Syria for Syrians - 28 Feb 2012 to 16 Feb 2013
As the months go on, and the war in Syria continues, and my interaction with Syrians increases, I thought that rather than try and rejustify my opinions repeatedly, I should make my collection of key news events and blog of recent Syria-related observations public. And now that I see them all together, the statements and contacts make for a neat, if directed, history of the Syrian rebellion from 28 Feb 2012 to 13 Feb 2013.
These are my perceptions on selected news items throughout the past 12 months.
Please note that I not only read the media the supports my opinons, but also read Press TV (Persion-Iranian), SANA, Russian and Chinese media, Indian, Pakistanian, African sources, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, from eveywhere. I use my own brain and logic to put it all together, check Youtube and other evidence sources, and even then keep an open mind ready to accept alternative opinions - as long as they make sense and especially if they come from people who also do their research.
Events Jan-Feb 2013
Peter Vasdi
Executing your own people ahead of an anticipated invasion - how endearing.
For months, Damascus has hunched in a defensive crouch as fighting raged in suburbs, but a rebel advance has created a new level of alarm and disorder.
February 10, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Peter Vasdi
Starting its own embassy. About time.
Russia's envoy to the UN says Syria's opposition plans to open offices in New York and Washington.
February 9, 2013 at 6:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
President Bashar al-Assad’s government said it was ready for talks with opposition leaders provided there were no preconditions, an indication there may still be a slight chance for a political solution to the conflict. “The door is open, the negotiating table is there, welcome to an...
February 9, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Peter Vasdi
Dialog OUTSIDE syria WITHOUT preconditions. This is not a bargaining tool, Assad!
President Bashar al-Assad appointed seven new ministers, a move that appeared intended to shore up the country’s ravaged economy.
February 9, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Peter Vasdi
The council is probably doing this already, but it needs to tighten the control and communication with local governance councils on the ground, and with military groups. Eventually it will be running most of Syria and possibly move back into Syria. Hope.
AMMAN (Reuters) - Members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have called for an emergency meeting to discuss a controversial proposal by its head to negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad's
February 6, 2013 at 8:07 am
Peter Vasdi
AMMAN (Reuters) - Members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have called for an emergency meeting to discuss a controversial proposal by its head to negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad's
February 6, 2013 at 8:04 am
Peter Vasdi
Now I'm waiting for the Syrian regime to join the coalition and establish who does what where.
National Coalition leader urges President Assad to take a clear stance on his initiative for dialogue.
February 4, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Peter Vasdi
Hope
The move is part of rebels' attempt to restore law and order in areas under their control in the northern city.
February 4, 2013 at 9:50 am
Peter Vasdi
Khatib's offer cannot be sincere as long as he insists on such unrealistic prconditions. The only precondition he should insist upon is to engage the regime reps OUTSIDE Syria outside the influence of Assad.
BEIRUT - Syria's top opposition leader declared on Wednesday that he is willing to negotiate with members of President Bashar Assad's regime to bring a peaceful end to the country's civil war, provoking an outcry from opposition groups that insist Assad must step down first.
February 1, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Peter Vasdi
FOR months President Bashar Assad's opponents have been united their insistence that he must stand down before talks to end the country's war can begin....
February 1, 2013 at 10:15 am
Peter Vasdi
Time is running out for Assad to join the coalition. The only thing left will be to get rid of the man.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There are signs that Iran is sending growing numbers of people and increasingly sophisticated weaponry to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, outgoing U.S. Secretary of State
January 31, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Peter Vasdi
Syrian Foreign Ministry summoned Major-General Iqbal Singh Singha, the head of mission and force commander for United Nations - hahaha.
January 31, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
This is what Assad means when he says his soldiers have "cleaned an area of terrorists."
Bodies were found in the Queiq River, which skirts the front line and de facto border between government-held areas of Aleppo and territory controlled by rebel fighters in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood.
January 30, 2013 at 8:36 pm
Peter Vasdi
The Syria war has reached “unprecedented levels of horror”, UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Tuesday after dozens of men were killed in a grim new massacre.
January 30, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Peter Vasdi
Finally a step in the right direction, as long as the talks happen OUTSIDE Syria out of range of the regime's thuggery.
In new offer, Syrian opposition leader offers to talk to Assad regime, provoking rebel outcry
January 30, 2013 at 8:27 pm
Peter Vasdi
Brahimi's right, but splattering on about the subject and catering to Russia and Assad is part of the problem.
UN envoy says the country "is being destroyed bit by bit" as nearly 70 bodies of executed men are found in Aleppo.
January 30, 2013 at 7:20 am
Peter Vasdi
The French show the world how to fight a war.
The recapture of Timbuktu was done by moonlight. More than 250 French troops parachuted down to the northern entrance of the fabled desert city, while an armoured column sealed the southern exit. After close to a year of occupation by Islamists, which has driven more than half the population from Ma…
January 28, 2013 at 11:54 pm
Peter Vasdi
Success in Mali; failure in Syria.
French and Malian troops have sealed off Timbuktu after fleeing rebel-torched buildings, including a South-African-funded prized manuscript library.
January 28, 2013 at 2:25 pm
Peter Vasdi
Targeted for helping people. How can anyone who is decent and normal support Assad and ANYONE part of his regime? Yet we in the West do little and even the opposition can't get their act together.
Thestar.com is Canada's largest online news site. Stay current with our sports, business entertainment news and more from the Toronto Star and thestar.com
January 27, 2013 at 9:08 pm
Peter Vasdi
Talks with Russia are no longer useful nor appropriate.
The Obama administration said Friday it was pulling out of a civil society dialogue with Russia to protest the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent and new laws against nongovernmental organizations. It also harshly criticized Russia's parliament for advancing new legislation against "homosexual propagand…
January 26, 2013 at 12:53 pm
Peter Vasdi
I'm a bit on Lavrov's side here. If we and the rebels stopped making Assad's exit a precondition and concentrated on inviting Assad's reps to meet with the council OUTSIDE Syria, that might move things forward. If Assad refuses to join, then just leave those seats empty - as a symbol the world would understand.
In addition to criticizing the opposition, Russia’s foreign minister said the decision to remove 77 Russians from Syria did not signal the start of an evacuation.
January 23, 2013 at 10:38 pm
Peter Vasdi
The Alawites have to be included. Invite their reps to send reps to the coalition. Make it really public if the Alawite/Assad regime refuses. Good PR. Make the coalition represent ALL Syrians. Do it where Assad has no power.
Syria’s internationally recognized opposition coalition has held a meeting to name the country’s “prime minister-in-exile” a day after the country’s foreign minister invited any unarmed groups to participate in forming the new cabinet.
January 20, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Peter Vasdi
This at least is a hopeful bit of news. The rebels seem not to belong to foreign islamist radicals. I hope they keep their momentum. Next I'd like to hear less about Assad's removal and more about a get-together of ALL parties OUTSIDE Syria. Any coalition/opposition happening under direct regime control is useless.
The first attack in a series designed to take Idlib city could lead to rebels gaining control of the whole province.
January 20, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Peter Vasdi
Then let's send arms and men and ships and planes to help Assad kill people in Syria.
