OTW
I still enjoy laughing at you. :p

G’night. Try not to get too upset with the thumbs down. =)

“I need to do some work since I am not a professional paid professional blogger.”

Obviously, since you can’t spell whether 🙂

I called attention to your chauvinistic and class discriminatory tone when you dismissed the brave demonstrators of Latakia as poor and conservative, and therefore in your opinion not worthy of the rights given to the most humble dish washer in the rest of the world.

As much as the menhebaks would like to portray the revolution as a revolt of the unsophisticated underclasses (implying that all the latte drinking Mac Book Pro wielding modern people of Syria, support a president who apparently is powerless to take action on foreign affairs ,unless his opponents spell out their intentions to him), the fact is that demonstrations in Hama, Homs, Damascus, Deir al Zour, and Dar’a have been representative of all economic classes and social background. How could this be a revolution of the poor when Insha’at and Ghota in Homs have come out every single week.

And this is especially true for Aleppo. I have lost count of the number of lawyer, doctor and engineer sit ins that were brutally broken up by the shabiha turds. The educated classes of Aleppo have been part of this revolution for months.

“I do not carry mr. Aboud any religious grudges. I want religions to go away from my life because all I saw is division and violence especially from Sunni Islam. You do not get it as obvious.”

Sorry, but that is just not true. You carry an Iranian view of the world. You get touchy whenever the topic of the Ayatollahs or the Hizbollah traitors is bought up. You see things through a very narrow sectarian prism, and you hold a deep grudge against Sunnis, which you do nothing to hide.

Who else would have heard of an obscure fatwa against philosophy. I’m sure you can quote the sheikh who made that ruling. I doubt any Sunni can. Or is this one of those old rulings like when some Saudi sheikh said that the universe revolves around the Earth?

Trust me, Sunnis do not have a monopoly on violence. Just take a look at that basket case of a country, Pakistan.

“Someone need to check your mental capabilities.”

My mental capabilities are broad and considerable. The obsession the menhebaks have with me on this forum is proof enough of how effective I’ve been. Long time regime trumpets have left this site in a huff, whining about something or the other to do with me. More than once, the menhebaks have called this website Aboud Comment.

But my activities are obviously not limited to this website. I have given numerous interviews to the BBC, and I do a far better job than Comical Sally. I’m in touch with reporters from the AP, and Mr Angry Arab has always been kind enough to give me a fair hearing on events in Syria.

I say this not to blow my own horn, but to make sure you menhebaks are under no illusions as to the commitment and dedication of the people you are up against. The menhebaks are hopelessly outmatched in any semblance of a debate. All I’ve seen from you people since junior’s weak interview is “bil ro7 bil dam ra ra ra ra go team Besho!”

Now to receive my payment…menhebak tears of rage. Yummy 🙂

Aide Signals That Coburn Will Again Oppose Robert Ford’s Confirmation As U.S. Ambassador To Syria
Ben Armbruster on Aug 11, 2011 at 10:56 am
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/08/11/293544/coburn-robert-ford/
Last year, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), “acting on his party’s behalf,” blocked Robert Ford’s confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to Syria. While President Obama ended up using his power to recess appoint Ford to the position, in a May 14, 2010 letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, twelve Senate Republicans complained that sending an envoy rewarded Syria for its support for terrorism.

The Senate still must confirm Ford if he is to remain at his post. His visit last month to the Syrian city of Hama — which has recently been under assault by the Syrian military — drew wide praise. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who opposed Ford’s confirmation last year, now says he supports it and he is urging his colleagues to follow suit. And as The Cable reported yesterday, “Congress is warming to the idea of confirming” Ford. Or is it?

A Coburn aide told ThinkProgress that the Oklahoma senator “continues to stand by the concerns outlined” in the May, 2010 letter to Clinton. Moreover, the same aide did not respond to repeated inquiries into whether that statement meant Coburn still opposes having Ford as U.S. ambassador or that he will again block his confirmation. ThinkProgress also contacted most of the Republicans that co-signed the letter to Clinton asking if they still oppose sending Ford, or any other envoy, to Syria and none responded.

Giving some insight into the GOP’s thinking, the Cable reported that “[s]ome on Capitol Hill don’t like the optics of the United States confirming an ambassador to Syria while other countries withdraw their envoys as a means of registering their opposition to Assad’s crackdown”:

“Senator Lieberman is one of the great national security leaders of this generation, and Robert Ford is a skilled diplomat, but it makes no sense to have an American ambassador in Damascus now,” one senior GOP congressional aide told The Cable. “It’s a sad day when the Saudi king has greater moral clarity than the president of the United States.”

While it’s unclear how exactly having an ambassador in Syria means President Obama lacks “moral clarity,” the neocons at the Foreign Policy Initiative offered a similarly confusing explanation as to why Ford should be recalled. “It is doubtful that, if confirmed by the Senate, Ford will be allowed by the Assad regime to be an effective voice for the United States,” FPI executive director Jamie Fly wrote yesterday, adding, “unless the administration is prepared to use Ford as a proactive envoy to the Syrian people, the White House should seriously consider keeping him in Washington.”

But as evidenced by his visit to Hama, and his Senate testimony last week, Ford is already a “proactive envoy to the Syrian people.” Ford is not there to be “an effective voice for the United States,” as Fly said. As Ford said last month, “This is not about Americans, it is about the way the Syrian government mistreats its own people.” And he told the Senate last week, “It’s really important now to give Syrians an ear and to amplify their voices especially when the international media is barred from Syria.”

Oh, and I forgot to mention that, with regards to @154, I don’t doubt that you know the history of that part of Latakia more than me. So what, that wasn’t the point at all, even though you try to muddy the waters.

The point is the disgraceful and racist way you dismiss an entire segment of Syrian society as being unimportant or irrelevant because unlike you, they don’t have a rich daddy. You expose the shallowness of your so called liberal views with such an attitude.

The Assad family are uneducated Qurdaha trash who by murder and pillage have sustained their rule thanks to measures not even Hussni Mubarak would have used. They are living proof of the saying, that you can take the peasant out of the crap, but you can’t take the crap out of the peasant.

It has been leaked that Jr was notably shaking, hands and feet, while in audiance with Turkish Foreign Minister!

– It sounds like anxiety, and perhaps a panic attack.

Here is some literature and advice for Jr and his die hard mnrka3lakjiyeh.

