Lebanon on the verge of a disaster 23 May 2012 The situation in Lebanon is a cause for concern and even fear. It is clear that there are some fronts, inside and outside of Lebanon who are working on blowing up a sectarian civil war that will push the country to [...]
Syria: the deadliest third party 15 May 2012 At a time when the Syrian opposition is experiencing sharp internal conflict, which threatens both themselves and the Syrian people it represents, a third armed force has emerged, casting aside many theories on the Syrian uprising that were previously taken for granted. The Arab [...]
Despite the presence of UN monitors , activists on Tuesday said 20 people were killed across Syria [Reuters] International envoy Kofi Annan has said his six-point peace plan for Syria is a “possible last chance to avoid civil war”. Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy tasked with bringing an end to the violence, said on Tuesday world powers [...]
Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan has hinted he will use the NATO treaty to obligate intervention in Syria [REUTERS] Princeton, NJ - The conventional wisdom last week on whether Syria would comply with former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan‘s ceasefire plan was that it was up to Russia. We were reverting to Cold War politics, in which [...]
Members of the initial contingent of UN ceasefire monitors in Syria tour the Damascus suburbs. Photograph: EPA The UN security council has unanimously voted to send 300 unarmed military observers to Syria to monitor the fragile ceasefire between President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces and opposition groups. The resolution approved on Saturday increases the number of observers in the [...]
UN observers‘ mission must succeed 16 April 2012 This Monday sees the start of the deployment of international observers to Syria. This is part of the peace plan to ensure a ceasefire is followed by both sides. A ceasefire was meant to have been in effect since last Thursday. The [...]
Syrian Activists to Rebels: Give Us Our Revolution Back Many of the activists who began the uprising in Syria more than a year ago feel their peaceful push for change has been hijacked by the rebel Free Syrian Army. They’re meeting in Cairo today. By Gert van Langendonck, Sarah [...]
Annan’s plan in death throes Friday, 13 April 2012 We are all on standby to witness the inevitable – that the Syrian authorities will fail to commit to Kofi Annan‘s ceasefire. How will Annan address this failure, both politically and militarily? Since the very first moment of the ceasefire conditions [...]
The Winds of War By Stephen Lendman - Posted on 11 April 2012 The Winds of War by Stephen Lendman When Washington plans regime change, wars are waged if other methods fail. For over a year, Western-generated violence ravaged Syria. Assad remains firmly in control. As a result, expect [...]
Western Powers Manipulate Syrian Peace Plan To Prepare For War By Johannes Stern April 09, 2012 “WSWS” — In recent days, the Western powers have stepped up efforts to foment civil war in Syria and prepare for imperialist intervention in this strategically important country. Media reports indicate increased fighting between Western-backed [...]
Putting Syria Into Some Perspective By William Blum April 07, 2012 “Information Clearing House” — The Holy Triumvirate — The United States, NATO, and the European Union — or an approved segment thereof, can usually get what they want. They wanted Saddam Hussein out, and soon he was swinging from a [...]
Demonstrators protest against Syria‘s President Bashar al-Assad. Photograph: Handout/REUTERS Gulf states warned against arming Syria rebels Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged not to supply weapons to rebels for fear of undermining UN efforts to end crisis Ian Black and Julian Borger guardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 April 2012 19.18 BST Article history Saudi Arabia and Qatar are being urged not to supply weapons [...]
Imperialists Use U.N. Against Government of Syria By Joyce Chediac April 02, 2012 “Workers World” –The Syrian government agreed to accept the joint U.N.-Arab League-Kofi Annan plan for a ceasefire on March 27, according to Annan’s spokesperson. The former U.N. general secretary then demanded that Damascus “put its commitments into immediate [...]
(Photo: Reuters) Military Intervention in Syria is a Bad Idea by Stephen Zunes Although the impulse to try to end the ongoing repression by the Syrian regime against its own people through foreign military . intervention is understandable, it would be a very bad idea Empirical studies have repeatedly demonstrated that international military interventions in cases of [...]
Syria: Way to Peace By Boris DOLGOV March 27, 2012 “Information Clearing House” — On March 21, 2012 the UN Security Council unanimously (all 15 members) approved a statement on Syria that is to facilitate the crisis solution. The statement is a six point proposal emphasizing a ceasefire by both sides, a pull back [...]
Asma al-Assad‘s shoes 24 March 2012 We don’t know what might affect Asma al-Assad, the Syrian president‘s wife, if banned from entering the EU. Neither do we know the same of her mother-in-law Anisa who we have never heard of since she supposedly left Damascus perhaps over forty years ago. Some [...]