An angry crowd beat gay activists Sunday during an protest of Russia's so-called homophobic bill, which will soon be discussed in parliament, officials said.
January 20, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Peter Vasdi
Wow, is this all we've got? Does that mean that we're winning?
ANISA Makhluf, the mother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has left the war-torn country and joined her daughter in Dubai, expatriates in the United Arab Emirates and an activist say.
January 20, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Peter Vasdi
Well, Assad has won this war, thanks to us doing nothing - again - until it's too late. We have to improve our security and ability to make military decisions, yet do so more democratically. Russian only has 140M people and yer we're still treating it like a superpower. Pay our politicians a bit more and get some expertise up there.
The Russian Navy has begun its biggest war games in the high seas in decades that will include manoeuvres off the shores of Syria.
January 20, 2013 at 4:13 pm
Peter Vasdi
More
The BBC has found evidence to support reports from Syria of a massacre this week in which at least 100 people were killed and burned in their homes. This video contains graphic images.
January 19, 2013 at 11:31 am
Peter Vasdi
Brahimi is Algerian.
The Algerian army, we were told by the usual suspects this afternoon – on French television as well as in America – “are not soft on terrorists” and had “expertise” in “fighting terrorism”. Too true – but only half the truth. Because they are not “soft” on hostages either. They are as ruthless with …
January 19, 2013 at 11:28 am
Peter Vasdi
Another 100 people brutally murdered by Lavrov and Assad. Why would the regime remove the bodies, if they're not guilty. The opposition fighters are only too happy (not the best word) to call in international press and witnesses when they reveal the results of such a massacre.
The BBC sees evidence of a massacre in a village near the Syrian city of Homs, where locals say at least 100 people were killed.
January 18, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Peter Vasdi
Murder financed by Russia. Plus increasing naval buildup
Battles follow reported massacre in Homs and attack on a university in Aleppo, which together left at least 200 dead.
January 18, 2013 at 11:26 am
Peter Vasdi
again and again and again. What's the point of sanctions. Give the rebels the support they need or suffer the consequences. Assad's winning this war.
Massive naval exercise could bring additional arms to Bashar al-Assad’s regime
January 18, 2013 at 11:11 am
Peter Vasdi
And to think that NRA-linked conspiracy afficionados (with guns in their homes no doubt) are challenging the reality of the Connecticut school massacre.
January 16, 2013 at 8:38 am
Peter Vasdi
So so sad. One of many in that era of non-publicised genocide, we lost so much life and knowledge and opportunity.
January 15, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Peter Vasdi
I offer a workaround to this problem. I would create a network of associates and they would publish my source information as if that info were their own. The information would still get out. Who would know?
Stop writing about Iran, or face the consequences.
January 15, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Peter Vasdi
No surprise here. Mr Brahimi should stop being coy and marry Mr Molotov.
Support aside, Russia also insisted that the exit of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, could not be a precondition for a deal to end the country’s conflict.
January 13, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Peter Vasdi
You would think that the UN would already have known this, meaning that Brahimi's attempt was only to appease Russia, which only wanted to mire progress so that Russia could continue to make money, supply weapons and men, and buy Assad time to use them. We should elect reps to the UN who have IQs higher than 100.
The international envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has said the recent speech by President Bashar al-Assad was a lost opportunity to resolve the crisis in Syria.
January 9, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Peter Vasdi
About time.
David Hirst: The great losers in the breakup of the Ottoman empire could be winners in the wake of Syria's civil war and the Arab spring
January 9, 2013 at 10:52 am
Peter Vasdi
Same old same old. They already have a charter, but implement it selectively: those he doesn't like automatically become non-Syrians without rights. Nothing constructive here, just an introduction to more killing.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivers a rare televised speech, denouncing the opposition as "puppets of the West".
January 6, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Peter Vasdi
Russia is always one step ahead of the West. However, we have aircraft carriers and can put feet on the ground in spite of that.
Sunday Times says Russian warships are being deployed off Syria to deter any Western military intervention.
January 6, 2013 at 3:06 am
Peter Vasdi
The political process is a win win situation for Russia. It gets to sell arms to Syria; make money. It gets to send its soldiers to train them in real combat, thus using up those arms and without needing to supply arms to its own. The people dying are not Russians. The arms get used up, so Syria is forced to buy more from Russia. Money and training go to Russia; dealing in death.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syria faces hell if no deal is struck to end 21 months of bloodshed, an international mediator said on Saturday, but his talks in Russia brought no sign of a breakthrough after a week
January 5, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Peter Vasdi
Assad usually gives a public speech each time he receives supplies fro Russia. That way he feels confident in his ability to attack and suppress the "rebels".
BEIRUT, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assadwill deliver a speech on Sunday, state media said, in what willbe his first major public statement for weeks on the uprisingagainst his rule.Syrian
January 5, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Events Nov-Dec 2012
Peter Vasdi
Every time Russia sends more ships and troops to Syria, the lying bastards, Assad spurts ahead with another killing spree.
The stench of the burnt bodies was so potent, Syrian Abu Jafar said, he could smell it from 2 kilometers away.
December 30, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Peter Vasdi
I wasn't there obviously, but I think that if a large group of people hear an airplane approaching in the distance, they should assume it's a regime plane and they should disperse as fast as they can.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12. The Syrian government conducted a deadly airstrike against Syrians - standing in line waiting for bread in a bakery in Halfaya, in Hama. Estimates put the number of those killed between 90 to 300 people in the attack on...
December 24, 2012 at 1:41 am
Peter Vasdi
Oh, all the Russians need to do to get the U.S. to back off is to send a few shiploads of soldiers to Syria? Well, what do you know, those shiploads have already arrived in Tartous, and the U.S. has chosen to withdraw its aircraft carriers from the region.
Advisers deployed with surface-to-air systems bolster President Assad's defences and complicate outcome of any future strikes
December 24, 2012 at 1:34 am
Peter Vasdi
If the Russians choose to place themselves in harms way, then so be it. However, Syrian missile and antiaircraft capability is a non-issue; the international community doesn't need to and won't invade Syria. If Syria chooses to attack outside their borders, then that will start a reaction, of course. But that won't happen. If only the international communitynwill get off its assinine hesitation and supply the real opposisition with arms, the 80% will get rid of the regime in short order. Letting Russia put the brakes on helping the resistance while allowing the Russians to supply and profit from the regime AND put Russian boots on the ground inside Syria is laughably ridiculous - no wonder Assad and Putin (and Israel) have absolutely no respect or fear of the west.
Any air strike against Assad regime targets would require suppression of Syria's increasingly formidable defences
December 23, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Peter Vasdi
This analysis has one major flaw: Syria's air defence capability would not at all interfere with us creating a no-fly zone along the border.
Any air strike against Assad regime targets would require suppression of Syria's increasingly formidable defences
December 23, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Peter Vasdi
Another useless attempt to spend money, to try to justify and keep UN people employed by sending them to Syria to work under the regime, giving Assad yet more time, money, and political support. Brahimi would do much better by persuading the regime to send reps to work with the National Council OUTSIDE Syria.