“Some people who experience anxiety more often than others may have a difficult time trying to keep their anxiety and symptoms under control. Biochemical changes that affect the brain, and nervous system, and a wide range of other systems in the body cause these unpleasant symptoms.

This biological change produces an out-of-balance body chemistry, which is the reason for the many symptoms anxiety disorder brings. The biological change also affects the persons thoughts and emotions, since both are influenced by the brain, and nervous system. Symptoms may become deeper rooted, or entrenched, and will probably vary from moment to moment.

Call to Speak to a Specialist

Call 1-888-439-4499 any time to discuss treatment options if you or a loved one has a problem with anxiety”
http://www.livingwithanxiety.com/anxiety-symptoms-shaking.htm

End of advice!

أموي مباشر #syria ◄

تسريبات تقول أن بشار أسد كان طوال ست ساعات خلال لقاء أوغلو ترتعد يداه ورجلاه، حيث فوجئ بالرد التركي الذي هدده بأنه سيتخذ خطوات مؤلمة إن لم يصار إلى تغيير حقيقي وجوهري في سياسة النظام السوري

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

Media centre

Statement by Ms. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Human Rights Council 17th Special Session on“Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic” in Geneva

22 August 2011

Madame President, Distinguished Members of the Human Rights Council, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I commend the initiative of this Council to hold another special session on the situation of human rights in Syria. The gravity of on-going violations and the brutal attacks against the peaceful protesters in that country demand your continued attention.

Allow me to recall that the Human Rights Council in its sixteenth Special Session on 29 April 2011 requested that I dispatch a fact-finding mission to Syria to investigate all alleged violations of human rights law and report on the situation of human rights in Syria to the Council during its eighteenth regular session in September. This report was released on 18 August, as you may have seen. In a closed session on the same day, I also briefed the members of the Security Council on the findings of our report and urged them to consider referring the current situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. The situation remains under consideration by the Security Council. I wish to begin today by highlighting the Mission’s key findings.

OHCHR fact-finding mission found a pattern of widespread or systematic human rights violations by Syrian security and military forces, including murder, enforced disappearances, torture, deprivation of liberty, and persecution. Although the report covered the period of 15 March to 15 July 2011, there are indications that the pattern of violations continues to this day. It is our assessment that the scale and nature of these acts may amount to crimes against humanity.

It is regrettable that the Government of Syria did not give access to the Mission, despite my repeated requests. Nonetheless, the Mission gathered credible, corroborated, and consistent accounts of violations from victims and witnesses, including military defectors, and Syrian refugees in neighboring countries.

The Mission concluded that while demonstrations have been largely peaceful, the military and security forces have resorted to an apparent “shoot-to-kill” policy. Snipers on rooftops have targeted protestors, bystanders who were trying to help the wounded, and ambulances. The Mission also documented incidents of summary execution outside the context of the demonstrations, and during house-to-house searches and in hospitals. Victims and witnesses reported widespread attempts to cover up killings by the security forces, including through the use of mass graves.

The authorities, using heavy artillery and military vehicles, imposed de-facto blockades on several cities and effectively deprived inhabitants of basic goods and services. Restrictions imposed on freedom of movement prevented injured persons from receiving medical treatment. Public hospitals were sometimes closed ahead of military operations, or the injured were turned away by staff.

The Mission found that Security forces have pursued a policy of arbitrary arrest and detention of individuals suspected of having taken part in demonstrations. Torture and ill-treatment were found to have been widespread. Former detainees cited cases of death in custody, including that of children, as a result of torture.

In its communications to OHCHR, the Government of Syria denies allegations of wrongful acts. While it acknowledges that about 1900 have been killed since mid-March, it claims that the majority of the victims have been military and security forces killed by “armed gangs.” It also claims that “terrorists” and “extremists” are behind the protests. Yet accounts from victims and witnesses indicate that, far from being acts of terrorism, the people targeted were exercising their legitimate rights of assembly and speech.

The Government of Syria has also informed my Office of reforms introduced by the Government. These include lifting emergency legislation, abolishing the Supreme State Security Court and granting amnesties for thousands of detainees, legislating to regulate peaceful assembly and establish political parties, and new electoral and information laws. However, these pronouncements have been followed by more excessive use of force, killing of demonstrators, mass arrests and reports of torture and other abuses. The bloodshed in Hama, Latakia and other Syrian cities just in the past three weeks seriously undermines the credibility of the reform initiatives, as further elaborated by President Assad yesterday.

I wish to use this opportunity to once again call on the Syrian Government to immediately and fully halt its crackdown on peaceful protests and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all detained for their participation in peaceful demonstrations. The Government should also allow for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their areas of origins in Syria. I welcome the first humanitarian assessment mission to Syria on 20 August and call on the Government of Syria to allow open access for international humanitarian workers. At the same time, the Syrian authorities should allow full human rights access to Syria including for impartial and thorough human rights investigation and monitoring.

As of today, over 2200 people have been killed since mass protests began in mid-March, with more than 350 people reportedly killed across Syria since the beginning of Ramadan. The military and security forces continue to employ excessive force, including heavy artillery, to quell peaceful demonstrations and regain control over the residents of various cities, particularly in Hama, Homs, Latakia and Deir al-Zour. The heavy shelling of al-Ramel Palestinian refugee camp in Latakia last week resulted in at least 4 people killed and the displacement of the 7,500 inhabitants of the camp. Despite assurances from President Assad to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday that military operations had finished, I regret to note that at least five people were killed around the country on Thursday and 34 more on Friday by Syrian military and security forces. Tanks continue to remain on the outskirts of the cities.

Let me conclude by emphasizing the importance of holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable. The Fact Finding Mission has found that such crimes may have been committed in Syria. It was against this backdrop that I urged the Security Council to consider referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. The people of Syria must be supported in their struggle for fundamental rights and freedoms and the Human Rights Council can play a vital role in that respect.

I wish you a productive discussion. Thank you.
ENDS

OHCHR Country Page – Syrian Arab Republic: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/SYIndex.aspx

For more information or interviews, please contact spokesperson Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 or rcolville@ohchr.org) or press officers: Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 or rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 or xcelaya@ohchr.org)

Turkish foreign minister delivered a blunt ultimatum, that included a threat of NATO strikes on “sensitive targets”.
The grace period is over!!!!!!!

