why do we not hear from liz sly herself…hey liz what do you think of these allegators made against you in this article by the blogger
i await your reply

Posted by: mcohen | Apr 30 2015 19:34 utc | 3

The “Hooligan theory”…
http://radioyaran.com/2015/04/30/the-hooligan-theory-and-syria/
“It is extremely delusional and childish to assume that tens of thousands of well-armed and battle-hardened Jihadists who have gotten accustomed to roaming their (and other people´s) country to kill “infidels”, “apostates”, “traitors” (e.g. fellow Sunnis who fight in the Syrian army) or simply “Shabiha” (a derogatory expression used to defame and dehumanize all kind of Sunni and non-Sunni militias and civilians who reject the rebels) would lay down their weapons and re-enter their ordinary civilian life on the day the Syrian government falls and Assad is killed…”

Posted by: KerKaraje | Apr 30 2015 20:04 utc | 5

Al Sadr and his Iranian allies don’t want any US involvement in Iraq. He certainly doesn’t want the Kurds armed by anyone for obvious reasons and the Sunni tribes are considered a possible threat especially because they remember how Sadr’s Mahdi Army carefully planned and viciously executed the ethnic cleansing of Baghdad’s Sunni civilian population. Actions speak much louder than words.
Nasrallah has to carefully chose his words because the Shia are a minority in Lebanon but again actions are more telling than words. Hezbollah attempted to overthrow the government of Lebanon to create a Shia led Islamic Republic which I think is still their goal.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | Apr 30 2015 21:03 utc | 7

Posted by: james | Apr 30, 2015 4:39:51 PM
done

Posted by: mcohen | Apr 30 2015 21:57 utc | 9

I see this tweet exchange between Sly and Magnier as an example of Sly having been told by her employer (and probably the US govt through its embassy) to ratchet up the Sunni / Shia sectarian divide whenever and wherever possible. In addition Sly seems quite brainwashed and primed to see sectarianism even where it doesn’t exist. This would explain her idiotic responses to Magnier’s tweets.
The US govt is using identity politics as part of its “divide and rule” strategy to set different religious and ethnic groups at one another’s throats. To their credit, people like Moqtada al Sadr and Sheikh Hassan Nasrullah among others recognise that this strategy encourages tensions between and among various groups leading to continuous instability, turbulence and chaos that the US and other foreigners can use to their advantage.
The Western media is also at fault for deploying to the Middle East and other areas around the world as foreign correspondents people who have no background knowledge or understanding of the peoples, languages and cultures in the areas they have to report on.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 30 2015 23:19 utc | 11

I don’t dispute the fact of the MSM lacking credibility but the stated reason for the US wanting to arm the Sunni Kurds and Sunni militias is so they can confront the Sunni Islamic State. The other reason for this bill is that the Shia militias are not welcomed in the Sunni lands of Iraq by anyone.
Has anyone seen any news about the Sunni population being allowed to return to the supposedly liberated Tikrit? This was the first major Sunni city recaptured by Shia forces and there has been an almost month long blackout on any news from this important area.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | May 1 2015 1:31 utc | 13

@b
Thanks for yet another enlightening post about the inner workings of the so-called MSM. Their efforts to reproduce a narrative that combines official government views with those of the WaPo’s editorial board are truly pathetic.
@mcohen@3
why do we not hear from liz sly herself…hey liz what do you think of these allegators made against you in this article by the blogger
i await your reply
Good try, but no cigar. You will wait until hell freezes over. She cannot step down from her clay feet pedestal to answer a commoner’s question. No sir. She would be fired if she does for violation of…submission.
@Wayoutwest@7
Hezbollah attempted to overthrow the government of Lebanon to create a Shia led Islamic Republic which I think is still their goal.
This time, Way-out-there outdid himself, his ignorance about Hezbollah, Lebanon and the Shia, of galactic proportions.
@Jen@11
I see this tweet exchange between Sly and Magnier as an example of Sly having been told by her employer (and probably the US govt through its embassy) to ratchet up the Sunni / Shia sectarian divide whenever and wherever possible. In addition Sly seems quite brainwashed and primed to see sectarianism even where it doesn’t exist. This would explain her idiotic responses to Magnier’s tweets.
Bingo. Great summary of the whole guacamole. Thanks.