Activists said Syrian warplanes conducted deadly airstrikes that killed dozens of people lined up for bread at a bakery in the central town of Hilfaya.
December 23, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
The international envoy tasked with ending Syria's civil war hoped to discuss ways of ending the crisis during a visit to Damascus that began Sunday, officials said, but there appeared little reason for optimism.
December 23, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Peter Vasdi
Sending peacekeepers into Syria now would be a win-win situation for the Assad regime and for Russia. It would mean money (our money) flowing from the U.N. to Assad, and it would provide an excuse for Russian feet on the ground in the area, all under the control of and managed by Assad.
December 22, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Peter Vasdi
A tiny step. Now ask him to send a delegation of Allawite regime reps to join the opposition council OUTSIDE syria.
Mr. Sharaa says that both the regime and rebels will need to work together to resolve the conflict in Syria, since neither has exclusive rights to dictate the country's future.
December 17, 2012 at 9:42 am
Peter Vasdi
I still don't understand why the regime doesn't offer to send representatives of the Alawite minority to join the Syrian Opposition Council OUTSIDE Syria and thus become part of the solution?
President Bashar al-Assad's troops try to dislodge strongholds as Nato sends soldiers to neighbouring Turkey
December 15, 2012 at 8:25 pm
Peter Vasdi
This article mixes several themes and mucks up any point it tries to make: children suffering from war, the Syrian situation, children having to get involved in protecting their families, teens being recruited, etc.
I am about to make a statement of the blindingly obvious – so obvious that, paradoxically, you need to stop and think deeply about it for a moment.
December 14, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Peter Vasdi
If all it takes for Russia and the rest of the world to agree on Syria, is to involve both the opposition AND the regime together in a dialog on the way forward, then it's a nobrainer: bring the regime reps into the opposition council OUTSIDE Syria. Why isn't this happening?
December 14, 2012 at 11:18 am
Peter Vasdi
Apparently it takes NATO. 6mo to decide what to do, and another 6mo to implement the decision, and it takes Russia and Iran a couple of days to actually do whatever they want.
We bring to the attention of Global Research readers the following news excerpt from hamsayeh.net regarding the delivery of Russian Iskander missiles to Syria in response to the deployment of US Patriot missiles in Turkey.
December 9, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Peter Vasdi
thenational.ae via Zite iPad App
Medical professionals in Syria are squeezed no matter where they turn: threatened if they stay, ostracised if they go. A health disaster is looming in their country and doctors, above all, need to be given the chance to be trained or continue their training.
December 9, 2012 at 11:14 am
Peter Vasdi
Wouldn't it be nice to take out those 15 tanks?
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army fired rockets into and reinforced its positions around two Damascus suburbs on Friday, resident opposition activists said, as it battles to isolate the centre of the
December 7, 2012 at 8:07 am
Peter Vasdi
Bleeding hearts again. When a Jewish child turns the Western equivalent of 13, he's in his 14th year and becomes an adult. An Arab that's 14 is also an adult. Plus, even if I were 5, I'd do what I could to defend my home and family. Using children - give me a break!
(New York) – Armed opposition groups fighting in Syria are using children for combat and other military purposes, Human Rights Watch said today.
December 2, 2012 at 2:24 am
Peter Vasdi
Is this connected to the recent video about "rebels shooting unarmed men"?
Twenty Lebanese men are killed in an ambush by the Syrian army in the town of Tal Kalakh near the border with Lebanon, a Lebanese security source says.
November 30, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Peter Vasdi
Twenty Lebanese men are killed in an ambush by the Syrian army in the town of Tal Kalakh near the border with Lebanon, a Lebanese security source says.
November 30, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Peter Vasdi
Need to be careful to verify whether such news has been posted by rebels or regime. Is there any indication which side the shooter/victims are on? Also what was the context in terms of what had the "victims" been doing before they were caught - shooting and killing? It's a war.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - New footage posted on the Internet appears to have been filmed by a Syrian rebel who points the camera along the barrel of his gun as he shoots 10 unarmed prisoners.The video, posted
November 30, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Peter Vasdi
Why wait 3 months? Another 3000 people will die.
EU cuts Syria sanctions terms for possible arms supply to rebels
November 28, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Peter Vasdi
Yeah it was about freedom and human rights. Learning and moving on, ensure that the Syrian opposition on board before giving them Syria.
According to a disturbing report out of Libya, an extremist militia is threatening to mutilate and execute 12 allegedly gay men. (WARNING: graphic images)
November 26, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Peter Vasdi
Very delicate truce between the hotheaded uneducated guns and the local population. For the time being, common sense has prevailed.
Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters have reached an agreement on a truce, to end days of violence in a northern town
November 26, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
The rebel groups are learning to communicate and coordinate into larger and more centrally managed groups. These can control larger areas and handle logistics and supply. Goodbye Assad.
Three days after their capture of Base 46, a sprawling army base in northern Syria, rebels dragged out the last corpses from ruined buildings Wednesday and gathered the booty of arms and ammunition.
November 21, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Peter Vasdi
This has happened before. Maybe the Kurds will be lucky this time.
Kurdish fighters have taken control of some towns in the northeast, running their own schools and security forces.
November 19, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Peter Vasdi
Usually the Pravda is filled with anti-western and poorly researched opinion, but this piece is a balanced, realistic assessment. Hope they don't kill this journalist.
The Kurds have come close to creating the Great Kurdistan. Iraqi Kurdistan is close to independence, and Syrian and Turkish Kurds are creating a territory under the unified control, while the Iranian Kurds get united. The Kurds...
November 13, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Peter Vasdi
At 2000 dead per month, that's going to be how many dead Syrians from now?
Britain could intervene militarily in Syria in the next few months, the country’s most senior general has said.
November 11, 2012 at 11:42 am
Peter Vasdi
Another reason to extend beyond just the SNC to help optimize the humanity of Syria's next government and to avoid the limitations and impositions of the Assad regine.
DOHA, Qatar—The leadership of Syria
November 8, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Peter Vasdi
Russia is run by a small group of ex-soviets made rich by their asset grab during the soviet breakup. Syria's run by (hopefully not for much longer) a rich minority group. No wonder the two regimes see eye-to-eye on everything from repression, opression, intimidation, censorship, me-better-than-you-and-you-better-believe-it.
The United Kingdom intends to initiate talks with armed gangs who are fighting to overthrow the Syrian President, Bashar al-Asad, and provide advice. David Cameron, in what is a clear intervention in the Syrian crisis, gave the...
November 7, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Peter Vasdi
Sounds like the concept of a unified political body is sound. The news doesn't tell us if the Syrians all agree even on that point, but I think they do. The next stumble is because there isn't an agreement about WHO will represent WHAT. They all reject those put forth by the U.S. and Britain. I hope the next step towards the unification goal will be to let the Syrian representatives determine the WHAT and WHO themselves. Quickly. There should not be the need of a carrot (i.e., weapons, money) to force the Syrian opposition to unify. Once they are unified, they can lobby for what they need.
The western-backed initiative to form a united Syrian opposition looked to have collapsed on Wednesday night, as key opposition movements from inside the country pulled out.