مصادر في دمشق لـ سوريون نت: أوغلو هدد بشار بضربات قاضية للناتو عبر تركيا، واشترط عليه نقل سلمي للسلطة نهاية العام، ومخاوف تركية من مخطط إيراني للمنطقة، والمهلة التركية انتهت

2011/08/22
دمشق ـ خاص بـ سوريون نت:

كشفت مصادر سورية رفيعة المستوى ووثيقة الصلة بمحادثات رئيس النظام السوري بشار أسد مع وزير الخارجية التركي أحمد داود أوغلو الأسبوع الماضي بأن الأخير هدد بشار أسد بضربات النيتو عبر تركيا لمواقع حساسة تابعة للنظام السوري إن لم يتوقف العنف تماما في سورية خلال أسبوع وانتهت مهلته بالأمس بحسب المصادر، وأضافت المصادر بأن الشروط الأربعة عشر التي نقلها أوغلو لبشار عنوانها الرئيسي نقل سلمي وهادئ وديمقراطي للسلطة مع نهاية العام الحالي، على أن تبدأ بخطوات عملية تماما ومنها توقف العنف تماما في سورية، وسحب الجيش إلى ثكناته، ومحاكمة المتسببين في جرائم القتل بسورية، وغيرها من الشروط القاسية على النظام السوري ..

وشددت المصادر ذاتها على أن بشار أسد كان طوال ست ساعات خلال لقاء أوغلو ترتعد يداه ورجلاه، حيث فوجئ بالرد التركي الذي هدده بأنه سيتخذ خطوات مؤلمة إن لم يصار إلى تغيير حقيقي وجوهري في سياسة النظام السوري، لكن المصادر تتوقع أن يكون الأتراك قد نفضوا أياديهم من النظام السوري بعد لقاء بشار أسد أمس في التلفزيون السوري والذي عزز خيبات الأمل التركية ..

وتابعت المصادر تقول إن الأتراك ينسقون بشكل كامل مع دول عربية وأوربية وأميركا من أجل تصعيد الضغوط على النظام السوري والذي تمثل في نزع الشرعية بالإضافة إلى ما نشرته صحيفة زمان التركية المقربة منم حزب العدالة والتنمية الحاكم والتي قالت بأنها ستزيد من عزلة النظام السوري والابتعاد عنه، وأكدت المصادر بأن تركيا تسعى الآن إلى التحضير للخطة ب من أجل التعاطي مع الأوضاع السورية في حال تفجرها عسكريا وسقوط نظام بشار أسد ..

The next stop on the Arab freedom train is Damascus
A critical mass of deposed Arab leaders is starting to form, but phase two of the Libyan revolution will prove to be harder than just ousting Gadhafi.
By Zvi Bar’el
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/the-next-stop-on-the-arab-freedom-train-is-damascus-1.380068
“The world would be a better place without Gadhafi, and our region is beginning to rid itself of those leaders who brought their citizens nothing but destruction,” Tariq Alhomayed, the editor of the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, wrote on Monday.

Alhomayed, whose boss is one of the princes of the Saudi royal family, surely does not mean to get rid of the Saudi king, whose regime symbolizes the exemplary model of autocratic rule in the Middle East.

But today, when Gadhafi is slowly losing its grip on the Libyan capital, and the Arab revolution movement has checked off a third victory after Tunisia and Egypt, a “critical mass” of ousted leaders is accumulating, which may pave the steep slope for more leaders. King Abdullah, whose streets are absent of riots and protests, could also afford to have a look at Alhomayed’s op-ed.

The following two leaders are already waiting in line: Syria’s Bashar Assad and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh. Like their ousted predecessors, each of them is still certain that his own fate and luck are more successful than that of his colleagues.

Arrogant Assad has shrugged off with contempt demands made by the United States and European states that he relinquish power. He does not see any problems with continuing the crackdown on protesters, such as Saddam Hussein in his time, or like Iran under sanctions, and he continues to call the protesters “armed gangs.”

Yemen’s Saleh is convinced that his deviousness and his street smarts, which have held him in power for 21 years, will continue to serve him well in the future.

However, the toppling of rulers, which turned into the ultimate symbol of the revolutions, is not a sure recipe for a lifetime of happiness. Whoever is impressed by the coordinated operation of Western states and local resistance movements, cannot ignore the Western abandonment which characterized the revolutions that the West initiated in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American foot-dragging on all that relates to aiding Egypt, and the panic that struck the West in light of the protests that arose in Bahrain. There are “convenient” revolutions for the West and there are “dangerous” ones.
Libya is a “convenient” revolution. After the West received a green light from the Arab League, and after it turned out there is an impressive military force in Libya that can carry out a violent offensive against the regime, and especially after the apathetic response toward the Tunisia revolution, the right circumstances have led to a Western intervention.
Here ends the role of outside intervention, and Libya, who got to topple its dictator after his 42-year rule, must now decide what to do with this tremendous victory. There are many options.
….
Chapter Two of the revolution is likely to be even more critical than Gadhafi’s ouster. Its impact will not only affect Libya, but will also determine the Western and Arab countries’ stances towards similar interventions in Syria or Yemen.

I just witnessed the people of Homs demonstrate in the presence of the commission and with placards that say S.O.S.
It is clear that Junior’s crackdown is not working.

I scan the pro regime sites and it is very telling that the news from Lybia are not prominent at all and that Cham Press is still quoting the Green Leader as ready to exterminate the Rats

” 59. Samara said:

Allah mhayeek ya Bashar al Assad!”

Your ridiculous sycophantic chants are typical of last gasps of the menhebek majaneen.

Enjoy this chant:

Bashar ala Iran wa Maher 3al-faraan!

“61. syau said:”

The volcanic rage of millions of Syrians will follow Bashar and co to the farthest corners of the earth.

” 73. Syria no kandahar said:”

Your Alawi regime would fall tomorrow were it not for Shi’ite allies and your regime will fall sooner than later if Hezbollah and Iran abandon it. Why don’t you go and complain about this to your local mukhabarat?! It’s over SyrianKKK

“79. Darryl said:

In my opinion, the greatest foreign policy failure is not having a far greater relationship between Syria, Turkey and Lebanon.”

And in what way would that have saved the Asad regime which is finished? Why do you expect the people to go to their graves smiling at their killers?

