"What Is Going On in Syria?" by Father Paul Stenhouse

"Unless defections from the 600,000-strong, predominantly Sunni, Syrian army reach significant proportions—which is unlikely—the rebels seem to be pinning their hopes of toppling the regime on enticing foreign powers to enter the conflict on the ground and in the air. In other words, replaying the Libyan scenario. But—as many are starting to realise—Syria is not Libya; nor is it Iraq. Assad is not friendless as was Gaddafi. No one claims that the Assad regime as it stands is a democracy, but it was and is moving towards one. On the other hand, the much publicised efforts its opponents inside and outside Syria are making to demonise Assad and his government have to be seen for what they are: exaggerated and often spurious claims aimed at drawing ill-informed foreign powers into a conflict that will probably draw the whole region into a wider and bloodier one." Father Paul Stenhouse

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You heard it here first.  pl

http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2012/4/what-is-going-on-in-syria 

 

Comments

[Norbert M. Salamon]

Brezinsky, Gen. Jones, Ignatius and Mazarr on many things strategic, including USA v. Syrian issue:

http://charlierose.com/view/interview/12620

Enjoy

[Rd.]

here is the paper by Mazzar;

"The alleged insolvency of American strategy has been exhaustively chronicled and debated since the 1990s. The argument here is that twenty years of warnings will finally come true over the next five to ten years"

http://csis.org/files/publication/twq12FallMazarr.pdf

[Norbert M Salamon]

War with Iran and military considerations.
positions by:

Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, who served as deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command and commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, among many other posts; Geoffrey Kemp, a CNI fellow who served as a Gulf expert on Reagan’s National Security Council; and J. Robinson West, the chairman and founder of PFC Energy who has also held senior positions in the White House, the Energy Department, and the Pentagon under various Republicanadministration

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/10/22

Enjoy

[JohnH]

The problem seems to be that the global economy has become the sand box of US business and financial elites. The health of the US economy no longer represents their future source of growth and profits. So the elites have become indifferent to the success or failure of the US economy.

But these same elites care very strongly about the US military, for it helps maintain the system which generates their profits. As so, they are willing to spend $2 Billion on an election that will ensure protection of their interests.

The well being of their compatriots matters not, as they become increasingly detached from them.

[Fred]

"There are occasions in which it is better to be ignorant than informed. In this case this was very true." That's such a truthful insight into human nature, as was the cause that prompted this observation.

As to the French actions in North Africa. Certainly the war wasn't decided even by late 1942 and the French leadership - well it certainly was not unified. From what little is on the wiki the whole political circumstances of French North Africa are worth a book or two. Lots of what-ifs on the leadership of post war France had Darlan or any of the other senior commanders made different choices.

[Fred]

Slightly off topic but what impact will the latest construction in Saudi Arabia have?

ttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/medina-saudis-take-a-bulldozer-to-islams-history-8228795.html

[Babak Makkinejad]

Nothing.

The Umma is largely oblivious to the depredations of Wahabis against Muslim Memory.

They destroyed, for example, the house of Khadija - Um al Mo'menin - 50 years ago without nary a peep out of Muslims.

They razed historical buildings over the Baqi'ah Cemetery and only the Shia protested.

Within the Orthodox Sunni Islam, these wantonly ignorant actions against Muslim history cannot be challenged or criticized.

[Fred]

Babak,

Is that due to the Wahhabis influence in SA or is this common to all Sunni Islam?

[Babak Makkinejad]

Yes.

[confusedponderer]

So they are Islam's iconoclasts?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasm

[Babak Makkinejad]

I think common understanding in Islam was that by icons were meant images or engravings of men.

Such images were routinely defaced or destroyed during early Muslim history - one can look at the equestrian base relief of Khosrow the Second in Kerman-Shah as an example.

I personally think that men are capable of any kind of idol worship; money, knowledge, art, women, power, etc.

Yet no one seems to care much about these inner idols.

Wahabis may be faulted with many things among them the refusal to use Reason in encountering with the Quran, for example. Now, in fairness, that is a tendency common to many Muslims – Shia or Sunni. What distinguished Wahabis is the dominance of “No-Thinking” as the primary mode of experiencing religion.

For example, they insist that the Quran requires no interpretation - but when you ask them if God then actually has many hands - per the Quran - they get upset and might physically attack you.

In my opinion, they have turned religion into their idol – that is where the fault lies.