Syria Disintegrating: Part 2

[jimmy olsen]

Syria is doomed. More doomed than with the secular Baathists. It'll be a sunni-fundamentalist shithole in a few years.

Because we refused to arm the secular rebels and let the Saudis and Qatar arm the wackjobs and ship in jihadis.

in that case Syria would still be doomed as after a civil war the fundamentalist whackjobs would be in power.

Eh, I don't see how that follows what I said?

The reason the fundamentalists will be able to seize power is because the West declined to arm the more secular FSA factions in the early going. Instead we let the Saudis and Qatar arm the rebels of their choosing, and looked the other way when they began shipping in jihadists. If we had armed the secular factions in the beginning this wouldn't have happened.

[Razgovory]

The Secularists were in the minority already.

[Admiral Yi]

I was unaware Tim that Qatar had become a hotbed of Wahhabist fanaticism.

I was also unaware that we looked the other way while jihadists made their way to Syria, and I am curious what it would have been like if we had stared directly at them while they did so.

[Ed Anger]

I still support Bashir, at least until the US cracks his huge forehead open.

[Sheilbh]

I was unaware Tim that Qatar had become a hotbed of Wahhabist fanaticism.

It's not.  The Qataris are backing the Muslim Brotherhood, the Saudis are backing the Salafis.  Except in GCC states and monarchies where they unite to help the regime.  It's caused some tension and apparently there's recently been high-level meetings to cool things down between Saudi and Qatar.

More problematically the Turks and the Saudis have been arming groups together (as they did in Bosnia) in, from what I've read, a pretty indiscriminate way.

I was also unaware that we looked the other way while jihadists made their way to Syria, and I am curious what it would have been like if we had stared directly at them while they did so.

The laserlike focus of America is enough to alter the course of events.  If that fails then the US should take a stand.  That, invariably, matters.

[Sheilbh]

The Secularists were in the minority already.

They were, but let's not over-glorify kleptocratic tribal regimes with some noble ideological purpose.

[jimmy olsen]

Lol, Assad his firing Scuds at the Rebels now.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/12/15867662-syrian-forces-have-fired-scud-missiles-at-rebels-us-officials-say?lite

He's also been reduced to dropping naval mines on the enemy from the air.

It looks so sad it didn't explode.

[Neil]

He'd be crazy not to use chemical weapons at this point.

[Viking]

He'd be crazy not to use chemical weapons at this point.

meh, he can still show up in Riyhad and get asylum.. after gassing saudi volunteers maybe not so much

[Razgovory]

The Secularists were in the minority already.

They were, but let's not over-glorify kleptocratic tribal regimes with some noble ideological purpose.

I'm not sure what you are talking about.  I'm not a big fan of the Assad regime, I'm just not a big fan of the rebels either.  But you know me, I'm not a big fan of revolutions.

[Razgovory]

He'd be crazy not to use chemical weapons at this point.

meh, he can still show up in Riyhad and get asylum.. after gassing saudi volunteers maybe not so much

I doubt that.  There aren't that many places he can go.  Iran might take him.  I'm sure the Russians would gladly take him, and then sell him back for concessions.  You might be able to find some loopy African state to take him, like Sudan or possibly Chavez in Venezuela.  Chavez seems to enjoy making provocative moves for little or no gain.

[Viking]

He'd be crazy not to use chemical weapons at this point.

meh, he can still show up in Riyhad and get asylum.. after gassing saudi volunteers maybe not so much

I doubt that.  There aren't that many places he can go.  Iran might take him.  I'm sure the Russians would gladly take him, and then sell him back for concessions.  You might be able to find some loopy African state to take him, like Sudan or possibly Chavez in Venezuela.  Chavez seems to enjoy making provocative moves for little or no gain.

The saudis have a long history of providing asylum for the truely evil that happen to be muslim. They take this guardianship of the two mosques thing seriously. If assad goes on haji with a shitload of money in his pocket he can stay.

[DGuller]

Wouldn't it be kind of awkward, since Saudis are also financing the rebels?

[dps]

Wouldn't it be kind of awkward, since Saudis are also financing the rebels?

If he brings enough money with him, I sure the Saudis will manage to live with the awkwardness.

[CountDeMoney]

He's also been reduced to dropping naval mines on the enemy from the air.

It looks so sad it didn't explode.

lol, it does, doesn't it.  Looks like it's crying.  It has failed to do the one thing in life it was supposed to do.