November 7, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Peter Vasdi
Finally some straight talk. Good for Hijab. Lavrov must not have liked being turned down. Arrogant front man.
Former Syrian PM tells Russian FM that no negotiations can take place so long as Assad remains in power.
November 6, 2012 at 9:56 pm
Peter Vasdi
Shadi Hamid has it all backwards. The US has been more than proactive in helping the Syrians and continues to do so today. Obama has been the first pres to stand up to Israel. Besides, there is less motivation to help a culture that has consistently been both bashing the US and using its resources.
One of the great mysteries of the past four years is how Barack Obama -- who rose to the presidency, in part, on his promises to fundamentally re-think and re-orient U.S. policy in the Middle East -- has instead spent his term running away from the region.
November 6, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Peter Vasdi
I thing Russia missed the train on this one. More, Russia bought the tickets for the wrong train.
Moscow is ready to discuss sending international monitors and a UN peacekeeping mission to Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Sunday.
November 4, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Peter Vasdi
csmonitor.com via Zite iPad App
An atrocity in the strategic Syrian town of Saraqeb is a reminder that the landscape of that country's civil war is a place where angels fear to tread.
November 2, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Peter Vasdi
How can we be sure that they are rebels?
The execution of a group of prisoners, apparently soldiers or militiamen, appears to be evidence of a war crime by the rebels, human rights activists said.
November 1, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Events Sep-Oct 2012
Peter Vasdi
Time for the government to reach out, recognize even the most far-out group and invite them to the capital to partake in parliamentary discussions. Many of these leaders have little education and bringing them to the negotiation table will help the exchange of information. Quick and essential education.
October 31, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Peter Vasdi
Assad's regime would simply kill such prisoners, if even they admit they have such and make the whereabouts known.
Syrian rebels release kidnapped Lebanese journalist
October 31, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Peter Vasdi
Sounds like progress. Yeah, like Russia was doing anything.
Syrian opposition leaders of all stripes will convene in Qatar next week to form a new leadership body to subsume the opposition Syrian National Council, which is widely viewed as ineffective, consumed by infighting, and little respected on the ground,The Cablehas learned.
October 30, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Peter Vasdi
The reason nothing is working is because, with a narrow mind like Assad's, the only way to succeed is to fight back. Like with bullies, I was bullied as a kid until, with UN type help from parents and adults, I fought back. Not a bit of problem after that.
A neighborhood near the capital was leveled Tuesday
October 30, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Peter Vasdi
And it only took us 2 years to realize this? Are they feeding us drugs or something?
Turkey is ruling out any dialogue with the Syrian regime, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday, a day after Moscow called for negotiations with Damascus as the only way to end the escalating conflict. “There is no point in engaging in dialogue with a regime that continues …
October 30, 2012 at 8:28 am
Peter Vasdi
Manu Brabo is a photographer working for AP and he talks about covering conflicts, his time in Syria and the image that will stick with him.
October 28, 2012 at 1:02 am
Peter Vasdi
All for a flag. Are we all that different from Assad?
Video shows the activist running onto the pitch with the flag before being tacked by security officers.
October 27, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Peter Vasdi
Interesting that we never hear anyone in the regime admitting to mistakes.
General Ahmad Rahal, defector from a military academy, says "at the end the aim is to bring down the regime".
October 27, 2012 at 7:18 am
Peter Vasdi
This is a confusing article. The reporter shows a Syrian regime side that accepts bombing as a way to "win". Win what, a destroyed neighborhood and dead communities? Note that the regime soldiers are going into communities where there are snipers; before, the regime sent snipers into those communities to kill and that started those communities fighting back. Why don't the soldiers just stay away from those communities? Fatigue? Bullshit!
Syrian soldiers’ battle to retake a rebel-held school in Homs reflects an exhausting war of attrition, a seesaw in which the opposition gains ground and the government takes it back.
October 25, 2012 at 12:26 am
Peter Vasdi
Thank you mr brahimi.
At least 20 people were killed, some of them children, as shoppers in Aleppo ventured out to buy bread for the coming Id al-Adha holiday.
October 23, 2012 at 11:06 pm
Peter Vasdi
Even in Arabic, this video is worth watching.
Syrian cartoonists who dare to critique Bashar Al-Assad are paying a heavy price. Akram Rslan is the latest victim in a long list of oppressed voices and dissident artists.
October 23, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Peter Vasdi
Canada allows Quebequers to hold referenda on separation. We create territories to be governed by our minorities. Teheran emprisons, tortures, kills those oppose or challenge it, including those from foreign countries. Where's the comparison?
Republic of Iran MP Iraj Nadimi, chairman of the delegation, raises his country's sign to reply to comments made by Canadian Foreign Affair Minister John Baird at the 127th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Monday, October 22, 2012 in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot /THE CANADIAN PRESS…
October 22, 2012 at 11:30 pm
Peter Vasdi
Well, at least the UN has something to talk about.
The UN is making contingency plans for a Syria peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire there around a Muslim holiday beginning on Friday.
October 22, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Peter Vasdi
I think Ryan was dead right and Annan is dead wrong.
Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General and envoy to Syria, said vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is “dead wrong” over his position on the peace process in the war-torn country.
October 22, 2012 at 8:16 am
Peter Vasdi
Most people don't even know who or what Kurds are. This is the fault of world bodies like the UN and the world parliament.
Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners in Turkey have entered an indefinite hunger strike. The non-violent protest has gone unnoticed by international media agencies and human rights organisations.
October 21, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Peter Vasdi
I get the feeling that the Syrian regime has retaken control of Aleppo and is retaking control of the border with Turkey. Sad because the regime's revenge on the 10000s of people will be vicious and invisible.
COMMENT Militancy from Kurdish separatist groups in the region is on the rise.
October 21, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Peter Vasdi
Ironic that the UN tries to screen nation applicants based on human rights while Iran, Russia, Syria, are already members, not to mention many others.
Cambodia loses its bid to win a seat on the Security Council.
October 19, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Peter Vasdi
What's Assad's regime afraid of?
Syria was facing accusations last night that it was using sophisticated satellite "jamming" technology to block BBC broadcasts across the Mediterrean.
October 19, 2012 at 9:25 am
Peter Vasdi
Assad survives, not by communication and mediation, but by frightening people. ironically the only people he frightens are the West. But that works too.
The bombardment of a town along a vital highway was among the most intense since the regular deployment of warplanes and helicopters against the Syrian insurgency began.
October 18, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Peter Vasdi
Interesting advance: a change from calling for a complete ceasefire to only a 3-day ceasefire. That may work. However, I get a feeling that the tie between Iran and Turkey is based on a fear of the 35 million Kurds they share and dominate.
The new peace envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, said a temporary halt to the fighting would constitute only a tiny step toward resolving the conflict.
October 17, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Peter Vasdi
Either much is lost in the translation or the constitution - like many other countries' - is a mix of muddled thinking and non-sequiturs. Too much detail vs not enough. Needs a lot of cleaning up and some human rights vs discrimination clauses included. All constitutions cannot cover specifics, and needs a better id of who picks up the slack, plus a statement tying those back up to the constitution.
