Oh wait, they don't have Oil like Libya do!!!
2011 Syrian uprising 15 people killed !, page 1
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Topic started on 1-5-2011 @ 03:03 PM by stavis
We have seen a series of Middle East foreign policy blunders by the Obama administration. As each one unfolds (e.g., the settlement freeze debacle, the failure to back the Green Revolution, the paralysis in Egypt, the half-measures in Libya) conservative critics are able to spot microcosms of the Obama foreign policy, now unofficially dubbed “leading from behind.” The scenario is the same: an exaggerated sense of the president’s personal influence; an obsession with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; conviction that Israeli is the barrier to peace; undue faith in authoritarian figures; wariness of popular uprisings against despots; and, most important, as Reuel Marc Gerecht put it, “a mind-set that sees American power as prone to cause more harm than good, the belief that American intervention, especially in the Middle East, ineluctably creates virulent antibodies.”
No where is this more apparent than in Syria. Granted, Obama is not alone in his specious reasoning that the Alawite dictator could be peeled away from Iran and play a constructive role in the region. James Taub writing in Foreign Policy explains: You can’t help feeling that Western policy toward the Syrian regime has been guided by a kind of geopolitical wish-fulfillment, in which hard-headed “engagement” masked a dubious faith in Assad’s capacity and will.
Or maybe it’s fairer to say that the upside of engagement was so great and the downside so small that everyone kept plugging away long after they should have given up.
This propensity to dream up excuses (e.g., the alternative is worse, he’s stable, he’s not attacked Israel) for continuing a courtship with Assad the Elder and Younger reached its apogee in the Obama administration.
Elliott Abrams, who served in an administration that for a time held the line against Assad (as with so much else, the second Bush term saw slippage on this front) writes of the events last week: Amidst this week’s Middle East news one startling event has escaped the attention it deserves. According to news reports such as this one in The Wall Street Journal, an American diplomat in Damascus was detained and then “hooded by Syrian security agents and ‘roughed up’ before being released.”
This is a remarkable development. For one thing, it sums up as well as any anything could what the Obama administration has gained from two years of buttering up the Assad regime, loosening sanctions, letting them into the World Trade Organization, sending an ambassador to Damascus, and making believe Assad is a reformer. It has gained us Assad’s contempt.
Obama’s reaction to recent events, namely some stern words about the diplomat and exceptionally limited sanctions, is precisely what you’d expect. The deep-seeded belief that Bashar al-Assad can be of help somehow in the “peace process,” fear of a post-Assad Syria, an insufficient appreciation for the effect Assad’s removal would have in the Middle East and, above all, the fear that our involvement would only make matters worse — in other words, all the hallmarks of the Obama foreign policy approach — have left us with an incoherent policy. Moreover, as Gerecht explains it, this is an approach designed to worsen our standing: “If President Obama continues his present course, anti-American sentiment in Syria will likely skyrocket, which is a strategic shame since the United States has a chance of improving its standing in a democratic Syria, given how much anti-American vitriol the Assads have pumped out.” Come to think of it, the same could be said for most Middle East countries.
link to washington post
vid
How’s that Syria engagement policy working out, Mr. President?
We have seen a series of Middle East foreign policy blunders by the Obama administration. As each one unfolds (e.g., the settlement freeze debacle, the failure to back the Green Revolution, the paralysis in Egypt, the half-measures in Libya) conservative critics are able to spot microcosms of the Obama foreign policy, now unofficially dubbed “leading from behind.” The scenario is the same: an exaggerated sense of the president’s personal influence; an obsession with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; conviction that Israeli is the barrier to peace; undue faith in authoritarian figures; wariness of popular uprisings against despots; and, most important, as Reuel Marc Gerecht put it, “a mind-set that sees American power as prone to cause more harm than good, the belief that American intervention, especially in the Middle East, ineluctably creates virulent antibodies.”
