Syria - Officially a civil war. Now what?

[Patty Smyth]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...Red-Cross.html

So is this a place where we should get involved? Is Russia getting a little too close for comfort by sending ships full of arms?

Is Syria being neglected because of Afghanistan and Iraq?

Any thoughts?

I think the states is staying away because of fear of Russia to be honest. I am not sure the U.S. could afford nor win any conflict if Russia went in full force.

[MortgageQueen]

Very, very very sad. . .
"To man it does not belong to direct even his very own step."
. . . and the saga continues. . .

[DaveP]

Very, very very sad. . .
"To man it does not belong to direct even his very own step."
. . . and the saga continues. . .

I see your Jeremiah 10:23 and raise you Deuteronomy 30:19

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

And Joshua 24:15

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

[DaveP]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...Red-Cross.html

So is this a place where we should get involved? Is Russia getting a little too close for comfort by sending ships full of arms?

Is Syria being neglected because of Afghanistan and Iraq?

Any thoughts?

I think the states is staying away because of fear of Russia to be honest. I am not sure the U.S. could afford nor win any conflict if Russia went in full force.

We need to stay out of this. Who would we bomb? How could we separate the good guys from the bad guys and from the innocents? Who are the good guys? The rebels? Seems a lot of radical elements are arming themselves right now. The whole thing is a mess and we need to stay away from it militarily.

[kashkoush]

the children,the innocents are always the victims for the sake of propaganda!

[Patty Smyth]

We need to stay out of this. Who would we bomb? How could we separate the good guys from the bad guys and from the innocents? Who are the good guys? The rebels? Seems a lot of radical elements are arming themselves right now. The whole thing is a mess and we need to stay away from it militarily.

Yes, I would not touch it with a 10 foot pole.

I went to school with a bunch of peeps from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine in the early 80's and I often wonder what the heck has happened to their countries and what ever became of them. A lot of these countries were not like this 30 years ago. They were very modern, advanced culturally, economically. The ones i went to school with were very affluent also. Not that I was but they paid foreign students fees. They were sent here to this particular school. Although some of the Palestinians were sent here to keep them out of the concentration camps.

[Darth Penguin]

Assad may use chemical weapons

The most senior Syrian politician to defect to the opposition has told the BBC the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it is cornered.
Nawaf Fares, ex-ambassador to Iraq, said unconfirmed reports indicated such weapons might have already been used.
He also said that major bombings across Syria had been orchestrated by the regime in collaboration with al-Qaeda.

[DaveP]

Assad may use chemical weapons

He also said that major bombings across Syria had been orchestrated by the regime in collaboration with al-Qaeda.

AlQaeda working with the regime makes no sense. AlQaeda is a radical Sunni movement while the regime is Shia, allied with Shia Iran. If AlQaeda were to work with anybody in Syria, it would be the insurgents. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Darth Penguin]

CNN says that AQ is supporting the rebels or not....

Since the start of the uprising in Syria there has been great concern about al Qaeda in Iraq infiltrating the Syrian opposition groups to unseat the Syrian government. Though not considered present in large numbers, it is one reason cited by U.S. officials for resistance to arming Syrian rebels. .
But for Syria's leadership, al Qaeda's work against the Bashar al-Assad regime is a boomerang. In an interview with CNN's Ivan Watson, the highest level government official to defect described further how Damascus has collaborated with al Qaeda since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Former Syrian ambassador to Iraq Nawaf al Fares said Syria "coordinated" with al Qaeda because they were threatened by the U.S. invasion:

[Darth Penguin]

TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if AQ were playing both sides.

[DaveP]

TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if AQ were playing both sides.

What a friggin mess.

[gameprogirl]

I agree with Dave, we need to stay out of this one.

[Patty Smyth]

Suicide bomber kills top officials


A suicide bombing at the National Security building in Damascus has killed Syria's defence minister Dawoud Rajha, as well as President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, Gen. Assef Shawkat.
The bomber struck during a meeting of Cabinet ministers and senior security officials. Mr. Rajha is the most senior government official to be killed in the Syrian civil war as rebels battle to oust Mr. Assad.

[Darth Penguin]

Syria says it could use chemical arms against foreign intervention

Syria acknowledged for the first time on Monday that it had chemical and biological weapons, saying they could be used if the country faced foreign intervention. International pressure on President Bashar al-Assad has escalated dramatically in the last week with a rebel offensive in the two biggest cities and a devastating bomb attack which killed four members of his inner circle in Damascus.
Assad's forces have launched fierce counter-offensives, reflecting his determination to hold on to power even at great cost and he has dismissed an Arab offer to grant him a safe exit in return for a swift step down.

[Patty Smyth]

That is quite scary