Ahmed Aboul Enein
October 16, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Peter Vasdi
Stop catering to Russia. Moscow is about as interested in world peace as it is in eating dead fish from a garbage bin.
Despite splits on Syria, EU must work with Russia, German FM Westerwelle says
October 14, 2012 at 11:04 pm
Peter Vasdi
And Assad and his band of supporters STILL continue to deny that the shelling is coming from THEM. The rebels do not have planes nor heavy weapons to shell from the distance. We have a lot of data like this from the rebel side, supported by satellite images. Virtually nothing of substance from the Assad regime side. The man and the people who follow him are nothing but stubborn bloody fools. Ignorance is bliss.
Activists say opposition fighters have taken control of base near Aleppo as fighting rages across the country.
October 14, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Peter Vasdi
It feels like the rebels are being pushed against the Turkish border, along with civilians caught in the conflict. Hard to determine who is winning at this point. Hopefully the rebel side will continue to become better organized, but with all the confusion, their numbers are what counts right now. I find it mind-boggling that there are so manymedia outlets and websites that simply ignore the enormous amounts of data coming in about the rebel side experiences corraborated on all sides. The regime and those supporting it, including a number of Western right-wing sites unfortunately, gives out little precise and verifiable news and information, but is rich in verbal attacks. Western media continues to refer to the Syrian "government" as if it represented the whole populaion.
Turkey has banned all Syrian aircraft from its air space as it takes an increasingly firm stance against President Bashar al-Assad, while Syrian rebels said on Sunday they had made more gains in a key province near the Turkish border.
October 14, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Peter Vasdi
Although much of this information could need deeper research, Kurdistan needs to be very careful. Its future depends on international perception of its human rights record.
(Beirut) – The Erbil Appellate Court should immediately set aside the October 7, 2012, conviction of an independent journalist who reported on alleged corruption in the regional government’s security agency.
October 14, 2012 at 12:53 am
Peter Vasdi
I don't know the reall-time events on the ground, but it seems like two things aren't happening. The rebels don't have an after plan, such as immediately taking weapons found tomsafe locations and having people trained in using the more complex heavy weapons. Two: the international so-called support could have pretrained and prepared the rebels for success contingencies.
Activists say opposition fighters have taken control of base near Aleppo as fighting rages across the country.
October 12, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Peter Vasdi
Why did this happen?
Magdi Abdelhadi examines the exodus of nearly one million Jews from the Arab world
October 12, 2012 at 6:33 pm
Peter Vasdi
The only person to benefit from such a visit will be Assad. He gets some face time, and he also gets to judge international resolve (lack of) first hand. If we go to Assad, he wins; if he comes to us, we win. Who do you want to win?
U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will visit Syria soon to try to persuade Bashar al-Assad's government to call an immediate ceasefire in an 18-month-old conflict with rebels.
October 9, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Peter Vasdi
Poor guy is probably shitting his pants right now thinking what the Syrian regime is planning to do to his family.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has floated the idea of enlisting Farouk al-Sharaa, Syria’s vice president, to replace Bashar al-Assad in a transitional government. Sharaa is Sunni, has not directly engaged in massacres and might win the support of the Alawite minority.
October 8, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Peter Vasdi
The UN is schizophrenic about this. Go no go all the way thru. If they want to be fair, admit that the regime only reps 10pc of Syria and invite the other 90pc in. And for heaven's sake, balance the military equation rather than bitch about a few weapons that can make a difference.
The BBC finds evidence that weapons intended for the Saudi military have been diverted to Syrian rebels in the city of Aleppo.
October 8, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Peter Vasdi
Like I mentioned before, the Syrian army is retaking territory neighborhood by neighborhood and leaving the decision who to kill up to 20-year-old soldiers with guns who kill other 20-year-olds trying to protect their families with little or nothing. Eventually the Syrian regime army will reach the border and then thousands more will also flee and die. Get Assad out of there. Takes one or a few bombs on key places in Damascas, and it will be all over.
Follow live updates after Turkey returned fire against Syria for a fifth day
October 8, 2012 at 9:31 am
Peter Vasdi
http://sana.sy/eng/article/7-sec.htm
It's mind boggling how normal this website makes everything in Syria seem. Just look at the pictures and members of the government. If I had the time and energy, I would target them all for what they're doing.
Syrian Arab News Agency (sana) The goals of the agency were specified as gathering news and distributing it to individuals and media institutions to provide them with objective news services, and to focus on Syria's just causes regionally and internationally. ????? ???? ???? ( ??????? ??????? ?????...
October 5, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Peter Vasdi
What's the point of even reporting this? To show that the UN is doing its best to not do anything? Change the appointees to publically elected officials, and we'll see some real action.
Sec.-Gen. Ban
October 4, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Peter Vasdi
Nice hopeful meaningless mumble as Assad's 30,000 troops encircle Aleppo.
A Syrian rebel runs for cover during a firefight in the area of the Zacharias mosque in the old city of Aleppo on Oct. 1. Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images.
October 4, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Peter Vasdi
NATO and the UN? Huh. We need those F35s now.
NATO 'strongly' condemns Syrian mortar strike on Turkish territory
October 3, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Peter Vasdi
Hope their aim is good and they take out a few tanks and planes. That may be enough to establish a safe zone of several km inside Syria just at the border.
Turkey has fired back at Syria after Syrian mortar bombs killed five people and wounded eight, in a Turkish town near the border, according to senior Turkish officials. NATO convened for an urgent meeting tonight, unilaterally condemning the act.
October 3, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
One way to help would be if all our media started referring to Syrian "government representatives" be their real role: "representing the Alawite minority in Syria". Using such qualifiers would put the "Syrian" and Russian delegations in their place.
SYRIA'S foreign minister has brought his regime's case before the world, accusing the US and its allies of promoting "terrorism" and blaming everyone from neighbours and extremists to the media for escalating the war - except the Syrian government.
October 2, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Peter Vasdi
So sad when Assad himself feels secure enough to go to Aleppo. It's not like we care one way or the other. The killing continues with another human rights lawyers detained in Damascus, the UN welcoming Muallem as if he speaks for all of Syria, and Russia feeling it can intimidate the West into doing nothing.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The clashes inSyriacontinued Tuesday between the government troops and the armed opposition fighters amid reports that the army has received reinforcements in the northern province of Aleppo in a bid to settle the situation there.
October 2, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Peter Vasdi
I still feel that national leaders could do more: kick the Syrian regime out of the UN and/or invite a rep from the opposition to represent the other 90%, and talk turkey.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports on the fighting that continues to rage on in Syria.
October 1, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
Why does the UN continue to entertain the Syrian regime? Why does not one attendant nation rep stand up and inform Muallem that he only represents 10% of the Syrian people, if that? Put his speech into context. Do we not have anyone who is adept at speech and at leadership? Why does Muallem not simply attend the meetings of the opposition outside of Syria and thus represent his 10% Alawite community there?
States such as the US and Turkey who back rebels in Syria are supporting terrorism, the country's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem tells the UN.
October 1, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Peter Vasdi
I suppose an autocracy can never admit that their initial judgement was wrong, so scapegoats are necessary to bolster their ego. Sacrifice some people; it's good for the soul.