No where is this more apparent than in Syria. Granted, Obama is not alone in his specious reasoning that the Alawite dictator could be peeled away from Iran and play a constructive role in the region. James Taub writing in Foreign Policy explains: You can’t help feeling that Western policy toward the Syrian regime has been guided by a kind of geopolitical wish-fulfillment, in which hard-headed “engagement” masked a dubious faith in Assad’s capacity and will.
Or maybe it’s fairer to say that the upside of engagement was so great and the downside so small that everyone kept plugging away long after they should have given up.
This propensity to dream up excuses (e.g., the alternative is worse, he’s stable, he’s not attacked Israel) for continuing a courtship with Assad the Elder and Younger reached its apogee in the Obama administration.
Elliott Abrams, who served in an administration that for a time held the line against Assad (as with so much else, the second Bush term saw slippage on this front) writes of the events last week: Amidst this week’s Middle East news one startling event has escaped the attention it deserves. According to news reports such as this one in The Wall Street Journal, an American diplomat in Damascus was detained and then “hooded by Syrian security agents and ‘roughed up’ before being released.”
This is a remarkable development. For one thing, it sums up as well as any anything could what the Obama administration has gained from two years of buttering up the Assad regime, loosening sanctions, letting them into the World Trade Organization, sending an ambassador to Damascus, and making believe Assad is a reformer. It has gained us Assad’s contempt.
Obama’s reaction to recent events, namely some stern words about the diplomat and exceptionally limited sanctions, is precisely what you’d expect. The deep-seeded belief that Bashar al-Assad can be of help somehow in the “peace process,” fear of a post-Assad Syria, an insufficient appreciation for the effect Assad’s removal would have in the Middle East and, above all, the fear that our involvement would only make matters worse — in other words, all the hallmarks of the Obama foreign policy approach — have left us with an incoherent policy. Moreover, as Gerecht explains it, this is an approach designed to worsen our standing: “If President Obama continues his present course, anti-American sentiment in Syria will likely skyrocket, which is a strategic shame since the United States has a chance of improving its standing in a democratic Syria, given how much anti-American vitriol the Assads have pumped out.” Come to think of it, the same could be said for most Middle East countries.
link to washington post
vid
edit on 1-5-2011 by stavis because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 1-5-2011 @ 03:12 PM by stavis
Very Graphic: Syrian Forces Open Fire On Demonstrators
Syrian security forces killed at least nine people when they opened fire on thousands at funeral processions Saturday.
The crackdown comes just one day after security forces killed at least 76 people in the deadliest day of monthlong protests against authoritarian President Bashar Assad.
The mounting death toll prompted two Syrian lawmakers to resign in disgust over the killings. The lawmakers, Nasser Hariri and Khalil Rifai, are from the southern region of Daraa that unleashed the protest movement in mid-March after a group of teenagers were arrested there for scrawling anti-regime graffiti on a wall.
"If I cannot protect the chests of my people from these treacherous strikes, then there is no meaning for me to stay in the People's Assembly. I declare my resignation," Hariri told Al-Jazeera in an interview.
The resignations were exceedingly rare in Syria, where nearly all opposition figures are either jailed or exiled.
In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned Friday’s use of force by Syria against anti-government demonstrators and said the regime's "outrageous" use of violence against the protesters must "end now."
In a statement, Obama said Syria's moves to repeal a decades-old emergency law and allow peaceful demonstrations were not serious in light of Friday's events.
He called on Assad to change course and obey the will of his people by giving them what they seek -- freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and the ability to choose their leaders.
Among the dead Friday were a 70-year-old man and two boys ages 7 and 10, Amnesty International said. In the southern town of Izraa, a man ran carrying the body of a young boy, whose hair was matted with blood from a gaping wound on his head, as another child wept and shouted, "My brother!" Footage of the scene was posted on the protest movement's main Facebook pace.
In other towns, protesters scattered for cover from sniper bullets, then dragged corpses through the streets. Mobile phone images showed the bodies lined up on the floor inside buildings.
