Damascus gas attack - who did it and how will the west spin it ?

[zoomy]

The west now has some high tec weaponry of its en-route to the area. Russia wants a negotiated settlement that keeps assad in place. The west wants to break the syria alliance with iran abd hezbollah and lessen russian influence in the region. So they have been funding the rebels to keep the war going up until last march when they stepped up their backing with heavier weaponry but assad is still on top in this war so maybe the gas attack was organised by tge rebels to pressure the west to do even more to help them.

[Resurrection Man]

The west now has some high tec weaponry of its en-route to the area. Russia wants a negotiated settlement that keeps assad in place. The west wants to break the syria alliance with iran abd hezbollah and lessen russian influence in the region. So they have been funding the rebels to keep the war going up until last march when they stepped up their backing with heavier weaponry but assad is still on top in this war so maybe the gas attack was organised by tge rebels to pressure the west to do even more to help them.

Your posts seem to be very heavily biased towards supporting the Assad regime.

You mention the West and high-tec weaponry....and also heavier weaponry. Do you have any links to support those assertions or provide any more information as to exactly what this weaponry is? I found this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22906965 but that doesn't seem to support your assertions.

[zoomy]

The west was channelling its aid through its Saudi Arabia and Turkey but it is now more openly supporting its chosen rebels - presumably because it feels it will have more influence with the outcome this way and it will send an important 'if Syria regime falls ,you will be even more isolated' message to Iran.

[amateur51]

The west was channelling its aid through its Saudi Arabia and Turkey but it is now more openly supporting its chosen rebels - presumably because it feels it will have more influence with the outcome this way and it will send an important 'if Syria regime falls ,you will be even more isolated' message to Iran.

Sadly if you're right, the West is repeating its mistakes with Iraq in which 'my enemy's enemy is my friend', as french frank pointed out recently.

[scottycelt]

Sadly if you're right, the West is repeating its mistakes with Iraq in which 'my enemy's enemy is my friend', as french frank pointed out recently.

Whatever the West can do (does) about Syria or cannot do (doesn't) it's a safe bet it'll be heavily criticised, sometimes by the very same critics.

My own view (from comfy armchair, of course) is that it cannot do very much about this appalling civil war but it might feel pressurised to at least to be seen to do something. Russia and China need to be on board for any effective international action and right now that seems unlikely. If we could only airlift all the women and kiddies out and just let the combatants fight it out until they themselves get weary of all this senseless slaughter.

As for 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' that is much the same as having to choose the lesser of two evils. The UK found itself allied with the murderous brute Stalin's USSR in a common stand against the aggression of Nazi Germany. That must have really stuck in Churchill's craw and that of so many others! Sadly, sometimes politicians and others have little alternative to forging such alliances, even if only temporarily.

[zoomy]

It is not really a question of criticism Scotty since we are all the same but the west and particularly America does present itself as a bastion of human rights and freedom etc. And since the west has supplied only enough resources to keep the war going while it works out who it can work with amongst the opposition elements it does not have clean hands in this war.

But the outcome will have far reaching effects and that is worth consideration and debate.

[Resurrection Man]

Zoomy, going back to your original post, based on events post the attack - namely Syria's delay in allowing UN inspection - would that not tend to suggest that the answer is option (2) - ie The Syrian Government who carried out the attack. If it was any other explanation then surely the Syrian Govt would be falling over themselves to allow inspections so that they were off the hook.

[zoomy]

Zoomy, going back to your original post, based on events post the attack - namely Syria's delay in allowing UN inspection - would that not tend to suggest that the answer is option (2) - ie The Syrian Government who carried out the attack. If it was any other explanation then surely the Syrian Govt would be falling over themselves to allow inspections so that they were off the hook.

Who can have any faith in UN inspections following the Hans Blix weapons of mass destruction debacle ?

[Resurrection Man]

Who can have any faith in UN inspections following the Hans Blix weapons of mass destruction debacle ?

That is the second time that you have referred to this and I still don't know exactly what your point is regarding this.

[zoomy]

That is the second time that you have referred to this and I still don't know exactly what your point is regarding this.

Hans Blix was the hapless UN weapons inspector in Iraq up until the Iraqi invasion. It was his information showing truck movements that caused Colin Powell to claim at the UN with Powerpoint charts and everything that Iraq definitely did have chemical weapons and that these truck movements were indeed 'mobile laboratories' - they were later shown to be refuse trucks negotiating their way around an out of town tip.

Hans Blix eventually had to leave Iraq in an undignified hurry when the US for purely political reasons decided that Iraq did indeed have WMD (aided of course by Blair's dodgy dossier) and then proceeded to bomb the hell out of Iraq, kill around a million people and leave the country in a state of civil war.

If I was a Syrian, any Syrian, I would think very carefully about letting UN inspectors go anywhere.

[Resurrection Man]

I think that perhaps you are being a bit unfair to poor old Blix. Looking at some of the academic research such as http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB80/ he does come across as a lot more balanced and objective than you paint him.

I put the blame for any misdirection on the politico's and their pet poodles such as Scarlett (well, I guess that is one way to get a knighthood).

[zoomy]

I think that perhaps you are being a bit unfair to poor old Blix. Looking at some of the academic research such as http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB80/ he does come across as a lot more balanced and objective than you paint him.

I put the blame for any misdirection on the politico's and their pet poodles such as Scarlettt (well, I guess that is one way to get a knighthood).

he has spent the last ten years or so trying to distance himself from the Bush that is true.

[zoomy]

I put the blame for any misdirection on the politico's and their pet poodles such as Scarlettt (well, I guess that is one way to get a knighthood).

Blix was one of the poodles.

[zoomy]

Damascus is allowing UN inspectors to visit the area. Hague has appeared on telly urging caution about their ability to gather evidence because of the time lapse between the attack and the inspection.

So the first part of the spin is in motion -
- the attack has got the cruise missile wielding ships on their way.
- the delay in the inspections has enabled the powerful western media to start building the western case.
- Syria calling western bluff on inspections has resulted in Hague building his case for rubbishing the results if they do not support him.

[Resurrection Man]

Damascus is allowing UN inspectors to visit the area. Hague has appeared on telly urging caution about their ability to gather evidence because of the time lapse between the attack and the inspection.

So the first part of the spin is in motion -
- the attack has got the cruise missile wielding ships on their way.
- the delay in the inspections has enabled the powerful western media to start building the western case.
- Syria calling western bluff on inspections has resulted in Hague building his case for rubbishing the results if they do not support him.

Now I do think that you are exaggerating.