Posted by: Lone Wolf | May 1 2015 2:59 utc | 15

Wayout @7

Nasrallah has to carefully chose his words because the Shia are a minority in Lebanon

That’s doubtful. That’s the reason there hasn’t been a census in Lebanon in over 25 years. Many demographers have estimated the Shia pop to be a majority. They’re only estimates because of no census figures.

Posted by: okie farmer | May 1 2015 10:50 utc | 17

Take it back Wayout, over 85 years
The lack of official statistics makes a demographic analysis of Lebanese society a difficult task. Because of the precarious and delicate sectarian arrangement in the body politic, the government has deliberately avoided conducting a comprehensive update of the 1932 census. Christian communities, primarily the Maronites, fear that the numerical preponderance of Muslims would eventually strip them of their privileges by changing the foundations of political representation. When the French Mandate government conducted the 1932 census, it enumerated 861,399 Lebanese, including those living abroad, most of whom were identified as Christians. The distribution of parliamentary seats among the confessions was based on the findings of the 1932 census; the ratio of six Christians to five Muslims, including Druzes, has been retained.
~~~
Conducting a census during the 1970s and 1980s was clearly impossible because of the war. The United States Department of State 1983 estimate for the population of Lebanon was 2.6 million. The figures included Lebanese nationals living abroad and excluded Palestinian refugees, of whom there were nearly 400,000. A 1986 estimate by the United States Central Intelligence Agency of the confessional distribution of the population showed 27 percent Sunnis, 41 percent Shias, 7 percent Druzes, 16 percent Maronites, 5 percent Greek Orthodox, and 3 percent Greek Catholics. However, these data were, at best, informed estimates subject to revision.
http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/34.htm

Posted by: okie farmer | May 1 2015 11:29 utc | 19

emma sky wrote this in 2014…..now petraeus is back in iraq looking almost a year later and …..and …….and liz on the sly is tweeting about ……..not sure what …..anyone understand this stuff,
there is so many billions up for grabs the whole thing looks like one big criminal exercise…..
one thing is for sure ….sectarianism is just a cover,surely a relegion would not stoop this low
In his June 19 statement, U.S. President Barack Obama said, “Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq’s future. Shia, Sunni, Kurds — all Iraqis — must have confidence that they can advance their interests and aspirations through the political process rather than through violence.” Obama is right to pressure Iraqi politicians to form a new government, rather than insisting that they support Maliki. He correctly recognized that any military options would be effective only if they were in support of an overall political strategy that a new broad-based government agreed to. The United States has a key role to play in helping broker a new deal among the elites that creates a better balance among Iraq’s communities. A new broad-based Iraqi government will need to win back the support of Sunnis against ISIS — and the Obama administration should be prepared to respond positively to requests for assistance to do so.

Posted by: mcohen | May 1 2015 11:57 utc | 21

@ 11 Jen and 12 Virgile
Liz and Sly :On whose payroll are they?
It must be KSA via their puppet Sa’ad Hariri, on whose soil those two dimwits reside to report on the Middle East.

Posted by: Yul | May 1 2015 13:07 utc | 23

From Feb 22 – old news, I know:
General Clark reveals that Daesh is an Israeli project
http://www.voltairenet.org/article186827.html
“General Wesley Clark, former Supreme Commander of NATO, told CNN that the Islamic Emirate (“Daesh”) had been “created by our friends and allies to defeat Hezbollah.”
General Clark thus clearly put into question the responsibility of Israel.
Since 2001, General Clark has been the spokesman for a group of senior officers opposed to Israeli influence on the foreign policy of the United States, its aggressive imperialist developments and the remodeling of the “Greater Middle East”. He had opposed the deployment of troops in Iraq, and wars against Libya and against Syria.” (With accompanying video).
Some reminder regarding pretend-journalists/model-type cupcakes you may wanna put the boots to (well not Emma Sky) slanting stories to influence people to believe that USSA, Israel and KSA ONLY are fighting ISIS, Daesh, ISIL, Al-Qaeda, whatever name their bosses want to give them this week.
Selling lies thru their fascist party dolls taking pouty selfies on the side.

Posted by: farflungstar | May 1 2015 16:26 utc | 25

Just the fact that someone would use statements, to support their cause, by a war-dog clown like Wes Clark is hilarious. He was a Reagan supporter before he became a Clinton supporter and ran the Kosovo War praising US intervention and internationalism. He was booted from the military in 2000 and quickly joined the MIC and the high paying talking-head circuit.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | May 1 2015 17:57 utc | 27

