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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/25/us-syria-jordan-border-idUSBRE92O0JF20130325 Jordan closed its main border crossing with Syria. Not sure how this affects refugees.
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Mar 25, 2013 21:24
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A no fly zone could turn into a confrontation with planes coming in from Iran, which would be, uh, provocative. Not to mention Russia's opposition and their military presence in the region.
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Mar 25, 2013 21:27
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More kids with guns in Syria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE6kAJNRxmk
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Mar 25, 2013 21:33
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Did you see this? http://feed.vocativ.com/child-soldiers-in-syria-sick-mascots-or-the-new-face-of-global-jihad/
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Mar 25, 2013 21:38
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Xandu posted:Did you see this? I didn't, it's certainly reflective of a continuing trend I'm seeing in the conflict, I've been keeping a playlist of videos like that here.
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Mar 25, 2013 21:46
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Here's a really great piece from Channel 4 News about a clinic in Aleppo. It's a very tough watch, but worth it http://www.channel4.com/news/syrias-descent-the-agony-of-aleppos-children
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Mar 25, 2013 21:51
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Brown Moses posted:My conclusion is that if you are arming the FSA you'll end up arming the Jihadists too. And vice versa.
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Mar 25, 2013 21:57
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http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/a-letter-from-a-political-prisoner-on-hunger-strike-in-bahrain/?smid=tw-share Letter from Zainab al-Khawaja
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Mar 25, 2013 22:09
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Another great Onion article, Hi, In The Past 2 Years, You Have Allowed Me To Kill 70,000 People By Bashar Al-Assad.
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Mar 25, 2013 22:22
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This one's not even funny, just sad.
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Mar 25, 2013 22:22
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Sergg posted:I think the people of Syria would disagree vehemently with you about the rebel groups being worth a drat, as evidenced by the mass defections and the whole civil war thing. If Assad wins, there is no hope. No hope for a better future. He will just keep killing and killing and killing, just like he was doing before the people took up arms against him. If Assad wins he will kill everyone who opposed him and his iron fist will come down with renewed vigor and multiplied force. It'll be like Iraq in 1991 all over again. That's why so many Syrians would rather die than live under his regime. Being honest, if the fighting stopped tomorrow and fair elections are later held with Bashar's name somewhere on the ballot I wouldn't be surprised if he actually wins. The situation is a little more complicated than you make it seem. If the existence of a civil war makes the rebel movement legitimate then the duration and bitterness of the fighting proves that the other side must also be legitimate. At this point, there's enough truth to what is said about both sides to where it becomes hard to condemn someone for supporting one or the other.
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Mar 25, 2013 23:01
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Brown Moses posted:The intention with the Croatian weapons was they were to be supplied to members of the "official" Free Syrian Army, but what has happened is these weapons have now ended up in the hands of Salafist and Jihadist groups outside of the FSA. It's likely this is a result of the close working relationship between the FSA and these groups, and is an indication of what will happen to weapons provided to the FSA if the transfers are done above aboard. My conclusion is that if you are arming the FSA you'll end up arming the Jihadists too. I am really bad at keeping links so I am not sure what site I got this from, but there was some article talking to one of the ... what should we call them ... "softcore Islamists"? A leader in one of the somewhat religious groups who worked closely with JAN and similar, without being all-out jihadi. Like you note above, he said that of course he shared weaponry with them when he got supplies from foreign sources, they were brothers and shared everything, etc. Even apart from such outright sharing, it should be pretty obvious that armament will more or less quickly spread beyond the original receivers.
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Mar 26, 2013 00:39
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Have we had any news about Assad yet? Surely he would have confirmed he's alive by now, no?
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Mar 26, 2013 01:13
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No, and no. I don't think those rumors hit the mainstream and he often goes a while without being in public these days.
