Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
December 9, 2024
Syria – Winners And Losers Or Both

Syria has fallen.

It is now highly likely that the country will fall apart. Outside and inside actors will try to capture and/or control as many parts of the cadaver as each of them can.

Years of chaos and strife will follow from that.

Israel is grabbing another large amount of Syrian land. It has taken control of the Syrian city of Quneitra, along with the towns of Al-Qahtaniyah and Al-Hamidiyah in the Quneitra region. It has also advanced into the Syrian Mount Hermon and is now positioned just 30 kilometers from (and above) the Syrian capital.

It is also further demilitarizing Syria by bombing every Syria military storage site in its reach. Air defense positions and heave equipment are its primary targets. For years to come Syria, or whatever may evolve from it, will be completely defenseless against outside attacks.

Israel is for now the big winner in Syria. But with restless Jihadists now right on its border it remains to be seen for how long that will hold.

The U.S. is bombing the central desert of Syria. It claims to strike ISIS but the real target is any local (Arab) resistance which could prevent a connection between the U.S. controlled east of Syria with the Israel controlled south-west. There may well be plans to further build this connection into an Eretz Israel, a Zionist controlled state  "from the river to the sea".

Turkey has had and has a big role in the attack on Syria. It is financing and controlling the 'Syrian National Army' (previously the Free Syrian Army), which it is mainly using to fight Kurdish separatists in Syria.

There are some 3 to 5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey which the wannabe-Sultan Erdogan wants, for domestic political reasons, to return to Syria. The evolving chaos will not permit that.

Turkey had nurtured and pushed the al-Qaeda derived Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to take Aleppo. It did not expect it to go any further. The fall of Syria is now becoming a problem for Turkey as the U.S. is taking control of it. Washington will try to use HTS for its own interests which are, said mildly, not necessary compatible with whatever Turkey may want to do.

A primary target for Turkey are the Kurdish insurgents within Turkey and their support from the Kurds in Syria. Organized as the Syrian Democratic Forces the Kurds are sponsored and controlled by the United States. The SDF are already fighting Erdogan's SNA and any further Turkish intrusion into Syria will be confronted by them.

The SDF, supported by the U.S. occupation of east-Syria, is in control of the major oil, gas and wheat fields in the east of the country. Anyone who wants to rule in Damascus will need access to those resources to be able to finance the state.

Despite having a $10 million award on its head HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani is currently played up by western media  as the unifying and tolerant new leader of Syria. But his HTS is itself a coalition of hardline Jihadists from various countries. There is little left to loot in Syria and as soon as those resources run out the fighting within HTS will begin. Will al-Golani be able to control the sectarian urges of the comrades when these start to plunder the Shia and Christian shrines of Damascus?

During the last years Russia was less invested in the Assad government than it seemed. It knew that Assad had become a mostly useless partner. The Russia Mediterranean base in Khmeimim in Latakia province is its springboard into Africa. There will be U.S. pressure on any new leadership in Syria to kick the Russians out. However any new leadership in Syria, if it is smart, will want to keep the Russians in. It is never bad to have an alternative choice should one eventually need one. Russia may well stay in Latakia for years to come.

With the fall of Syria Iran has lost the major link in its axis of resistance against Israel. Its forward defenses, provided by Hizbullah in Lebanon, are now in ruins.

As the former General Wesley Clark reported about a talk he once had in the Pentagon:

"This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.”

Six of the seven countries mentioned in that famous memo have by now been thrown into chaos. Iran is -so far- the sole survivor of those plans. It will urgently have to further raise its local defenses. It is high time now for it to finally acquire real nuclear weapons.

The incoming Trump administration sees China as its major enemy. By throwing Syria (and Ukraine) into chaos the outgoing Biden administration has guaranteed that Trump will have to stay involved in the Middle East (and eastern Europe).

The massive U.S. 'Pivot to Asia' will again have to wait. This gives China more time to build its sphere of influence. It may well be the only power that has been a winner in this.

Comments

Ain’t it gonna be quite cheap & efficient for Iran Russia god knows turkey to arm/fund/bribe HTS to fight Israel and the west?

Posted by: Miquel | Dec 9 2024 19:15 utc | 201

The Arab armies that conquered Persia and 2/3 of the Byzantine Empire were few in number, but they accomplished miracles.

Posted by: Lysias | Dec 9 2024 19:15 utc | 202

This event is giving me deep ponderance on one issue: Should a national leader stop at the point of crossing redlines that might lead to wider war/destructions of civilian livelihoods or should he/she proceed with whatever it takes to achieve his/her goals. We see genocide in Gaza today (and near total destruction of Allepo 6,7 years ago) and the perpetrator didn’t flinch their eyes.
Putin certainly refrained from wiping out remnants of Empire/Zionists/Turkish militants 6 years ago for concerns about widening to war that might lead to nuclear Armageddon. That turned out to be a mistake, as some posters here were opining at that time.
After this event, are we closer to Armageddon?

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Dec 9 2024 19:16 utc | 203

Oriental Voice@1855 Dec 9
Egg-drop soup for consciousness spattered within your message to b. BAD rarely transmutes to glad.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 19:17 utc | 204

🇹🇷🇺🇸 Fighting is expanding in Syria between pro-Turkish militias and American-backed Kurds who control the northern parts of the country
– There was already fighting between the two yesterday. And now the pro-Turkish “Syrian National Army” publicks are writing about the upcoming battles for Raqqa. It was the capital of ISIS until it was stormed by the Kurds.
The US, which supports the Kurds, is already calling for sanctions against Turkey.
– Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has expressed readiness to develop them if Ankara-backed formations in Syria start a war with the Kurds.
“If Turkey takes military action against Kurdish forces in Syria, it will dramatically jeopardize American interests. In the past, I have drafted sanctions against Turkey if it begins military action against the Kurdish forces that helped President Trump destroy ISIS. I am prepared to do so again in a bipartisan manner,” Graham writes.
– He says the Kurds are holding some 50,000 captured ISIL fighters captive and their release should not be allowed.
– Also, the Kurds have been supported by Israel. Reserve Major General Noame Tivone said Israel is “very interested in the establishment of a Kurdish state in Syria.”
– There are quite a few individuals in Trump’s entourage who also support the Kurds. Therefore, it is not excluded that Erdogan and Syrian formations under his control will try to defeat the Syrian Kurds even before the inauguration of the new American president.
– At the same time, the Kurds have a well-armed, combat-ready army that will not be easy to defeat.
@Slavyangrad

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 19:17 utc | 205

I don’t believe Russia will abandon it’s Syrian port presence. Why should they? Why wouldn’t Syria’s new masters want them there? If they were able to strike a deal with Turkey, surely, they can KEEP a deal with the Russians.

