Children of Syria - Lyse Doucet documentary

[aeolium]

I recommend this BBC documentary by their correspondent Lyse Doucet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04c34bv/children-of-syria

It is not a substitute for an analysis of the causes and progress of the Syrian civil war, but gives a sense of the devastating impact, with some desperately sad images and interviews. It does make one think - and to some extent this also applies to Iraq, even though that was precipitated by an external assault - whether the horrific cost of attempting to topple an unpleasant regime is worth the outcome. And perhaps there is a wider implication for those seeking the violent overthrow of unpleasant economic systems (like capitalism). There is the response of the Romanian writer Panait Istrati who visited the Soviet Union in the 1930s to the government apologist who said "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" - "All right, I can see the broken eggs, but where is this omelette you're talking about?"

[Serial_Apologist]

I recommend this BBC documentary by their correspondent Lyse Doucet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04c34bv/children-of-syria

It is not a substitute for an analysis of the causes and progress of the Syrian civil war, but gives a sense of the devastating impact, with some desperately sad images and interviews. It does make one think - and to some extent this also applies to Iraq, even though that was precipitated by an external assault - whether the horrific cost of attempting to topple an unpleasant regime is worth the outcome. And perhaps there is a wider implication for those seeking the violent overthrow of unpleasant economic systems (like capitalism). There is the response of the Romanian writer Panait Istrati who visited the Soviet Union in the 1930s to the government apologist who said "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" - "All right, I can see the broken eggs, but where is this omelette you're talking about?"

I watched this and it has permeated my mood since - I can't think of anything more devastating than the images of those children, especially the little girl who had lost her leg.

I can't fwiw think of anybody apart from the Angry Brigades who has ever sought the violent overthrow of capitalism, least of all any of the jihadist groups that have emerged in the past 30 years, who have not posed alternatives other than going back to what eventually became capitalism. In response to the rhetorical, surely it is always the violence of the capitalist class that dictates any effective response, however regrettable: cf Attica State '68, Chile '74.