Quite simply I do not believe the US, UK and French government’s assertion that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against rebels “multiple times in small quantities”. Why on earth would they do that? The claim that “up to 150 people have died” spread over a number of incidents makes no sense at all. In a civil war when tens of thousands of people have died, where all sides have been guilty of massacres of scores at a time, I cannot conceive of any motive for killing a dozen or so at any one time with the odd chemical shell. It makes no military sense – chemical weapons are designed for use against population centres and massed armies. They are not precision weapons for deployment against small groups.
Why on earth would the Assad regime use a tiny amount of chemical weapons against tiny groups of rebels, knowing the West would use it as an excuse to start bombing? It makes no sense whatsoever. Cui bono?
The Russians have described the evidence as fabricated, and on this one I am with the Russians.
It is of course no coincidence that this humanitarian motive to start bombing Syria arises just as the tide of war turned against the rebels, and the government forces are about to move on Aleppo. I suspect now we will see massive NATO force intervention, with huge air to ground destruction of the government forces all over the country to “defend” Aleppo, just as we saw hundreds of thousands killed and whole cities destroyed in Libya to “defend” Benghazi. Whose people showed their gratitude by murdering the US Ambassador.
It is a further fascinating coincidence that this coordinated western switch of policy happens immediately after the Bilderberg conference. An analysis of which of the corporate interests there stand to gain in Syria might be a fascinating exercise.
There were two main reasons the tide of war turned against the rebels. Firstly, Hizbollah’s decision to enter the war on a large scale was provoked by the Israeli Air Force’s massive attack around Damascus, a fact the mainstream media has managed to hide completely. Secondly, at Turkish urging, the rebel forces had diverted much of their energies to attacking the Syrian kurds. This opens the interesting question of what the American client Kurds of Iraq will make of their patron sponsoring the massacre of their brethren in Syria.
Finally, chemical weapons are a terrible thing and their use should be condemned unreservedly. But where was all this Western outrage and activity when the Israelis were pouring down white phosphorous and kicking and maiming thousands of women and children in Gaza?
@ Flaming June, 14 Jun, 2013 – 12:11 pm
I think your fearfulness is justified. The danger potential is notching up all the time. I’m tired of people wrongly identifying “War xyz” as being WW3, but, it’s possible WW3 will be ‘slipped into’ as we are seeing here with Syria, and if I’m right that means we are already in WW3.
However, I wound advise people NOT to underestimate Russia and China’s gore voyeurism. They don’t seem to give a damn about foreigners being slaughtered and foreign countries being obliterated, in fact I view them as lip-lickers thinking about the ‘opportunities’ it will create. Russia will NOT engage in war on behalf of anyone.
Yonatan
14 Jun, 2013 – 8:14 pm
Or do you mean wish the ‘Tiger Wife’ that she mauls him for at least half his deep pockets and some more for having to live with such an evil man.
Very true. The singular failure of ziofuckwits in their calculations has been the false narrative these have invented, and verily believe in.
The on going wave of murder and destabilisation has been swamping the mid east, and littering the area with hundreds of thousands of corpses strewn around in its wake. These violent deaths are evidently the “pangs of birth” of a new mid east. This new mid east is akin to the old mid east with even more regressive and brutal suppression of the people of the area, all in the way of supporting the banksters, and loan sharks of the City.
Yes thanks, Fedup, I think I had posted that at about 12.40pm. But I thought from Trowbridge Ford at 4:04 pm that there was a quote from Putin. Apparently not.
I was watching QT last night, and when the question arose about arming the “rebels” not a singe one of the panel thought it was a good idea. Unless I sneezed and missed it. Everyone was agreed that it would only prolong/increase the bloodshed – and George Galloway, in response to suggestions that it would “get Assad to the negotiating table” insisted “he’s already there”.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/bbc-accused-of-question-time-shock-jock-punditry.1371136255
O/T Happy Father’s Day tomorrow to Craig and all the Dads here.
If only Daddy Barak and Daddy Cameron would remember that ‘No child should be harmed’ and all their mates who are Daddies that are now involving themselves in planning for war.
Funny, that’s how I see the U.S.
A former advisor to McCain was on Channel 4 News with Jon Snow (who is in Tehran) and he said (I paraphrase) “That’s the problem. How to arm the rebels without – I thought he was going to say, ‘without even more people dying’ – further harming the interests of the United States.”
In reply:-
” It is of course no coincidence that this humanitarian motive to start bombing Syria arises just as the tide of war turned against the rebels, and the government forces are about to move on Aleppo. I suspect now we will see massive NATO force intervention, with huge air to ground destruction of the government forces all over the country to “defend” Aleppo, just as we saw hundreds of thousands killed and whole cities destroyed in Libya to “defend” Benghazi. Whose people showed their gratitude by murdering the US Ambassador.”