“101. SF94123 said:”

Keep your deranged Zionist propaganda to yourself. Daniel Greenfield is a hypocritical Jewish, Neocon and let him go preach secularism to his Ultra-Orthodox brethren in “Israel” where the “secular” state pays hundreds of thousands of Haredi women to have large families. The last resort of these menhebek majaneen resorting to their Zionist cousins for hypocritical propaganda.

“138. Amir in Tel Aviv said: ”

Your next after Bashar. Go back to Belarus and Poland.

” 155. mjabali said:”

Because you are hypocritical in your positions. Condemn Ali just like you condemn the “Islamic extremists” and Ali was an “extremist” according to your standards, yet you refuse to condemn him because of your Alawi sectarianism. And if you don’t care about all of this as you claim, then you should have no objection for me referring to the so-called “Alawis” by their proper name, Nusayris, as they have nothing to do with Ali.

UN Fact finding mission in Homs, today.
Their car is escorted by the demonstrating crowds
No armed terrorists to be seen!
No anarchists!
The mission did not need Jr’s security/Army?shabbeeha protection.

حمص_ استقبال اللجنة الدولية في ساحة الحرية 22_8_2011

161 @ 162

I will jack up the level slightly every time I interact with either one of you in order to challenge both of you into growing up and acting, at least at or above 18.

Off course even OTW. The principle applies across all species that have central nerve system (if you have a clue what I am talking about). The crux is the number of repetitions, and the complexity of the informational content. For species with higher brain functions, such as us humans, as well as our close cousins the monkeys, and distant cousins dolphins, and pigs, and off course some rats, it also depends on the coherence of the information and its consistency with experiences. Sadly, repetition has not helped you or your Besho, despite of logical construct supported by past and recently experienced history (i mean very recent, like yesterday’s fall of Qaddafi, for example).

But I have not given up on you. What can i say, I am as stubborn as a donkey, it is a job requirement.

Enjoy your laughs, there will come one day when you look at your laughs and regret the time you wasted laughing at others instead of learning. But then, the only thing that can be said then, الصيف ضيعت اللبن

Your next lesson is tomorrow noon. Be there.

Guys:

The Arabic and Islamic culture and civilization was a continuum that contributed to it all Islamic sects. can you separate one from the other? Can you tell me from which sect was Ibn Rushd, Al Kindi and Al Farabi? Certainly, Muslims from all sects contributed to the Arabic civilization. Also, I should remind you of the Christians’ contribution to the Arabic civilization. The Christians were holding the key administrative positions during the Omayyad rule, thus helping the establishment of the Arabic empire. Further, the Christians were the main translator of the Greek heritage, during the Abbasside era, on which the whole Arabic civilization was based. I am not mentioning the Christians’ contribution because I Christian or because I have any specific claim. I am mentioning that to tell that humans from all religion and civilization have contributed to the human heritage and civilization. For this reason, please all of you go keep you freedom of belief and freedom of religious practice and let us live a constructive and happy life far from all your sectarian and religious bickering.

“let us live a constructive and happy life far from all your sectarian and religious bickering.”

I feel like I’ve been (justifiably) reprimanded by my teacher. I’ll go sit in a corner 🙂

Aboud:

I am not trying to teach anybody. I am writing my impressions and feelings as they are. Here, in the North American culture, we do not have hierarchies. We all discuss; we all contribute; we are all equal, no matter is our age or status.

Amir @ 138

Thank you very much for your serious comment and question. I will reply to your comment within 24 hours. If that is OK with you?

Dear Haytham.
Yes we do, but occasionally one has to give lessons, and also accepts lessons as well. And please, no need to be apologetic about teaching, you have earned the right to do so, both by age, and experience. Notwithstanding, your demonstrable wisdom

Aboud
10 minutes time out for you and me.

Firas …., was a soldier whose attempt to defect failed.
His humiliation by Republican guards was caught on camera.
He was beaten and ordered to say:
No God but Basahr AlAsad
No God but Maher AlAsad

… Shortly we will kill him and ditch his body!
Take him away!

One of the unit members is called 3ammar.
Their faces are on record for soon to come justice!
The video captures the true face of the so called “Asad ideological, secular, syrian army”!
The pride of all mnirka3jiyeh!

ضرب وأهانة أحد عناصر الجيش عند محاولة انشقاقه

@ Revlon 166 & 168

Please find more on Besho anxiety at

http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/strategies-to-fight-regime.html

Syria: Opposition undermined by divisions of the society
(Translated from french)
Propos recueillis par Emilie SUEUR | olj.com | 22/08/2011
http://www.lorientlejour.com/category/%C3%80+La+Une/article/718760/Syrie_%3A_L%27opposition_minee_par_les_divisions_de_la_societe.htm

Post-speech analysis, “Bashar al-Assad proceeds in his reform agenda as if nothing had happened, without regard to Western or Turkish pressure,” said Fabrice Balanche, a specialist on Syria.

Sunday night, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with state television, has rejected international pressure and announced that the reform program was under way, notably with local elections in December and legislative elections in four to eight months. “Bashar al-Assad proceeds in his reform agenda as if nothing had happened, without regard to Western or Turkish pressure. And the fall that seems imminent fo Muammar Gaddafi does not seem to move him, “said Fabrice Balanche, a specialist on Syria within the Group for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East. A “serenity,” according to the expert, that is based notably on the Russian veto to any international military intervention in Syria.

Furthermore, in regard to reforms and elections announced, they do not threaten the power to Assad. “The basic premise of Assad: I keep myself in power and from that, I see what I can offer as a reform to the people and the international community,” Mr. Balanche. In fact, the draft law on political parties precludes the formation of a Kurdish party or a party of the Muslim Brotherhood. “And anyway, the election will be handled as usual. Bashar al-Assad is simply trying to integrate the system of new players that do not threaten his power, “continued the expert. New players such as members of the Socialist Democratic Party, formed by the former director of the pro-government daily Teshreen, an incarnation, Balanche says, “the official opposition.”

Syrian President can also play the show because of the deep divisions that cross the opposition. “Between Islamists and others, there is no collaboration possible. They always meet separately. For example, in Lyon, in the begining, the seculars led the challenge. Today it is increasingly the Islamists who lead the protest, with about more and more radical. And they ejected secular committees, “says the researcher, who believes that the Islamists” want to take over the fight against Assad. ” As for the seculars, “they are still divided between young and old, between current human right and former communists.”

