Syria

Questions About The James Foley Death Video

August 26, 2014 Elias Weston-Farber, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Iraq, ISIS, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Wars and Militarism

The reported death of journalist James Foley by the Islamic State (IS) is resulting in increasing calls for war not only in Iraq but in Syria, with the Obama administration saying it is considering such attacks. The video of Foley’s death on which these calls for war are in part based has largely been scrubbed from the web. This article reviews the video and questions raised by it. But, we also want to emphasize that the video is only part of the story, another that should not be ignored is who is behind IS. The story is more complex than we are being told. . . . The most interesting thing about the video is that despite the hype in the media, there was no actual beheading in the video. The TIME article headline was not an accurate description of the video. There was a dead body that was, as many in the media have said, “purportedly” a beheaded James Foley, but the actual act of beheading is not shown. The video does show someone purportedly using a knife to saw at Foley’s neck, but there is no blood and seems to be no actual cut.

The Powers Behind The Islamic State

August 25, 2014 The Real News, www.therealnews.com Educate! Iraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism, Wars and Militarism

Well, the first thing, I think that is very important to grasp: the role that our governments have played in fomenting the crisis that we see. The rise of ISIS was kind of predictable, and it's something that some analysts--analysts have warned about civil war in Iraq for years. I guess the accelerated nature of what we're seeing, most people haven't anticipated that, but it was predictable. And when we look at the way in which we've been funding some of these groups, it's kind of ironic that we have the very same people now calling for boots on the ground, calling for a response, are the same people that have been very loud in their support for arming some of the most virulent of elements of these rebel groups. And even though the Obama administration, for instance, has given a lot of lip service, saying that we only want to fund, you know, the kind of moderate rebels and so on and so forth--but the Obama administration has actively coordinated the financing that has come from the Gulf states to the very types of groups that they historically have always favored, which is the most virulent jihadist al-Qaeda affiliated organizations. So there is a contradiction here in what we're being told now and the way in which policymakers have kind of created this crisis and now not taken responsibility for this crisis.

Attack On Ghouta, Syria, 1 Year On: Washington’s Lies Debunked

August 23, 2014 Eric Draitser, www.rt.com Educate! ISIS, Syria, Wars and Militarism

This week marks the first anniversary of the infamous chemical weapons attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. What makes that incident significant, both politically and historically, is the fact that, despite the evidence of Syrian government involvement being non-existent, the Obama administration nearly began a war with Syria using Ghouta as the pretext. As the months have passed however, scientific studies amassing an impressive body of evidence have shown that, not only were Washington’s claims of “certainty” that Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons in their war with extremist fighters utterly baseless, but in fact the reality was quite the opposite – the rebels were the most likely culprits of the attack. Additionally, in the year since the Ghouta attack, the nature of the war in Syria, and specifically the way in which it is understood in the West, has changed dramatically. The so-called rebels have been defeated in regular battles and skirmishes with Syrian military forces, while the specter of ISIS has emerged as the embodiment of evil in the eyes of the Western public.

Syria: Activists Call For Release Of Human Rights Defender Mazen Darwish

July 31, 2014 Suzan Ahmad, www.english.globalarabnetwork.com Organize! Activism, Assad, Human Rights, Syria

Mazen Darwish, a prominent Syrian activist, human rights defender and the director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), was arrested with a number of his colleagues on 16 February 2012 by Assad forces that broke into his office in Damascus. For two years and half, Darwish, Hussien Ghreer and Hani al-Zayati have been kept Damascus central prison standing trial in terrorism court according to article (8), added newly to the Syrian law; while the regime is ignoring all International, legal and humanitarian calls to release them. The statement stresses the fact that the presidential pardon issued by Assad after the elections was another trick of the regime since dozens of people including Darwish and his co-workers were not released, though according to decree No. (22), they should be set free immediately with other activist detainees. The statement raises the issue of detaining and torturing civil activists and sending them to terrorism court while pardoning military people on one hand. On the other hand, the regime claims on media its readiness to negotiate with the opposition.

ISIS Expels Iraqi Christians

July 26, 2014 Roula Ibrahim, www.english.al-akhbar.com Organize! Christian, ISIS, Religion, Syria

The patriarchal residence in the town of Atchanah in Lebanon’s Metn region brought together yesterday representatives of the churches of Mosul five days after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) forced Iraqi Christians out of the city. This is the first time that Mosul’s Christian population has been driven out of the city and is the largest forced displacement since the Armenian genocide. Nevertheless, there are people who still believe in returning despite a Western and Arab failure to act. About 10,000 Christians left Mosul. Nothing like this has happened since the Armenian genocide in Turkey about a hundred years ago. Until last week, ISIS was just a “joke” or a “boogieman created by the Syrian regime to scare minorities and keep them by its side.” That is why kidnapping the two bishops, Boulos al-Yazigi and Youhana Ibrahim, near Aleppo a year and a half ago did not serve as an adequate warning of how serious and extremist these fundamentalist movements are. The occupation of Maaloula and the burning of its churches did not change anything in the Syrian scene and the kidnapping of the nuns was not met with a response proportional to the crime. All this passed in absolute lightness as some Lebanese politicians scoffed at the fundamentalist danger: this is the people’s revolution

