Thread: The crisis in Syria

Originally Posted by Deborski

And I for one believe that we can defeat terrorism without attacking. Period. We have not even begun to exhaust all other diplomatic means.

This Syrian woman summed it up nicely when she bravely stood up to Senator John McCain the other day. McCain, of course, only voted against Obama's air-strike because McCain thinks an air-strike would not be enough military intervention. He favors a full-on, troops on the ground, military conflict which could go on for years (and provide plenty of money for him and his friends who invest in Raytheon and other military stocks).

So, McCain went to Syria. A dude with $40 million dollars who probably owns his own Learjet. He looks really healthy for somebody who's been to Syria. Did he have military bodyguards or did he just stay away from the war zones?
Does that mean that if I visit Russia, have dinner at Cafe Pushkin with some opposition members, and talk to the waiter, that I know everything about Russia and I can decide about Russia's future? LOL!
If I lived in Russia for a whole year, I probably still wouldn't know enough to even vote. But McCain thinks he knows everything after 1 trip.

I've seen more of those vids of that meeting. McCain never listens to anybody. He just keeps saying he's right and ignores everybody else. Even the Syrian people!
What that meeting proved is that McCain doesn't care what anyone thinks, period. He was only there to push his agenda.
If there is a strike, it will be an act of aggression and the Syrians will have a reason to hate America. Also, President Putin said he will provide Syria with a missile shield and replace anything that's lost in the strike.
So maybe the Obama administration just wants to kill more people cuz that's all that a strike will do.

Originally Posted by UhOhXplode

So, McCain went to Syria. A dude with $40 million dollars who probably owns his own Learjet. He looks really healthy for somebody who's been to Syria. Did he have military bodyguards or did he just stay away from the war zones?
Does that mean that if I visit Russia, have dinner at Cafe Pushkin with some opposition members, and talk to the waiter, that I know everything about Russia and I can decide about Russia's future? LOL!
If I lived in Russia for a whole year, I probably still wouldn't know enough to even vote. But McCain thinks he knows everything after 1 trip.

I lived in Russia two years and still would not even dare to claim I know everything about it! To really understand a country, you have to live there your whole life. And even then... well, America can still baffle me!

So why isn't everyone up in arms and ready to bomb some people over THIS?

2,000 female genital mutilation victims seek help at London hospitals in just 3 years | Mail Online

More than 2,100 victims of female genital mutilation have been treated in London hospitals since 2010, it emerged today.

Almost 300 women needed surgery to help them recover from the brutal ritual, new figures have revealed.

Among those treated in the capital's hospitals included 12 children, including one girl who had been left with an 'open wound' following the criminal act.

Despite being illegal in the UK, female genital mutilation is on the rise with an estimated 66,000 women dealing with the after-effects and more than 20,000 young girls thought to be at risk.

The procedure is associated with communities in Africa, particularly Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Kenya, as well as some parts of the Middle East.

Nimko Ali was just seven years old when she was taken to Somalia for a 'holiday' where she would be subjected to the horrific procedure.

'There was a woman at the door in a burka. I was scared and instinctively started running. When I was caught, I was taken into a room filled with instruments I didn't recognise,' she said.

'The woman I was so afraid of was there waiting for me. She scolded me for running away, telling me how difficult it was to obtain equipment like this; how ungrateful I was.

'I blacked out before she started cutting. I'm still not sure whether it was the anaesthetic or pure fear'.

When Ali woke, she was in agony with her legs bound together. Taken back to the Uk two days later, Ali found that friends and teachers were unwilling to take her story seriously, leaving her feeling let down and alone.

Thousands upon thousands of little girls are cruelly sliced with rusty blades by twisted and perverted religious fanatics... yet there is no huge outcry and no one screaming that we must STOP THIS at all costs, even if that means sparking off a global conflict. No one is pushing for airstrikes against Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Kenya or the other countries where the governments ALLOW and even CONDONE this!

This outrage over the atrocities in Syria is understandable, but it is hypocritical when people are not equally outraged over all the atrocities which occur every day on this sad little planet of ours.

Obviously bombing the countries which allow this unspeakable act to go on, is out of the question. Why? Because it's their country, and we figure that it's their business how they run things, as sick and horrific as it may be. So what is so special about Syria, that suddenly we care about women and children suffering?

