Civil War in Syria

[Frodo]

The West would have had to act far more decisively that it was ever likely to act for a desirable outcome in Syria to emerge.  The window of opportunity is gone.

It's been gone for years now. 

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The West would have had to act far more decisively that it was ever likely to act for a desirable outcome in Syria to emerge.  The window of opportunity is gone.

It's been gone for years now. 

It was never there.

[Mr. Morden]

The government has basically won on the ground thanks to rebel infighting and the West pulling military aid.

The government still seems to be light years away from being able to retake the rebel-held territory in the north and east.  Seems like the country's been divided, and locked in a stalemate for some time now, and that could continue for years to come.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The government has basically won on the ground thanks to rebel infighting and the West pulling military aid.

The government still seems to be light years away from being able to retake the rebel-held territory in the north and east.  Seems like the country's been divided, and locked in a stalemate for some time now, and that could continue for years to come.

True, but said rebel territory is mostly just sparsely-populated desert.

[patrick1]

cnn.com has a story about barrel bombs on their main page right now. Where is their coverage of the extremists on the other side looping people's heads off and committing massacres? There seems to be zero sense of balanced, actual reporting.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

cnn.com has a story about barrel bombs on their main page right now. Where is their coverage of the extremists on the other side looping people's heads off and committing massacres? There seems to be zero sense of balanced, actual reporting.

News media stands to gain from a war with Syria, so of course they want to drum up support for "humanitarian intervention".

[ingemann]

The government has basically won on the ground thanks to rebel infighting and the West pulling military aid.

The government still seems to be light years away from being able to retake the rebel-held territory in the north and east.  Seems like the country's been divided, and locked in a stalemate for some time now, and that could continue for years to come.

True, but said rebel territory is mostly just sparsely-populated desert.

It's more complex than that, the great central arid region are under government control, the rebels control in the north and east are the rich but relative thinly populated farm land along the Euphrates River.

[Frodo]

Seems the writing is on the wall for the rebels:

On third anniversary of Syrian rebellion, Assad is steadily winning the war

By Liz Sly, Published: March 14

BEIRUT — Three years into the revolt against his rule, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in a stronger position than ever before to quell the rebellion against his rule by Syrians who rose up to challenge his hold on power, first with peaceful protests and later with arms.

Aided by the steadfast support of his allies and the deepening disarray of his foes, Assad is pressing ahead with plans to be reelected to a third seven-year term this summer while sustaining intense military pressure intended to crush his opponents.

The strategy is not new, but in recent months it has started to yield tangible progress in the form of slow but steady gains on several key fronts on the battlefield that call into question long-held perceptions of a stalemate.

Most notably, the government has pushed the rebels back or squeezed them into isolated pockets in large swathes of the territory surrounding Damascus, diminishing prospects that the opposition will soon be in a position to seriously threaten the capital or topple the regime.

[Frodo]

According to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 75% of Syria's stockpile has been destroyed.

[Miles]

Assad seeking reelection on June 3.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

ISIS literally crucifying people.

[Deus Naturae]

Al-Nusra Front declares emirate in Aleppo.

[bgwah]

This thread has fallen all the way to page 3. It's essentially all the same conflict but this still seems most appropriate in this thread for now-

ISIS takes Assad's last base in Raqqa: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28918792

The Division 17 base was taken in July.

In other news, non-ISIS rebels fearing fall of Aleppo (to Assad) is coming soon: http://online.wsj.com/articles/syrian-forces-advance-on-aleppo-rebels-fear-another-siege-1407860811

[Deus Naturae]

Syrian Christians beg the US to stop supporting rebels.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Syrian Christians beg the US to stop supporting rebels.

But Hillary said we weren't and should be helping the Christian killing rebels.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Syrian Christians beg the US to stop supporting rebels.

Why did you post a link to a seven month-old story?

[H. Ross Peron]

The first American citizen killed fighting for ISIL: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/world/middleeast/american-fighting-for-isis-is-killed-in-syria.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMedia&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

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Is it just me or did anyone else laugh at the guy's name?

[BaconBacon96]

The irony of that name.

[dead0man]

Syrian rebels surround Filipino UN peacekeepers in Golan Heights

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I read elsewhere that the local UN suit told them to raise a white flag and the commander said he didn't have one.  Good luck to them.

edit-it's also apparently a veteran squad of dudes with a lot of experience fighting these exact kind of assholes.

[dead0man]

After a 7 hr firefight, the Filipino peacekeepers walked 2 miles to safety.  The Fiji soldiers are still hostages.

[Indy Texas]

We need to call a truce with Assad and focus on ISIS for the time being. If we could work with the Soviet Union to defeat fascism in Europe, we can work with Assad's Syria to defeat Islamism in the Middle East.

Assad is a threat to the Syrian people. ISIS is a threat to all people. We have to pick the least worst option.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We need to call a truce with Assad and focus on ISIS for the time being. If we could work with the Soviet Union to defeat fascism in Europe, we can work with Assad's Syria to defeat Islamism in the Middle East.

Assad is a threat to the Syrian people. ISIS is a threat to all people. We have to pick the least worst option.

For decades we've tried working with dictators to defeat Islamism.  It hasn't worked very well, just as it didn't work all that well in containing the previous menace, Communism.  However since we haven't been attacking Assad with anything other than words, I fail to see the need to call a truce.  What we need is to step up our support for the Kurds, FSA, and perhaps the Jordanians.  While Israel won't like it, nor do I think it is in the offing anytime soon, I think the Sykes-Picot/Mandatory borders drawn up after World War I may need to be discarded and new borders effectively drawn up with independent Alawite and Kurdish states and a greater Syria, hopefully a greater that originates as a greater Jordan that is a constitutional Hashemite monarchy.  The reason I say that the Israeli's wouldn't like it is that is in their own interest that a greater Syria not be established as a singular state, no matter what government it has.

[Mr. Morden]

We need to call a truce with Assad and focus on ISIS for the time being. If we could work with the Soviet Union to defeat fascism in Europe, we can work with Assad's Syria to defeat Islamism in the Middle East.

Assad is a threat to the Syrian people. ISIS is a threat to all people. We have to pick the least worst option.

In the absense of evidence that ISIS has concrete plans to launch terrorist attacks in the West, I fail to see how ISIS in Syria is enough of a threat to merit bombing them, just so that Assad can retake territory from them.  ISIS in Syria is bad for Syria.  Assad in Syria is bad for Syria.  Why should we bomb one of them to help the other?  Especially since bombing ISIS in Syria and thus helping Assad risks unraveling the US's existing alliances with Sunni governments in the region.

[politicus]

We need to call a truce with Assad and focus on ISIS for the time being. If we could work with the Soviet Union to defeat fascism in Europe, we can work with Assad's Syria to defeat Islamism in the Middle East.

Assad is a threat to the Syrian people. ISIS is a threat to all people. We have to pick the least worst option.

In the absence of evidence that ISIS has concrete plans to launch terrorist attacks in the West, I fail to see how ISIS in Syria is enough of a threat to merit bombing them, just so that Assad can retake territory from them.  ISIS in Syria is bad for Syria.  Assad in Syria is bad for Syria.  Why should we bomb one of them to help the other?  Especially since bombing ISIS in Syria and thus helping Assad risks unraveling the US's existing alliances with Sunni governments in the region.

Allowing one part to win the civil war would create, ya now, peace. Which would be an advantage to most of the Syrian people - provided it isn't the crazies in ISIS that wins. An Assad win would surely entail massive revenge on the rebels, but it would still cost fewer lives than continued warfare.

[Blue3]

Is peace more important than a decent government that respects human rights?

That's not what America is founded on.