@mcohen@20
…..this chick has got the goods….british intellectuality and all
Another arm-chair “warrior”? They are a dime a dozen. They become infamously known once they find a parroting niche writing what sells. They are not independent thinkers, but regurgitating keyboard monkeys (no offense to our cousins.) According to Wikipedia, La Sky was adviser to Gen. Odierno, after volunteering to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority, the ones who destroyed Iraq to a point of no return. Allegedly, she “opposed” the invasion of Iraq, don’t ask me how she managed that contradiction. If you can’t defeat them, join them. She’s been around on hot spots, Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan. I’ll bet you $100 she works for MI5, and goes on loan to the CIA, Mossad, you name it.
..wondered what happened to the biographer….maybe she got the cigar
Sure she did, but it didn’t last long. She was a heavy smoker.

Posted by: Lone Wolf | May 1 2015 20:07 utc | 29

hezbollah know whats coming …they took sides,and miscalculated.

Oh really? Hizbullah have calculated pretty well so far. They’re still there. Neither Israel nor the Gulf wants peace in Syria.

Posted by: Laguerre | May 1 2015 21:34 utc | 31

I find it baffling aswell how little people seem to know about HA and how little people know about what ticked off HA the most and they were threats by the FSA NUSRA rats wayyyy before daesh got pimped in the media, that they were going to destroy zeinabs shrine, and march on to lebanon to slaughter sll the shiites. Just do a LL search snd you will see for yourself
Such a shame,

Posted by: Deebo | May 1 2015 22:02 utc | 33

26, 27
Does giving us a background on Clarke change he said? Does it make it any less valid? And just why is it so hilarious? Bibi’s churizo in your mouth as your full time job, now that’s hilarious.
I know all about Clark’s past, btw, thanks for the refresher.
Next please tell me how the tacit understanding of the two regimes of Saudiisraelia regarding Iran and Syria is only gossip, make-believe and selective readings of history.
Israel Uber Alles at any cost

Posted by: farflungstar | May 1 2015 22:46 utc | 35

@Wayoutwest@7
Nasrallah has to carefully chose his words because the Shia are a minority in Lebanon but again actions are more telling than words.
Only liars don’t chose their words carefully, just look at yourself. Nasrallah is well known as a man whose word is gold, for friends and enemies alike. During the 2006 Summer War, Israelis tuned into Al Manar TV channel for truthful news about developments, once they realized Ehud Olmert was lying to them at every word. Rockets were falling on northern Israel, while Barak was saying Israel had destroyed Hezbollah rocket-launching capabilities. Ever since, once Israelis see any sign of trouble in their northern border, they ditch Israeli media to get their info from Hezbollah.

Posted by: Lone Wolf | May 1 2015 22:52 utc | 37

LW@38
I have never said that Nasrallah was a liar although he is a politician so I’m skeptical of your ‘gold’ rating or that Israel was truthful to Israelis or anyone else. All governments lie regularly and especially here in the US people would be lost if the truth was offered with any regularity.
If you can prove I have intentionally lied about anything here please provide proof and not just opinions.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | May 2 2015 0:37 utc | 39

F@35
You know that people who repeatedly us homoerotic imagery are often projecting their own closeted desires.
Trying to entice me to write something to justify your drivel just won’t work because you can’t put words in my comments that I don’t agree with.
I’m still laughing about using Clark as a reliable source.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | May 2 2015 1:38 utc | 41

@Laguerre@36
…It’s been evident for some months that Israel was trying to turn Hizbullah’s flank.
Good point. No better proof can be found of the proxy links between ISIS and Israel than ISIS drive into the Qalamoun Mountains. mcohen@30, 34 is way off line with his opinions about Hezbollah’s “miscalculations.” Just recently, Syria’s Defense Minister visited Iran and got all the support Syria needs, and more to continue its existential fight against the Axis of Terror, US/Israel/KSA et al.
Tehran, Damascus Coordinate Anti-Terrorism Efforts in Syria
Syrian Defense Minister Vows Continued Battle against Terrorism
DM: Syria Planning to Intensify Anti-Terrorism Drive
DM: Iran to Stand against All Security Threats in Region