The rallies, most marching out from mosques after Friday's noon Muslim prayers, erupted in towns and cities stretching along the breadth of the country, including in at least two suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
The death toll was likely to rise, as Ammar Qurabi, head of Syria's National Organization for Human Rights, said another 20 people were missing.
Friday's toll was double that of the previous deadliest day of the uprising, on April 8, when 37 were killed around the country. The heavier crackdown came after Assad warned a week ago that any further unrest would be considered "sabotage" after he made the gesture of lifting long hated emergency laws, a step he ratified on Thursday.
It was a clear sign that regime was prepared to escalate an already bloody response, with nearly 300 already dead in more than five weeks. Previously, Assad has mixed the crackdown with gestures of reform in a failed attempt to deflate the protests.
The bloodshed so far has only served to invigorate protesters whose demands have snowballed from modest reforms to the downfall of the 40-year Assad family dynasty. Each Friday, growing numbers of people in multiple cities have taken to the streets despite the near certainty that they would come under swift attack from security forces and shadowy pro-government gunmen known as "shabiha."
"Bullets started flying over our heads like heavy rain," said one witness in Izraa, where police opened fire on protesters marching in front of the mayor's office. The town is located in southern Daraa province where the uprising kicked off in mid-March.
Tens of thousands marched Friday in the Damascus suburbs of Douma and Hajar Aswad, the central cities of Hama and Homs, Latakia and Banias on the coast, the northern cities of Raqqa and Idlib, the northeastern Kurdish region, and in Daraa, witnesses said.
It was certainly one of the most robust gatherings to date, but it was difficult to gauge whether turnout was larger than heavy demonstrations a week ago. Because the protests were so quickly and violently dispersed Friday, it appeared that many gatherings were broken up before the masses hit the streets.
Amnesty International put the day's death toll at 75, mirroring reports from witnesses to The Associated Press.
Friday's witness accounts could not be independently confirmed because Syria has expelled journalists and restricted access to trouble spots. Witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
As it has stepped up its response, Assad's regime has seemed little affected by mounting international concern over the violence.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. calls on the Syrian government "to cease and desist from the use of violence against peaceful protesters" and to "follow through on its promises and take action toward the kind of concrete reform that they've promised.
VID2
VID3
Syrian security forces killed at least nine people when they opened fire on thousands at funeral processions Saturday.
The crackdown comes just one day after security forces killed at least 76 people in the deadliest day of monthlong protests against authoritarian President Bashar Assad.
The mounting death toll prompted two Syrian lawmakers to resign in disgust over the killings. The lawmakers, Nasser Hariri and Khalil Rifai, are from the southern region of Daraa that unleashed the protest movement in mid-March after a group of teenagers were arrested there for scrawling anti-regime graffiti on a wall.
"If I cannot protect the chests of my people from these treacherous strikes, then there is no meaning for me to stay in the People's Assembly. I declare my resignation," Hariri told Al-Jazeera in an interview.
The resignations were exceedingly rare in Syria, where nearly all opposition figures are either jailed or exiled.
In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned Friday’s use of force by Syria against anti-government demonstrators and said the regime's "outrageous" use of violence against the protesters must "end now."
In a statement, Obama said Syria's moves to repeal a decades-old emergency law and allow peaceful demonstrations were not serious in light of Friday's events.
He called on Assad to change course and obey the will of his people by giving them what they seek -- freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and the ability to choose their leaders.
Among the dead Friday were a 70-year-old man and two boys ages 7 and 10, Amnesty International said. In the southern town of Izraa, a man ran carrying the body of a young boy, whose hair was matted with blood from a gaping wound on his head, as another child wept and shouted, "My brother!" Footage of the scene was posted on the protest movement's main Facebook pace.
In other towns, protesters scattered for cover from sniper bullets, then dragged corpses through the streets. Mobile phone images showed the bodies lined up on the floor inside buildings.
The rallies, most marching out from mosques after Friday's noon Muslim prayers, erupted in towns and cities stretching along the breadth of the country, including in at least two suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
The death toll was likely to rise, as Ammar Qurabi, head of Syria's National Organization for Human Rights, said another 20 people were missing.