Posted by: john nudo | Dec 9 2024 19:18 utc | 206

A contradiction:
“Turkey had nurtured and pushed the al-Qaeda derived Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to take Aleppo. It did not expect it to go any further.”
=> “As of now, Idlib, Hama, Homs and the target is of course Damascus. This march of the opposition continues … Our wish is that this march in Syria will continue without any accidents and troubles.” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Friday.
:-/
Meanwhile “Israel” claims Golan as own, destroys armaments, aircraft and fleet across Syria. 400 strikes in last two days apparently.
It seems there is nothing to stop all resistance infrastructure being destroyed in Lebanon and Syria as it is discovered. Resupply will be difficult, leaving a militia with reduced capability.
That said, the strength of Hezballah was not its missiles but the dedication of its militia. That will not be erased so easily.

Posted by: Ornot | Dec 9 2024 19:18 utc | 207

Look ………Hillary broke up Libya into many warring pieces, and now her assistant and Soros agent Toni Blinken-sky is doing the same for Syria……..
This was the plan all along……….the illegal US bases in Syria were just what the doctor ordered for continued interference in internal Syrian affairs, and protecting the Kurds was a bad joke, it was all part of geopolitical head game to put pressure on RF and Iran and relieve pressure on Chosen Kingdom of Genocide, led by the psychopathic liar Bibi the First…..(although I thought that those settlers speaking of Greater Israel were insane, I now see that there plans for Syria are already underway…..bizarre but true).
I really feel sorry for the Christians, Alawite, Druze and Yazidis……they are toast…….
Libya is a anarchic territory of heavily armed nomads, such will be the fate of Syria for decades to come, except for the RF statelet of Latakia, the rest of the country will become “13 hours at Benghazi”

Posted by: Tobias Cole | Dec 9 2024 19:20 utc | 208

Massive plot twist right inside the venerable Umayyad mosque in Damascus.
https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status/1866058339282567501
The NATO/Israeli-Turk Head-Chopping Army are now promising the Palestinians they are coming to liberate Gaza and Jerusalem.
Posted by: Oui | Dec 9 2024 14:21 utc | 10
Fucking vibrating garden gnomes with their “repackaged judaism with a new hairstyle” religion. Seem to be perpetually happy to be the suicide bomber setting fire to the planet and forfeiting life, family, lands and culture to higher grade jews.
If they actually go against israel, that will be the surprise of the millennium. So far it seems that yes, some muslims dislike jews, but it’s nothing compared to the burning hatred they have towards other muslims who read a word wrong in a book, or the hatred towards non-muslim non-jews who don’t understand the importance of sexually mutilating your newborn sons and forcing animals to bleed to death in a specific way.
The Religion of No Peace. I assume the virgins after death, prepared by the sky pharaoh (invented by the jews) are worth killing your own country for? Eh?

Posted by: Jack M | Dec 9 2024 19:23 utc | 209

Some facts
Turkey and Israel are good partners even if the eye would show something different. Iran through the Houthi’s managed to impose an embargo in Israel. One needs to look at the oil tankers that leave Turkey for Israeli ports to know that it was Turkey who broke this embargo thereby aiding the Zionazi genocide it publicly keeps denouncing.
Iran lost Soleimani and very recently diplomatic personnel, Hamas’s leader Hanieh (guest in Iran), Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, IRGC commander Nilforoushan and Iranian president Raisi. All assassinated by the US empire and Israel. What did Iran do? Nothing! The new president wanted to remain seated on his hands to ostensibly give the peace initiative for the Palestinians a chance. Eventually Iran did react, hard, very hard. An Iranian MP also stated that Hezbollah should accept a ceasefire. What this shows is that there’s a reluctance in Iran to continue being the savior of Palestine. And why not, why should Iran bare the brunt and go up in flames while the Qatari’s, Emirati’s, the Saudi’s and Turks remain seated on the fence or worse collude with the Zionazi genocide?
The Russian presence is light given it’s focus is on the home front. They didn’t have the luxury to confront another round of hostilities similar to 5 years ago. The price of potentially giving up on Tartus and Hmein was better compared to waging an additional war on an additional front.
It was stated that the US and Israel would bomb Iranian reinforcements. If that were true, the Iran aligned troops could have been airlifted by Russian planes with Russian pilots. Israel nor US would have touched them.
Damascus is so close to Israel that if the latter would lob a bomb aimed for the presidential palace with the Assad family inside it would go without warning. Nobody wants to live his life like that.
The millennia old Syrian society is composed of a myriad of religions and people, all with their own interests. Leading a country where there are way to many foreign players trying to rip that apart is impossible in the long run.
The pipeline story from Qatar to Turkey is bullshit. It would need to pass hostile Saudi Arabia and if it were friendly, the US empire would never allow it recall Brezinsky’s words.
Some assumptions
The Iranian statements where they wanted to aid but couldn’t because Assad didn’t want to are nonsense but under stable. Iran wanted to get out.
Assad wanted to vacate his position a long time ago but didn’t because for Syria he was the person best placed for performing this duty.
After catering the Emirati’s this displeased the Iranians to a lesser extent and of course the Turks. Turkey and the Emerati’s are fighting each other by proxy in Libya, Sudan and some other places.
The Saudi’s and Emerati’s will probably want to gain more foothold so chances that war won’t escallate are slim.
I believe Israel got the exact coordinates of all the important military sites from Russia so it could destroy the heavy weaponry (Russia also likely participated) which not a single country of any side would have liked to see fall in the hands of the terrorists.
Iran about 4 days ago tested a missile. ICBM or more likely an IRBM. They’re rushing to have nuclear warheads which the US empire will likely try to avoid at any (bloody) cost.
I have some Kherson vibes here. At the time they evacuated the left side of Kherson under the pretext that it was about to be flooded but instead it was a huge strategic evacuation. What happened here was that as B stated earlier, a new round of hostilities was bound to occur. The Iranians knew it, the Russians knew it. The Russians logically don’t have the capacity for this at the moment and the Iranians understandably didn’t have the appetite for this, neither did Assad wanted to continue living in the shadow of an Israeli bomb, risk being coup’d or end up like Afghan Najibullah (castrated, dismembered and hung to a pole) or Libyan Khadaffi (sodomized with a knife). So the CIA, MI6 and Mossad sent their dog Julani bread in an Iraqi cell where they have bread and keep breeding new Daesh nihilists to serve their international interests and they send Julani on a new offensive. hoping the Russians and Iranians take the bait and overstretch their military so when the time is ripe, they can sow domestic problems in Iran, southern Russia, ramp up problems in Balochistan and what not. However the Russians and the Iranians rush to Qatar and Turkey ostensibly to stop the marauding terrorists. Instead they try and broker some post-Assad deal to at least secure some continued presence as well as try to prevent an orgy of beheadings and let the advancing marauders over stretch themselves by giving up on easily defensibly cities at a speed never seen before. One city after the other falls. Now these rabid nihilists are stretched thin and the former demotivated army simply switches clothes and flags and its everyone for himself. It was bloody, it is bloody and it will be bloody. But still a lot less bloody than having cities totally purged from “infidels” in an organized way. The Syrians themselves weren’t up for a new round of escalations. Elections would have never been accepted by all the meaningful stakeholders, Turkey, UEA, the “previous” Syrian intelligence structure because it would be impossible to cater to everyone’s interests. In my view this was the most gracious ending of an era where the ending couldn’t be gracious.

