tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post7052813971685220109..comments2024-03-19T15:05:56.959+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: Gas Attack In Khan Sheikhoun! But Why Would Bashar al-Assad Blow Himself Up?Chris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-16835072793076082832017-04-17T12:42:24.392+12:002017-04-17T12:42:24.392+12:00GS Not sure where you get your info from mate but ...GS Not sure where you get your info from mate but it is wrong. Everything has "Gone to Shit" because the CIA/Saudis put hot-headed Sunni jihadists into the mix. As I explained before the Saudis and the USA want to put an oil pipeline across Syria to Turkey and on to Europe. The purpose is to bypass Russia who relies of oil/gas sales to Europe for their economy.<br /><br />I have never said that Assad is an all-round nice bloke, he isn't, but he's not as bad as he is painted and he is well liked in Syria. He is disliked by the US because he is aligned with Russia.<br /><br />Think of the extreme Evangelical Christians and extrapolate that to the Sunnis. The Sunni Muslims are the majority of all the Muslims in West Asia. Not all Sunnis are nutters in fact most are just like us; toiling away to pay their bills at the end of the month and not concerned about extremism.<br /><br />GS I know how the Yanx work and think, I was in Vietnam and saw it first hand. Nothing has changed except the geography.Bushbaptisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657695593141243969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-38764110758082152892017-04-14T11:02:18.974+12:002017-04-14T11:02:18.974+12:00More info on the Gas Attack;
http://www.globalres...More info on the Gas Attack;<br /><br />http://www.globalresearch.ca/assessment-of-white-house-intelligence-report-about-nerve-agent-attack-in-khan-shaykhun-syria/5584867Bushbaptisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657695593141243969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-36334908165445235022017-04-14T10:00:30.149+12:002017-04-14T10:00:30.149+12:00Bushbaptist. If there were no underlying tensions,...Bushbaptist. If there were no underlying tensions, how come everything's gone to shit now? There must've been underlying tensions. Particularly as the Alawites were a distinct minority, and regarded by many Sunni as heretics. I suspect that people are not likely to mention these to a stranger. And those elections were regarded by many as controlled, not free and fair.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-39962580199918806382017-04-14T00:24:28.413+12:002017-04-14T00:24:28.413+12:00GS I was in Syria in 2000 and I saw and experience...GS I was in Syria in 2000 and I saw and experienced life there. It was just as I said; Multicultural, multi religious and very secular. There were no underlying tensions and Christians, Sunni, Shia, and Kurds all intermixed without any friction. There certainly wasn't any hidden fear. People could criticise the Govt. and many did, without any repercussions.<br /><br />As I pointed out before Assad was voted in twice in free open and fair elections. Not by a huge majority but enough for him the run the country.<br /><br />Assad was regarded by most western leaders and a stabilising force in the region until he refused to allow an oil pipeline through Syria and then the fertiliser hit the oscillator.<br /><br />The Saudis in particular want to impose a Wahhabi Sunni Govt. there as well. Assad is Alawite (Shia). Remember that ISIS is Wahhabi Sunni.<br /><br />I think you are confusing Assad with his daddy who was a nasty prick.<br /><br />Bushbaptisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657695593141243969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-22420424442862780212017-04-13T19:26:49.700+12:002017-04-13T19:26:49.700+12:00Syria was multicultural to the extent that religio...Syria was multicultural to the extent that religious and ethnic tensions did not surface because they were run by a dictator. It was secular I suspect for the same reason. I don't regard this as a genuine multicultural society. When you take away the dictator – as happened in Yugoslavia – all these tensions come to the surface because people aren't afraid of being shot for expressing them. And how did that work out when Tito died? To me a multicultural society is one where the government encourages respect for different cultures, not one where people hide their dislike out of fear.<br />Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-64836870776106183382017-04-13T13:49:09.578+12:002017-04-13T13:49:09.578+12:00GS Syria did have a multicultural society and a se...GS Syria did have a multicultural society and a secular one as well until the CIA/Saudis got involved and stirred up a revolt.<br /><br />Everyone regardless of their religious belief or ethnicity was treated equally there.<br /><br />GS, I usually have a high regard about your comments but please do proper research on this subject. Bushbaptisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657695593141243969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-86717137566037307232017-04-13T09:26:09.274+12:002017-04-13T09:26:09.274+12:00JH. I might have been a bit harsh when I said your...JH. I might have been a bit harsh when I said your post is not worthy of a longer answer. But if you could provide me with some evidence that the government of Syria attempted to develop a multicultural society, I might give you one. Without one, there can be no failure of one – one suspects.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-55473521327033143752017-04-12T14:01:53.095+12:002017-04-12T14:01:53.095+12:00JH. Still not worthy of a longer answer.JH. Still not worthy of a longer answer.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-79688611988026654992017-04-12T10:23:54.903+12:002017-04-12T10:23:54.903+12:00GS
