Not ignoring the proposal would have meant making Saudi Arabia and Qatar stop supporting their mercenary "rebels" while Syria would organize free and fair elections under international supervision. As no other candidate had anywhere near the political support of Assad there was no advantage in the proposal to US or its friends. Surely you wouldn't call elections free and fair if the main candidate is excluded?
ISIS/ISIL conflict in Syria/Iraq (No OpEd, No Politics)
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
I hope, or I believe you are one of those.
. But from my own experience, "those" is a very small portion of the whole population in the west and are in no position in charge of media or policy making. Their influences are ignorable. I have been living in a very peace loving liberal western country for a long time and made many local friends, and I have never met a person who consider the possibility of there being Uyghur jihadist or terrorist.I think plawolf (and also my belief) is not denying the fact that not all westerners think the same, but he is stating that the overwhelming majority in the west think and believe the same.
broadsword
Brigadier
I have yet to see the usage of the term "Uighur terrorists" in their journalistic reportings, without the quotes as in 'terrorists'. This is an issue well covered by our friends here in the past.
And every report in a mainstream western media (read cnn or bbc) of a terrorist attack in China by Uyghur terrorists will immediately followed by statements of China's "suppression" of religious "freedom", freedom of wearing burqa, freedom of fanatic interpretation of the Koran, freedom of spreading Wahhabism.
Regardless what the west says, My personal view is that China should deside her own action based on her own understanding of the situation, principles and interests, not emotions. And for now, China should not do anything militarily or directly, remember it was the west who created the whole mess, it's the west who should spend their resources to clean the mess, only when they are exhausted should China consider the possibility of direct material actions.
Regarding this guy, I see it as a criminal act as a ransom taking crime in any country by a mafia, nothing special. Remember that the guy went to a country that is designated as extremely dangerous without state sanctions, individuals should take responsibility for their own actions. He was warned as everyone else. If one wants the state to come to his rescue he should follow state's direction in the first place.
Regarding this guy, I see it as a criminal act as a ransom taking crime in any country by a mafia, nothing special. Remember that the guy went to a country that is designated as extremely dangerous without state sanctions, individuals should take responsibility for their own actions. He was warned as everyone else. If one wants the state to come to his rescue he should follow state's direction in the first place.
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
No I agree china should certainly not get involved in this mess otherwise they could also become a target and that is the last thing China needs
Now Russia has just stationed fighter jets in Syria and Saudi has threatened Russia with more retaliation from Chechen side
Putin will not let Assad fall even of it means Russian soldiers on the ground which actually now is the case
I said from day one Putin will not let Assad family go hell Russia never backed Serbia or Saddam or Gadaffi but when it comes to Syria it's a whole new game
Assads father Hafeez was a good friend of the Soviet Union he allowed Russian access to Latakia and I don't think Russia has forgotten this as a result Russia will go the distance with Assad hand in hand
Assads forces after 4 years are really worn down and do not have the stomach to launch any large scale offensive they have been on the back foot for a while they we exhausted and running low on everything including manpower
Now Russia seems to be doing the heavy lifting in Syria
This is going full scale, from and to worse
Now Russia has just stationed fighter jets in Syria and Saudi has threatened Russia with more retaliation from Chechen side
Putin will not let Assad fall even of it means Russian soldiers on the ground which actually now is the case
I said from day one Putin will not let Assad family go hell Russia never backed Serbia or Saddam or Gadaffi but when it comes to Syria it's a whole new game
Assads father Hafeez was a good friend of the Soviet Union he allowed Russian access to Latakia and I don't think Russia has forgotten this as a result Russia will go the distance with Assad hand in hand
Assads forces after 4 years are really worn down and do not have the stomach to launch any large scale offensive they have been on the back foot for a while they we exhausted and running low on everything including manpower
Now Russia seems to be doing the heavy lifting in Syria
This is going full scale, from and to worse
I agree. Russia will not give up Syria without a fight.