Posted by: xor | Dec 9 2024 19:25 utc | 210

S @1913 Dec 9
The year 1913, non-coincidentally,was the year when the Ruptured Republic in which I reside was conquered by the Central Bank$ters with their “Federal” Reserve Act. It was also the year when Tsar Nicholas II should have abnegated his treaty with Perfidious Albion and revanchist France. The Bank$ter scheme for total world domination via WWI would not have happened in 1914 had the Tsar better counselors. By 1913 Russian culture had achieved an apex which it lost for decades, commencing in 1917. The Russian Narod has long been assaulted and battered, but your strength rises tempered by the suffering.
As the wise psychological theorist and intuitive, Carl Jung, pointed out that there is no such thing as “coincidence”. Ultimately, All are One, as One is All, while the Whole is equal to yet greater than the sum of its parts.
Thank you for your honesty…something which would expect from most Russians.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 19:26 utc | 211

🇷🇺🇹🇷Turkish President Erdogan:
There are only two experienced leaders left in the world nowadays. There is me and Vladimir Putin. I am not saying this because I am me. But my term of office is 22 years. Almost as long is Mr. Putin’s. All the others are gone. And we want our dialog to continue. Here it is important to continue the policy. Here, for example, after Angela Merkel left, politics ended in Germany.
@Slavyangrad

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 19:26 utc | 212

Posted by: canuck | Dec 9 2024 18:20 utc | 173
Its not even weakness, its stupidity. The middle east is a medieval hell hole.
If omnipotent Aliens land tommorow, they will not want to touch that place with a pole. Its degenerates and morons everywhere.
From Iran’s morality police, Houtis throwing gays from rooftops, Saudis stoning people for a shag on the side, Assad keeping the hell on earth prison, headchoppers on captagon, cities older than some modern languages massive shitholes, palies using sticks and stones against the most capable military in the world, western lefties welcoming all these imbecilic people for romantic Hollywood reasons…
Those people have no morality except allegiance to the strongest, something their fate also preaches (“slaves of god”). By the time they reach enlightenment we will be living on Mars.
Why on Earth would a developed country want to get involved there?
Russia wanted to play empire to support Assad (as bad as anyone there) and got burned. They give Iran much overrated importance while that place itself is an islamic mess.
GTFO Russia and take care of your own civ because it is worth it.

Posted by: alek_a | Dec 9 2024 19:29 utc | 213

I’m wondering if this is the start of Operation Turkish Regime-Change? Using the Kurds as a proxy the US gets to destabilise the Turkish border and hinterland with a huge escalation in insurgent activity, in turn putting political pressure on Erdoğan?
Mustn’t lose sight of the Empire’s Greater Game, that is to contain and isolate Russia. As part of this, Empire will need a pliable Turkish leadership; Erdoğan is far too slippery to be pliable.
Just my two lira’s.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Dec 9 2024 19:30 utc | 214

Judge Nap: Alastair Crooke (corrected url hopefully)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX2X9KT9Xmg
Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 9 2024 16:18 utc | 89
also BD | Dec 9 2024 17:29 utc | 139
Crooke confirms the Iranian explication of Assads loss of power, and adds that Assad had been distancing himself not only from Iran but also Russia, rejecting their offers to help shape up the military and dismissing warnings of the real threat coming from the jihadists in Idlib. Assad was getting closer to the Gulf states in hope of “normalising himself” with the West, Crooke confirms. He hence presumes that when the attack came, Russia and Iran concluded that – it was game over, knowing that Syria would not remain intact.
My comment:
But they staged a performance with the Astana format, that includes Turkey which betrayed its partners, and claimed that a recommended political process would keep the state intact, knowing that was not going to be; a political process with terrorists and armed bands serving foreign interests that is allegedly going to lead to a renewed Syria.
There is no requirement for them to fight for Syria if they so decided, or if their offers were rejected.
There is a requirement for them not to deceive the public, and not to recommend as a solution a terrorist led Syria born out of ‘political dialogue’ with notorious gangs swarming Syria on order of their treacherous partner, Turkey, and others with known bad intentions towards Syria and the whole region.
Is it not the US and its appendages who regularly deceive the public and peddle democracy led by assorted crooks and loyalists.

Posted by: JB | Dec 9 2024 19:32 utc | 215

Our own karlof1 has posted a very thought provoking piece on his substack that I recommend to everyone
https://karlof1.substack.com/p/marat-khairullens-counterpoint-essay
Posted by: Tim | Dec 9 2024 18:56 utc | 191
I recommend it too. Add to karlov1’s / Marat’s thoughts that Turkey has applied to join BRICS parnership.

Posted by: MorePain4Cakes | Dec 9 2024 19:33 utc | 216

Just fyi: Israel is now fighting on multiple fronts – Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen (Ansarallah), Iran and now, potentially Syria. Army is fatigued, demoralized – no longer regarded as the “most moral” army and shown by Hezballah and Hamas to not be the most powerful either. Literally thousands of military either wounded or mentally ill. Reported for many war crimes and atrocities. Prison system rife with physical and hideous sexual abuse. Surviving on US munitions which are running low. David’s Sling and Iron Dome shown to be easily penetrated by Iran, Hezbollah and Ansarallah. The vaunted Merkova tanks have been shown to be death traps in hand to hand combat, with the troops inside being literally burned alive. The hostages, those who are still alive, continue to be held in Gaza. The country is intensely politically divided at many levels, and the leader is being tried for corruption as we speak. And his military cabinet is about to engorge the West Bank… This is the time to invade Syria?? Again, the Axis of Resistence policy is to side step overt confrontation (but responds directly when strategically crucial) but, more usually, death by a thousand cuts.
Israel is no longer the country it was prior to October 7th – severely challenged, to name a critical few of the areas of concern: 1) military readiness: 2) economics (huge deficit, huge unfunded liabilities, emigration of professional class); 3) political stability: 4)leadership credibility: and, 5) the allegiance of the population, to the war status. Important to give the asymmetrical and non state actors in Syria time to respond.