Power. Control. Money to be made. It always comes down to that. To believe that a US bombing raid on Syria is in any way humanitarian, is not only naive, but hypocritical.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Apparently Russia has now said that it will protect Syria against a marine invasion.
I agree that this is right, but this is practically a cold war situation!
Best case scenario: The Russian presence works as a deterrence and they back off.
I like that Russia puts its' money where its' mouth is, but at the same time it's scary and an echo of the past.

1) Россия конечно не будет воевать за Сирию (Мы в своё время воевали за Сербию (1914), за Египет и прочие страны, но благодарности за это не получили). Но своим присутствием мы можем увеличить неопределённость ситуации, чтобы американским стратегам было труднее принять решения о начале войны.
2) Если Америка начнёт атаку на Сирию, то нашей разведке будет интересно понаблюдать за этим с близкого расстояния. Америка раскроет при этом некоторые свои военные секреты. Это вторая причина, по которой наш флот наращивает там своё присутствие.
3) Третья причина: эвакуация из Сирии. Там много смешанных браков (русские жёны). На самолётах всех не вывезти.

Вчера смотрел программу "Вести недели" на канале Россия. Чувствуется, что чем ближе война, тем более резкие оценки и сравнения звучат из уст журналистов. Там есть сюжет о фашизме и США (начало 28:56). Сожалею только, что наши СМИ только в критические моменты говорят так хлёстко. В остальное время их как будто держат в узде властьимущие.

Syria 'welcomes' proposal to hand over control of chemical weapons - CNN.com

Has a diplomatic solution finally been found?

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told reporters in Moscow that his nation "welcomes" a proposal Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made during talks Monday morning: put Syria's chemical weapons under international control to avert a U.S. military response.

"I declare that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes Russia's initiative, on the basis that the Syrian leadership cares about the lives of our citizens and the security in our country," Moallem said. "We are also confident in the wisdom of the Russian government, which is trying to prevent an American aggression against our people."

The comments came after Secretary of State John Kerry discussed a similar scenario, but a State Department spokeswoman said earlier Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could not be trusted to hand over the country's chemical weapons stockpile.

Comments??

I think the US officials would try to resist this option as much as the can but if the UN accepts it, it might be a way to resolve the situation for now.
However if the UN agrees, other CW attacks in Syria might happen to stir up the issue

Originally Posted by Deborski

Syria 'welcomes' proposal to hand over control of chemical weapons - CNN.com

Has a diplomatic solution finally been found?



Comments??

Ой, ну тут проще простого: дружки сговорились, как обезвредить Обаму и потом посмеяться над ним.
Я абсолютно против бомбёжки, но то, что преступники уйдут от ответа, удручает.

It sounds like a really sensible solution and a very good idea.
I don't believe that Syria used the weapons to begin with, but I don't deny there is a possibility I might be wrong.
Either way it's a good reflection on Russia and if the US choose to accept it, that would prove the US is not hellbent at war and takeover according to an existing blueprint... Which is certainly what it looks like right now.

FreakOutNation: President Obama’s Brilliant Strategy No One Seems To Recognize

This is thought-provoking and certainly worth considering. Why would Obama ask for permission from Congress if he knows he's not going to get it? Could it be that, contrary to the image he is fostering in the media, that Obama actually has no intention of invading Syria and is merely using this as a means to change the way things are done in Washington DC, so that subsequent commanders-in-chief must first get the congressional green light before they can invade foreign countries?

Obama is not a stupid man. I would not put this past him. In fact, it would be in character for him to be playing a master game of chess with a bunch of career politicians who have become too comfortable playing checkers.

If this sounds like an improbable scenario I ask that you to ponder for a moment the potential outcome:

No war
Obama and America look strong and world leaders should not doubt Obama’s willingness to take action
Congress was made to do their job
Congress will take the responsibility of inaction
Republicans have to pretend they are anti-war
Americans comes out against any further wars thereby providing the beginning of the end to our perpetual war
Puts pressure on the UN to take other action
Suddenly the UN is eager to accept other harsh non-military actions against Syria

How Vladimir Putin Became The Chuck Norris Of International Politics - Yahoo! Finance

Точно о Путине: "He's clever and duplicitous, very skilled at playing people's own weaknesses and blunders against them — skills he honed as a KGB case officer."

