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Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:17 AM Mar 2016

At this point, I'm thinking the entire world is Syria.

On one side, terrorism and extremism. On the other side, far right authoritarianism and fascism.

And in the middle are lots and lots of innocent people caught in the crossfire between these two factions, people who only want to live in peace.

God help us.

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pampango

(24,692 posts)
2. I hear you. Of course, fascists and terrorists feed of each other and want the choice
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:23 AM
Mar 2016

to come down one or the other, whichever you deem the 'lesser of two evils'. In that scenario the space for liberal democracy is quite limited. I agree. Sometimes it seem we are headed that way.

 

highoverheadspace

(307 posts)
3. The problem is that there is no concerted effort by the United States
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:23 AM
Mar 2016

to get these groups to stop fighting. The US State Department are encouraging Turkey and Saudi Arabia and supporting many groups that are affiliated with al Qaeda and ISIS. That is being covered up by our corrupt media. The truth is the first victim in war.


Here's the most recent US State Department briefing on the subject where AP reporter Matt Lee asks some great probing questions.




The Kurds want autonomy and the ability to set up their own federated state, but the US is against the Kurds right to decide for themselves what they want. It has become quite embarrassing if you ask me. The US is dictating what countries can and can't do when it comes to freedom of choice. These are bizarre and sad times.
 

highoverheadspace

(307 posts)
5. Syria was actually one of the least religious extreme countries in the Middle East.
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:39 AM
Mar 2016

It was, until 5 years ago, the most secular country in the ME with 22 million citizens of which 2.2 million were Christians. Syria was considered the "belt" between Christianity and Islam where a number of diverse religious ideologies coexisted. They were stable and had a good living wage. Infrastructure was sound and people traveled abroad. Everyone was entitled to free government education.

Now it is nearly completely destroyed except for Damascus. Assad was never the "dictator" the US media made him out to be. He and his wife met in the UK. She is from Oxford. The are both Allawites which is the most peaceful secular form of Islam. He is a doctor. His father was a dictator, but he was always the reluctant son and a family man with three kids who really didn't seek to be President. His younger years portray that he seriously considered staying in the UK and having his family there as that is where their romance blossomed.

He and the SAA are the main thing that is keeping the jihadists from killing all of Syria's Christians. If the jihadists were to have taken over the country then everyone that they consider as an infidel would be killed. There are no 'moderate' rebels fighting in Syria. The ones that are fighting in the Islamic State are primarily financed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. That is where all those Toyota pick up trucks come from.

The Syrian crisis can be brought to a close if the US would stop embracing Turkey, Saudi Arabia and these nefarious ' rebel' groups.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
6. Had Hillary not thrown in with Petraeus to carry out regime change, IS wouldn't exist
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:27 AM
Mar 2016

Catastrophic policy failure that went against Obama's better instincts, and we are learning more about it, Secretary of State Clinton was instrumental to making it happen.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,085 posts)
7. IS came about during the Iraq War under Bush.
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:52 AM
Mar 2016

It jumped on the Syrian situation, but existed long before that.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
8. It was a minor footnote before heavy arms and Sunni fighters started pouring in from Libya.
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:58 AM
Mar 2016

NYT did series of articles in 2014 about how the US facilitated these transfers by Qatar and Turkey.

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