Fabrice Balanche, divisions within the opposition are just a reflection of the strong divisions across the Syrian society. Divisions at the heart of the policy of Assad. “Hafez al-Assad has played on the divisions of Syrian society and has only accentuated them. He managed to unify the Alawite community behind him and did everything to divide the Sunnis between city and countryside, between Kurds and Arabs, between Aleppo and Damascus … “said the researcher, giving the example of Damascus to support its About. “Damascus is a city unmanageable because it is divided into two provinces: Damascus city, that is to say that the center has 1.5 million inhabitants, and Damascus countryside, encircling Damascus city. Any proposed development on Damascus can not see the day, as the two governments hamper the others. From the perspective of management of the city, the situation is catastrophic, but from a political point of view, this scenario is great because it’s always the president decides. And Syria, all works on this model. This is the principle of divide and rule “.

In this context, says Fabrice Balanche, “only a strong personality could unfortunately, bring people together. Today is Bashar al-Assad, before it was his father. And same goes for the opposition. In contrast, only tough individuals can gather to grip, so the least democratic. Those who play democracy can only go to the division. ”

According to the expert, the big fear was that the Syrian President for the month of Ramadan, the Sunni Arab world united against him. “That’s why he played on the map of social classes. To keep the “haves” with him, the President raises the specter of poor people who want to take power and appropriate the wealth. ” Until now, the Sunni bourgeoisie, and a broader middle class, have not shifted in the dispute, according to the researcher.

And to be certain that the religious fervor of Ramadan does not close the Sunni ranks, Bashar al-Assad has decided to strike hard, hence the violent suppression of recent weeks. “Assad knew he had to strike hard to reassure the military that could have broke up, to reassure expectations, and also show the Russians that it is able to hold the country so they can put their veto on foreign intervention “notes the researcher.

According to him, so we are going to a “quagmire” and “to a radicalization of the opposition, probably with the attacks. A scenario similar to the early 80’s. ” The only factor that could tilt things being the economic factor. On this point, the sanctions against the Syrian Petroleum taken by the Americans and announced by the Europeans, will hurt the regime. “Oil accounts for almost one third of the state budget and a lot of subsidies to the barons of the regime that divert part of oil production. Moreover, the fact that Assad has been declared illegitimate, will result in a cessation of foreign investment in Syria. However, these investments were still an engine of economic growth in recent years, “Mr. Balanche. The Syrian economy will emerge profoundly weakened. “But the process will take time,” says Fabrice Balanche who considers, however, that Western leaders are determined to topple the Syrian president: “For them, this time, they really want break the pro Iranian axis”.

TO 171. Abu Umar & company: (You are no diffrent!)

Muslim teacher explains that the Prophet Muhammad married Aisha when she was six, and had sex with her when she was nine.

http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/prophet-muhammad-had-sex-with-minor-wife-at-age-of-nine/

A rare American article that is not total BS:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/asia-mainmenu-33/8696-potential-syria-intervention-may-lead-to-wider-war

This is unsual for an American article. Who is Alex Newman? And what kind of press is “The New American”?

Dear OTW,

Do NOT let them get under your skin. This is their game plan. Our goal is to get rid of this gang that is in control of Syria.

When one defends a gangster and his thugs, he/she is one of them. When one quotes a racist as part of his/her argument to make a point, he/she is a racist.

Fellow 7omsi Aboud,
Keep it up.

Syrians in England,

I noticed the declaration of Syrian Doctors in England is missing the signature of Dr. Akhras. Wonder why?

I believe we need to put the spotlight on this family. They married into the Assad clan and now they part of it. Anyone knows of their business interests and dealings. Do they own any businesses in England or Syria? I hear they were a middle income family but now they spend lavishly way beyond the means of a doctor in England.

I will boycott any company and its products and services that the Akhras family is partner to.

New York Times: Lying about Libya and Palestine

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/

A Reality Check

On August 20, Progressive Radio News contributor Mahdi Nazemroaya’s Global Research.ca article headlined, “Rebel Advances on Tripoli is Media Disinformation,” saying:

Rebel disinformation claims “(h)eavy gunfire and explosions” in Tripoli. By the end of August, they say a final battle to take the city could begin. Other falsified reports indicate fighting in several city neighborhoods, including Tajoura, Soug Jomaa and Arada.

In fact, besides ongoing NATO bombing, “gunfire in the Libyan capital is sporadic and disorganized.” Its main purpose “is to break down the morale here and cause panic.”

“The media here at the hotel where I am staying have been part of this disinformation campaign. They just want to feed the panic here and want the regime to collapse. They are fueling and feeding this psychological war against this country.”

… but

barking and shitting are what dogs do.

…and

arabs, muslims need more caring advice from jewish racists.

the tapeworms are out in force today.

Why Turkey’s Kurdish Conflict Is Making a Worrying Comeback
Time.com By PELIN TURGUT / ISTANBUL
http://news.yahoo.com/why-turkeys-kurdish-conflict-making-worrying-comeback-061500530.html
A sharp escalation in fighting between Turkey and the Kurdish separatist PKK over the past three weeks has bucked the trend of recent years that saw Turkey inching towards a peaceful solution to three decades of conflict with its restive Kurdish minority.

The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had eased efforts to snuff out the Kurdish language and culture, and once-banned Kurdish music, literature and television flourished. Turkish authorities even took the once unthinkable step of holding secret talks abounding to ending the fighting with Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader that Turkey would gladly have hanged after his capture in 1999 if it hadn’t been seeking to join the European Union which forbids the death penalty. And in June, a record 36 deputies from a pro-Kurdish party were elected to parliament.
…
But the potential consequences of a violent government crackdown are worrying – especially against the backdrop of the Arab Spring. The PKK enjoys huge support in the Kurdish southeast where tens of thousands take to the streets at a moment’s notice when called upon. (See why Turkey’s vote is good for democracy.)
….
Some Turkish observers blame the recent wave of PKK attacks on Syria, which shares an 840km border with Turkey, arguing that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is tacitly backing the rebels in response to Erdogan turning against his former ally. (Syria had during the mid-1990s allowed Ocalan to operate from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, then under Syrian control, during a previous round of Syrian-Turkish tensions.) Erdogan warned on Thursday that he considered the unrest in Syria part of Turkey’s “internal affairs”.