Posted by: abierno | Dec 9 2024 19:37 utc | 217

Syria one of the oldest countries in the world – will probably now have areas hewn-off by the likes of Turkey and Israel – its important historical artifacts and monuments – will also more than likely be stolen and sold or defaced and destroyed – Syria’s assets, such as its gas and oil which is being stolen as we speak – will be stolen in larger quantities now.
Syrian citizens will suffer more – pay more and be far more frightened of the roaming groups of terrorists – that will plague the country at every turn – its not uncommon for warring factions to keep the country in turmoil factions supported by Turkey on oneside and the US on the other.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 9 2024 19:42 utc | 218

The year 1913, non-coincidentally, was the year when the Ruptured Republic in which I reside was conquered by the Central Bank$ters with their “Federal” Reserve Act.
Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 19:26 utc | 211
Titanic sinking in 1912 created the Fed of 1913?
A number of sleuths have suggested that the Titanic sinking was an inside job “Rumors are circulating that they sunk the Titanic to kill the powerful men on board who opposed a central bank,” the post from Matt Wallace read.
“These men opposed globalist’s world banks (Federal Reserve). Benjamin Guggenheim, Isidor Straus, [and John] Jacob Astor [all] opposed the new Federal Reserve bank. Today, these men would be worth $11 billion. All three of these men were aboard the Titanic when it sank. All three died that night,” the social media post read.”

Posted by: canuck | Dec 9 2024 19:43 utc | 219

214 – The famous Wesley Clark notice about taking out seven countries in five years did not mention Turkey, which is a NATO member. An overly powerful Turkey might be a problem for the USA and the USA has a track record of at least approving military coups there, if not ordering them. But I think Iran is the most likely next target.

Posted by: Waldorf | Dec 9 2024 19:43 utc | 220

@Arch Bungle | Dec 9 2024 15:15 utc | 47
>>Rumours of Hezbollah’s neutering, I suspect, have been greatly exaggerated.
There is a pattern here that has become quite conspicuous for me. Whenever the IDF loses 1~2 men it’s front-page news, and we get their names plus other details, possibly a photo. Now I get that Israeli soldiers leave families behind, just like other fighters; but we don’t write like this about any other side in any other conflict. You seem one of the stronger anti-Zionists here (not that I judge). But isn’t this discourse playing by Zionist rules–that Chosen lives count more than all others? Or is reveling in the details some form of anti-Zio porn?
>>Rumours of Hezbollah’s neutering, I suspect, have been greatly exaggerated.
Literally speaking you’re right of course; I still wouldn’t want to cross them. But this is all in part because the poster you reacted to used an inaccurate verb. We only get anywhere by thinking quantitatively. Even with these four added, the total Israeli dead in their Lebanon offensive is < 100? Unless their high command has managed to cover things up by a factor ~50 Zelensky-style, that just isn't serious attrition of a serious army--they're simply exhausted. In contrast, Hezbollah, of which we're not being told the names of their fallen, has been seriously weakened. We can argue as we like, but I read Hezbollah’s own proclamation. Implicitly, it defined “victory” as survival, not any decisive intervention in the Gaza crisis. Now only the toughest survive against the IDF, and the SAA didn’t survive against much inferior opposition. But it is what it is.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Dec 9 2024 19:44 utc | 221

Tim@1856 Dec 9
Thanks so much for linking Karlof’s latest with his embedded commentary from Marat’s amazing insights on the happenings in Syria and the mutual roles played by the RU and Turkiye. Would love to also receive K’s substack, but recent cuts to my income have exacerbated my financial squeeze.
So do keep linking Karlof1’s usually plangent and incisive offerings. Much appreciated.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 19:45 utc | 222

Posted by: Greg Galloway | Dec 9 2024 14:07 utc | 4
############
Can you substantiate any of that with sources?

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 9 2024 19:45 utc | 223

xor@210….. interesting take, quite plausible…..Syria, a dead horse no one wanted to ride…..
Cheers M

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 9 2024 19:46 utc | 224

“The Russia Mediterranean base in Khmeimim in Latakia province is its springboard into Africa.”
Seems to me, Iran is far less problematic. Else, the grand Russian pivot to Africa fails.

Posted by: Laurence | Dec 9 2024 19:47 utc | 225

Posted by: Fred | Dec 9 2024 16:42 utc | 103
##########
Do you actually know anyone from Lebanon or did your handler give you these ideas to post?

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 9 2024 19:47 utc | 226

Tim | Dec 9 2024 18:56 utc | 191–
Thanks, Tim, for the promo!! I spent the last 90 minutes watching chats at Judge Napolitano’s with Escobar, Johnson and Crooke. They all add more info to that Marat provided. IMO, it can be said that Assad sealed his and Syria’s fate in 2018-9 when he refused Russian and Iranian help to rebuild the SAA and deal with Idlib. Yes, the Turks played their own game, but Assad cast the most important stone onto himself.

Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 19:51 utc | 227

🔴 Israeli army says struck over 150 military targets across Syria on Monday
@PressTV – #Syria
Iran, Russia, Turkey will decide fate of Astana peace process on Syria: FM Araghchi
Iran’s foreign minister says the fate of the Astana peace process aimed at resolving the Syria cr
isis hinges on developments in the Arab country and decisions by the guarantor states, namely Iran, Russia and Turkey.
@PressTV – #AstanaPeaceProcess
🔴 Israeli media: Operation to destroy Syrian military continues, our aircraft struck dozens of army targets overnight
🔴 Israeli media: Our aircraft destroyed dozens of Syrian Mig-29 fighter jets
🔴 Israeli media say regime is destroying every potential military targets in Syria, including tanks, aircraft
@PressTV – #Syria
A squadron of 30 Israeli aircraft over Syria strikes military installations and air defense.
– Israeli Air Force targeted the headquarters of the Electronic Warfare Administration near Al-Bahdaliyah, adjacent to the city of Sayyida Zeinab in Damascus countryside.
– Israel bombed scientific research centers in Barzeh in Damascus, the 47th Brigade in Hama, and the helicopter airport in Aqraba.
– Israeli airstrikes on Yafour area in the countryside of Damascus..
– Israeli warplanes bomb the ship port in Latakia. According to reports, the attacks targeted military ships anchored in the port.
Israel is exploiting the collapse of the state in Syria and is destroying all the strategic capabilities of the Syrian army to prevent anyone from benefiting from them in the future to rebuild a strong army
Israeli warplanes have become capable of entering Syrian airspace and using bunker-busting bombs
Israel has destroyed all Syrian air defense bases and military airports and is now intensively targeting ballistic missile warehouses and weapons factories.
Houses in Damascus are shaking due to the intensity of successive Israeli air strikes
Dozens of Israeli airstrikes are now being carried out in various parts of Syria
Israeli raids on Qamishli airport in northeastern Syria
Israeli airstrikes on Jableh on the Syrian coast
Israel renewed its airstrikes on Aqraba military airport in Damascus countryside and the Shinshar area south of Homs
Israeli airstrikes on Basil Al-Assad military airport in Jableh.
notetjepirt of Latakia isreportedly attacked…mitary ships…..Russia should be concerned? Future relations with Israel?