Nine medics arrested during last year's pro-democracy uprising lose their final appeal and could now face jail time.
October 1, 2012 at 9:28 am
Peter Vasdi
I'll become a believer once Moallem agrees to meet and participate in the new opposition body formed OUTSIDE of Syria and Syrian regime influence.
Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, in a wide-ranging discussion of
September 30, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Peter Vasdi
Who shut off the water and who were shooting at rebels and civilians trying to put out the fire? We seem to be allowed to observe and witness the rebels unhindered but the regime prevents us from accessing information about their side.
As Aleppo burns, rebel strategies challenged
September 30, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Peter Vasdi
The cause is such a common problem around the world and throughout history: one ethnic group takes over the area and resources of another without consent and later generations initiate and perpetrate the fight - Europe invades the Americas, Jews coming back to The Middle East, Kurdistan, ... Endless examples. We should accept the problem and search for answers. How about insisting on accurate education?
Tens of thousands of rioters left a trail of destruction in southeastern Bangladesh as they torched Buddhist temples and homes near the town of Ramu. The violence was sparked by a photo posted on Facebook that allegedly insulted Islam.
September 30, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Peter Vasdi
Apparently' a few days before the bombing the gov removed military personnel, key prisoners, and security cameras from the building.
The regime of President Bashar al-Assad was behind a pair of car bomb attacks which killed 55 people outside a military intelligence complex in the Qazzaz area of Damascus on May 10, newly-leaked documents obtained by Al Arabiya reveal. The documents are part of some highly-classified Syrian securi…
September 30, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
A sigh of relief that Libya is on its way in the right direction, something that would have been impossible had Gaddafi's regime not been taken out. Now if only we had the collective guts to do the same in Syria. Lesson: you dump on good people trying to help you; they won't help you next time.
Small arms, heavy machine guns and explosives were handed over to the National Army in Tripoli today. (Photo: George Grant)
September 29, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Peter Vasdi
Mr A can start by splitting Iran in two, and giving the western part back to the Kurds.
A new world order needs to emerge, away from years of American bullying and domination, according to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.
September 26, 2012 at 7:42 am
Peter Vasdi
Had he died 30 years ago, Afghanistan and Chechnya may have survived rather than been brutally torn apart.
General Grachev, a former Russian defense minister, is perhaps best remembered for promising in 1994 to crush the rebels “in a couple of hours with a single regiment of paratroopers.”
September 24, 2012 at 12:01 am
Peter Vasdi
Kurdistan - about time.
Like theSyrian refugees in Turkey, whom I wrote about in April, those in Iraqi Kurdistan havefled a violent war. Often, they have left behind family or friends; certainly they have left behind possessions, which they imagine now lying vulnerable, in the path of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s ruth…
September 22, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Peter Vasdi
Apparently this cartoon isn't published or seen in the Middle East
September 21, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Peter Vasdi
Just shows which side supports openness and transparency and which side is afraid of it. Also shows which side we in the West and "free" world actually support.
September 21, 2012 at 9:12 am
Peter Vasdi
I don't think it's a human rights violation to kill the people who do this, if only you can catch them.
The BBC's Paul Wood witnesses an air strike in the Syrian city of Aleppo which kills 10 people, three of them children - as the government's aerial bombardment continues.
September 17, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Peter Vasdi
The U.N. is a good aid delivery mechanism but what the world needis a real elected world parliament, based on ethnicity and human rights.
* Investigators have secret list of alleged perpetrators * Call for U.N. Security Council to refer Syria to ICC * Both sides commit war crimes in Syria, Pinheiro says * Syrian envoy says Western, Arab nations back jihad By Stephanie Nebehay…
September 17, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Peter Vasdi
Any more sympathy for the regime?
A young nurse in Aleppo’s Dar Al-Shifa hospital methodically turned the pages of her massive notebook, giving me names of people killed and wounded in recent attacks, day by day. She paused and sighed as she reached the page marked “August 16.” She spent a few minutes counting, and then continued, q…
September 13, 2012 at 11:31 pm
Peter Vasdi
That's what happens when you finally capture the people who have been killing your people. What does the UN think should be done (besides nothing)? Say "Oh we've won" and give them their guns back and say: "Let's start again?"
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - As the fighting in Syria gets worse, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels determined to oust him are committing an increasing number of violations of international humanitarian law, the EU humanitarian chief said on Tuesday. "This is an asymmetrical …
September 11, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Peter Vasdi
Tit for tat reporting. Who's got the tanks, planes? Who opens themselves to public scrutiny?
A rebel brigade in Aleppo admitted responsibility for the worst mass execution by Syrian opposition forces since the uprising began on Monday night, even as the United Nations human rights chief accused them of "murder, extra-judicial execution and torture".
September 11, 2012 at 10:45 am
Peter Vasdi
It's frustrating to have to involve the regime. The regime staff will traumatize those that are in need and obstruct, frighten, and direct the aid.
GENEVA (Reuters) - A team from the World Health Organization that visited Syria's Homs province last week found a humanitarian situation that is grave and continues to deteriorate, with one in four residents
September 11, 2012 at 10:23 am
Peter Vasdi
"Decision-making countries" are against a no-fly zone in Syria. Doesn't that make those countries pro-Assad? Russia is the decision-making country.
Syrian,hunger,strikers,demand,action,,not,speeches,from,Egypts,Morsi,,-,Politics,,-,Egypt
September 10, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Peter Vasdi
Free Kurdistan
September 10, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Peter Vasdi
Community
To all my friends please let us stop just watching what's going on in Syria. I plead for your help ,on behalf of people...
September 9, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Peter Vasdi
Assad has no problem with acquiring and using weapons. Sticks and stones will break all resistance while we in the West hold down the opponents and victims for slaughter.
By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Syrian troops stormed into a Palestinian refugee district in Damascus, opposition activists said, after a four-day artillery assault on the southern suburb where rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad have dug in. …
September 8, 2012 at 11:50 am
Peter Vasdi
What the rebels need are fewer useless gestures and more hard support. Russia is Assad's ally and needs to be treated as part of the problem.
Syrian troops backed by tanks and helicopters repel a rebel attack in Aleppo, while activists report nationwide clashes.
September 8, 2012 at 11:42 am
Peter Vasdi
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.ca/2012/09/when-humans-lose-their-humanity.html for the most in-depth look at what happened in Daraya, Syria. I wish I could understand Arabic. What, does the reporter think those people will tell her the truth of what happened?
I do not know what kind of title I can use but this is the simplest thing popped in to my mind when I saw this news report Pro-El Assad Al Donia TV channel aired after Darya’s massacre in the doomed city that witnessed last week one of the biggest massacres since the start of the revolution in 2011.
September 7, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Peter Vasdi
We are no longer hearing about Daraya. When the massacre happened, the news was saying 100-200 people killed. Now that it's no longer headlining, the total dead seems to be around 1000! Assad must be on drugs.
September 7, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Peter Vasdi
This is a real surprise. Why now? Iran hasn't done anything dramatic or unacceptable lately like torturing another Canadian to death. Why not the Syrian embassy? Why are they still living, working, and surveillancing from their embassy in Ottawa??
Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Iran and is expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says in a statement.
September 7, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Peter Vasdi
And yet we pretend that an aging schoolteacher trying to establish some organization and order on N Aleppo is going to succeed. Maybe he can throw the book at the army just before they mow down future hope.
Iran is intensifying its support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad by sending 150 senior Revolutionary Guards commanders to Syria to help repel opposition attempts to overthrow the government.
September 7, 2012 at 8:58 am
Peter Vasdi
Apparently this is all just more talk. France is not going to send any weapons, and all the feel-good "aid" being sent will be so much money and effort wasted - thrown away because those Syrians will have nothing to defend themselves with.
France may seek to break the increasingly bloody stalemate in Syria by providing rebel forces with artillery and anti-aircraft guns, it has been claimed.
September 6, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Peter Vasdi
It's about time, and good for France. Quick before Assad gets more reinforcements.
France may seek to break the increasingly bloody stalemate in Syria by providing rebel forces with artillery and anti-aircraft guns, it has been claimed.
September 6, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Peter Vasdi
Chechnya, the country that Russia destroyed out of ego and avarice.
Oliver Bullough reports from Chechnya, where Vladimir Putin gained 99.89 per cent of the vote.
September 6, 2012 at 11:12 am
Peter Vasdi
I hope, with international help, the seed grows. I hope that Russian materiel and Iranian manpower will not succeed in bringing the regime back to kill all these people.
In the small section of northern Syria now beyond government control, the local opposition is filling the power vacuum, ensuring people are fed and that criminals stand trial.
September 6, 2012 at 11:07 am
Peter Vasdi
Robert Fisk's limitations are exposed. My question is where did these logic limitations come from because they scare me.
Syrian,writer,Robert,Fisk,is,indoctrinated,by,Syrian,regime,,-,Arab,-,Books
September 4, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
We should strive to bring those that support Assad (see Turkey) into parliamentary dialog with rebel factions, but on a rep by pop basis. That might shock the Assad supporters into reality. Give up and ignore Russia and China entirely.
18+ 18+ Adults Only - Warning - Not for Shock - Contains Graphic Images - Documentary Evidence of Crimes Against Humanity Committed by Syria Dictator Bashar ...
September 3, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Events Jul-Aug 2012
Peter Vasdi
Notice the language of this article. Those terrorized people who are now subdued (sorry, "pacified") can look to a unified and fair Russia to preserve their status.
Female assailant kills Said Afandi and five of his followers after the bomber gained access to his house in Dagestan.
August 29, 2012 at 8:37 am
Peter Vasdi
That the Syrian regime employs and supports the people willing and able to go from house to house and do this - says it all.
Your interactive gateway to an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the topics, conversations and the issues that matter to our global audience. Here, you can view exclusive webcasts with our guests, share your comments, ideas and suggestions with Christiane and her team in the Amanpour newsroom.
August 27, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Peter Vasdi
Is seems that Robert Fisk, now no longer the guest of the Syrian regime military can begin to talk reality. Maybe he should reread what he writes before publishing it. Would help.
Every day, a new massacre is reported in Syria. Yesterday, it was Daraya. Slaughter by Syrian troops, according to those opposed to Bashar al-Assad. Slaughter by Bashar's "terrorist" opponents, the Syrian army said, producing the wife of a soldier whom they said had been shot and left for dead in a …
August 26, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Peter Vasdi
Assad's soldiers and shabiha would just shoot them, and the doctors.
18+18+ Adults Only - Warning - Not for Shock - contains Graphic Images of Crimes against Humanity Committed by Syria Dictator Bashar Assad in Aleppo where he...
August 26, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Peter Vasdi
With Assad, the punishment for even a remote suspicion of nonconformity, is death. If only we could form a world body based on representation by ethnicity and not power.
The Foreign Office warned that violence in Syria had reached a "new scale" today amid claims that more than 300 people had been massacred.
August 26, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Peter Vasdi
The only person left to defect is Assad, himself.
Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharie has defected to Jordan, claimed spokesman for the Higher Revolutionary Council of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Luay al-Miqdad, in an interview on Friday. Miqdad told Al Arabiya that two other high-ranking officers have also defected, but did not give any names.…
August 18, 2012 at 9:18 am
Peter Vasdi
Apparently the bodiesbeing thrown were those of snipers who hadbeen shooting and killing people down in the street for days or weeks before.
A horrific video purportedly showing Syrian rebels throwing the bodies of postal workers off a roof has appeared online, raising fresh concerns about atrocities in the increasingly brutal conflict. Bo
August 13, 2012 at 9:42 am
Peter Vasdi
It is better to retreat than get killed. That way, you live to fight again another day.
It began with a few of the rebel units pulling out, sleepless and disoriented after two nights of relentless shelling, fearful that they were being surrounded by regime forces. By mid-morning the departures had turned into a major retreat, with hundreds of fighters pouring out of Salaheddine, many o…
August 9, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Peter Vasdi
The rebels should melt out of the city (no excuse for the army to bombard the city then) and melt into the countryside to ambush the tanks from outside. Keep them busy and force them to reconnoiter in unfamiliar terrain. Kill as many as possible.
The US says it fears Syrian forces are preparing to carry out a massacre in the country's most-populous city, Aleppo, as troops encircle it.
July 26, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Peter Vasdi
Finally someone does something
The assassination last week of four key members of Bashar al-Assad’s “crisis management cell” eclipsed what may have been a more important victory in the war against his regime: the “liberation” of the Kurdish al-Hasekah region of Syria. A new compact has provisionally united all Syrian Kurdish grou…
July 26, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Peter Vasdi
As we again sit and do nothing when we could do so much
Syrians run for cover as a helicopter hovers over the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday.<p>Syria sent thousands of troops surging toward Aleppo in the early hours of Wednesday, where its forces have been pounding rebel fighters from the air, engulfing the country's largest city in to...
July 25, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Peter Vasdi
Evil and ignorance at work. These people want to make mortal combat video games a reality. Look at Syria: hey what fun.
The National Rifle Association issued only one response to the shootings at an Aurora, Colorado, multiplex. On Friday, the flag at the firearms rights group's northern Virginia headquarters was lowered to half mast. And that was that -- no more on the story until "more information" was available.
July 23, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Peter Vasdi
Maybe, with international support, the Aleppo attempt will be as successful as Damascus was.
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi security officials and state TV say the Syrian military has retaken control of a border crossing from rebel fighters who seized it a day earlier.
July 22, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Peter Vasdi
Again, the UN obervers cannot budge without the permission and control of the Syrian regime. Can we trust their observations?
New information about what local activists called a massacre of civilians indicated it was more likely a clash between the Syrian military and rebel fighters.
July 15, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Peter Vasdi
I need to remember that the UN can only move and do anything with the permission and total control and observationof the Syrian regime. The UN lives in locations provided by the regime and our tax dollars pay the regime for that privilege.
UN observers are visiting the central Syrian village of Tremseh, where more than 150 people were killed this week according to a spokeswoman for the UN mission and an activist on the ground.
