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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJuan Cole: Syria: You know you’re in Trouble When…
You know youre in trouble when you can only rule over people if you massacre them: Opposition sources said that a major massacre was committed on Thursday by Syrian government forces, which bombarded the Sunni town of Taramseh near Hama with artillery and helicopter gunships.
You know youre in trouble when your ambassador to Iraq defects and denounce you as a terrorist: He said that his allegiance was to the Syrian people, not to a regime and army that was massacring them.
You know you are in trouble when one of your top Sunni generals, son of a long-serving minister of defense defects: Although, as a Sunni, he had not exactly been in Bashar al-Assads inner circle (which is largely Alawite Shiite), he was a top member of the regime.
You know youre in trouble when thousands of your Sunni foot soldiers flee to Turkey: Sunni soldiers are often put in the front lines and intensively spied on so that they cannot easily escape. Despite these measures, thousands of Sunni service personnel and officers have defected, many crossing over to Turkey.
http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/syria-you-know-youre-in-trouble-when.html
leveymg
(36,418 posts)and neutralize it as the US, Saudis/GCC/Israel prepare to move on Iran. You can already hear the sounds of holy war.
The Doctor.
(17,266 posts)Or anything other than an honest revolt by the people against an oppressive regime?
leveymg
(36,418 posts)And, it's not either/or in this case, but a combination of the two. And, for an extra layer of realism, which may be confusing to some casual observers, there are multiple outside powers that have been fueling this conflict with money, guns and jihadists.