Friday's toll was double that of the previous deadliest day of the uprising, on April 8, when 37 were killed around the country. The heavier crackdown came after Assad warned a week ago that any further unrest would be considered "sabotage" after he made the gesture of lifting long hated emergency laws, a step he ratified on Thursday.
It was a clear sign that regime was prepared to escalate an already bloody response, with nearly 300 already dead in more than five weeks. Previously, Assad has mixed the crackdown with gestures of reform in a failed attempt to deflate the protests.
The bloodshed so far has only served to invigorate protesters whose demands have snowballed from modest reforms to the downfall of the 40-year Assad family dynasty. Each Friday, growing numbers of people in multiple cities have taken to the streets despite the near certainty that they would come under swift attack from security forces and shadowy pro-government gunmen known as "shabiha."
"Bullets started flying over our heads like heavy rain," said one witness in Izraa, where police opened fire on protesters marching in front of the mayor's office. The town is located in southern Daraa province where the uprising kicked off in mid-March.
Tens of thousands marched Friday in the Damascus suburbs of Douma and Hajar Aswad, the central cities of Hama and Homs, Latakia and Banias on the coast, the northern cities of Raqqa and Idlib, the northeastern Kurdish region, and in Daraa, witnesses said.
It was certainly one of the most robust gatherings to date, but it was difficult to gauge whether turnout was larger than heavy demonstrations a week ago. Because the protests were so quickly and violently dispersed Friday, it appeared that many gatherings were broken up before the masses hit the streets.
Amnesty International put the day's death toll at 75, mirroring reports from witnesses to The Associated Press.
Friday's witness accounts could not be independently confirmed because Syria has expelled journalists and restricted access to trouble spots. Witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
As it has stepped up its response, Assad's regime has seemed little affected by mounting international concern over the violence.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. calls on the Syrian government "to cease and desist from the use of violence against peaceful protesters" and to "follow through on its promises and take action toward the kind of concrete reform that they've promised.
VID2
VID3
edit on 1-5-2011 by stavis because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 1-5-2011 @ 03:39 PM by redrose123
reply to post by stavis
Personally I think we should stay out of all of it. The world didn't interfer when the students of Kent State got shot. The world didnt't try to interfer when the US govt came against the people at Waco. The list can go on. The trouble is for some unknown reason the world has aattempted to turn the US into The World Police Force and the World Dept of Human Services. Which has drained our resources to the brink of being bankrupt. If you listen to the powers that be the US doesn't give away that much money. Any is too much when you have to borrow to give away. However the largest amount is given indirectly through war, war machinery, troops which comes under the defense dept Who is crying now? Nobody. The only real people who care about Syria are the Syrians and Big Business trying to find a another way to turn a buck.
Personally I think we should stay out of all of it. The world didn't interfer when the students of Kent State got shot. The world didnt't try to interfer when the US govt came against the people at Waco. The list can go on. The trouble is for some unknown reason the world has aattempted to turn the US into The World Police Force and the World Dept of Human Services. Which has drained our resources to the brink of being bankrupt. If you listen to the powers that be the US doesn't give away that much money. Any is too much when you have to borrow to give away. However the largest amount is given indirectly through war, war machinery, troops which comes under the defense dept Who is crying now? Nobody. The only real people who care about Syria are the Syrians and Big Business trying to find a another way to turn a buck.
reply posted on 1-5-2011 @ 03:57 PM by neo96
reply to post by TribeOfManyColours
honestly theres nothing we can do about it.
unless this country elected someone like paul but i dont see that happening.
we either have to get off oil or open more drilling up here at home thats the only reason we are there in the first place.
i dont foresee any of those things happening.
basically were screwed.
honestly theres nothing we can do about it.
unless this country elected someone like paul but i dont see that happening.
we either have to get off oil or open more drilling up here at home thats the only reason we are there in the first place.
i dont foresee any of those things happening.
basically were screwed.
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