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 19:52 utc | 228

The question for me, is how much was Bashar Al Assad paid/promised to walk away? The whole thing went to easily for it not to have been scripted from beginning to end with all participants playing a part.
Posted by: Matt | Dec 9 2024 15:17 utc | 49
He may have not gone to Moscow voluntarily. He may have been promised an airplane ride to Latakia, his clans stronghold, and flown to Moscow instead.
Moscow couldn’t take the chance that he’d attempt to continue the war from Latakia, which makes me even more convinced that Russia made a deal and gave Syria up.
Assad’s allies saw Russia abandoning Syria and knew fighting without Russian air cover (and with Israeli/US air attacks) was suicide, and melted away.
What did the Russians get in return for abandoning Assad? Ukrainian/NATO acceptance of Russian control of Donbass and Crimea, lifting of sanctions? Hands off Iran?

Posted by: Delhiliterally | Dec 9 2024 19:54 utc | 229

Erdogan said that he and Putin are the most experienced world leaders, but that’s likely a dog whistle. Netanyahu first became a prime minister of Israel in 1996, so he is arguably the most experienced.
Viktor Orban came to power in 1998, also a dean.
As for the USA taking down Erdogan, good luck. But I can see the incentive. With a completely loyal Turkish vassal state, NATO could possibly turn the tide in Eastern Europe. Turkey has the strongest European army in NATO.

Posted by: Afro | Dec 9 2024 19:54 utc | 230

To me it looks as though the uber-corrupt and grossly incompetent Iranian administration is about to give up the ghost in a few years time at the most, the sign post is they either had neither the intelligence or honesty to call Hamas’ Oct 7 what it was: the doom’s day knell for the start of an unprecedented US-Israel imperialist blitzkrieg across the wider Middle East that makes Putin’s Special Operation look like amateur hour in comparison. Indeed, not even China or Russia themselves have dared to question the ontological and epistemological foundations of the official Oct 7 narrative—yet surely the Israelis couldn’t have been so lucky by the pure happenstance of (an un-intervened and unanticipated) Hamas “operation ” of such macrocosmic destructiveness for Arab freedom tout court.

Posted by: Ludovic | Dec 9 2024 19:54 utc | 231

aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 19:45 utc | 222–
My substack is free, although donations are welcome, nor do you need to subscribe, just answer no to the prompt and you’ll be sent to the main page.

Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 19:55 utc | 232

Posted by: Feck | Dec 9 2024 14:31 utc | 18

…My guess the Russians figured that out from the start of this operation. In return they allowed the fall to happen very quickly to create this quagmire for turkey Isreal and usa…

I suppose this could be the premise of (an even more) failed state in Syria, but I don’t see what makes it a quagmire or a burden for either of these three countries.

…Now you got a situation where the usa has to choose between the kurds and hts…

Looks to me like a rather enviable position. Not only is a major strategic goal coming to fruition, the US even has the luxury of outsourcing the handiwork to two factions which are striving to achieve that end, regardless of whether they choose to cooperate or fight to death.

Posted by: robin | Dec 9 2024 19:58 utc | 233

Turkey had nurtured and pushed the al-Qaeda derived Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to take Aleppo. It did not expect it to go any further. The fall of Syria is now becoming a problem for Turkey as the U.S. is taking control of it. Washington will try to use HTS for its own interests which are, said mildly, not necessary compatible with whatever Turkey may want to do.

This is phrased peculiarly. The more straightforward way of putting it is, can Turkey retain control of HTS when the interests of HTS come into conflict with Turkey? Given that the US has always been a cosponsor of HTS and its ilk, despite vicissitudes and vagaries, it’s doubtful Turkey can win a bidding war with the US. (If my current belief it was largely the US who provided the money bombs that played an essential role in HTS’ victory turns out to be correct, the US already has the advantage in this.)

Israel is for now the big winner in Syria. But with restless Jihadists now right on its border it remains to be seen for how long that will hold.

I have no idea why our host here treats the Zionist entity as somehow separate from the US. I’m not sure why this seems to presume a principled opposition to jihadism on the Zionists’ part. I remember the days when Israel tacitly favored Hamas to undermine the PFLP, for one.

A primary target for Turkey are the Kurdish insurgents within Turkey and their support from the Kurds in Syria. Organized as the Syrian Democratic Forces the Kurds are sponsored and controlled by the United States. The SDF are already fighting Erdogan’s SNA and any further Turkish intrusion into Syria will be confronted by them.
The SDF, supported by the U.S. occupation of east-Syria, is in control of the major oil, gas and wheat fields in the east of the country. Anyone who wants to rule in Damascus will need access to those resources to be able to finance the state.

The US government has no problem selling out its own Kurds, so it’s not clear how this is an issue. I could imagine an art of the deal where part of Syrian Kurdistan and its oil are traded to Turkey in exchange for access to the Black Sea. In any case, denying independent funding to forestall a stable Damascus government seems to me to be the standard operating procedure as established in Libya and Sudan.

During the last years Russia was less invested in the Assad government than it seemed. It knew that Assad had become a mostly useless partner. The Russia Mediterranean base in Khmeimim in Latakia province is its springboard into Africa. There will be U.S. pressure on any new leadership in Syria to kick the Russians out. However any new leadership in Syria, if it is smart, will want to keep the Russians in. It is never bad to have an alternative choice should one eventually need one. Russia may well stay in Latakia for years to come.

It’s not clear how “less invested” doesn’t blend seamlessly with “undermining?” Regardless of how one answers that, in the long run the Russian base cannot survive without a stable government in Damascus, barring exactly the same commitment of resources already withheld from the previous government! Keeping alternative choices is perceived by the American government as de facto hostility and would be Damascus government will know thism,. Again, the notion HTS isn’t already a covert ally of the US needs to be demonstrated, I think. If this is merely phrased this way in an effort to portray Putin the strategic genius, it is an unworthy goal I fear.

The incoming Trump administration sees China as its major enemy. By throwing Syria (and Ukraine) into chaos the outgoing Biden administration has guaranteed that Trump will have to stay involved in the Middle East (and eastern Europe).

And it is still true that nullifying an independent Russia and its oil would make another attack on the PRC’s energy dependence, just as much as an attack on Iran. These are not mutually exclusive goals. Trump is the one who launched the economic war on Iran, which is to say, war, just as Trump is the one who tore up JCPOA. It’s not one bit clear how throwing Syria into chaos is a problem for Trump! He has the Zionists to commit troops to actual fighting. He may even tell himself, this time keep the oil? Given the defense of the slow, slow, slow attrition in Ukraine it is impossible to see how one can say it throws Ukraine into chaos, not even in parentheses.
The general notion that Erdogan, HTS, the Zionists are faithfully executing the lame duck Biden’s orders is special pleading, pandering to the Trumper trash. This is not a good look for our host. It’s a good time to remember previous good work.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Dec 9 2024 20:00 utc | 234

Still need a shovel to clear a path through the crap being posted here. Those wanting to learn ought to take the time to listen to today’s guests at Judge Napolitano’s site.

Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 20:01 utc | 235

xor@1925 Dec 9
You’ve presented some interesting perspectives and insights, thanks for that. However…as a recovering journalist I have long exercised the concept of paragraphs…particularly when differing data is compounded into one huge one.
So here’s my suggestion: PLEASE, please edit each huge paragraph carefully and then break them up into easier to read and to comprehend derivations.
When one has something worth sharing, it is always the way of wisdom to enable comprehension instead of inadvertently compounding confusion.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:03 utc | 236

@catdog | Dec 9 2024 15:21 utc | 52
>>This event has really hurt the credibility of Scott Ritter. He was predicting, even as the rebels rapidly advanced, that the SAA would soon “mop up” the last of the rebels.
Well noted; but there are two kinds of credibility, and the difference matters a lot. Will he be, dunno, a Mercouris, saying “I was wrong, and I’m trying to figure out why”? Or will he be a Martyanov who’ll drone on regardless–or retreat wholesale into his safe space, growling “I won’t stoop to waste my time on tactical minutiae”? We’ll see I guess.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Dec 9 2024 20:03 utc | 237

Marat and a Lebanese commentator featured on Don Hank’s blog both highlighted Assad’s failure to unite Syria.
An interesting video I saw was Assad completely ignoring the outstretched hand of friendship from a Russian general.
This man refused to help the people who fought and died to give him a second chance.
Russia and Iran, while acknowledging a loss have extracted themselves in time to minimize the impact.
Iran will soon be signing the comprehensive agreement with Russia.
Assad laughed at Gaddafi when he warned Syria was next. Iran has warned the Arab countries that they are next.
Captagon.

Posted by: Suresh | Dec 9 2024 20:12 utc | 238

Syria is a dead weight. An anchor to anybody who holds it. It has no future except chaos.
Assad tried to keep the lid on but even he failed. I don’t see how some newbs are going to cope. Considering the US is already bombing them.

Posted by: Rabbit | Dec 9 2024 20:14 utc | 239

The seizing of Damascus is truly apocalyptic for true muslims and christians alike. One of their holiest cities continuously inhabited for ages falling into the hands of nihilist bands. Controled by the nihilist West, nihilist donmeh (Turkey) and the nihilist neo zionists. Isn’t Damascus the place for muslims were Christ in the name of Allah will open the book of the final judgment?

Posted by: Teraspol | Dec 9 2024 20:19 utc | 240

Canuck@1943 Dec 9
Second of Jung’s law of Overloaded Coincidences today. The year I was made was between the Solstice and New Year’s Eve in 1943. Being in the flow within the stream of Cosmic Consciousness indicates that one should ever pay attention to those Congruences within those Cosmic time-cycles.
That shared, thanks for specifically naming those three powerful industrialists and entrepreneurs who opposed the scheme of private control over central banking and ultimately over the entire economic, political, media, educational, and other elements of the overall culture of this ruptured republic.
An “Inside Job” in 1912? Quite conceivable. Perhaps a ship’s chandler or some such inside-outsider who would NOT be on board when the Titanic sailed…planted a series of carefully timed charges deep within the lower levels of the hull, where those actually quite fragile iron plates could be effectually imploded. Certainly the inside plotters would consider that all the non-targeted victims would be mere “collateral damage” and a convenient mask for the deaths of those heroes of the old school would ever and anon give up their privileges of wealth to enable women and children to be the first to leave on the lifeboats.
Those three men were highly honorable individuals. They held to a code of honor which was age-old…one which has almost totally disappeared amongst the privileged elite in this last iteration of Kali Yuga.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:19 utc | 241

corrections…note that port of Latakia.attacked by Israel …military ships. Future of Russian Israeli relations quite risky now?

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 20:21 utc | 242

Posted by: MorePain4Cakes | Dec 9 2024 19:33 utc | 216
############
A must-read from Marat via Karlof1.
Very few of these geopolitical moves are surface-level regarding Russia and China.
The alternative to putting Russian troops in Syria and running the country for Assad (bearing all of the costs and none of the benefits) was that the new trade corridor with Iran was nearly complete and could replace all of the utility that Russia had gained from Syria to that point.
I am concerned that Turkiye may solidify itself as a global energy hub, but if it comes at the cost of the Imperialists, I suppose that is an adequate outcome. Anything to oppose the Empire and all of its evil.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 9 2024 20:22 utc | 243

It seems to me that some of the most educated people in the world (a country as a whole) lived in Libya, Iraq, Syria and Iran. Now only Iran is left. The dumbing down continues. They also had health care for all I believe. All that has de3volved to chaos in those countries.

Posted by: Groovinpict | Dec 9 2024 20:23 utc | 244

Still need a shovel to clear a path through the crap being posted here. Those wanting to learn ought to take the time to listen to today’s guests at Judge Napolitano’s site.
Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 20:01 utc | 235
That seems to be the MO of the imperial trolls. Whenever there is a colorable argument that Russia has taken a loss, they just pour in with a mountain of bullshit trying to present Imperialism as unstoppable.
It you take two steps back and a brief look at the state of Imperialism, they just look like the fools they are.
Let them have their fun. It won’t last too long. Enjoy yourselves while it lasts, dildos!

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Dec 9 2024 20:24 utc | 245

Posted by: Miquel | Dec 9 2024 19:15 utc | 201
“Ain’t it gonna be quite cheap & efficient for Iran Russia god knows turkey to arm/fund/bribe HTS to fight Israel and the west?
This article was posted elsewhere in this post John Gilberts,142:
https://www.rediff.com/news/column/m-k-bhadrakumar-al-qaeda-genie-is-out-of-the-bottle/20241209.htm
“The Russian embassy in Damascus is not in any danger. It is entirely conceivable that Russian intelligence which is traditionally very active in Syria — for obvious reasons — had already begun sensitising Moscow on a power transition in Damascus being in the cards and kept contacts with the Opposition Islamist groups, the strident public rhetoric notwithstanding…
[Whereas]The evacuation of diplomats followed by the storming of the Iranian embassy in Damascus speaks for itself. Indeed, Israel will spare no effort to ensure that Iranian influence is exorcised from Syria.”
.

Posted by: freedom fritos | Dec 9 2024 20:30 utc | 246

Assad tried to keep the lid on but even he failed. I don’t see how some newbs are going to cope. Considering the US is already bombing them.
Posted by: Rabbit | Dec 9 2024 20:14 utc | 239
From what I’ve read, Russia & Iran had offered both military training & financial assistance a couple years back & Assad refused them, instead raising taxes to pay a grossly underpaid military.
Had Assad lowered his pride & accepted the aid, a recovered economy would have gone a long way toward reducing friction.
So instead he followed the western way of punishing the people. But unlike the US, he couldn’t buy a proxy army to replace the army he starved.