The UK and US have been and remain – imperialists!
Correct Mike, right on the bulls-eye considering the current proliferation of training and testing of SLBM’s with interlocks removed and the nuclear arming and propulsion sequence waiting on coordinate lock.
I hope Edward Snowden will do the thing. The secret is in his glasses..
Will the UN find chemical weapons evidence in Syria? Unquestionably and evocative of the distant Colin Powell assertion of ‘mobile labs’ in Iraq to build biological weapons.
A simple fall-out shelter can be a hole in the ground covered with logs, plastic sheet and earth. Two ten gallon water containers and some salt might also ensure survival.
Finally after entering, remove all clothing as sweat evaporates and cools more effectively on bare skin.
‘The Art of Lying’
Looking back at the lies told by BushCo before the attack on Iraq (video)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35277.htm
Not only Aleppo, but also Halab and Homs too. The huffing and puffing of US is a bluff, and in reaction to Hezbollah announcing their intention to help the Syrians. Despite the huge amounts of money poured in by the Saudi, and Qatari despots, and seemingly an endless supply of mercenaries supplied by Erik Prince (Blackwater), including the recruits from Europe, (UK too, that somehow are not stopped by the SIS, we can assume these recruits to be “good tayyyrrrreerrists). These efforts have come to naught and Syrian Army is making progress and kicking these hired and armed mercenaries out.
Fact is Syria is not Libya, and those at the receiving end of the dirty tricks and psyops, have understood the modus operandi of the US and toadies, therefore Syrians will in all probability speed up the clean up of their country from the terrorists and mercenaries.
Any ideas of bombing Syria and declaring no fly zones are pipe dreams and wet dreams of the chicken hawks, because this time around the Syrians are not alone and Russians and Iranians will not let the Syrians fall. Those simpletons believing the Russians’ self interest dictates their withdrawal from their (Russians) current position have clearly not understood the importance of the Mediterranean basin, and the US determination to choke off any access to this resource rich area (and the defence/offence importance of the said basin). Russians have been rolling on their back and playing possum for long enough, and now they are ready to stand their ground.
The coming G8 meeting will clarify the Russian and Chinese positions, pretty quick. Bilderberg can plan all they want, however life is not as predictable as it used to be, and the proponents of the secretive group are no longer in a position to rule the roost as freely as they used too.
Duck and Cover
“Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum. Those who lord it over their fellows and toss commands in every direction and would boss the grass in the meadows about which way to bend in the wind are the most depraved kind of prostitutes. They will submit to any indignity, perform any vile act, do anything to achieve power. The worst off-sloughings of the planet are the ingredients of sovereignty. Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy, the whores are us.”
P. J. O’Rourke
Why do really wise people never seek prominent positions such as the one held by the prime minister? Those positions seem to be reserved for those with high intelligence and sizeable ego.
Great post Craig
it would indeed make no sense for Syrian forces to use chemical weapons in islolated small areas..
However, there seems to be much evidence that the west’s rebel thugs have used Sarin
GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday.
The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law, said commission member Carla Del Ponte.
“Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Del Ponte said in an interview with Swiss-Italian television.
“This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities,” she added, speaking in Italian.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-05/news/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-unbre94409z-20130505_1_chemical-weapons-sarin-syria
That the country buys all this, After the Iraq and Libya Lies – Brainwashed absolutely
Let’s put this in perspective. Obama is making Putin look reasonable. I’m not fooled by his man fighting bear, man catching sharks, man making love to gymnasts schtick – Putin isn’t a nice guy, and has seriously didgy friends. However, he appears to be wisdom itself compared to Obama.
This Obama bloke, he really is a curious cat. What his administration is doing, quite publically, and with zero shame, is arming lunatics. Now, this used to be done on the sly, but now appears to be official policy. And the reasons for this policy remain deeply mysterious to this poster. I genuinely struggle to understand why anyone can rationaly justify a policy of arming lunatics. Oh look here’s a bunch of guys who maim, torture, kill babies, and throw acid into people’s faces, wouldn’t it be a swell idea to arm them to the teeth? This argument escapes me. I put it down to language. In the corridors of power, the language is different. Much is unsaid, and much bullshit is said, and thus all of them fool each other. But that’s a guess.
Sorry to be a day early for Father’s Day!
Arise Sir Michael Hintze. Not for services to the Tories and the Fox/Werritty Atlantic Bridge, but ‘for services to the arts’!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hintze
No words.
June 15 2013
‘Syria’s rebels want democracy – so we should be helping to arm them’
Tony Blair has flown in from Jerusalem. With his immaculate white shirt, navy suit and light tan, he is part of the international elite, as close to Richard Branson as Bono. His offices, opposite the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, are all cream carpets, oriental rugs and orchids; far less shabby than No 10. The only sign that he was once Prime Minister of Great Britain are his silver Union Jack cufflinks.