About China's involvement, I must clarify a bit. I did not mean that China should TOTALLY stay out of it, just not directly and militarily. We have already seen China being politically involved.
China could, I say could, share some financial burden with Russia, that is indirectly. Actually China by keeping a strong economy relationship with Russia is already indirectly supporting Russia's action in Syria. It is unimaginable for Russia to take the recent actions if she is at odds with west and cold with China.
There are a few reasons among Chinese public that support Assad. I know some points below may upset some members in this forum, I don't mean to insult the people of the mentioned countries, but these are the reasons behind China's action that is what this thread is about. So here are they:
1. Syria under Assad is a secular state regardless his own religion, that is the number one reason.
2. Because Turkey is one of the main enemy of Syria. Turkey is not popular among Chinese at all after Turkey's many messing around actions about Uyghur issue. There are even some Chinese calling for arming or financing PKK in retaliation. Note, the Chinese government is still working on a working relationship with Turkey.
3. Saudi Arabia, another Syrian opponent, has also a bad reputation among Chinese public although the Chinese government is trying to build a long term working relationship. Chinese public basically see Saudi's active spreading of their version of islam as to tool to influence muslim populations in other countries including China. Influence by foreign states is extremely sensitive subject in China regardless what religion or ideology it is, due to the western pushing of Christianity in China from 1845 to 1949.
4. U.S. is seen as the behind-curtain leader of the whole "spring" mess. Chinese have a very fresh memory of the bombing of Chinese embassy in Belgrade regardless what western government or media explains. That basically created something like "whoever is fighting U.S. must be a good guy with balls."
5. Chinese who are less emotional (4. above) is hoping that anybody who is fighting U.S. is helpful to China in distracting U.S. attention considering U.S. pivot in Asia, supporting Japan. Supporting Japan's territorial claim really gets Chinese nerve.
If we remove the emotional part of the 5 points, the essences are shared by the government if we read the People's daily or Xinhua's commentary.
Zero Hedge:
Russia and Iran waited until the Iran nuclear treaty was safe before they organized increased support for Syria. The Syrian army has now been reinvigorated with new Russian equipment and the training to use it. Only if necessary will Russian forces, and then I think only SF, engage with the terrorists. The main purpose of Russian forces, said to be marines from Crimea is the protection of the Latakia base which is to support the retaking of Idlib province.
BTW I have seen no mention of the type and number of Russian fighter planes said by US to be based at Latakia except for an Israeli claim that they are entirely improbable MiG-31's.
From:
A quote from Mr Kerry:
Russia and Iran waited until the Iran nuclear treaty was safe before they organized increased support for Syria. The Syrian army has now been reinvigorated with new Russian equipment and the training to use it. Only if necessary will Russian forces, and then I think only SF, engage with the terrorists. The main purpose of Russian forces, said to be marines from Crimea is the protection of the Latakia base which is to support the retaking of Idlib province.
BTW I have seen no mention of the type and number of Russian fighter planes said by US to be based at Latakia except for an Israeli claim that they are entirely improbable MiG-31's.
From:
A quote from Mr Kerry:
After failing to destroy IS in a year of bombing Mr Kerry's negotiating position is pretty weak. Of course President Assad is prepared to negotiate, not as I think Mr Kerry intents, about organizing the "election" of a US friendly successor but about compensation from the sponsors of the mayhem from which Syria has been suffering for four years and which has costs the lives of a quarter of a million Syrians.
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broadsword
Brigadier
I hope Russia and Syria don't cop out by agreeing the Kerry's demand that Assad steps down. Pax Americana does not work for all, all the time.
Jura The idiot
General
here's what I saw from in a Russian military-blog a moment ago:
The blogger thinks the four airplanes, allegedly photographed by a commercial satellite:
are not not the Flankers (as the source
claims), but Su-30SM
That blogger usually doesn't take seriously / mocks Western reports ... I'm going to check later if majority of debaters below that block believe/disbelieve his assessment (there are only six or so posts right now; it'll be hundreds if it's something perceived as important).