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Mar 26, 2013 01:15
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I know this is going back a couple days, but CNN (and whatever other major news organizations) reporting that chemical weapon use had been "highly probable" drives me a bit nuts. I don't exactly expect better from the CNN website but it was irresponsible to repeat the claim that chemical weapons were used, in the headline, then follow up with little fact checking through independent sources/analysts. What makes it so awful is that CNN is still viewed as a legitimate moderate or even liberal-leaning news source by a lot of Americans, even after we saw what happened with the non-existent WMDs in Iraq, and it can still shift public opinion towards going to war. It's good that they're catching up with Brown Moses now, and they technically did say that the reports were unconfirmed, but the idea is already planted in people's heads and the public is nudged ever so slightly towards supporting American intervention.
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Mar 26, 2013 02:13
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G. Hosafat posted:I know this is going back a couple days, but CNN (and whatever other major news organizations) reporting that chemical weapon use had been "highly probable" drives me a bit nuts. I don't exactly expect better from the CNN website but it was irresponsible to repeat the claim that chemical weapons were used, in the headline, then follow up with little fact checking through independent sources/analysts. What makes it so awful is that CNN is still viewed as a legitimate moderate or even liberal-leaning news source by a lot of Americans, even after we saw what happened with the non-existent WMDs in Iraq, and it can still shift public opinion towards going to war. It's good that they're catching up with Brown Moses now, and they technically did say that the reports were unconfirmed, but the idea is already planted in people's heads and the public is nudged ever so slightly towards supporting American intervention. There were a couple of Congressmen who came out of an intelligence briefing saying that it was "highly probable", so I don't really fault CNN for that.
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Mar 26, 2013 02:35
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You should absolutely fault cnn for that. What kind of retard journalist takes pols statements at face value without any evidence. It's not like Congressmen don't have a long history of spouting bullshit to the press, see McCarthy for example. Their nasty habit of spreading rumors is the kind of behavior that got us into Iraq. It's also the laziest way to make deadline and keep the 24 hour news stream flowing. edit: For a more detailed explanation of why you shouldn't trust that kind of government statement, see the FP article i linked a few pages back Squalid fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 03:06
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I thought I had posted it in here, but apparently not and now I can't find it, but CNN did have an "exclusive" article last week reporting that the intelligence community disagreed with those assessments about chemical weapons being used.
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Mar 26, 2013 03:12
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Zedsdeadbaby posted:I've literally never seen step 12. Anywhere. Not in Libya, not in Tunisia, not in Egypt, not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not anywhere. None of those are legitimate. It's a bit sad. What makes democracy the only thing which is legitimate in your mind? Is Australia less legitimate, since we don't elect out head of state or prime minister?
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Mar 26, 2013 03:32
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Xandu posted:No, and no. I don't think those rumors hit the mainstream and he often goes a while without being in public these days. I can't find a source for it at the moment, but didn't someone in the GBS thread mention that it seemed slightly odd that Assad security forces weren't allowing any entry (at least by journalists) into the hospital that Assad would normally go to in the event that he needed their services?
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Mar 26, 2013 03:36
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I don't know, given all the various restrictions on journalists in Damascus, I don't know if that's unusual or not. It might be.
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Mar 26, 2013 03:37
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I haven't paid much attention to Libya ever since Gaddafi was killed, how has the country been progressing? Has a functional new government been formed? Is the country still undergoing reconstruction?
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Mar 26, 2013 06:22
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C2C - 2.0 posted:I can't find a source for it at the moment, but didn't someone in the GBS thread mention that it seemed slightly odd that Assad security forces weren't allowing any entry (at least by journalists) into the hospital that Assad would normally go to in the event that he needed their services? AlShami has been the go-to hospital for a lot of the regime's hard cases for a while due to its location and reported quality of service, and has been off limits for almost a year now. That place is a fortress, and it is where they took people like Asef Shawkat to after the explosion that killed him.
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Mar 26, 2013 07:43
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Brown Blitzkrieg posted:What makes democracy the only thing which is legitimate in your mind? Is Australia less legitimate, since we don't elect out head of state or prime minister? The difference is that power in Australia is accountable to voters in a way that it isn't in most Middle Eastern countries. It's true that the monarch is not elected, but the politicians who wield power can be voted out if they displease the citizens. It's also a semantic quibble to say the prime minister isn't elected in parliamentary democracies, since the voters understand the system and know who will be the prime minister if a certain party forms a government.
