The scramble for Syria

[htpcl]

O, hail, my fellow bored American Idol fans curious peeps who are so utterly concerned about peace and justice in the world! Realpolitik can be a real biach, I say. The biachiest biach of them all, actually. So here are a couple of fancy maps with many colors that look kinda realpolitik-ey.

Comments

[yes_justice]

Hardly seems that tossing in a few dozen drones and missiles will resolve any of these issues.

American aims seem more likely to keep Sarin shells out of the hand of Al-Qiada than to assist the Syrian people in resolving their conflicts with Assad.

If we wanted to help the Syrian people, we would have armed those factions more heavily, or just gone in with both feet ourselves.

[il_mio_gufo]

I should probably type something to engage you in your comment/thought, but instead I'm stuck on that Icon *so cool*

[yes_justice]

We're constantly hearing how the war in Syria is about democracy, and how the "rebels" are "freedom-fighters". Those same rebels, who in their great part are foreign mujahideen and radical Islamist fighters. Hell, the opposition in Syria is openly admitting being financed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar! You see, those two paragons of freedom and liberty will be teaching Syria of democracy. It's like a tapir teaching a falcon to fly. But when you've got a huge media apparatus supporting that narrative, of course many among the public would take it all, hook, line and sinker.

I would like to suggest that while energy barons are vying, there has to be some validity to the fight the Syrians have been waging against their oppressive government.

These things are not mutually exclusive, and neither is hijacking their real struggle against real oppression into a useful narrative for power, sadly. We know this in the states all too well.

[htpcl]

True. In fact some of the rebels are genuinely fighting for their freedom. Unfortunately, many of those movements tend to be soon hijacked by extremists with an agenda that has nothing to do with freedom.

[htpcl]

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough - I think this follow-up somewhat clears matters as far as the impression of conspiratorial thinking is concerned.

[htpcl]

I'm specifically saying it hasn't been played in Syria - up to this point. Which, as surprising as it may sound, has remained an island of relative sectarian peace amidst a sea of violence. But it has become obvious now how fragile that peace can be, because in Syria it has rested upon a very thin balance of factors. One nudge in the wrong direction and things start sliding down in a very predictable way. Sadly.

[yes_justice]

Yes. Anyone weighing on the veracity of those interview claims?

[brother_dour]

The only question I have is: if this is the case, why wait until now to intervene? Wouldn't it have been better to overthrow Assad earlier and get the oil all the quicker?

[htpcl]

Assad has one of the strongest militaries in the region. At least used to have one. Now? Things might have changed a bit after 2 years of non-stop war.

[il_mio_gufo]

oil, pfft, who needs it?! we don't. we have a zillion brilliant minds here in the USA, all of whom we need to put to work. we should put them to the task of figuring ways to creatively employ all currently understood alternative energies, STAT!

[brother_dour]

That is not the problem. The problem is the Big Oil lobbies that fight tooth-and-nail against anything that cuts into their profits.