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stripesthezebra Since: Dec, 2011
#11176: Mar 9th 2012 at 5:20:53 PM

[up][up]

They seem to want a little more than federalization. Confederation is more like it.

GlennMagusHarvey Since: Jan, 2001
#11177: Mar 9th 2012 at 5:25:27 PM

From yesterday's PBS News Hour:

Syria:

Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#11178: Mar 9th 2012 at 5:37:45 PM

[up][up]So far all we have is vague statements of intents and quite unregulated political structures that could be literally anything. Until Libya finally manages to get a normal administrative structure running again, such semantics really can't yet be answered. We don't know yet what form it will take.

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#11179: Mar 10th 2012 at 12:13:22 PM

And dont forget that two sets of guys yelling and threatening each other is a standard negotiating tactic everywhere in the world.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Colonial1.1 Purveyor of Obscurity from The Marvelous River City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Purveyor of Obscurity
#11180: Mar 10th 2012 at 12:31:49 PM

Say, any news on the reconstruction?

"He could not know it. For it was not all a joke."
Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#11181: Mar 10th 2012 at 1:02:27 PM

[up][up]Of course the fact that this is all meaningless becaue Libya does not yet have any meaningful, regulated, standardified administrative structures again is kinda telling in a very bad way...

edited 10th Mar '12 1:02:44 PM by Octo

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic
Colonial1.1 Purveyor of Obscurity from The Marvelous River City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Purveyor of Obscurity
#11182: Mar 12th 2012 at 5:01:57 PM

It's working on that, though. Buck up.

Anyway, any news?

"He could not know it. For it was not all a joke."
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#11184: Mar 13th 2012 at 6:22:14 AM

Assad really wants to kill those who oppose him, and he's very intent on keeping people from speaking out against him, in Syria or abroad if he can help it.

8 000 civilians have died so far, but most people are of course able to live another day by running like hell. Within Syria, 200 000 people are displaced. In addition, 30 000 have fled abroad, and at the moment an estimated 100 people cross the borders to Turkey or Lebanon each day.

So what does Assad do?

He mines the borders, is what he does. This is gonna haunt the border regions for years or possibly decades to come.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#11185: Mar 13th 2012 at 8:37:07 AM

And yet he cant seem to win. Is Syria becoming a Vietnam for it's own regime?

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#11186: Mar 13th 2012 at 9:54:59 AM

He mines the borders, is what he does.
He whaaaaaat?! Okay, he's really desperate if he's risking antagonizing the countries on the other side of those borders with such a move.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Zarastro Since: Sep, 2010
#11187: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:42:23 AM

[up]

Israel, Turkey and Libanon are not on friendly terms with Assad anyway, so he doesn't care for their approval.

Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#11188: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:46:39 AM

Huh? Lebanon totally is. The Hisbollah is in the government, after all...

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MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#11189: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:48:28 AM

[up] I thought Hezbollah were still vying for control in the government, which itself is rightly fearful enough of the Syrian regime to act as friendly as possible to it to avoid potential retaliation from them.

[up][up] Yeah, but you'd think he wouldn't want to give them an excuse (flimsy or not) to very strongly support/advocate any suitably strict punitive sanctions that anyone else might propose in response to this act... or covertly start funding/training/arming opposition fighters in revenge (if they aren't doing so already).

edited 13th Mar '12 11:51:11 AM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#11190: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:53:55 AM

Lebanon is, though.

Ninja'd.

edited 13th Mar '12 11:54:15 AM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Zarastro Since: Sep, 2010
#11191: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:58:59 AM

Sry my mistake. What I don't understand is why he is targeting fugitives. I mean shouln't he be glad that those who oppose him leave the country?

edited 13th Mar '12 12:08:41 PM by Zarastro

Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#11192: Mar 13th 2012 at 11:59:40 AM

"Niemand hat die Absicht eine Mauer zu bauen"...

I think it's the same logic.

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic
Zarastro Since: Sep, 2010
#11193: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:08:20 PM

[up]Good point.

Just out of curiosity, is Syria already suffering from brain-drain?

edited 13th Mar '12 12:14:15 PM by Zarastro

BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#11194: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:14:44 PM

[up][up]What's that?

[up]Probably. That's a very common symptom among the dictatorships of the world.

edited 13th Mar '12 12:15:29 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Colonial1.1 Purveyor of Obscurity from The Marvelous River City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Purveyor of Obscurity
#11195: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:18:28 PM

The cause, of course, being paranoid fear.

"He could not know it. For it was not all a joke."
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#11196: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:20:39 PM

Paranoid fear of the people who are running away; justified fear on the part of the defectors.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Zarastro Since: Sep, 2010
#11197: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:22:13 PM

[up][up][up]A famous statement from Walter Ulbrecht, the president of East Germany and good example for "Blatant lies". It translates into "Nobody has the intention of building a wall" and he said it two months before the construction of the Berlin wall began.

edited 13th Mar '12 12:22:35 PM by Zarastro

Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#11198: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:24:27 PM

I.e., the intent is to prevent Syria bleeding dry of people by preventing them from leaving. Same reason as the Berlin Wall had.

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#11199: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:26:15 PM

I can't imagine why some people think that they can get wonderful results out of people who are only staying because there's a wall/minefield on the border. Those people don't want to help you, dictators!

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Zarastro Since: Sep, 2010
#11200: Mar 13th 2012 at 12:30:02 PM

Of course this might be bad for Assad in the long run. Remember how the East Germans said: We stay here, when given the opportunity of leaving the country 1989? If the fugitives believe they had no way out, things could get really desperate(well more desperate than they are now). Assad really needs to read Sun Tzu.

[up] It worked once more or less 28 years. If too many people left, Syrias economy would collapse pretty soon, especially after the latest sanctions take full effect. Assad would probably count himself lucky if his regime were to survive for so long. Does he have any sons who might follow after him?

edited 13th Mar '12 12:34:22 PM by Zarastro


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