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Mar 26, 2013 08:43
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Bit late to the Brown Moses congratulation party but I felt I had to express my admiration for your dedication to detail and reporting in the Syrian conflict. I also hope that you can make this into something good for yourself, we all know you deserve it. Do you know what NOS is going to use your interview for? I'd like to catch it on Dutch tv if at all possible.
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Mar 26, 2013 09:39
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Not yet, I'll be sure to ask them though. They should be here in 3 hours. I should also be on Channel 4 News in the UK tonight.
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Mar 26, 2013 10:00
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Moaaz Alkhatib, the head of the Syrian National Coalition just made what appears to be an amazing speech at the Arab Summit in Doha. I'll upload a translated or dubbed video of it as soon as one appears online.
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Mar 26, 2013 11:06
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Chamale posted:The difference is that power in Australia is accountable to voters in a way that it isn't in most Middle Eastern countries. It's true that the monarch is not elected, but the politicians who wield power can be voted out if they displease the citizens. It's also a semantic quibble to say the prime minister isn't elected in parliamentary democracies, since the voters understand the system and know who will be the prime minister if a certain party forms a government. Ahahahaha. The amount you DON'T know about Australian politics is adorable.
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Mar 26, 2013 12:45
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Gah, I've been bumped again on Channel 4 News.
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Mar 26, 2013 12:46
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Brown Blitzkrieg posted:Ahahahaha. The amount you DON'T know about Australian politics is adorable. While I get what you're saying, what with Gillard and Rudd, and so forth, but Australia is still more democratic than any Middle Eastern country, and is definitely 'more legitimate' than any Middle Easter government. Democracy is a slow process and a fight from ideals and ideologies as they progress. It doesn't happen over night but the fact is that the ME is taking good steps towards a better future with better democracy and better human rights. It could mean two steps forward one step backwards - but that's shown throughout history.
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Mar 26, 2013 13:23
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Lascivious Sloth posted:While I get what you're saying, what with Gillard and Rudd, and so forth, but Australia is still more democratic than any Middle Eastern country, and is definitely 'more legitimate' than any Middle Easter government. Democracy is a slow process and a fight from ideals and ideologies as they progress. It doesn't happen over night but the fact is that the ME is taking good steps towards a better future with better democracy and better human rights. It could mean two steps forward one step backwards - but that's shown throughout history. First of all, stop saying ME, that's loving Orientalist as hell. It's West Asia. Second of all, you didn't get what I was saying at all. He mentioned accountability, that's what I was loving laughing at. And what's so undemocratic about Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia or Algeria?
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Mar 26, 2013 13:32
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Using the term Middle East for that region or specific nations is not Orientalist. I got what you were saying - and Australia is more accountable as a democratic nation than any country in the ME. Turkey is not the Middle East, it is Eastern Europe. Algeria and Tunisia are North African. That aside; Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are not more 'accountable'/democratic/free than Australia. Are you kidding me.
