Final Battle for Damascus? Bashar has fled to the Alawite Mountains.

As you are reading this, fierce battles are taking place in the capital Damascus, and the reports, while some may be somewhat exaggerated, are very clear: the rebels of the Free Syria Army are fighting in the very center of the city, are about to be, or already are in control of some of the headquarters of the once feared intelligence organizations, and it is all taking place minutes away from the presidential palace. By some accounts, the palace is without residents, as Bashar and his immediate family have already moved to the Alawite Mountains.

Stratfor scan ID:100225



The fall of Damascus, once happening, will not be a nice event to watch on TV. Many nights of long knives will follow, and the violence will be of proportions unknown hitherto in the modern Middle East.
While the ongoing slaughter on civilians (especially small children) is taking place on a daily basis, Pro-Assad supporters are swarming into various forums and web pages like ATS or infowars convincing those of a lesser mental capacity, that Bashar is a liberator of the people and the regime is under siege by nefarious rebels supported by equally nefarious US/Israeli Politicians.








The sad thing though is that the revenge taken by the victorious rebels will be on a huge scale, so the main questions to be asked now are about the coming days, and what can be done to mitigate the inevitable mayhem. First, we need to mention the people that are likely to suffer most. That being those Alawites who somehow failed to flee back to the mountains; members of the Ba'th party, including Sunnis, who maintained their loyalty to the party on the expense of their communal solidarity; members of the business community, who were very slow to change sides; and members of the Christian community, particularly from Bab Touma, the famous Christian quarter, whose history goes back to the early days of Christianity.

In 1861, Bab Touma experienced a massacre of huge proportions, when thousands were slaughtered. Hopefully, this will not be the case this time. Shi'ite mosques and shrines in Damascus will also be in the line of fire, and altogether it will not be safe for Shi'ites, whether Iranian or Lebanese, to stay in Damascus when the chaos will reign supreme. Two other communities, the Kurds and the Druze, who inhabit large neighborhoods in Damascus, may be spared the wrath of the victorious rebels, and at any rate, unlike the Christians, these are communities which in the past knew how to defend themselves.

And chaos it will be, with the hope that it will not last for too long, and will be under control as soon as possible. The political leadership of the rebels, the Syrian National Council, lacks the power to dominate the situation in Damascus, and it seems more likely that the force more capable of exerting any sort of central authority will be the Free Syria Army, which is not a coherent body but rather a loose coalition of local militias. So, they too may not be able to do the job. The chaos in Damascus may not be that much different than that which prevailed in Beirut in 1975-6. The collapse of the regime will unleash a welter of old conflicts, hatreds and loyalties, which were all subjugated for decades under the yoke of the oppressive regime and will now come to the open.



Sources:

Strategic Research and Communication Centre
Al-Jazeera
Huffington Post
Stratfor

While the ongoing slaughter on civilians (especially small children) is taking place on a daily basis, Pro-Assad supporters are swarming into various forums and web pages like ATS or infowars convincing those of lesse mental capacity that Bashar is a liberator of the people and the regime is under siege by nefarious rebles supported by equally nefarious US/Israeli Politicians.

Do you think it's just Assad slaughtering these civilians?

Condemnation of the FSA terrorists does not make me a supporter of Assad. Syria was MUCH better off before this foreign backed "rebellion" began.

No one is portraying him as a liberator of the people, at least not in any of the posts I have read. I have noticed a swarm of pro FSA supporters on ATS and other sites though, kind of odd don't you think?

If you don't think that US/Israel and it's allies have a part in this armed rebellion against the people of Syria you need a serious reality check. Please do not insult our intelligence just because we are able to see through the BS that the media has been selling, and you seem to have been buying it.

So who are you saying has a lesser mental capacity?

It's a bloody shame what is happening in Syria. No matter which side you consider yourself to be on (I don't consider myself to be on either side) there are a lot of innocent people being slaughtered due to the tactics of the FSA.

A nation's leader has the right to defend his interests against an armed revolt, especially when it is admittedly funded and supported by foreign entities that have been messing with his country for years.

I hope cooler heads prevail, but it's way beyond that point and Assad's regime will be toppled and replaced with a Western backed puppet government who will sign up to the Rothchild banking system. The people of Syria will lose their sovereignty and will be drawn out into a long civil war just like what is happening in Libya.