The Dangerous Mess in Syria Grows Murkier by Eric Margolis Syria’s murky, multi-level conflict continues to grow worse. So does public confusion here in the west as the US, British and some European media keep depicting Syria’s civil war as a simple passion play pitting the evil Asad regime in Damascus against mostly unarmed democratic protestors. [...]
The Assad family has ruled Syria for more than four decades, relying on ‘repression and injustice’ [AFP] As the Syrian revolution enters its second year, three scenarios loom on the horizon. However, as they say in Arabic: “their sweetest is bitter”. What started a year ago as a peaceful protest in the southern town of [...]
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan‘s six-point plan calls for a ceasefire and for political dialogue to take place [AFP] The United Nations Security Council has adopted a statement backing joint UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s plan for ending the violence in Syria, as a government crackdown on opposition strongholds has continued. Mark Lyall Grant, the UK’s [...]
As Syrian Rebellion Flounders, More Calls for Foreign Invasion Clashes Reported on Damascus Outskirts by Jason Ditz, March 16, 2012 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum Syria’s full scale civil war seems to be rapidly quieting down, with the routs of rebel forces leaving fewer [...]
China tests its mettle in Syria By Chris Zambelis Solidifying the People’s Republic of China’s burgeoning relationships with the countries of the Middle East remains a top priority for Beijing. The impetus behind China’s resurgent efforts to extend its influence within the Middle East stemmed from Beijing’s pursuit of energy resources to sustain its rapidly expanding economy. As [...]
Syria: heralding a change in the international strategic situation? ERNESTO GÓMEZ ABASCAL* EVIDENTLY the Cold War ended in the final decade of the 20th century with the disappearance of the Soviet Union and the European socialist countries, but the U.S. plan of domination enshrined in the Project for the New [...]
AP Rebels in northern Syria, where the situation continues to deteriorate this week: “We cannot and will not accept a regime that systematically murders its own people.” Ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has warned against military intervention in Syria. In an interview [...]
Syria: NATO countries are already militarily active in Syria – an overview BY SUSANA AL HALABI – MARCH 9, 2012 – POSTED IN: SIDEVIEWS British and French Special Forces operate in Syria. NATO acts against international laws. Currently, there are two calls for peace circulating with a good response about Syria and Iran. Both are calling for an [...]
There is clear and overwhelming evidence that the uprising to overthrow President Assad of Syriais a violent, power grab led by foreign-supported fighters who have killed and wounded thousands of Syrian soldiers, police and civilians, partisans of the government and its peaceful opposition.The outrage expressed by politicians in the West [...]
Armed rebels were driven out of Homs but hold other parts of the country [REUTERS] Kofi Annan, the Arab-UN envoy tasked with finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria, has warned against military intervention in the country, saying it risks making the conflict worse. Speaking to reporters at the Arab League in Cairo [...]
The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs chief has visited the battered Syrian opposition neighbourhood of Bab Amr, in Homs, finding it largely deserted of inhabitants, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who arranged the visit, has told Al Jazeera.Valerie Amos followed a delegation from the Syrian Arab Crescent into the district, after [...]
Navi Pillay The UN’s human rights commissioner explains why she believes arming the Syrian opposition will escalate the violence. During one of the most difficult recent days in the Syrian city of Homs, when the government assault on the opposition was especially intense, a person in the beleaguered city was quoted [...]
Hillary Clinton speaks to the press following the Friends of Syria conference. Photograph: Jason Reed/AFP/Getty Images Two weeks ago I met the Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu and we talked about the efficacy of the high-powered Friends of Syria gatherings – the latest of which took place in Tunis last weekend – in finding a [...]
Syrians, like other Arabs, no longer fear their rulers [GALLO/GETTY] New York, NY - When the Green Movement started in Iran in June 2009, there was a recalcitrant fraction of the Left (taken in a very generic sense) that went on a rampage against it and denounced the civil rights uprising as a Saudi-US plot [...]
The New Cold War has Already Started – in Syria by Robert Fisk If Iran obtains nuclear weapons capability, “I think other nations across the Middle East will want to develop nuclear weapons”. Thus thundered our beloved Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in one of the silliest pronouncements he has ever made. Hague seems to spend [...]
China: US, Europe have hegemonistic goals in Syria By SCOTT McDONALD, Associated Press Saturday, February 25, 2012 The United States and Europe are “harboring hegemonistic ambitions” in Syria, China’s state news agency said Saturday, a day after Beijing was condemned at an international conference held to find a way to halt [...]
Hamas Abandons Assad, Backs Syrian Rebels Move to Back Sunni Rebels Further Complicates Situation by Jason Ditz, February 24, 2012 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum As if there weren’t already enough factions jockeying for position as the backers of the Syrian revolution, Hamas leader Ismail [...]
