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Syria Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 13, 2013 23 Comments

Now Bashar Assad is showing the price for him to declare his chemical weapons and talk about -- just words -- maybe, possibly, removing them to somewhere, somehow, some time in the future. https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/378509356183986176 That price is guaranteeing his regime stays in power and the rebels are...

Posted by David Gerstman on September 12, 2013 23 Comments

When aliens said "We come in peace," they almost invariably had their sights set on world domination. So beware Vladimir Putin when he comes bearing peace....

Posted by New Neo on September 11, 2013 29 Comments

Obama's remarks last night on Syria, summarized: "Chemical weapons are bad. So I'm going to attack Syria, but maybe not. And I trust Putin, except maybe I don't. So perhaps let's have a diplomatic solution instead. And suddenly I believe in American exceptionalism---that is, regarding...

Posted by David Gerstman on September 11, 2013 18 Comments
Yesterday the New York Times reported With the World Watching, Syria Amassed Nerve Gas. The article documents how, despite international efforts to prevent it, Syria built up its supply of chemical weapons.
Proliferation experts said President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and his father before him, former President Hafez al-Assad, were greatly helped in their chemical weapons ambitions by a basic underlying fact: often innocuous, legally exportable materials are also the precursors to manufacturing deadly chemical weapons. ... The growth of Syria’s ability was the subject of a sharply worded secret cable transmitted by the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s name in the fall of 2009. It instructed diplomats to “emphasize that failure to halt the flow” of chemicals and equipment into Syria, Iran and North Korea could render irrelevant a group of antiproliferation countries that organized to stop that flow. ... Another leaked State Department cable on the Syrians asserted that “part of their modus operandi is to hide procurement under the guise of legitimate pharmaceutical or other transactions.”
The article describes how hard it was to stop a determined villain from improving his lethal capabilities. An evil person, or regime, intent on killing people will find a way to do it. Also, there are people, corporations and nations who will rationalize giving these evil people the means they need to reach their goals. The article is frustrating. Clearly, a serious, sustained effort to prevent the Assads from acquiring chemical weapons was needed. But it wasn't to be. Among other things the fall of the Soviet Union made it impossible to control the import of the necessary ingredients to create the gas. Executives at an American company were prosecuted for sending materials that Syria could use to manufacture chemical weapons. Of course, once those components were shipped, it was too late. But if there any lessons for preventing other villains from obtaining deadly weapons in the future to be drawn from this article, they are absent.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 11, 2013 27 Comments
Something very curious has happened on the heels of the discussions between the U.S. and Russia regarding Syria "giving up" chemical weapons. Russia almost immediately began shipping large quantities of additional conventional weapons to Syria to bolster the regime, as reported by Israeli television (via Times of Israel):
Russia is stepping up weapons supplies to Syria’s President Bashar Assad, to help him prevail in the civil war, as part of the arrangements under which the Assad regime has agreed in principle to have its chemical weapons stockpiles placed under international supervision, Israel television reported on Tuesday night. Negotiations between Russia and Syria on the supervision arrangement, which seem to have drastically reduced the likelihood of US-led military intervention in Syria, have been ongoing for two full weeks, and have also involved Iran, the Israeli Channel 2 report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, determined to ensure that his ally Assad not face a punitive US-led strike following Damascus’s alleged use of chemical weapons in an August 21 attack that the US says killed over 1,400 Syrians, essentially ordered Assad to submit to international oversight of his chemical weapons stocks, the report said. In return, Putin promised bolstered conventional weapons shipments, “some of which are already on their way” to Syria from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
While certainly Russia has been shipping weapons previously, this would indicate a more intensified effort. At the same time, the Obama administration seems to be backing away from the rebels. The next time John Kerry testifies before Congress -- or holds a press conference -- he should be pressed as to any undisclosed understandings. Even if Assad doesn't use chemical weapons again, he has a long history of large-scale massacres without chemical weapons:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 42 Comments
As of this writing, it's unclear where things stand. There is a vague offer by Vladimir Putin agreed to by Syria to turn over chemical weapons, but Russia opposes a binding U.N. resolution to that effect and the details are to be worked out. Putin also insists that the U.S. agree not to use force. We will see how this all plays out, but it appears that Obama is negotiating the terms of a surrender to Putin and Assad. (Transcript here) Reactions: https://twitter.com/ChuckLane1/status/377606769259708417 https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/377603647317630977 https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377605225743269888 https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377603196169891840

Posted by Mandy Nagy on September 10, 2013 4 Comments

The Syrian Electronic Army has claimed responsibility for another attack on media outlets, this time through a Hootsuite account associated with at least two international FOX television networks. The incident was first reported by Matthew Keys’ The Desk: The Syrian Electronic Army compromised a Hootsuite account used...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 20 Comments