Posted by: Mary | Dec 9 2024 20:33 utc | 247

Ma@1944 Dec 9
Perhaps you are overlooking something. Yes,Hezbollah certainly needed time to rest and reorganize as well as to properly mourn their lost family members, relatives, friends and comrades. However their personnel losses in frontline combat are minuscule, particularly in acute contrast to the casualties of the evil invaders. {point One}
Secondly, the stock of missiles still in the dedicated hands of their operatives is still quite intact. Their forces of all types are well-trained, deeply devoted to their cause…and also deeply embedded within the living rock of Lebanon.
Obviously Mossad and other intel gatherers in the Zioni$t Entity are quite aware of all this. Yet,the bleedership of their command matrix are so intent upon One,their personal survival and(2 their dreams of “Eretz Yisroel” continue to motivate their actions.
Thus if the Izzies go balls to the walls stoopid and chose, with their massively depleted forces, with well over 200 Merkava MBTs destroyed by Hamas partisans and additional numbers having been already taken down by Hezbollah; a land invasion to seize a chunk of Lebanon will result in two black eyes and a copiously bleeding hooked-nose. Their hapless ground-pounders will be macerated.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:33 utc | 248

@ 210 xor
A differing view on :
“What this shows is that there’s a reluctance in Iran to continue being the savior of Palestine.”
Iran’s traditional political stance appears to have been built more on contesting “Israel” et al.
@ Marat commentary
Another that blames Assad. Taxes , I looked but they seem ‘standard’ ? (And I have no great affinity with regard to taxation).
Not accepting outside help or advice, i.e. just being blamed. It is a bit rich, considering that the wealth of the nation was appropriated by other countries (Turkey had hand) , or considering that the country Russia refused to condemn for genocide or bar from airspace is now at work further destroying and appropriating ?
I leave Russia its space and try not to pre-judge, but that sort of attitude mentioned speaks mountains. Russia is not the only that learns from mistakes, others watching the result of arranging with Russia will be learning also, and to see its ally being blamed into the bargain ? It would taking others for stupid.
Spoken flatly.
Assad’s rule was what it was, there are facets to disagree with (including rights abuse even if mostly exaggerated, and as is the case for many countries), but to just turn on him after, make out he was bargaining with “Israel” etc. etc. is basically self serving propaganda, without some kind of fuller proof.
It appears more like Assad ended up co-opted by his guests.

Posted by: Ornot | Dec 9 2024 20:35 utc | 249

Israel has been offered a ceasefire by Hamas on multiple occasions and they never took it. I’m not saying Hezbollah didn’t take a beating but Israel did agree to one with them. Perhaps it was just to prepare for Syria, but maybe Israel needed a ceasefire because they were taking a licking in materiel themselves. Counting Hezbollah out is still a bad idea even if losing a land connection to Iran will be a problem.

Posted by: Derrick | Dec 9 2024 20:38 utc | 250

An interesting video I saw was Assad completely ignoring the outstretched hand of friendship from a Russian general.
Posted by: Suresh | Dec 9 2024 20:12 utc | 238
Yes, that’s how it seemed to me too. Working with the Ophthalmologist was probably difficult and characterized by unfounded arrogance. He probably doesn’t understand that he owes the Russians something if they save his ass. Now they have saved him twice, but apparently people in Russia have come to the conclusion that it is easier to live with Erdogan’s terrorists than with this man. The West wanted Syria to become an Islamic theocracy – and they have done it. Its politicians should appeal for donations, especially the German Greens – headscarves in particular are urgently needed.

Posted by: Oliver Krug | Dec 9 2024 20:43 utc | 251

karlof1@1955 Dec 9
As some of the folks in S.E. Texas would describe those in S.W. Texicana: “Muchos Garcias”. Yes, you are well aware that I’m addicted to wordplay. That said, I will certainly enjoy a regular dose of your valiant efforts to share knowledge and understanding for those whose interests include higher levels of geopolitical understanding and comprehension.
Thanks again. Looking forward to more fun and enlightenment

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:47 utc | 252

I do not understand one thing. How these jihadi troops obtain food,, water and everything? Who pays their salaries?
The US/Israel have won nothing at all.
They just grabbed ahold of another resource sucking country which will only but hasten the economic and political bankruptcy of the Empire.
Think about 17th century Spain-it was over extended financially desperately holding onto the Netherlands et al selling juros (bonds) to the Jewish bankers to pay for their wars until the bankers balked at 60 year term juros and Spain be went bankrupt their Hegemony gone. .
Posted by: canuck | Dec 9 2024 17:06 utc | 124
How can this happen to the USA and their empire?

Posted by: salmon | Dec 9 2024 20:51 utc | 253

If Israel and Iran are both nuclear powers.
How do you wipe out your opponents? (Israel/US)
Lure him outside his own designation, protective zones and into the open grounds which is Syria.
In Essence Russia and Iran have cleverly exposed Israel and the Americans to fight inside Syria. Turkey will also be in the battle, it is perhaps the perfect scenario. Take out the blinders and you will see the truth and long term strategy that’s laid before the world. Unfortunately many will not see it.
It would make sense

Posted by: Meaty | Dec 9 2024 20:54 utc | 254

Posted by: Tobias Cole | Dec 9 2024 19:20 utc | 208:

I really feel sorry for the Christians, Alawite, Druze and Yazidis……they are toast…….

I like our post. You have a clear picture in mind of what has been happening the past decade or so. But I disagree with the implications of your quote above, that Zionists are now gonna dominate the region forever. Not that I empathize with the Christians/Alawites/Druze/Yazidis….et al. I don’t know who they are, and I don’t really give a damn whether they thrive. But I am of the opinion that whether these groups whither or not, the Zionists are no longer the 600-pound gorilla that they were in comparison to other people of the world as they were only some 3 decades ago. If and when these groups come and go, others will rise and give genocide’s a run for their money these days. The Houthis of Yemen is one example.
No man! The “chosen” people (both in ME and the Hilltop Beacon across the Atlantic) are just as common as all humans are around the globe. Soviet’s and Empire’s bleeding noses in Afghanistan of the past three decades shows how slim the “technologically” advanced nations military edge are over the rest of the globe today. The Zionist may enjoy a short term high of conquering a wide swap of territories but they’ll end up the same ultimately to leave with tails tugged between their legs.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Dec 9 2024 20:54 utc | 255