Too many people on too few resources a failure ...GS<br />Too many people on too few resources a failure of multiculturalism?"<br />Short answer no. And it's only really worth a short answer. <br />......<br />Syria had a population explosion (up until 2010) but climate change is also a factor as is the fact that it is an ethno-religious war. W.D Borie said this about the Pacific Islands (1965) <br /><i>“to a demographer these Islands represent populations, however idyllic they appear to be at the moment, nearer the brink of overpopulation in the Malthusian sense than almost any other groups of peoples”.</i><br /> Then what happened?- It became about dawn raids and "moral panic" and "othering" . How much potential scholarship has been lost thanks to the left-wing disease. <br />jhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-80511698911384054892017-04-11T17:58:19.184+12:002017-04-11T17:58:19.184+12:00GS and Nick J
Thanks for your comments. No excess...GS and Nick J<br /><br />Thanks for your comments. No excessively strong disagreement from me on any of the points raised.Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-58506950268017096552017-04-11T15:40:39.704+12:002017-04-11T15:40:39.704+12:00Chris
Thanks for those two references, both of wh...Chris<br /><br />Thanks for those two references, both of which are much more credible than the type of scumbag material normally adduced on this and similar sites by those contesting the conventional wisdom of professionally-edited mainstream media.<br /><br />Hersh's narrative confirms that there was a rush to judgement over the 2013 chemical weapons incident. Quite rightly, he doesn't come down firmly in accusing either the Syrian government or the opposition of this atrocity. But he does reinforce the status of sarin as a "use it or lose it" weapon, which is surely the main reason why, in this most recent case, the Russian narrative is implausible.<br /><br />The Wilkinson interview is also impressive but is at its weakest on this very point. The only new (as far as I'm aware) suggestion that Wilkinson makes is that agricultural phosphates may have been part of the toxic mix which caused so many terrible deaths. <br /><br />I was under the impression that we already knew for sure that sarin was responsible. Even if this fact is contested, I'm dubious as to whether phosphates could have caused such damage, but would certainly defer to a qualified opinion on this matter. <br /><br />Of course, I'm aware of the long history of false reports used as an excuse for carnage. But the whole point of the fable about "The Boy who cried Wolf" is that sometimes (however rarely) there is in fact a wolf in the fold.<br /><br />And, yes, I agree, it was all very convenient for Trump for this to happen more or less precisely when he was entertaining his Chinese guests (see my post of 16.47 yesterday). But, if it hadn't happened, he'd have found some other way of knocking Xi off balance. Whatever else you can say about Trump, he's clearly a highly talented and inventive opportunist. Hence his career as a Reality TV star. <br /><br />Finally, may I repeat that I'm not advocating US or (more generally) western (let alone, NZ) intervention in Syria. There's no good that we can conceivably do there. Our task, for the moment, is to help those displaced by this horrendous conflict. Later on, there might be a more active role we can fulfill as peacekeepers. But that's a long way off at present.Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-87295257230841901812017-04-11T14:57:32.533+12:002017-04-11T14:57:32.533+12:00Victor, your take on dictators need to punish is q...Victor, your take on dictators need to punish is quite accurate, the only question I would have is whether Assad is that stupid with regard to timing? He is very aware of the stakes, and I doubt that either he or Vlad are stupid.<br /><br />The demo for the Chinese might be a factor, as would multifarious scenarios visi a vis the hawks of the Deep State etc etc. We can however only speculate in the absence of clear evidence. To affirm more would be to become the equivalent of the Washpo media orchestra whose regard to the presentation of evidence would in a legal scenario see them laughed out of court.Nick Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-15482129397193527542017-04-11T13:32:06.546+12:002017-04-11T13:32:06.546+12:00Victor. There are some as say that it's a simi...Victor. There are some as say that it's a similar reaction to Bill Clinton bombing the powdered milk factory. To try to take away some of the heat from his first hundred days, which let's face it has been a complete disaster for him politically. Every time a US president sends the troops into action his approval rating tends to go up. Though I'm afraid not in this case, but it least it stayed the same when it was trending down. :)Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-50271861135769399192017-04-11T13:28:37.239+12:002017-04-11T13:28:37.239+12:00"Assad thought he was dealing with another va..."Assad thought he was dealing with another vacuous dope like Obama.."