Remarkable that this is a very balanced and well investigated report despite the fact that all that violence is going on where the panel and the members had to investigate. This raises the question why civilians could carry out the… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Syria’
The Truth About Syria: Regional Spillover and Theories of Conflict Causes
Over the last week, reports from the ground level and from those that have fled Syria* for safe havens have been coming through, sharing a lot of information about where they are, what is going on in Damascus and in… Read More ›
Russia and China: Partners or Competitors When Facing US Foreign Policy?
The most striking image to come out from the G20 meeting in Mexico was the one included in this post of Putin consulting with Hua. Putin’s demeanor is full of respect and is almost deferential to his Chinese counterpart, the… Read More ›
The 11th Commandment: Thou Shall Regime-Change
Since Summer 2010 and the commencement of the “Libya sequence”, we have been living in a parallel political universe, where the United States of America is GOD and there is an eleventh (11th) Commandment that rules our world: Thou shall… Read More ›
Geneva Conference Agrees “Basic Principles” but Stops Short on Substance of a Peace Process for Syria
Yesterday in Geneva, the Security Council P5, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, EU, the UN and the League of Arab States met to discuss the continuing instability in Syria – conspicuously absent were Saudi Arabia and Iran, the key protagonists and… Read More ›
Political Resolution and Mediation Proposal on Syria
No matter which way you see it, Syria is already more complicated and more loaded than Libya or Iraq ever was. Russia and potentially China are involved in Syria this time in total opposition to the proposal by the US… Read More ›
The Truth About Syria: Regime Change or Stopping the Carnage?
I want to talk about the sheer duplicity, lies, deception, and premeditated warmongering that is conditioning the debate on Syria currently in New York (UN) and Washington DC. Let’s consider the facts for a second: Bashar Al-Assad has repeatedly told… Read More ›
Russia’s Motivations and Objectives in Syria: Decaying Power or Re-emerent Supernova?
In my last few blogs on Russia and the Return of Tzar Putin, I predicted that Russia and Putin would look for a larger global role and seek to return Russia to its former “glory” as the Soviet Union. The… Read More ›
The Truth of the Situation in Syria: Do We Really Know it?
Today, I paused to recap what I really know about Syria and the violence affecting its people. I started with the Government. We know that the Al-Assad government is composed of Alawites, Shiites, Sunnis and even a few, perhaps token,… Read More ›
Syria: UN mission chief warns of impact of growing violence on observer activities
Syria: UN mission chief warns of impact of growing violence on observer activities. In fast moving news, it appears the Head of the UN verification mission in Syria General Robert Mood has finally declared that the UN monitors are unable… Read More ›
Options on Syria: International Conference Option Should Include Iran and Syria in Parallel Forum
In the face of non-compliance with the Annan Peace Plan, the International Community is reduced to considering two alternatives: regime transition of Al-Assad out of power and convening an international conference on Syria as a means of coordinating and increasing… Read More ›
Reading between the Lines: Annan’s Message on Syria
Reading between the Lines: Annan’s Message on Syria.
Reading between the Lines: Annan’s Message on Syria
I listened and observed Kofi Annan’s body language closely while he delivered his much-anticipated speech to the UN General Assembly today, on Syria. I’ve worked under the man for over 10 years so body language sometimes says what his soft… Read More ›
Regional Islamic Mosaic Complicates Annan’s Syria Six-Point Peace Plan
As mentioned in my post Islamic Mosaic, Kofi Annan’s success in ensuring the implementation and respect by Syria and by other regional powers with stakes in Syria will depend upon a complicated set of religious minorities and majorities spread throughout… Read More ›
Multiple Scenarios Emerge as Putin Wins 6 years at the Russian Helm
The young love him; the old need him; and the opposition fear him. Putin has now 6 years, fair or foul, to lead his beloved Russia back to glory. His election has a huge impact on international geopolitics and for… Read More ›
The BRIC and Iran: The Start of a New Era of Activism?
In the UN halls of power, one hears a lot of whispers about the ascent of the BRIC, or BRICSA as it has now become – Brazil, Russia, India, China and the newest member, South Africa. While the power of… Read More ›
Islamic Mosaic: The Patchwork of Shiite and Sunni Communities Quicksand for Regional Stability
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Oman and Qatar form part of the Islamic Mosaic of Shiite and Sunni communities laying the groundwork for the enlargement of the Syrian Shia-Sunni conflict, if ignited. The world “Arab” does not distinguish… Read More ›
Syria: Did Russia Visit Help or Hinder Continued State-Sponsored Violence?
Its not clear what if anything emerged from Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit to Syria this week, if anything the level of state-sponsored violence against its citizens has increased. What then was the content of the discussions? I find it impossible… Read More ›
Syria and Then Iran: China and Russia Veto Allows for New Solutions
Saturday afternoon(2/04), a small group of protestors marched from Brayant Park to the UN to demonstrate against the looming war against Iran. On the face of it, they looked like average Americans that felt compelled to object to the gaining… Read More ›
Broadening Middle East Conflict: Collapse of Syrian Alawite Government Triggers Concerns in Golan Heights
Yesterday’s New York Times had an interesting article that substantiates what I wrote in previous posts on the situation in Sinai and Golan Heights as regards regional space between Egypt, Syria and Israel. See It is only a matter of… Read More ›