You portray yourself as someone who cares about the well being of the Syrian people but it seems to me you are here to shill for the FSA. It takes a very uninformed person, or a person with an agenda to support the FSA and what they are doing in Syria right now.

I just want all these "uprisings" to stop, but we all know that Iran is next...this has been planned for well over a decade. You should look into some of the literature on the PNAC website (Project for a New American Century) and you might not be so quick to support these rebel terrorists who call themselves the Free Syrian Army.

"A nation's leader has the right to defend his interests against an armed revolt, especially when it is admittedly funded and supported by foreign entities that have been messing with his country for years."

I so happy to read that people feel this way.

reply to post by michaelbrux

I so happy to read that people feel this way.

Please forgive me for my assumption, but due to our recent interactions I have reasons to believe you were being sarcastic. If you are being serious and were not being sarcastic, I apologize.

Could you please confirm whether or not you were being sarcastic so I can properly respond to your post in the context it was meant?

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


i'm not being sarcastic.

i'm pleased to read that you feel that a nation's leader has the right, responsibility, to defend his country against hostile foreign elements.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed

I just want all these "uprisings" to stop, but we all know that Iran is next...this has been planned for well over a decade. You should look into some of the literature on the PNAC website (Project for a New American Century)

PNAC? In these times?

You are kiddin´me right?

Before we point collective fingers upon western infuence, what is the extent of Saudi involvement in the arming of the Sunni factions?

Saudi Arabia and Qatar
The other key geopolitical plays with the Syrian situation involve two key players in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi Arabia has used the opportunity created by the Arab Spring to funnel support to friendly groups to expand its influence over the region. Qatar, on the other hand has been punching consistently above its diplomatic weight and can best be described as Calgary with a Kissigerian foreign policy.
Saudi Arabia’s moves have included courting Salafis in Egypt, extremists in Libya, curiously sending troops to crush the Arab Spring in Bahrain, and supporting both sides in Yemen. It is now funneling weapons through friendly tribesmen to extreme Sunni groups among the Syrian opposition. *Saudi moves to support ideologically friendly organizations like Egypt’s Al-Nour party are the reflective of their efforts to curb Western and Russian influence in the region and are part of a wider ‘cold war’ with Iran.

www.opencanada.org...

Whoever put an AK47 in the hands of the young boy in the above picture. That is the enemy.

reply to post by masqua


Although official confirmation is inevitably absent, there has been growing talk of foreign special forces – particularly British, but perhaps also US, Qatari, French and others – operating in Turkey’s border Hatay province. Revolutions are always a messy history and finding the truth in the middle of all this can be elusive. Syria is becoming more complicated by the day..

An intensive propaganda war and a polarised population has led to contradictions and mistakes. Mr Assad (now currently hiding in the alawite mountains) has enlisted the help of the 'Electronic Army', a group of pro-Assad trolls, to disseminate false information. France 24 was stung in June last year when the then Syrian ambassador to France, Lamia Chakkour, resigned on air allegedly to protest against the "cycle of extreme violence" taking place in Syria. This after several threats from EA-elements.

To answer your question, the word "Salafi" haunts the Syrian uprising. The regime has turned this conservative practice of Islam into a smear of the opposition, hoping to associate them with jihadist Salafis like those of al Qaeda in Iraq. But in Syria, as elsewhere in the Middle East, some practices associated with Salafis have become popularized even if people do not identify themselves as such. In part this is thanks to the influence of Saudi Arabia. And it is rich and powerful Syrians in Saudi Arabia who play a major role in financing the uprising, giving them additional influence.

Salafis seems to be a minority within the uprising, but nevertheless they play a growing role and as Assads grip on power lessens from his currently remote location
the Salafi/Saudi conncetion is indeed becoming stronger by the day.

Originally posted by becomingaware
Whoever put an AK47 in the hands of the young boy in the above picture. That is the enemy.

its so hard days dealing with young men; who's only command from God is to defend his home and fight by the side of his brothers and their fathers.

maybe he's just small for his age and he's really 17...

that's what i'm inclined to believe.

reply to post by johncarter

PNAC? In these times?

You are kiddin´me right?

I wish I was joking:

After its title page, the report features a page entitled "About the Project for the New American Century", quoting key passages from its 1997 "Statement of Principles":

“ [What we require is] a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States’ global responsibilities. Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership of the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of the past century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.[14]

en.wikipedia.org...