<br />You mean the vacuous dope that actually listen to his foreign policy experts? And avoided getting involved in the Syria mess as far as possible? That vacuous dope? You know the last time the State Department was totally ignored was in 1950 in Korea, when they predicted the Chinese intervention. How did that work out? Oh – let's leave foreign policy to amateurs then.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-26844664806242900612017-04-11T13:26:46.138+12:002017-04-11T13:26:46.138+12:00"Too many people on too few resources a failu..."Too many people on too few resources a failure of multiculturalism?"<br />Short answer no. And it's only really worth a short answer.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-30291685722465611362017-04-11T11:14:32.966+12:002017-04-11T11:14:32.966+12:00I don't agree that Assad was responsible for t...I don't agree that Assad was responsible for this attack if that is what it was. As Chris puts it so eloquently, it makes no sense.<br /><br />He's on top of the rebels, his forces control almost all of the Syrian territory except for some small areas and a few towns. Why would he do it at this time?<br /><br />Even Bernie Sanders is beating the war drum about Assad and he should know better.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvGY8eoaC5U <br /><br />Info Clearing House have an interesting look at this issue:<br /><br />http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/46801.htm<br /><br />Bushbaptisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09657695593141243969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-57246753854326286432017-04-11T09:49:14.604+12:002017-04-11T09:49:14.604+12:00To: Victor.
In reply, Victor, I would direct you ...To: Victor.<br /><br />In reply, Victor, I would direct you to Seymour Hersh's "Whose Sarin?" in the LRB (just Google it), or, watch this clip on the Real News Network. http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=18841 The interviewee, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, was a senior staff member in Colin Powell's State Department.Chris Trotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-67274809409186953232017-04-11T00:20:48.122+12:002017-04-11T00:20:48.122+12:00The Reaction of the western world's leaders, i...The Reaction of the western world's leaders, including our own, and public media in the west, to Assad"s use of chemical weapons against his own people is entirely predictable. He is a highly intelligent man leading a country in a desperate situation . Most of his neighbours and the so called democratic countries have been baying for his blood ever since the Arab spring uprising moved with al Qaeda into his country 7 rears ago.So he is as aware as any of the commenters here joining that chorus of politicians and MSM ,that the world would be crying out his destruction if he did this. When his need for approval ' his countries' need for his approval,is desperate.<br /> You all have to completely suspend your own intelligence to maintain the position that he might chose to do this.<br /> Grow some balls, place yourselves in his shoes and go where your own reason impels you.<br />D J SDavid Stonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-18717486796277380522017-04-10T16:47:29.602+12:002017-04-10T16:47:29.602+12:00There is no mystery as to why Assad might have ord...There is no mystery as to why Assad might have ordered the Sarin attack and (see my earlier post and those of 'Sanctuary', 'Scouser', 'Paulus' et al) probably did so. <br /><br />Autocrats normally regard fear as an essential tool for staying in office. Rebels need to be punished and not merely defeated. Moreover, potential rebel communities (in Syria's case, the whole of its majority Sunni population) need to be cowed. <br /><br />For this reason, Francisco Franco delayed the triumph of the Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War until he had destroyed Republican strongholds one by one, with maximum carnage and the studied humiliation of Spain's once defiant working class. I recommend Paul Preston's "The Spanish Holocaust" for those with strong stomachs who wish to explore this subject further. <br /><br />But Franco was not seeking to install or prop-up his own dynasty. I suspect that, when you wish to pass on a functioning autocracy to the physical fruit of your loins, you might repress your opponents with even greater savagery, thus ensuring that the shadow of fear will endure for longer.<br /><br />Hence, the tyrannical behaviour engaged in by some of the most effective medieval and early modern monarchs( e.g. William the Bastard, Edward I or Henry VII) and, hence, Hafez al Assad's ordering of the butchery in Hama in 1982. I note that Bashar also has sons. So, I repeat, there's no mystery here. <br /><br />But there's still a bit of a mystery surrounding Trump's sudden volt-face over Syria and, cynic that I am, I find it difficult to accept that it's all the result of this quintessential narcissist being moved by the fate of slaughtered children. <br /><br />Indeed, in my cynical way, I can't help thinking that it was remarkably useful for Trump to have his forces committed to combat whilst he was playing host to Xi Jinping.