That what bad some Muslim do, doesn't apply to all muslims nor Islam itself.Originally Posted by GB_FXST
No one is saying this.
My humble opinion is that Islam has a problem, this doesn't mean I believe every single Muslim in the world is hell bent on killing non-Muslims (well most Muslims are in fact killed at the hands of other Muslims as this very thread shows us) but that still doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.
It might seem as though I'm using a broad brush when pointing this out but I think there is enough of a reason to use such a brush.
Last edited by EITAN88; 07-26-2012 at 02:06 PM.
Israel ups security on Syria border
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...261054,00.html
Hopefully the warships will remain on-station just in case.
Russia’s restraining hand on Assadhttp://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_26/Ru...hand-on-Assad/There have been further clashes today in Syria's second city, Aleppo. Rebel groups say thousands of government soldiers are being moved there from the Turkish border.
Meanwhile, a new report on the Syrian crisis has been published by the think-tank, the Royal United Services Institute. It says foreign intervention in Syria has become more likely in recent weeks. One of the report's authors, Colonel Richard Kemp, comments on whether such intervention would complicate affairs in Syria.
I think it’s making it quite clear that all of the concerns that many people in the West have about intervention in Syria are well-founded and that the prospects for a Western intervention in that country in the current situation are very low indeed. That’s partly due, I think, to the position of both Russia and China who would oppose any such intervention and partly also due to the incredible complexities of the opposition movement. And it’s not clear who you would support, who you would try and help to propel into power. I think for those reasons, as well as many lessons that have been learned over previous interventions there would be no appetite right now for that.
So, in effect, even if the Security Council of the UN were to approve some kind of intervention in Syria - nobody would really know would they are getting into.
I think, there’s no doubt there’s great deal of work going on now by many different nations to gain intelligence about the situation there, most critically about the different opposition groups. And I think that intelligence needs to be developed much further before there could be any confidence that people knew what they were getting themselves into.
One of the things that is clear in the new Ruth’s report is that President Assad has some serious fire power on his side.
He does indeed. And I think probably the two most concerning elements of that are, first of all, air defense system that he’s got, which is very comprehensive, because there’s a great deal of redundancy and it covers all of the important areas of the country. If there was to be any form of military intervention, then that air defense system would have to be neutralized which would be by no means an easy task. It would be a great deal more difficult to deal with that system than it was with, for example, Iraq’s air defense or indeed Libya’s which were far less significant. And the second real area of concern is Assad’s large stockpile of chemical weapons believed to be the largest in the world. There is a risk Assad could use that weapon. I don’t think he would have any hesitation about doing so. But I do believe that in the last few days we’ve seen the restraining hand of Russia on Assad preventing him from using those weapons. I think as a result of Russian influence he has come out and said that he wouldn’t be using them except for against possible foreign intervention.
You’ve brought up Russia. The report also says that Russia has clear strategic motives for opposing intervention or further UN sanctions, but you also point out that in real terms the damage to East-West relations is actually not that great after this diplomatic onpass, if you like.
I don’t see necessarily - depending on how the situation unfolds – lasting damage between relations between Russia and the West. Depending, of course, on how it goes. But I mean there’s no question about Russia’s very-very deep engagement with Assad’s regime and Russia’s strategic need to keep Assad in position as long as they possibly can. And my view also is that I would be very surprised if Russia wasn’t taking steps right now to try and engineer a suitable replacement for Assad, if they are able to do so.
The Western media got very excited in a last week or so by seemingly heightened level of fighting within Damascus itself and obviously continuing reports of heavy fightings around the second city, Aleppo. But from the details contained in the Ruth’s report, it seems that Assad is very well armed and yet people were taking this as if we were on real turning point in the civil war or the conflict. But it seems that Assad is happy to hang on or is in the position to hang on.
I think it’s a very unpredictable situation. And in any situation like this is not simply a question of the military balance. It’s very big psychological aspect to this as well. We have seen not just significant attacks against some key members of Assad’s administration last week in Damascus. We’ve also seen areas of Aleppo being taken over which now looks as if it was regained by the government or in the process to be regained. We’ve also seen some quite serious defections from the Assad regime. We’re continuing to see that. We think that there will come at some stage a tipping point when Assad loses the strength in his position and has no option other than to make himself scared or indeed topple himself physically, military.
Iran said on Thursday it would stand by its ally Syria, despite mounting international pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down to end a 16-month uprising against his rule.