The war on Syria has geopolitical repercussions beyond the region, and neither Iran, nor Iraq, or Russia will allow the fall of Assad. Hezbollah will not allow the taqfiris control of the Qalamoun and surroundings, for obvious strategic reasons; ISIS would have direct access to the Bekaa Valley. Iran will not permit the taqfiris to succeed in their efforts to drive a strategic wedge against Hezbollah, which will expose Syria’s northern front and Lebanon; Iraq cannot afford losing Syria to the taqfiris and get surrounded by a hostile sea of Sunnis, and Russia will support Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah efforts to avoid cutting Syria in two on a SW/NE axis, that will effectively isolate the port of Tartus, Russia’s naval base on the Mare Nostrum. Shaykh Hassan Nasrallah is not a man prone to miscalculations, whether political or military and he learns from his mistakes. For example, he admitted the Israeli response to the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers that ignited the 2006 Summer War, was a surprise for Hezbollah, which didn’t expect such a reaction, even though Israel had concrete plans after getting kicked out of southern Lebanon in 2000, to bomb Lebanon as a punishment for not disarming Hezbollah. Hezbollah intervention in Syria, after Nasrallah deemed the taqfiris an “existential threat” for the Shiites and Lebanon has been confirmed correct by later developments.

Posted by: Lone Wolf | May 2 2015 3:24 utc | 43

lw 43
naval base is relocating to cyprus,there are a lot of russians in cyprus and israel..the orthodox church has a long history in syria
Russia and Cyprus sign military deal for Mediterranean ports | News …assad was good while it lasted but things change….that and the fact that there are huge gas reserves off the coast of cyprus.

Posted by: mcohen | May 2 2015 5:09 utc | 45

MC@45
The Europeans are quite upset by this deal in Cyprus and they view it as Russian expansion onto their surf and turf. Putin is a realist and Syria is not worth any further or expanded involvement in a losing regime’s downfall.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | May 2 2015 6:52 utc | 47

Washington Post is making laugh of itself:
“If what is happening in Baltimore happened in a foreign country, here is how Western media would cover it:
International leaders expressed concern over the rising tide of racism and state violence in America, especially concerning the treatment of ethnic minorities in the country and the corruption in state security forces around the country when handling cases of police brutality. The latest crisis is taking place in Baltimore, Maryland, a once-bustling city on the country’s Eastern Seaboard, where an unarmed man named Freddie Gray died from a severed spine while in police custody.
Black Americans, a minority ethnic group, are killed by state security forces at a rate higher than the white majority population. Young, black American males are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than white American males.
The United Kingdom expressed concern over the troubling turn of events in America in the last several months. The country’s foreign ministry released a statement: “We call on the American regime to rein in the state security agents who have been brutalizing members of America’s ethnic minority groups. The equal application of the rule of law, as well as the respect for human rights of all citizens, black or white, is essential for a healthy democracy.” Britain has always maintained a keen interest in America, a former colony.
Palestine has offered continued assistance to American pro-democracy activists, sending anti-tear-gas kits to those protesting police brutality in various American cities. Egyptian pro-democracy groups have also said they will be sharing their past experience with U.S.-made counter-protest weapons.
A statement from the United Nations said, “We condemn the militarization and police brutality that we have seen in recent months in America, and we strongly urge American state security forces to launch a full investigation into the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. There is no excuse for excessive police violence.” The U.N. called on the United States to make a concerted effort to make databases of police violence public to improve transparency and cut down on corruption in the justice system.
International analysts predict the seeds of a so-called “American Spring,” fomented by technology. “It’s amazing what social media is doing for the cause of justice in America,” said a political rights analyst based in Geneva. “The black youth of America are showing what 21st-century civil rights activism looks like, using technology, social media and a decentralized organizing strategy to hold authorities accountable and agitate for change. These kids represent what modern-day freedom fighting looks like. The revolution will be tweeted, Periscope-d and Snapchatted.”
Local leaders in the American township of Baltimore imposed a state of martial law this week after peaceful protests turned violent. In response, countries around the world have advised darker-skinned nationals against non-essential travel to areas noted for state violence against unarmed people of color, especially in recent hot spots such as New York, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ohio, California, Michigan, Virginia and now Maryland.