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Mar 26, 2013 13:43
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Lascivious Sloth posted:Using the term Middle East for that region or specific nations is not Orientalist. As a person with ancestry from the region, I find the term Middle East highly offensive. Middle in relation to what? East in relation to what? Europe, you loving Eurocentrist. I'd prefer to be defined by geographical relation to Asia, not a rotting, open wound like Europe. This is why the United Nations and slightly progressive places like Canada use the term Western Asia instead of "Middle East". Lascivious Sloth posted:I got what you were saying - and Australia is more accountable as a democratic nation than any country in the ME. I didn't say they were, you disingenuous gently caress, I asked how they were any less democratic. People in those countries, for instance, largely pay attention to politics and vote on things based on more than "that's what my parents voted for" or "fygm?", for instance. There is spirited and lively (but most of all, meaningful) debate in those countries. That's called engagement, and to me bespeaks greater democracy than the festering puss ball of apathy which is Australia. Lascivious Sloth posted:Turkey is not the Middle East, it is Eastern Europe. Algeria and Tunisia are North African. That aside; Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are not more 'accountable'/democratic/free than Australia. Are you kidding me. This still isn't explaining what you mean. Your inability to show your reasoning is telling. Make an argument, or gently caress off. If a politician fucks up and pisses someone off in the Western Asian region, they might get assassinated. That's a lot more accountability than an Australian politician who, upon loving up, will likely get voted back into power, to later retire with a parliamentary retirement package. See: Joh Bjelke Peterson. That motherfucker even got a knighthood  SOURCE: http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf BlitzkriegOfColour fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 14:00
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Wowquote:The Sultanate has provided asylum to the family of late Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi on "humanitarian grounds", according to a top Foreign Ministry source. http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-11777.aspx
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Mar 26, 2013 14:06
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Someone attempted to assassinate a foreigner in the Yemeni capital today, which has actually never happened before (usually just kidnappings, last assassination of a foreigner was in Taiz) and doesn't bode well for the security situation.quote:A Western aid worker was shot on Tuesday in the Yemeni capital by unidentified gunmen and was in a critical condition, a security official said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/us-yemen-violence-aidworker-idUSBRE92P0CJ20130326
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Mar 26, 2013 14:18
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Brown Blitzkrieg posted:As a person with ancestry from the region, I find the term Middle East highly offensive. Middle in relation to what? East in relation to what? Europe, you loving Eurocentrist. I'd prefer to be defined by geographical relation to Asia, not a rotting, open wound like Europe. This is why the United Nations and slightly progressive places like Canada use the term Western Asia instead of "Middle East". Calm down my friend, your insults and xenophobia does not actually justify your argument. I'm sorry you find the term offensive - I've traveled in the region and many people I met often used the term. Maybe you shouldn't automatically assume it's ill intended.
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Mar 26, 2013 14:24
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Xandu posted:Someone attempted to assassinate a foreigner in the Yemeni capital today, which has actually never happened before (usually just kidnappings, last assassination of a foreigner was in Taiz) and doesn't bode well for the security situation. Aren't you a foreigner based in Yemen? If so, how do you feel about the security situation yourself?
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Mar 26, 2013 14:26
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Lascivious Sloth posted:Calm down my friend, your insults and xenophobia does not actually justify your argument. I'm sorry you find the term offensive - I've traveled in the region and many people I met often used the term. Maybe you shouldn't automatically assume it's ill intended. I really suggest you read his history. His rap sheet doesn't seem TOO bad until you read the conversations actually taking place. Don't respond to him and maybe he'll leave before destroying the thread. e: Just in case you miss it, these are things he actually said: Brown Blitzkrieg posted:
Schizotek fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 14:27
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I moved back last month, but I wouldn't be feeling too great. Those 3 foreigners kidnapped earlier this year still haven't been released, and then there was this video. There might be a reason she was targeted (the American killed a few years ago in Taiz was accused of proselytizing), but there might not. A lot of the high-ranking foreign diplomats and NGO guys walk around Sana'a with multiple armed bodyguards and only leave their hotels for meetings and 90% of the time it feels like complete overkill, but then poo poo like this happens.
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Mar 26, 2013 14:29
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Lascivious Sloth posted:Calm down my friend, your insults and xenophobia does not actually justify your argument. I'm sorry you find the term offensive - I've traveled [sic] in the region and many people I met often used the term. Maybe you shouldn't automatically assume it's ill intended. I'm part European, so, hardly xenophobic. Maybe they didn't know better. It doesn't justify your continuing use of a derogatory designation. It's not like you elucidated your argument at all, so I'm not going to continue to engage in this. But for the record, I didn't assume it was ill intended, merely under-informed, ignorant, and perhaps even a little backwards. Schizotek posted:I really suggest you read his history. His rap sheet doesn't seem TOO bad until you read the conversations actually taking place. Don't respond to him and maybe he'll leave before destroying the thread. Do you understand jokeposting at all? But also: gently caress you for not supporting the rights of Aborigines to self-determination. BlitzkriegOfColour fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 14:32
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