The regional picture is more complicated: Syria’s key ally, Iran, has in recent weeks suddenly stepped up its own attacks on PJAK, the PKK’s Iranian wing. The U.S., which needs Turkey to do the heavy lifting on Syria, is expected to back Ankara’s stance on the PKK. “I think Turkey has America’s complete support regarding the PKK,” says Soli Ozel. “The US is so dependent on Turkish backing when to comes to Syria and Iraq, I don’t think they will think twice about writing the PKK off.” (Indeed, the PKK is listed by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization.) The Iraqi Kurdish leadership, a close US ally, has been largely silent on recent Turkish airstrikes on their region, and has previously cooperated with Turkish military efforts against the PKK. (See TIME’s photoessay: “Portrait of the Kurdish Rebels.”)

Erdogan is in a strong domestic political position, having won reelection by a convincing margin in June, and appearing to have prevailed in a showdown with the top military brass earlier this month. But any hopes that Erdogan’s rise and the military’s decline in political influence would bring a political solution to the Kurdish issue have been dashed by the prime minister’s hawkish rhetoric. His immediate plans include more air strikes, drone attacks and the re-introduction of specially empowered police teams to control the southeast. Human rights groups accused these paramilitary units of widespread abuses during the 1990s.

“You can see that the government hasn’t really internalised the idea of a peaceful solution,” says Mustafa Gundogdu, Turkey and Iraq desk officer at the Kurdish Human Rights Project in London. “There is no commitment. Before this they were constantly hedging. Now they think they can end it using the military and the police.”

… The difference, this time, may be that the calculations have changed in Syria, Iraq and Iran. The fate of Turkey’s Kurds may to some extent rest not only on Ankara’s decisions but also on those made in Damascus, Tehran and Erbil. And the consequences of decision made in any of those cities will certainly have an impact in the others.

SAMARA and SNK
I will start providing the material for your next lesson. The title is

WHY PEOPLE DESPISE MY UNCLES BESHO AND MEEHO – Part 1.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal indignity and rights .They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Violations by grampa haffooz and by uncles behso and meeho (happy trio): too numerous to count.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political , jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Some violations by the happy trio: Baath, article 8, not to mention other exclusions or inclusion based on familial/tribal affiliations, and how about uncle rami (is that meemo or ruru)

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Violations by the happy Trio: Ask 20,000 victims in Hama, and 2500+ victims in recent events, as well as all whose security has been violated by the familia’s security apparatus over 40 years. 30,000 detainees now and numerous detainees over 40 years.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Violations by the happy trio: Ask the entire country, the name Suria al Assad is a declaration of the slavery of the Syrian people. You children are merely the house slaves. Also ask anyone who served in the chicken farm of grampa and uncles’ friends while serving in the Army.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Violations by the happy trio: also too numerous to count. How about pulling the nails of children in Daraa as a recent example, how about the countless number of videos shot by the goons themselves not to mention numerous tortures over 40 years.

Note
Memorize this by tomorrow noon. And remember to say, my uncles have committed crimes against humanity, and I am proud of them.

Dear ZIADSOURY:
They are simply pedagogical experiment. No one is under my skin. I am under theirs as much as Aboud is, you, and all the rest of us are. Good to hear from you.

FlagMan: The Man Who Removed the Israeli Flag from the Israeli Embassy in Egypt
by Jonathan Rashad and Carlos Latuff
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/flagman210811.html
Also
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18728405

@ Abughassan, SNK, MJabali et al :

Abu Bakr, Omar, Othamn, Ali.

Ali is Fourth.

So take your Majoosi propaganda elsewhere. In the new Syria, Abu Bakr will be your Khalifa.

OTW
just EVEN OTW made you nuts today.

‘US hindering political reforms in Syria’

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195221.html

Angry Arab on junior’s interview

“Monday, August 22, 2011

Bashshar’s “dialogue”

Syrian regime TV billed the interview with Bashshar as “dialogue”. It was anything but that. Bashshar who is known for his long public speeches and presentations was very brief, relative to his record. The performance was an utter failure. It did not offer any substantive. Nothing whatsoever.

One thing he did: he wanted to come across as humble: because his first public speech came across as very arrogant and even flippant. I wondered what he intended to say: he did not make one concrete concession, and did not show any sympathy for the families of the hundreds of victims of his security forces.

Typically, he like other members of his regime avoided any negative comment about Saudi Arabia, which is leading a ferocious (hypocritical and sectarian) campaign against Syrian government. Those are people who can’t relate to their people. ”

@191 When you play with your GI Joes, do you pretend you are in a gang of shabihas? LOL!

i heard rumors that the Libyan embassy in Damascus has defected to the 17th February side, I’ll check it out later. i doubt the government here will allow them, it’ll be like airing mubarak’s trial on Syrian state tv.
this goes out as a lesson to all dictators, the people always win.
Congrats Libya!

179. Dear Haytham Khoury, thank you for the link.
I fully agree with your analysis of the inncer circle of Syrian leadership.
Many of your conclusions in that letter have been corroborated by events on the ground.
Cheers!

SGID @194 CNN just confirmed it. They raised the new Libyan flag at the embassy. The ambassador to Damascus obviously knows where this month’s paycheck is coming from hehehehe.

Dear Ziad:
@184

The father and mother of Asmaa has no business in Syria. However, some of Asmaa’s cousins got involved in big business relationship with the Assad’s inner circle.

Asmaa’s father and mother interest from that marriage was purely for psychological gains rather than material gains. The most outrageous of them was that Bashar named one of the Streets or the squares in Hama in the name of his mother-in-law. That never happened in the history of humanity. You can find some of the details about the Akhras family gains in the following link.

http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/strategies-to-fight-regime.html

Syrian rights activist released
Aug 22, 2011 19:35 Moscow Time
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/22/55015683.html
According to France Presse, authorities in Syria have released the leading Syrian rights champion Abdel Karim Rihaoui, some two weeks after detaining him in Damascus. No charges against him have been laid.

The 43-year-old activist has been an important source of reports for foreign networks and papers that struggle to monitor developments in Syria.

According to Syrian opposition followers, five months of anti-regime revolts in their country have claimed some 2 thousand lives. The authorities speak about the death of about 500 soldiers and police at the hands of armed terrorists.

forget about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

“Islamic Sharia” is much better!!