Left Solidarity: Supporting Grassroots Movements In Syria

July 19, 2014 leilashrooms, www.leilashrooms.wordpress.com Organize! Left, Organizing, Solidarity, Syria

Much of the debate on Syria by people who identify as being ‘leftists’ both in the West and the Arab world has been dominated by issues most prominent in the media such as a focus on geo-politics, militarization, Islamism and sectarianism. It’s ultimately been a very State-centric discourse. Conversely there seems to be very limited knowledge or discussion about popular struggles or grassroots civil movements in Syria. This is strange because the politics of liberation should not be grounded in discussions between political leaders and States but grounded in the struggles of people for freedom, dignity and social justice. The consequence of this uncritical adoption and regurgitation of top-down narratives is twofold. Firstly, it detracts from any real discussion of how to give solidarity to those on the ground that are struggling to realize ideals the left supposedly shares. And secondly, it detracts from any real discussion amongst the left as to what can be learned and gained from the experience of Syrian revolutionaries and their courageous struggle, as well as the many challenges they face (we’re all aware that the Syrian revolution is under attack from all quarters). Ultimately the failure to support popular movements on the ground, and a lack of ability to respond flexibly to real revolutionary situations as they unfold, is making the left less and less relevant as a political movement

NY Times Pro-War Bias Still Evident

July 14, 2014 Robert Parry, www.consortiumnews.com Educate! Iraq, Journalism, Mass Media, Syria, Ukraine

Exclusive: Mistakes were made on the Iraq War in 2003 and lessons have been learned, the New York Times says, but those lessons haven’t carried over to the Times’ deeply biased coverage of the crises in Syria and Ukraine, reports Robert Parry. The New York Times’ public editor Margaret Sullivan acknowledges that the newspaper’s coverage of Iraq before President George W. Bush’s 2003 invasion “was flawed, driven by outside agendas and lacking in needed skepticism.” But she says lessons were learned. “Many Op-Ed columns and Times editorials promoted the idea of a war that turned out to be both unfounded and disastrous,” Sullivan wrote on June 29, adding that, in retrospect, the coverage “was the cause of much soul-searching for The Times” and that those lessons now are at the forefront of the Times’ handling of the new crisis in Iraq. However, the real question isn’t whether the Times will make the same mistakes in flacking for an Iraq War sequel. As Sullivan noted, President Barack Obama – unlike his neocon predecessor – remains resistant to dispatching U.S. combat forces to Iraq.

In Iraq, U.S. Is The Problem…

June 27, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Government, Iraq, Syria, Video, Wars and Militarism

The oil rich country of Iraq is facing a possible collapse. Again. Sunni militants, largely shut out of the new government installed by the U.S. after our illegally invasion and occupation are overtaking large parts of Iraq in a quickly developing story. U.S. foreign policy seems to lack the imagination to do anything but intervene militarily. How that intervention takes shape, whether it be in aid, advising, air strikes, boots on the ground, or the kind of shock and awe only a Nobel peace prize winning Commander in chief can deliver remains to be seen. Joining Dennis on Acronym TV this week to discuss the situation in Iraq are Lila Garrett and Dr. Dennis Loo. Lila Garret is a two time Emmy winner for her work in TV comedy as a writer/producer. For her progressive political activism, in 1991 she was the recipient of Senator Barbara Boxer’s WOMEN MAKING HISTORY AWARD. . In 2004 she was So. Cal. Chair of the Kucinich for President campaign. For the last 9 years she has hosted the radio political talk show, “Connect the Dots” heard every Monday morning at 7 on Pacifica’s KPFK in Los Angeles and on line atKPFK.org.

Does U.S. Have A Moral Obligation To Iraqis?

June 25, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Human Rights, Solidarity, Syria, Video, Wars and Militarism

Lila Garrett with Dennis Trainor, Jr in part one of Acronym TV this week. ~Topics Discussed ~ ISIS in Iraq, Barack Obama as a War President, The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Litigating the past and planning for the future, The sitcom All in the Family (and what would Meathead and Archie do now?), and Satire as a tool for the peace movement

Call Congress: Stop The New US Invasion Of Iraq

June 24, 2014 Justin Raimondo, www.antiwar.com Resist! Barack Obama, Iraq, Syria, Wars and Militarism

President Obama’s announcement that the US is sending 300 "advisors" back to Iraq to stave off the rising Sunni insurgency was couched in assurances that "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" – but who really believes that? This President has absolutely no qualms about engaging in systematic deception if it serves his purposes. Indeed, his version of the numbers is in itself a blatant lie: in reality, we are sending 625 military personnel into Iraq, including the 325 Marines sent to guard the now-imperiled US Embassy — and that’s just what they’re announcing publicly. God knows what the real numbers are. Furthermore, the President told us "we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it." This will presumably come in the form of air strikes, but the vague wording gives Obama lots of leeway. Americans have had it up to here with Iraq, and want no part of another war in the Middle East. We did it when Obama announced he was going to bomb Syria: the War Party was taken aback by the sheer spontaneous power of the protest. Many thousands called their congressional representatives and made it crystal clear that they opposed any new war in the region, whether it be on "humanitarian" or "strategic" grounds.

