Yes, Irene there is still dying and carnage going on in Syria….I know a little hard to imagine when you are worried about the ads on the Super Bowl….but death continues whether Beebs get arrested or not……for that reason I will bring my readers up-to-date……..I read hours and hours of Middle East newspapers so you do not have to…..YOU ARE WELCOME.
First is something that sounds like a veiled copy of an Israeli policy……
Syrian military forces have been systematically using bulldozers and controlled explosions to level entire neighborhoods in Damascus and Hama, in what appears to be an attempt to punish citizens for their rebel sympathies, Human Rights Watch alleges in a new report based on satellite images and witness testimony. The imagery reveals seven areas affected between July 2012 and July 2013 that total roughly 200 soccer fields’ worth of razed neighborhoods. None of this destruction came during combat, though it sometimes came soon after it. Residents said they got little to no warning, giving them no time to collect their belongings before evacuating, according to al-Jazeera. The Syrian government says the demolitions were an urban planning move centered around demolishing buildings that were constructed illegally, the Guardian reports. But Human Rights Watch says there haven’t been any similar demolitions in areas that support the government, even though many of those homes also lack permits. “Wiping entire neighborhoods off the map is not a legitimate tactic of war,” the group’s emergency researcher said. The group has called upon the UN to hand the findings to the International Criminal Court.
Assad is using a tried and true tactic……
And then there is our policy on Syria….so far it looks like a major disaster….at least from my set………apparently I am not the only one that sees it as a failed policy……
White House spokesman Jay Carney says that the administration “absolutely” stands behind its current Syrian policy, despite talk of growing internal dissent and the plain fact that it’s been a complete disaster.
According to hawkish Senators John McCain (R – AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R – SC), Secretary of State John Kerry conceded at a closed-door session that the current Syria policy is “failing,” and called for further military intervention, including “forming a coalition against al-Qaeda.”
White House and State Department officials have downplayed the differences on policy, saying Kerry’s comments had been misconstrued and that the US remains committed to their present course.
Who said what is really only part of the story though, as US policy has been to openly back increasingly irrelevant rebel factions, keeping the civil war stalemated in the hope that they can eventually impose a negotiated settlement favorable to the West. That’s still clearly the plan, but not only does it show no signs of working, it is exacerbating a civil war in which al-Qaeda is gaining ground at an alarming pace.
But then one may ask….just what is the proper policy for Syria? And if you have a good answer then you have answered the $64 million question….step forward and claim your prize…..