I have no idea who Chuck Norris is....

Originally Posted by Hanna

I have no idea who Chuck Norris is....

He is a right-wing American superhero...
Or, in other words, a poor actor who starred in a bunch of action flicks, including some very stupid anti-Russian ones, but whose real "fame" came from selling athletic equipment and mounting political campaigns to force children to read the bible in public schools and to destroy the separation of church and state.

He is another raging teabagger similar to Ted Nugent. He loves war, the bible, guns and roundhouse kicks, not necessarily in that order...

Originally Posted by Deborski

Has a diplomatic solution finally been found? Comments??

Простая идея. Жаль, что я не додумался до неё. Честно говоря, голова работала не ту сторону.
Это шанс для Обамы. Если он хочет найти повод, чтобы не воевать, то вот он.
Но это и тест для Обамы. Если он хочет воевать, то проигнорирует этот вариант решения проблемы.

It's a solution! Obama said he wouldn't strike if Assad turns over his chemical weapons! Assad agreed and Russia will work with Assad so I just know this will happen.
Obama says Russian Syria proposal could be a breakthrough
Syria says it ‘welcomes’ Russia proposal on chemical weapons - The Washington Post

Originally Posted by Deborski

He is a right-wing American superhero...
Or, in other words, a poor actor who starred in a bunch of action flicks, including some very stupid anti-Russian ones, but whose real "fame" came from selling athletic equipment and mounting political campaigns to force children to read the bible in public schools and to destroy the separation of church and state.

He is another raging teabagger similar to Ted Nugent. He loves war, the bible, guns and roundhouse kicks, not necessarily in that order...

I know this guy! He is the one who was beaten by bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon.

U.S. officials said Kerry’s comment, made in response to a question at a news conference in London, was not intended to be a diplomatic opening... As Kerry flew back to Washington to help lobby lawmakers, he received a midair call from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said he had heard the secretary’s remarks and was about to make a public announcement.

Наши дипломаты поймали бедного Керри на слове. Но его никто за язык не тянул. Думаю, что ему объявят строгий выговор за срыв войны. Но слово не воробей, вылетит - не поймаешь.

Originally Posted by Юрка

Наши дипломаты поймали бедного Керри на слове. Но его никто за язык не тянул. Думаю, что ему объявят строгий выговор за срыв войны. Но слово не воробей, вылетит - не поймаешь.

I was telling an American Facebook friend about this yesterday and he simply could not give the Russians credit. He kept saying that Obama deserved all the credit "for putting the pressure on the Russians" and that it never would have happened if Obama hadn't threatened the air-strike. When I argued with him, he said "Putin is a thug." I deleted him from my friends' list because I am so tired of that kind of stale cold war thinking. But other friends of mine were really happy about Russia's proposal and were celebrating, hoping that this means there will not be a war after all.

I am keeping my fingers crossed. Until Obama formally states that the air-strikes are completely off the table, I will not be able to relax. And meanwhile, who will unarm the jihadists? And if they have chemical weapons, who can make sure they turn those over and do not use them?

I hope the Russian proposal works out and that Obama takes this "out" to cancel his plans for invading Syria. Congress will still put it to a vote tomorrow, but it looks likely that the majority will vote against military action.

Obama has announced that he will formally address the nation tonight at 9:00 EST. Keep your fingers crossed!

My Syrian friend, who lives in Canada, just sent me this video of her husband who was interviewed on TV again, this time in English. He has been working long hours trying to get medical supplies to the more than two million Syrian refugees, especially the little children, as well as serving in the refugee camps himself, as a doctor. Because of laws in Syria preventing the delivery of the medical supplies, he has been smuggling them in and has risked his own life in his war-torn homeland. A very brave man!

In case anyone would like to help get medical equipment to the refugees - the group which my friend's husband volunteers for is called Canadian Relief for Syria. You can see him in a video clip which I posted earlier today in this thread, doing an interview on Canadian news.

Here is a link to the group's website: Home

You can donate directly on their site! So if you can spare anything - and you feel compelled to help the many thousands of Syrians, including little children, who have been injured during the war in Syria, I highly recommend this group.

My friend's husband has risked his life smuggling medical equipment into the region and treating injured children there and even though there has been a breakthrough diplomatically, the fighting has not stopped yet and these people are still in desperate need of help.

Thank you!