ISIS: Unsurprising Surprise Sweeping Iraq

June 22, 2014 Charles P. Blair, www.thebulletin.org Educate! Iraq, Syria, Wars and Militarism

Eighteen months later, as the final US military forces left Iraq, a similarly sanguine US Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick reflected on a bright future for the Iraqi security forces. Helmick, who led the attack on Mosul in 2003 before taking other senior US military leadership roles in Iraq, said that when he arrived, “The Iraqis did not have an army. They did not have a navy. They did not have an air force. So we didn't rebuild anything; we built their military.” And what a military it was: According to information released in the March 2013 "Final Report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction," from the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom until September 2012, the US alone spent $25 billion to equip and train Iraq’s security forces and build and maintain the military installations they needed. These billions represent one-third of all US aid to Iraq from 2005 through 2012. But just two and a half years later, Iraqi security forces have “crumbled in disarray”before the successor group to Al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.

Syrian Election Observer Arrives Home From Damascus

June 8, 2014 Judy Bello, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Elections, Syria

There was no doubt in any of our minds that Dr. Bashar al Assad was the choice of the Syrian people. The alternative candidates, liberal economist Hassan al Nouri, an economist who supports opening up the Syrian economy to global trade, and Maher Abdul-Hafith al Hajjar of the People’s Will Party who was an early leader of peaceful protests around Syria, and is known to Syrians in the opposition, each received a very small number of votes but both are active in the current government. The election was a referendum on support for the current President, Dr. Bashar al Assad whose leadership was overwhelmingly affirmed. People interviewed voted for different reasons. Some voted out of love for their leader, something we in America find hard to understand. But most people said they were voting for a restoration of order and civilization in their country. They voted for security and peace. They voted against foreign intervention by the United States. . .

Don’t Ignore Syria’s Nonviolent Movement

June 8, 2014 Tamara Al-Om, www.theguardian.com Resist! Nonviolence, Syria

Being Syrian these days only ever elicits one response: "Oh, I'm sorry … it must be terrible for you … Have you got family there?" This reaction is understandable, given the nature of the information that emerges from the country, with coverage of death, destruction and displacement of people. While it is vital that the world is made aware of the suffering of the Syrian people, however, the complexity of the conflict can sometimes be forgotten. What we tend to hear less about is the nonviolent movement (NVM), which has been playing a significant role since the start of the uprising, and which started in early 2011 with peaceful protests. At this stage the NVM had a much wider support base both domestically and internationally, with audiences sympathetic to its struggle. The number of army defections was also relatively high. However, as the government began to take violent action against the protestors, armed resistance inevitably emerged. This was followed by the development of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The FSA's lack of real organisation and an established central command made it easier for foreign extremist groups to enter Syria and hijack the uprising. They began to subvert it from a movement about freedom and justice into something very different.

Why Won’t Kerry Leave Syria Alone?

May 20, 2014 Daniel McAdams, www.ronpaulinstitute.org Resist! Syria, Wars and Militarism

US Secretary of State John Kerry seems to be on a personal mission to draw the US into an invasion of Syria. At the least, he remains determined to continue backing the rebellion against the Syrian government until the country is completely destroyed. Meeting yesterday in London, the self-styled "Friends of Syria," including, in addition to the US and UK, such model democracies as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, determined to increase assistance to those who for three years have fought to overthrow the Syrian government. Kerry took the opportunity at the meeting to again accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons, apparently not at all chastened by his fraudulent claims to the same effect last year. "Raw data" suggests the Syrian government used chlorine gas recently, Kerry claimed this time. Very raw, no doubt. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on the same day that, “We’ve not seen any evidence” of additional chemical attacks. It seems that the US administration is at war with itself, with Kerry seeming to go rogue at every opportunity. Recall last summer that Kerry said unambiguously that "we know" that Assad used chemical weapons in Ghouta. Also remember that he was completely wrong, having placed the US on the brink of invading another country on a trumped-up pretext.

The War We Stopped: New Neocon Push For Syrian War

February 26, 2014 Coleen Rowley, www.truthout.org Educate! Syria, Wars and Militarism

The propaganda that continues to flourish for war on Syria shows many Americans fail to understand the problems posed by “U.S. Empire-building” believing it to be an altruistic force, toppling other governments and starting wars for the good of all mankind. Two recent articles in the New York Times: “Use Force To Save Starving Syrians” and “U.S. Scolds Russia as It Weighs Options on Syrian War“ are typical of the concerted efforts underway to ramp up U.S. military intervention despite overwhelming opposition voiced by Congress and the American public thwarting Obama’s plan to bomb Syria announced in late August last year. The “U.S. Weighs Options” news piece is easier to expose since it employs an obviously twisted and one-sided reporting lens that puts the primary blame on Russia for the violent conflict in Syria.

«1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 »

assetto corsa mods

Daily movement news and resources