…..
There is a large posed photo of him too with a caption ‘At times, Tony Blair would love still to be the Prime Minister — “usually when I forget what it was like”.
The rest is thankfully behind the paywall of the soon to be divorced Murdoch.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article3791680.ece
If anyone wants a differing view on what is going on over in Syria, check out:
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.de/
Video evidence from the alleged sites and footage of the supposed victims undermines Cameron and Obama’s unsubstantiated case that chemical weapons have been used by the regime – http://wp.me/p1w0fz-KY
Think about it logically: there can be no peace conference with Syrian “rebels” still on the rampage- that would expose the completely cosmetic nature of the “opposition” coalition. So the “rebels” must be defeated first but Obama cannot be seen to be leaving them hanging out to dry and nor can the coalition leaders turn up to a conference with their own supposed base having been openly betrayed.( They have insisted on more weapons or they won’t turn up) Hence Obama’s decision to do what he had already been doing via Turkey and Qatar, now sidelined. He doesn’t actually have to deliver any weapons and once “rebel’guns have been silenced the conference can go ahead. The alternative is to launch WW 111 in defence of “poor little Al Qaida”. Which option do you think he’ll choose?
Alex Thomson is not impressed either.
http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/syrian-spin-claims-red-line-crossed/5028
For some reason they’ve sent him off to Fukushima, where he was yesterday. I wonder why??
Sarin Gas Use Doubted
Experts Don’t See Evidence
McClatchy Washington Bureau
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35294.htm
But of course! With numbers of “rebel” groups hanging around 1600, yes that is one thousand and six hundreds of disparate groups out on a jolly; fighters high on best Moroccan hashish, and doped with Afghan pure stuff, blowing the crap out of anything and everything in the name of “……” (fill as applicable dependent on the group affiliation).
Further, think of the cost of stamps and faxes alone. Craig cannot get his GP to fax his referral to a hospital, and you expect these sixteen hundred letters and faxes in triplicate to be sent out to all the “rebel” groups? In the austere times that we face everyone needs to do their bit, and Syrians have just to man up and take their share of austerity too! It is cheaper to let these “rebel” fight than stop them you see.
Syrian Peace conference is a misconstruction of “Syrian Piece Conference”, in which every participant wants a piece of the action, and if Assad does not attend, it only shows his mendacity and awful lack of generosity in letting the participants help themselves to Syria.
‘The Armed Forces have more horses than tanks’. Mr Danny Alexander
Jolly good. Horses are not there to kill. Tanks are.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100221914/the-armed-forces-have-more-horses-than-tanks-war-without-end-between-the-treasury-and-the-mod/
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCLQFljRDYAeopAWLsb9L1_csGxMGPMKawL-Juy9d1cgCaXS3n
Behold a ‘peace’ envoy; can you perceive any love in those eyes? Can you sense harmony in this man’s words?
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair-urges-britain-to-help-america-arm-the-syrian-rebels-8659991.html
Agent Cameron’s response to Blair’s fatal ‘shot in the dark’ is more cautious. So it should be.
The United Nations has testimony that Syrian
terroristsrebels used sarin gas:http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-05/news/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-unbre94409z-20130505_1_chemical-weapons-sarin-syria
I also have evidence for Carla Del Ponte. That evidence will be placed under agent Cameron’s nose and the world immediately after he scams the British people into arming terrorists in Syria.
by the way
Demonstration in Hong Kong in favour of Edward Snowden
http://news.sky.com/story/1104023/whistleblower-edward-snowden-hong-kong-demo
I thought Carla Del Ponte of the UN said there was strong evidence that it was the Islamist rebels who had been using chemical weapons? That piece of news seems to have been buried. Perhaps then, on the logic presented by NATO et al, NATO should be bombing the rebels? What’s happening is quite obvious.
“After months of saying there will be no ‘boots on the ground’ in Syria, there will be boots on the ground.” King of Welsh Noir.
I agree with your post, from which this quote has been lifted. But of course, there are almost certainly deniable boots on the ground already – US/UK/French Special Forces, who are deployed (and whose deployment is denied) wherever covert murder and mayhem are deemed necessary. What you meant, I think, may be “official boots on the ground”.
This risks blowing out into a much wider regional war. Perhaps that is one of the strategic aims: Smash ‘n’ grab, then smash ‘n’ grab again. Old story. 10 years of wondrous ‘Western Humanitarian Intervention’: Sum total:Iraq: Fucked. Libya: Fucked. Syria: Fucked. Iran…?
Suhayl: yes. Have you read ‘The Shock Doctrine’?