Members from Arab League observers delegation walk in a government building during their visit Deraa city southern Syria, Dec. 29, 2011, in this handout photograph released by Syria’s national news agency. (Reuters/Sana/HO) By Erika Solomon and Alistair Lyon BEIRUT (Reuters) — The Arab League said on Saturday it had suspended its monitoring mission in [...]
A rally in support of President Bashar al-Assad, whose cousin at the centre of an investigation into a large shipment of cigarettes has been accused of financing pro-government demonstrations. Photograph: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images A tobacco giant behind three of the UK’s leading brands is under investigation after millions of its cigarettes were shipped to a firm [...]
The Arab League says around 100 observers will remain in country but will not undertake new missions [Reuters] The Arab League has suspended its monitoring mission in Syria due to what it called the escalation of violence and “critical deterioration of the situation” in the country. Nabil Elaraby, the secretary-general of the Arab League, announced the decision in a statement on Saturday. “It [...]
Saudi Arabia says the Syrian government ‘has not respected any of the clauses’ of the League’s peace plan [Reuters] Saudi Arabia has said it was pulling out its observers from the Arab League observer mission to Syria because Damascus had not kept its promises. Riyadh “is withdrawing from the mission because the Syrian government has [...]
Unless regime brutality reaches even higher levels prior to the intervention, it will be counter-productive [REUTERS] Washington DC - After almost five decades, when the time came to publicly oppose authoritarian rule in Syria, one would have thought that it was the rational and decent thing to do. And it is. More than that, it is [...]
Most Syrians back President Assad, but you’d never know from western media Assad’s popularity, Arab League observers, US military involvement: all distorted in the west’s propaganda war By Jonathan Steele January 19, 2012 “The Guardian” — January 17, 2012 — Suppose a respectable opinion poll [...]
There is a lot to be seen in any cult of personality. As a central point there is the overwhelming feeling, carefully inculcated in people that salvation always comes from above. What the people are led to believe in is that as far as [...]
The Syrian President‘s Speech 12 January 2012 In his fourth speech [since the eruption of the uprising] yesterday, which lasted for approximately two hours, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad broke a key tradition of the Arab revolts, since it did not contain any new surprises. Yet some people regarded President Al-Asad‘s addition of [...]
Israel‘s Defense Minister Ehud Barak (L) and his Greek counterpart Dimitris Avramopoulos watch a military parade at the Defence Ministry in Athens on Jan. 10, 2012. (REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis) JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel is making preparations to house refugees from Syrian President Bashar Assad‘s minority Alawite sect should his government fall, Israel’s military chief told a [...]
Arab League observers have visited several cities in Syria to ‘monitor the situation’, but repression continues [AFP] Princeton, NJ - Looking back to 2011, the effect of the Arab Spring is still lingering. People have risen in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Syria and initiated a worldwide quest for political rights and social justice. Once [...]
Initial report by Arab League observers claims monitors were harassed by the Syrian government and its opponents. Arab ministers meeting in Cairo have given observers in Syriathe green light to continue their mission, despite a barrage of criticism and calls for their withdrawal.The Arab ministerial committee on Syria “has decided to give Arab League [...]
UK’s Secret Plots For Syria By Deborah Sherwood January 02, 2012 “Daily Star” — BRITAIN is gearing up for fighting in Syria that could be bigger and bloodier than the battle against Gaddafi. The Ministry of Defence is drawing up secret plans for a NATO-sponsored no-fly zone but first it needs backing [...]
Nabil El-Araby, the Arab League secretary-general, called on Syria to ‘fully commit to what it promised’ [Reuters] Syria’s military has withdrawn from residential areas and is on the outskirts of the country’s cities, but gunfire continues and snipers are still a threat, according to the secretary-general of the Arab League. Nabil El-Araby said on Monday that [...]
A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to (Regime Change in) Damascus… By Daniel McAdams January 01, 2011 “LRB” – The Western press has dutifully — and uncritically — repeated harrowing tales of the Syrian government‘s “siege of Homs” — the 4,000 government forces randomly shelling the city, the snipers everywhere [...]
Propaganda, Theirs and Ours: Assad’s Lies Ought to be as Transparent as Obama’s John Glaser, October 31, 2011 Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recently appeared on Russian television to discuss the current crisis in his country. He reiterated what he has held for months as the [...]
A Syrian tank moves through Homs where the Arab League observer mission began on Tuesday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The judgment of an Arab League observer mission in Syria has been called into question after its leader, the Sudanese general Mustafa al-Dabi, described the situation in the opposition stronghold of Homs as “reassuring”, despite video footage [...]
Arab League mission said the situation in Homs is “not frightening” but activists said 17 people died there [AFP] Arab League observers are to visit three key protests hubs in Syria as world powers have urged Damascus to give full access to monitor if the country is implementing a plan to end a crackdown on protests. [...]