There is plenty more to read. If you don't like Wiki as a source you can visit the PNAC website and read the original content yourself.

And if you think this is no longer in effect due to the length of time that has passed and that these people are no longer in power, you should look into the Presidential Succession Act. All these people in power follow the same agenda whether you believe in the Left/Right paradigm.

They didn't name it the "Project for a New American Century" for nothing.

Originally posted by michaelbrux
reply to post by Corruption Exposed

 

i'm not being sarcastic.

i'm pleased to read that you feel that a nation's leader has the right, responsibility, to defend his country against hostile foreign elements.

I thank you for the clarification and once again I apologize for my automatic assumption. It appears that we agree to agree, instead to disagree on this one.

I wonder what would happen if the Shia's funded an armed revolt agains the Sunni government in Saudi Arabia, the citizens of Saudi Arabia would get slaughtered so bad that the massacres in Syria would look like a walk in the park. Luckily for the Saudis they are buddy buddy with Uncle Sam so they don't have to worry about too much foreign intervention.

Cheers.

Originally posted by michaelbrux

Originally posted by becomingaware
Whoever put an AK47 in the hands of the young boy in the above picture. That is the enemy.

its so hard days dealing with young men; who's only command from God is to defend his home and fight by the side of his brothers and their fathers.

maybe he's just small for his age and he's really 17...

that's what i'm inclined to believe.

Im inclined to believe that the older Man escorting the kid, should be the one with the rifle. If anything the young boy, should be at home with his family, armed and protecting them. Not in the middle of the fight.

..but maybe you're right. Maybe the kid is fighting for a just cause. ..A shame really though, I'm sure their are other grown men that could take his spot. We have all witnessed in history where thugs have armed young boys and thrown them into a fight. Boys that have had bombs strapped to them, or a shoe shine boy with grenades in his kit.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


from what i understand the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia have been living in that desert since Noah's Flood.

the Shia's are the women they brought into their homes upon marriage.

for them to start an uprising they'd have to explain why that land or the right to govern it should be theirs.

otherwise an uprising would be little more than a robbery and murder.

the laws we live by as individuals, don't cease to exist at the nation-state level.

reply to post by becomingaware


the last example you gave of the child soldiers of africa were often kidnapped and forcibly conscripted by rouge military. then they were kept drugged and forced to commit further atrocities against villages and such.

I guess that young boy could be home with his mom and his sisters...while the men of his house fight, but some men would rather be shot and die in war.

reply to post by michaelbrux


Actually I was reffering to Vietnam, which is exactly how my uncle lost his legs.

reply to post by michaelbrux


You are correct, it should be that way and left alone as is for that country to decide. However, it is not good Karma to kill the innocent especially children. If you are going to root out a revolt, you better make sure that as many possible who aren't involved are out of the way.

A little woopsie now and then makes you Santa Claus

Too much woopsie makes you the boogeyman.

I know I know the US couldn't even do that in Iraq.....guess war really is hell isn't it? Still your suggesting that there are rules in any conflict by your statement. When they have to resort to killing on any end of it, the rules go out the window.

Free for all who will care to participate I reckon.

reply to post by michaelbrux


Your talking about morality not mans law....either can be slighted to fit anothers needs. Man is flawed...morality is flawed and in this case as is mans law. You are saying man will carry forth in a honorable and noble premise of honesty and righteousness. Sorry, man is way too flawed for that to relate to all parties involved. If you fight someone whom doesn't fight fair, are you going to beat him fairly?

Im afraid you'll have to do better than that.

Originally posted by Kastogere
reply to post by michaelbrux

 

Your talking about morality not mans law....either can be slighted to fit anothers needs. Man is flawed...morality is flawed and in this case as is mans law. You are saying man will carry forth in a honorable and noble premise of honesty and righteousness. Sorry, man is way too flawed for that to relate to all parties involved. If you fight someone whom doesn't fight fair, are you going to beat him fairly?

Im afraid you'll have to do better than that.

the world is full of darkness...nothing is all good or all bad.

but there is a way to separate everything out and toss the garbage and keep the good stuff; its related to the process of cyclonic separation.

Damascus is in the spin cycle at present; if the title is accurate, assad has already decided to exclude himself from the process.