July 15, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Peter Vasdi
Russia send more helicoptors to take out more Syrian villages
The Alaed, which has emerged as a barometer of Russia’s intentions toward the government of President Bashar al-Assad, was reported heading south off Norway’s northern coast.
July 13, 2012 at 8:12 am
Peter Vasdi
I don't think the Russian gov can read, think, or feel.
Syria is moving chemical weapons out of storage, U.S. officials said as Syrian opposition activists said more than 220 people were massacred in a Sunni village.
July 13, 2012 at 8:08 am
Peter Vasdi
They should send such embassy staff to Syria as participants in a Hunger Game
Syrian doctor's pleas for help fell on deaf ears - WikiLeaks
July 12, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Peter Vasdi
Thanks again to Russia, China, Iran for the arms and support, and to the UN for doing nothing but prevent decent people from being able to protect themselves.
Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad have killed more than 200 people – mostly civilians – in Tremseh, activists say
July 12, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Peter Vasdi
I like this. Real names; real people. We can Google them, their families and children now know what kind of animals their close relatives really are.
(New York) – Former detainees and defectors have identified the locations, agencies responsible, torture methods used, and, in many cases, the commanders in charge of 27 detention facilities run by Syrian intelligence agencies, Human Rights Watch said in a multimedia report released today.
July 3, 2012 at 11:58 am
Peter Vasdi
Iran. Gay people are the thermometer of human rights.
The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR) documented cases of Iranian lesbians being forced into marriage, persecuted, become victims of extortion, "persuaded" to undergo hormone treatment and/or sex reassignment procedure, take unnecessary medication for serious mental disorders, raped and tor…
July 1, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Peter Vasdi
Business as usual. Give the opposition some pellet guns. $3 a pellet.
"This weapon is perfect for close-quarters combat, house to house," the Russian arms dealer explains, gently passing a silencer-equipped assault rifle, the AK-104, to the official from Syria, who brings the gun's sight level with his eye and aims it across pavilion C3 of Russia's semi-annual arms ba...
July 1, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Peter Vasdi
Both pro and con camp are missing the point here. Why, I don't know. The problem with any plan that is controlled by the regime is that the people are NOT free to select the representatives the wish. The moment anyone "votes" they are able to be questioned and, if the answers are not satisfactory, the voter will face consequences. THAT is the problem, not Assad. Also, again, any elected representation inside Syria will NOT be able to even intimate any change oposing the regime. They and their families are at risk - great risk. Annan and his well intentioned efforts go nowhere, delay the inevitable, enable the regime to drag on its legitimacy and enable Russia to continue to make money, as more people and hope continue to die.
Plan for a national unity government is impossible without including people from the present regime
July 1, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Events May-Jun 2012
Peter Vasdi
Finally the shabiha get their due. About time.
More than 25 men were found shot to death on Friday near the city of Aleppo in unclear circumstances, but what appeared to be a rebel ambush, according to state media and opposition activists.
June 22, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Just testing the new Russian anti-aircraft missile system. Yippee, it worked.
Turkey loses contact with military aircraft over southeastern coast; Lebanon's Al-Manar TV reports Syria responsible.
June 22, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Peter Vasdi
I especially liked the comment about Putin using Annan's 6-point peace plan as "kitty litter".
Barack Obamaâ??s latest plan to save Syria is to outsource the problem to Russia. It's a solution tantamount to inviting a date rapist to lead a Take Back the Night rally. But itâ??s entirely consistent with the administrationâ??s foreign policy in general, premised on the idea that regimes which blame the United States for their [...]
June 20, 2012 at 8:38 am
Peter Vasdi
While the west dithers, the east prepares for war. Once the Chinese and Russian ships are in the Mediterranean, the Russian troops on the ground in Syria and the Syrian air force in the air, what's the west going to do?
June 19, 2012 at 9:25 am
Peter Vasdi
Hard to tell which way this will play out. Good for Britain, though. Finally someone with guts. I was in Sevastopol last Summer.
A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.
June 18, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Peter Vasdi
Shamil Basayev was a desperate remnant of what once was a prosperous Chechnya destroyed by Russian arrogance misreported in most media. "Terrorists" don't just pop up out of nowhere.
In the last few days Libya has been making the world rejoice over its new developments in the field of law, democracy and tolerance. In confirmation of allegiance to the selected course for the bright future a branch of the Red...
June 18, 2012 at 9:37 am
Peter Vasdi
Like I trust Moscow. Filling. Russian ship with marines doesn't leave room for evacuating people and supplies.
Russia is preparing to send two amphibious assault ships to the Syrian port of Tartus according to the Interfax news agency.
June 18, 2012 at 9:32 am
Peter Vasdi
more talk and no action
UN's Pillay says shelling amounts to crime against humanity amid reports that Russia to send warships to Syrian port.
June 18, 2012 at 9:29 am
Peter Vasdi
Thanks again, Mr Assad
The voice of Laith al-Hemary's brother whispered on the mobile phone: "There are shouts and screams coming from outside," he said. "They are killing everyone they find." Then the line went dead.
June 7, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Peter Vasdi
The UN's effort.
Koert Debeuf lives in Cairo, where he represents the EU parliament's Alde group. He is the former advisor of a Belgian prime minister. Reporting from post-revolutionary Egypt, his blog is a window on events in the Arab world.
June 3, 2012 at 9:44 am
Peter Vasdi
And send them to the Syrian Free Army.
The Daily Caller, bastion of faux journalism created by faux journalist & former bow-tie wearer Tucker Carlson, is giving away one gun every week until election day.
May 24, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Events Feb-Apr 2012
Peter Vasdi
Thanks Mr Assad.
BHA Student Council presents "Walk for Syria"
April 27, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Peter Vasdi
Thanks Mr Assad.
Watch the barbaric Bashar Al-Assad thugs burying an activist alive , watch how he screams and coughs suffocating ... and they call him an animal from Al-Qussair
April 25, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Peter Vasdi
Keeping the ball rolling.
A personalized newspaper built from articles, blog posts, videos and photos selected by Basharov.
March 18, 2012 at 1:07 am
Peter Vasdi
Non-Profit Organization
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March 14, 2012 at 11:58 am
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 3 (bottom)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 4 (top)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 4 (bottom)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 1 (top)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 1 (bottom)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 2 (top)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 2 (bottom)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Prepare Canadians for Syria - page 3 (top)
March 11, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Peter Vasdi
Read what I have to say.
March 11, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Peter Vasdi
Global march for Syria - 17 March 3-6pm. I'll be there too.
March 3, 2012 at 12:50 am
Peter Vasdi
Having experienced the sad saga of Rwanda and Sebrenica, we're still not listening: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17242412 The Syrian embassy on Cartier seems like a doorway to evil. Let's shut it. How about opening another embassy that truly represents the other 90% of their people?
The UN secretary general says the Syrian authorities have committed crimes against civilians, but militarisation of the opposition is no solution.
March 2, 2012 at 11:40 pm
Peter Vasdi
UN's inability to do a damn thing about Syria
February 28, 2012 at 11:12 am
Peter Vasdi
New Syrian constitution specifies that you have to be a man to be president - or a lesbian
February 28, 2012 at 11:11 am