Caution!!!! Islam permits devout Muslims to lie,cheat,and
deliberately bluff non-muslims to protect or promote his religion of Islam, anytime, anywhere. And this tactic is know as “Islamic Taqiyya” (read: Islamic deception), and was originally used by the Prophet of Islam to fool, and later subjugate and destroy enemies of Islam. As Prophet of Islam repeatedly asserted: “War is a deception” and with this holy-tactic, Prophet of Islam established his most intolerant religion of violence (by 80 plus bloody battles) which he later named as: “religion of peace”! Therefore, today’s Islamists will follow the holy path of their Prophet and will deny that—Sharia is really Islamic law! They will try to cheat by saying that, all these Sharia laws that are practiced in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, and elsewhere are nice on ice.

1- Jihad defined as “to war against all non-Muslims to establish the religion” is the duty of every Muslim and Muslim head of state (Caliph). Muslim Caliphs who refuse jihad are in violation of Sharia and unfit to rule.

2- A Caliph can hold office through seizure of power meaning through force.

3- The head of an Islamic State (Caliph) cannot be charged, let alone be punished for serious crimes such as murder, adultery, robbery, theft, drinking and in some cases of rape (Hudood cases) – Codified Islamic Law Vol 3 # 914C of and page 188 of Hedaya the Hanafi manual.

4- A percentage of Zakat (alms) must go towards jihad.

5- It is obligatory to obey the commands of the Caliph, even if he is unjust.

6- A caliph must be a Muslim, a non-slave and a male.

7- The Muslim public must remove the Caliph in one case, if he rejects Islam.

8- A Muslim who leaves Islam (apostate) must be killed immediately.

9- A Muslim will be forgiven for murder of : a) an apostasy b) an adulterer c) a highway robber. Making vigilante street justice and honor killing acceptable.

10- A Muslim will not get the death penalty if he kills a non-Muslim.

11- Sharia never abolished slavery and sexual slavery and highly regulates it. A master will not be punished for killing his slave. Slavery still exists amongst Arab Muslims.

12- Sharia dictates death by stoning, beheading, for sins like killing, adultery, prostitutions; and other Quranic corporal punishments like: amputation of limbs (chopping hands and feet), floggings, beatings and other forms of cruel and unusual punishments even for the sins like: stealing, sexual promiscuity, robbery, burglary etc.

13- Non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims and must comply to Sharia (pay Zizzya: poll tax) if they are to remain safe. They are forbidden to marry Muslim women, publicly display wine or pork, recite their own religious scriptures, or openly celebrate their religious holidays or funerals. They are forbidden from building new churches or building them higher than mosques. They may not enter a mosque without permission. A non-Muslim is no longer protected if he commits adultery with a Muslim woman or if he leads a Muslim away from Islam.

14- It is a crime for a non-Muslim to sell weapons to someone who will use them against Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot curse a Muslim, say anything derogatory about Allah, the Prophet, or Islam, or expose the weak points of Muslims. However, Muslims can curse, criticize or say anything derogatory they like to the religions of others.

15- A non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim.

16- Banks must be Sharia compliant and interest is not allowed.

17- No testimony in court is acceptable from people of low-level jobs, such as street sweepers or a bathhouse attendant. Women in such low level jobs such as professional funeral mourners cannot keep custody of their children in case of divorce.

18- A non-Muslim cannot rule even over a non-Muslims minority.

19- Homosexuality is punishable by death.

20- There is no age limit for marriage of girls under Sharia. The marriage contract can take place anytime after birth and consummated at age 8 or 9.

21- Rebelliousness on the part of the wife nullifies the husband’s obligation to support her, gives him permission to beat her and keep her from leaving the home.

22- Divorce is only in the hands of the husband and is as easy as saying: “I divorce you” and becomes effective even if the husband did not intend it.

23- There is no common property between husband and wife and the husband’s property does not automatically go to the wife after his death.

24- A woman inherits half what a man inherits. Sister gets half of what brother gets.

25- A man has the right to have up to 4 wives and wife has no right to divorce him even if he is polygamous.

26- The dowry is given in exchange for the woman’s sexual organs.

27- A man is allowed to have sex with slave women and also with women captured in battle (concubines), and if the enslaved woman is married her marriage is annulled.

28- The testimony of a woman in court is half the value of a man; that is, two women equal to one man.

29- A woman looses custody if she remarries.

30- A rapist may only be required to pay the bride-money (dowry) without marrying the rape victim.

31- A Muslim woman must cover every inch of her body which is considered “Awrah,” a sexual organ. Some schools of Sharia allow the face and some don’t.

32- A Muslim man is forgiven if he kills his wife caught in the act of adultery. However, the opposite is not true for women since he “could be married to the woman he was caught with.”

33-It is obligatory for a Muslim to lie if the purpose is obligatory and is known as Taqiyya (Islamic Deception). That means that for the sake of abiding with Islam’s commandments, such as jihad, a Muslim is obliged to lie and should not have any feelings of guilt or shame associated with this kind of lying.
The above are clear-cut laws in Islam decided by great Imams after years of examination and interpretation of the Quran, Hadith and Mohammed’s life.

34. The perpetrators of genocide, mass rape and plunder will not be punished if they repent – Codified Islamic Law Vol 1 # 13.

35. To prove rape, a woman must have 4 male witnesses. Women’s testimony is not accepted – Pakistan’s Hudood ordnance 7 of 1979 amended by 8B of 1980. Thousands of raped women and girls in many countries have been charged with Zena (physical relations outside marriage) and punished by Sharia courts for want of witnesses.

36. All modern music including sexually explicit music of any kind is strictly prohibited and punishable by Islamic Sharia code of justice. Only Islamic songs are allowed.

The above are the most important parts of Islamic Sharia law which were devoutly practiced by the early Islamic rulers (Holy Prophet and his four rightly guided Caliphs) and also by the Caliphs of Ummyad and Abbasid Dynasties ruled from Baghdad (Today’s Iraq) and later by Ottoman Empire with very little variations.

@180 the analysis regarding the opposition of Emilie SUEUR is very true. I am biting my nails everyday. I am pulling out my hair everyday.
They do not understand that having a strong country is better for everybody. However, they will not have that stable and strong country, if they continue divided on stupid things like this. I told them. I am not going to the country. I have no special interest by bringing you together Let me help you. They do not want.
Everybody wants the pie for his small own clan. They do not want to share the country.