Iran's Press TV quoted first Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi as saying Tehran's support for Syria was "unchangeable", countering suggestions that Iran could soften its backing for Assad, the Shi'ite Muslim republic's closest Arab ally.
"The Iranian people have an unchangeable stance on Syrians and will always stand by them," Rahimi was quoted as saying, accusing major powers of uniting to damage the Syrian nation.
Despite lauding popular uprisings in other Arab countries as an "Islamic awakening", Iran has dismissed opposition to Assad's rule as a foreign conspiracy.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=279056
Gives me all the more reason to believe this flotilla was deployed with the possible evacuation of Russian citizens in mind.
Obviously they never experienced mosquitoes.
Manaf Tlas in AnkaraBrigadier General Manaf Tlas, one of the most senior defectors from President Bashar al-Assad's rule, has arrived in Ankara to have talks with Turkish officials as Syria's fragmented opposition are seeking ways in Qatar to agree on a roadmap for a transfer of power.
http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetai...?newsId=287776
Or Puerto Ricans.
What?
LOL "roadmap" for a transfer of power. How typical, they use an American term when speaking to their paymasters and armorers in Qatar.Brigadier General Manaf Tlas, one of the most senior defectors from President Bashar al-Assad's rule, has arrived in Ankara to have talks with Turkish officials as Syria's fragmented opposition are seeking ways in Qatar to agree on a roadmap for a transfer of power.
Indeed that and even providing support just in case Tartus becomes a warzone.
Murder and drugs rife in Free Syrian Army – Syrian defectorhttp://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_26/Mu...rian-defector/Voice of Russia has managed to interview a former fighter of the insurgent Free Syrian Army, 27-year-old Youssef Naami. A couple of days ago, Youssef and several of his comrades defected to the incumbent regime.
“We were told that we must go and fight. It was Sheikh Ayman al-Khalid who talked to us most often. He said that we should work for the good of the Motherland, for the sake of faith, that we were blessed with an important mission – to struggle against the sinners in power. And so on. At first, we just went to demonstrations,” Naami said.
However, after the young men had taken part in peaceful demonstrations, the organizers handed weapons to them:
“They drove us to a training base; there they taught us to handle weapons. After the training we began to take part in clashes with the army. And not only that: we also abducted people. We were told that they were supporting the regime. And we killed people too. There was some kind of boldness in it. They promised to pay us from 5,000 to 10,000 Lire for this (approx 80-160 dollars – Ed.). But actually they paid 1000 or 1500 Lear, and often nothing at all.”
“I saw people murdered with my own eyes. Often my friends and I kept watch while others broke into houses and killed people. Once I raped a woman in one house too. Now I am ashamed of it. It’s painful to think about it. And back then it seemed like I was not myself – it was fervor or something. Now I think it is all because of drugs,” Naami confessed.
According to Naami, he was not the only one who was drugged without his knowledge: “Now it is difficult to remember exactly when it started. Sometimes we were drinking tea with some strange grass. They told us it increased energy or something. Then there were pills. When we were going for an operation, they gave us different pills; it is to calm our nerves, they said, and for courage, so that we won’t be afraid. And it was true, after you swallow it, you are ready to go and shoot the whole world. Now I want to forget about it.”
“Today I feel as if I am born again,” Yousef Naami announced. His name was struck off the register of militants, and the local authorities have given him a job in a water supply company.
Well i guess he is only man who can unite opposition
Saddam was reviled by most of the population yet wasn't overthrown, if a leader competently builds a machine of oppression, especially along sectarian lines, it becomes harder for such uprisings to succeed. Alawites control most of the powerful institutions in the country that have been put in charge of putting down the rebellion, and Assad is still popular among most Alawites.
This is pretty telling.
Despite lauding popular uprisings in other Arab countries as an "Islamic awakening", Iran has dismissed opposition to Assad's rule as a foreign conspiracy.
Number of regugees in Iraqi Kurdistan increased to 11,000. After closing most of the Iraqi borders, fleeing Arabs (mostly Iraqis) turn to the border with Kurdistan. Some of the people fleeing say they are afraid of what Maliki would do to them.
He do all kinds of uniting if he brings back buckets of cash from his new friends.
I doubt Russia is going to get directly involved in this mess... especially if Tartus is threatened.
The flotilla will probably loiter the Mediterranean waters with the intention of quickly making port and extracting their people the moment it seems like there's no other choice.
Probably also a sort of counterweight to Operation Active Endeavour.
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