International human rights groups have appealed to the global community to facilitate asylum for America’s ethnic black minorities. When asked whether the European Union was willing to take on more black refugees risking their lives in fleeing American state violence, an E.U. human rights spokesman said: “More black refugees? We are dealing with our own Mediterranean crisis, so now is not really a good time for that for us. Furthermore, we believe in American solutions to American problems.” The African Union has not responded to requests for comment.
American government officials took to state media, characterizing the protesters as “thugs,” a racially coded word increasingly used to describe black males in America. Commentators in national media have frequently compared the protesters and riots to various characters and events from the popular television series “The Wire,” set in early-2000s Baltimore.
America’s ethnic blacks have been displaced from many of their communities due to a phenomenon experts on the region call “gentrification,” when wealthier residents move into a lower-income area. Baltimore is no exception to this trend, with some areas seeing home values rise as much as 137 percent after corporate dollars move in on opportunities in poverty-stricken areas.
Resident Joe Smith, a member of the white majority ethnic group, said outside of a brand-new Starbucks near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, “I don’t know why these blacks are destroying their own communities. Why don’t these people follow Martin Luther King’s example? Those guys got it good from the police back then too, but they didn’t try to rise up and fight back and make everyone uncomfortable, you know?”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/04/30/how-western-media-would-cover-baltimore-if-it-happened-elsewhere/

Posted by: Martin | May 2 2015 12:18 utc | 49

The media in Mordor has been all “sectarianism” all the time, since late 2003. They needed an explanation for the ongoing violence in Iraq, besides “guerilla war”, which was completely unacceptable with an election approaching.
So they invented the nonsense that the Iraqis were attacking themselves and the noble Orcs were desperately trying to prevent it. I think the nonsense was that al-Ciada was targeting the anti-occupation Arabs to provoke a civil war thereby forcing the occupation to continue since they were ‘winning’ and about to leave. Apparently al-ciada hadn’t heard about the permanent bases. This protection conveniently involved treating the Arab population like the Palestinians and putting them under guard behind concrete and barbed wire wherever possible. Why the pro-occupation Kurds didn’t need to be forced into dozens of bantustans, was something I’ve never seen asked by anyone. That the Iraqi population was heavily intermarried and had never had a ‘civil war’ or any history of ‘sectarian violence’ was also deemed not newsworthy.
After 10+ years of even the ‘alternative’ media repeating this garbage it has become accepted as fact among the limited portion of the population who are even vaguely aware of the endless colonial wars.

Posted by: Jesrad | May 3 2015 0:02 utc | 51

@mcohen@45, 46
You might want to double check your sources before posting crucial info, such as Russia relocating its naval base in Tartus to Cyprus. For the Russians it would be stupid to leave Tartus while there is no tangible threat to the Russian base from the taqfiris, it would also be a slap on the face of Assad and the Syrians. Leaving Tartus could be misconstrued as Russia pulling its support for Syria at the worse possible moment. The deal with Cyprus has a different slant, and it is aimed more toward Europe at the time they are counting on isolating Russia, a way of showing the cracks in the “union” of Eurostan. Cyprus has a privileged financial relationship with Russia as an offshore banking heaven, it is deeply indebted with Russia which just extended their payments for a bailout loan from 2016 to 2021, and in exchange for Russian niceties has offered a staging port for the Russian navy, not a naval base.
Your German source, “Deutsche Welle,” wrongly or intentionally states “…Russia…lost its Syrian Mediterranean base to the conflict between rebels and the regime of Bashar al-Assad.” Where do they get that info? How do they substantiate it? It is a total lie. Russia has not lost the port of Tartus, on the contrary, as of March 2015, it is about to expand it.
Syria keen on Russian expansion in Middle East
Russia to build large military base in Syria
This is a drunken sailor translation, no pun intended, of this article,
http://tvzvezda.ru/news/vstrane_i_mire/content/201503261556-wvqc.htm
Tartus could become one of many Russian bases abroad, as Russia flexes its muscles again on the world arena. You might want to double check your info sources before posting, or you may end up being an involuntary but lazy conveyor of misinformation. In any event, your posts and sources can be subjects of distrust and double scrutiny.

Posted by: Lone Wolf | May 3 2015 6:03 utc | 53