From Syrian television, translated by MEMRI, a bizarre anti-Obama screed. h/t Free Syria Media Hub First a couple of screen captures: And the video: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 6 Comments

How convenient. How abusive of the memory of those who fell, a clear ploy to gain political advantage from the significance of that date. The vote will be on Cloture for the resolution, not the resolution itself. It's an even higher hurdle. https://twitter.com/NewsBreaker/status/377131043498639360 https://twitter.com/BrianFaughnan/status/377130883599577088 https://twitter.com/susanferrechio/status/377131547725295616 Update 8 p.m. -- Facing mounting...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 42 Comments

The threat of possible military action, as attenuated as Congressional authorization now seems, has led to what may be the endgame. John Kerry floated the idea of Syria turning over its chemical weapons or else, the Russians seized on the idea, and Syria in principle has...

Posted by Laurel Conrad on September 08, 2013 24 Comments
In an effort to deter the US from attacking Syria, the “International Human Shields” movement is eying to locate civilians to Damascus from across the globe, including Britain and the US, reports the Daily Telegraph. Even as residents are evacuating Syria, hundreds of activists are volunteering to be placed in harm’s way against possible air strikes, despite the dangerous nature of the protest. One such activist is Andrew, a 33 year-old Canadian pianist. “I don’t want to see Syria turn into another Libya,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “If I had a hand big enough to squash the US tanks then I would. Democracy is America’s deadliest export, they use it as an excuse to destroy countries.” Franklin Lamb, a lawyer appointed as the legal adviser for the US-based group, stated in a recent op-ed that he is frequently asked how Obama can ignore the reluctance of American people to become militarily involved in Syria. “What kind of Democracy do you have that your President can ignore the will of the American public?”, he is asked by Syrians. Lamb describes how the goal is to bring “1000 Americans and thousands of others”  to potential bomb sites in Syria during the next ten days, reminding Lamb of "one of the International Solidarity Movement international volunteer’s efforts in Occupied Palestine in order to try to protect homes of Palestinians from Government bulldozing". According to Lamb, an objective of the movement is to ensure a message of solidarity among the international community by sending “ideally at least one representative from every UN Member State.” However, one of the major obstacles to fulfilling this goal will be convincing the Syrian government to allow the activists to enter the country. If allowed in the country, activists are to be sent to sites deemed critical to the survival of the Syrian people which include, “power plants, water treatment facilities, bomb shelters (if they exist), civilian communications sites, food storage sites.” Meanwhile, Syria prepares for US attacks, positioning troops in residential neighborhoods and warning residents to move out, according to the Wall Street Journal. Another group of human shields, called “Over Our Dead Bodies, has already been organized by some Damascenes. Reuters has footage of the group, which has allegedly received support from all over the globe, in the video below.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 07, 2013 80 Comments

There are very good arguments against intervention in Syria, even if I disagree with the conclusions reached from those arguments.  I haven't denigrated those who disagree, although I can't say the same is true in reverse. Unfortunately, regardless of how you come out on the issue,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 06, 2013 94 Comments

Having been mostly away from the internet these past two days, I've watched from afar how quickly things have turned on Syria. It's amazing how Obama has gone from being backed into a corner to being on a ledge where his presidency is just a vote...

Posted by Mandy Nagy on September 06, 2013 30 Comments

Speaking from the G20 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia this morning, President Obama addressed the topic of Syria, where he acknowledged that he knew it would be a tough fight to convince Congress and the American public to move forward with a military strike. The president...

Posted by Anne Segal on September 04, 2013 19 Comments
Have you noticed another skirmish brewing, not in the Middle East but among Republicans over support for Obama's Syrian debacle? David Axelrod must be twirling his mustache with delight over his latest manipulation of the leaderless Republican party as they provide cover for Obama's latest fail. Of course, Obama's Syrian problem isn't about Congress, it's about his own failures as a leader -- in this case the logical extension of his worldwide apology tour presidency. Enter Axelrod (if he ever was off stage). August 30 Axelrod puts New York Times, et al., on notice of what the talking point will be -- "this is up to Congress": https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/373320824473673729 A gleeful tweet on August 31: https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/373871738032910336 Sept. 2, a thank you to the New York Times for pitching in: https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/374719590124630016 I imagine a phone call from Axelrod to Obama, perhaps sometime Friday night, with Obama pouting about his off-teleprompter "red line" comment. Axelrod has an idea. Foment a little diversion by foisting Obama's Syrian debacle onto hapless Republicans.
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