<br /><br />Not only would Trump have underscored his (and America's) prestige through the apparently effective use of military force. He would also have planted worries of what he might get up to in the context of North Korea or the South China Sea. And he would have taken Xi by surprise, thus derailing any plans the Chinese leader might have had for the summit.<br /><br />Alternatively, Trump may have had his Russian debts payed-off by mainstream Republican money men, on condition that he drops his courtship of Putin and adopts a more conventional Republican foreign policy. This might also explain Steve Bannen's sudden removal from the National Security Council. <br /><br />And, there again, Trump and Putin may just be pretending to have fallen out, so as to dampen down speculation about Russian involvement in the US election. Moreover, given our Orwellian tripartite division of the globe, Putin might not be too unhappy to see Xi under a little bit of extra pressure, particularly over Korea.<br /><br />Last week, Oceania was allied to Eurasia and had always been allied to Eurasia against East Asia.<br /><br />This week, Oceania is allied to East Asia and has always been allied to East Asia against Eurasia .<br /><br />And next week, who knows?Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-36641922369427221522017-04-10T13:46:32.278+12:002017-04-10T13:46:32.278+12:00Mr Trotter
It is entirely possible and even proba...Mr Trotter<br /><br />It is entirely possible and even probable that the reason Assad 'blew himself up' is that he, like you and most on the left and in the media, completely misjudged President Trump, whose unpredictability is one of his great assets.<br /><br />Assad thought he was dealing with another vacuous dope like Obama..Adolf Fiinkenseinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08045358863278087055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-39866566928905830472017-04-10T11:11:22.584+12:002017-04-10T11:11:22.584+12:00The bigger question is: what does the Sryian ethno...The bigger question is: what does the Sryian ethno-religious war represent? Too many people on too few resources a failure of multiculturalism?jhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-26625364755131003082017-04-10T10:50:25.530+12:002017-04-10T10:50:25.530+12:00I can recall reading in Time about Saddam's Ja...I can recall reading in Time about Saddam's James Bond grade underground bunkers. However the intercepted conversations regarding chemical weapon's (and/or gas) were somewhat slim evidence. I thought - "Is that all there isssssss?" [song]. Nevertheless the machine went into action and it was a great show watching the Abraham's tanks wheeling into Iraq (somewhat spoilt by Americas most decorated soldier scoffing that it was a turkey shoot and would be over before it had started).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-47407727275617333072017-04-10T10:38:06.330+12:002017-04-10T10:38:06.330+12:00Amazing how people manage to psychoanalyse Assad f...Amazing how people manage to psychoanalyse Assad from a distance. Basically we don't know too much about his rationality. But as I thought I said but it doesn't seem to have appeared, the science questions must be answered before we look to the answers in politics. And the science seems to suggest that it was Assad. As I also (thought) I had said – dictators will do what dictators will do.<br />The whole thing is a mess. There are those who are saying that Assad has not actually won the war, and that the Russians are getting tired of it. And there are those who are saying that the US is bombing the Syrian government in defensive an Al Qaeda affiliate. It's possible that the truth will come out in time, but it seems to me not without an independent investigation by proper scientists.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-58844866148433948032017-04-10T06:57:40.723+12:002017-04-10T06:57:40.723+12:00http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/shajul-is...http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/shajul-islam-idlib-chemical-attack-syria-media<br />It's complicated obviously.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-65273675675858995082017-04-09T09:20:56.989+12:002017-04-09T09:20:56.989+12:00That's what they are saying at Vdare (the poli...That's what they are saying at Vdare (the political group of white people hiding in a greasy junk yard somewhere in flyover country)<br /><br /><br />"And all of that assumes that Tuesday’s gas attack in Syria actually was perpetrated by the Syrian air force against rebels. As many commentators have observed, Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, has pretty much won his civil war. He was in no need of desperate measures. As an intelligent guy, he surely realized that using gas would make for a lot of really bad publicity. Even if he’s crazy, which I don’t believe, he’s not that kind of crazy.<br /><br />So maybe the whole thing was a false flag by … who? The Rebels? ISIS? The Saudis? The Israelis? I wouldn’t rule it out."<br />http://www.vdare.com/articles/john-derbyshire-collapse-of-trumpism-on-war-and-immigration?content=should%20be,%20too.jhnoreply@blogger.com