Mahdi Nazemroaya in Tripoli Afternoon 22 August

comment removed. been a while. did one of the parasites, shills get upset.

Haytham,

Thanks

Dear Haytham

You are wasting your time trying to debate and educate some of the people here about the history and culture of our country, those people were raised believing Islam is the source of all evil and their parents most likely told them bed time stories about the big bad Sunni who is waiting around the corner for any chance to kill them and slaughter their families. It doesn’t matter how much you try to convince them these were just baseless lies, because these false believes are the cornerstone upon which they built their entire belief system and ideology, having any doubts about these believes will basically shatter their entire existence, and thus they will unconsciously and viciously defend themselves whenever you try to present a piece of information that doesn’t fall inline with the world their alter ego constructed for them, the only cure I’m afraid is years and years of psychiatric therapy.

Mr. Aboud comment # 164

Again you insist that this is a spelling competition.

do you call your “hehehehehehe” a word? what is the correct spelling for that?

Once I saw you had a mistake while telling others to write better English. (I will search for that one tonight) I did not care mr. Aboud and let it slide. I was reading your ideas.

As for you telling me about Iran and Huzballah, I tell you mr. Shakespeare that I am not a fan of any theocratic rule. I am not a fan of any religious party. Iran’s Mullah’s brought Iran backwards the same way your Zughbi, Luhaydan, and Arur are doing to the Sunni masses. I like secular parties. Iran should be ruled by the seculars and then you will see a different story.

AS for your claims that I dismissed the protestors of al-Raml as poor and conservative. Again, you did not get it. I did not “dismiss” them. I was telling the truth and describing what I LEARNED and HEARD from my Sunni friends who are from all classes, religions and follow different political views on things. I never dismissed that this the “revolution” of the poor, but for sure there are many “unsophisticated” elements running events on the day to day bases on the street.

Where is the “sophisticated element” that is leading this CHAOS mr. Aboud? is it you who wants to “boil the soldiers in their urine?” or the other man who said that the women of the Alawis are a spoil of war, who happen to be your friend, what do you call that? Sophistication?

Also, I do not have Iranian views. Where did you get this? How did you fabricate this? What are the Iranian views ? You are becoming more into the dirty now as I see. AS for Pakistan, Aboud the violence the Sunnis exercise against the Shia is SUPER, whatever the Shia do is SO minimal against the butchering they go through. The Sunnis there are so violent that makes me think the whole nation need to go to a SHRINK ASAP. That area of the world is gone in my opinion. Remember the story when the Taliban sacked Bamyan destroyed the Budha and killed Shia men around and took their women as a spoil of war. That area is deep into chaos.

AS for the BBC and others giving you forum and listening to your ideas, this means that this world had came to an end.

Your mental capacities need to be checked. I am not kidding. Your language and disregard to the others’ opinions is astounding to say the least. You have the right to say whatever you want but you should listen to what the “others” want to say.

You want who does not agree with your views to be shut labeling them with comic things like: I have Iranian views. The BBC must be kidding when they listen to you. Do they hire you for the comic hour? or the Amateur hour? BBC is run by amateurs I see.

You see that you are a paid blogger. This is your work and still you let your emotions run your ideas. I thought the BBC and AP need to check their emotions outside the door and write the TRUTH.

As for your military planning and ideas for the Syrian army you will hear my opinion soon General Aboud. Your video game analysis is going down General, so get ready and find yourself another exit strategy than labeling me as an Iranian Agent.

Syria is not like Lybia! syria has been for thousands of years the source of the civilizaion and the place where the best educated people in the middle east are!
the sophistication of the syrians is not found anywhere in the middle east but probably in lebanon!
The arabic spring or the reveloutions in the middle east is the worse thing happened to this countries from Tunisia to syria.
said that the reason is that these country all is going to go under the radical islam and change from toletarian regimes to theocratic dictatorships excatly as Iran now that is what the revolution did in Iran.
to beleive that democracy will be born in the middle east is a mirage for every westerner and it again another naive policy of the west.
In syria the leader of the transitional council is the leader of the muslim brotherhood in Syria.
the regime has not been attacking the civillians as the western media proclaim.
it is well known that these area being targeted by the military are the muslim brotherhood dens.
it is sad to see Syria going backward instead of forward, changing the country from a secular to a theocracy is the worest thing the west is doing and the best example is Gaza strip where democratic election produced Hamas.
it is going to be a bloody bath civil war in syria if this continue to happen under the watch of the westerners.
there are truly millions of people who are not allowite in syria who are in support of Assad because the alternative is the Sharia law.
I guess Obama and hillary clinton are to be blamed for creating all these new islamic revoultions.

@Hans #206
“In syria the leader of the transitional council is the leader of the muslim brotherhood in Syria.”
Assad like Shah of Iran got rid of legitimate secular opposition leaders. The political vacuum is being filled by Muslim Brotherhood in Syria as was with Imam Khomeini in Iran. Dictators only have their sons as their heirs. Only democratic structures create alternate leaders. Turkey and Pakistan have done that in Islamic world.

@SS #137
The brutal actions Alawi dominated Shabiha has resulted in reprisals. The Alawis also have to face consequences of Hama genocide in February 1982.

[…] Syria Comment » Archives » President Assad's 4th Speech on TV (21 … Leave a comment « Scott crens Comments are closed. […]

Hi Joshua,

Just thought I should alert you, and your English language readers of an erroneous link: the English translation of Assad’s speech is in fact a speech which Assad delivered in 2005.

Beloved muslim brothers and sisters there is a computer program called tatctical simulation syria and libya which was devloped by the us pentagon with help of the mossad . Syria and libya was infiltrated by foreign terrorist living aboard in the UK,USA,France most of the arabs who were willing to betray their country and GOD and his PROHPET.their were trained in the UK for their terrorist activities,financed trough dark CIA chanels aboard .The media wordwide is controlled by zionist us cia ‘mossad agents payed of to deliver false information to brainwash the world.Syria is the land of the free and the brave all people in syria must support their beloved dear leader president ASSAD to LIBERATE syria from foreign terrorist sponsered by the cia and mossad than this is GODS WILL.Beloved arab brothers and sisters do not be fooled and blinded by the evil force of the devil be concered and embraced by the bright light of GOD and his PROPHET and destroy all terrorist in syria than this is GODS will.Long live president ASSAD and SYRIA.«««FREEDOM««« freedomfighter Zsolt Sass