@Posted by: Groovinpict | Dec 9 2024 20:23 utc | 244
I can confirm that is true, that some of the most cvltivated and sensitive people in the wordl ived and live there.
I was yesterday, debunking at Martyanov´s the fake assertion that Arab armies are a mess, wondering why is that both Hezbollah and the Houthis are so succesful, all the more when thye have few means and even live in one fo the poorest countrys of this world…
I argued that nobody, not even the Russians, would be able to fight through years against the Hegemos and its asscoaited in the Arabian Peninsul, including Al Qaeda, with just a piece of fabric covering you and flip-flops like shoes and eating once a day in the best case, as it was the situation when I visited them in peaceful relatively prosperous times…
I ventured that what pushes those people to fight united without rest is the fact that they still have their spirits and souls intact because they have not been culturally colonized as we have been…
This happens because this people are not yet reached by US media conglomerate which has totally make us Europeans, including Russiams since the fall of the USSR, believe that everything “american” is the best, while ours is always worse, sinking our national pride and making us lose the North, while at the same time destroying any human next between us, national, familiar, social, so as to have us all day at each other´s throats so that we can not unite, as the Yemenis and Iranians still do, to defend ourselves and our countries…
When I visted Iran found the situation with TV quite boring, since there was only religious music and philosophical discussions to watch, although in the hotesl you could select international new channels, but no more than that…
Probably due to this situation, the Iranian families, at least at the time I visited, use to go out in full and makep icnic in the parks and under the bridges…you can find whole families with their baskets in the grass, staerting with grandma and ending with the youngest, which I found a delicious custom…that happens in the late afternoon, when it is less hot and everybody has returned from its job, the same very hour we in the West switch on TV to receive our daily dosis of US indoctrination and cerceantion of our souls and spirits…
For the same reason they probably have such ammount of STEM graduates, as the young people does not lose their precious time watching US series in Netlix and the inumerable channels they have managed to introduce into our homnes so that we have no a minute to think in what is happening to us…
The Iranians love talking, go out for luch or dinner, good music and the mausoleums of their poets are always full of people visiting from the most humble to the most accomodated…they realy venerate their poets…

Posted by: Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 20:55 utc | 256

Mary@2023 Dec 9
We concur that in the past few years Assad was outta his depth. After all, were it not for the untimely death of his elder brother; Bashar could have remained as an Ophthalmologist…an eye doctor. That was his calling. He must be celebrated for his staunch struggle against the U$$A and Perfidious Albion funded and equipped headchoppers. He was gradually losing until the R.U. came to his defense and together they defeated those hyenas.
However the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune wore him down and that resulted in him drawing into himself and became stubborn and set in his ways. Future historians will give recognition to his ongoing fight on behalf of the multipartite people of his beloved ancient land.

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:58 utc | 257

I do not understand one thing. How these jihadi troops obtain food,, water and everything? Who pays their salaries?
The US/Israel have won nothing at all.
They just grabbed ahold of another resource sucking country which will only but hasten the economic and political bankruptcy of the Empire.
Think about 17th century Spain-it was over extended financially desperately holding onto the Netherlands et al selling juros (bonds) to the Jewish bankers to pay for their wars until the bankers balked at 60 year term juros and Spain be went bankrupt their Hegemony gone. .
Posted by: canuck | Dec 9 2024 17:06 utc | 124
How can this happen to the USA and their empire?
Posted by: salmon | Dec 9 2024 20:51 utc | 253
Agree that HTS can’t pay anyone any more than Assad could. Disagree with your assertion that the US is hurting themselves here. They don’t have to invest in Syria, letting it faster is the goal anyway. Either that or they’re gonna back the SDF even more in hopes they can take the rest of Syria then they can wash their hands of them too.

Posted by: Derrick | Dec 9 2024 21:02 utc | 258

The Israelis are probably enjoying Syria’s destruction. But in my opinion they will soon regret the disappearance of Bashar al-Assad’s country.
For there’s now no buffer between Israel and Turkey. Sure, Erdogan has probably assured the Israelis that he would never, ever make use of the direct invasion route to Israel that is open now. But what’s the worth of a promise from Erdogan?

Posted by: Cyril | Dec 9 2024 21:05 utc | 259

I find it hard to believe that Russia is walking away from its assets in the region.
Why is Iran not responding?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Dec 8 2024 6:09 utc | 535
It works like this,… you infiltrate the leadership of your enemy with your own (in this case Jews).
They sit in leadership positions for decades, doing mainly what is expected of them, but occasionally they play for their own team, i.e., for the enemy.
This is what you see happening here.
Putin, Erdogan, and probably Assad, are all Jews.
The have surrounded themselves with more Jews and they all live the life of moles.
Erdogan supports whoever will attack (the head-choppers).
Putin’s team restrains any significant Russian reaction.
Pezeshkian’s team restrains any significant Iranian reaction.
Assad’s team causes the collapse of the Syrian Army.
There you have it, years of infiltration pay off with the capture of Syria in just a few days.

Posted by: Moles | Dec 9 2024 21:06 utc | 260

@Posted by: Groovinpict | Dec 9 2024 20:23 utc | 244
In the same vein why do you think Blinken asserted on TV that LBTBIQ+ policies area a priority of the US DoS?
Because through those policies they sow confussion amongst the Western youth… if you are not even sure which genre you belong to, it is quite difficult that you could concentrate in educating yourself during your best years of youth instead of going through unnecesary painfull and castrating, at all levels, surgical processes…
Through the same policies, like promoting extrem post-feminism they sow discord amongst natural families are have the two genres at each other´s throats, making women bitter and men frsutrated and insecure which increase the number of isolated people…
All that necessary for them to come to rob us of everything, our narural riches and each and every functioning u¡industry we have, like it is happening for the past four years with the complicity of the dumbest they have raised to power in each and every European nation for that purpose..

Posted by: Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 21:07 utc | 261

In Essence Russia and Iran have cleverly exposed Israel and the Americans to fight inside Syria. Turkey will also be in the battle, it is perhaps the perfect scenario. Take out the blinders and you will see the truth and long term strategy that’s laid before the world. Unfortunately many will not see it.
It would make sense
Posted by: Meaty | Dec 9 2024 20:54 utc | 254
Agree. A tar-baby handed to Turkiye, Israel, and Uncle Sugar. All of whom seem to be ecstatic. I think they will fight each other for it before this is over.
But I think the gulf Arabs will try to grab it too. They will see the new regime as a threat, they do not like political Islam.
More meta, as the hegemon weakens, smaller players once held it check by fear start to look around and consider their “interests”.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 9 2024 21:07 utc | 262

In other news Penny Wong, Oz’s Foreign Minister, has invited Piggy Netanyahu to STFU about ‘antisemitism’ – adding that it’s not antisemitic to point out that Jewrael is in flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law.
But she stopped short of reminding Piggy that jews are not semites and that antisemitism is actually what jews have been inficting on arabs for 80+ years.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Dec 9 2024 21:16 utc | 263

reply to 205, etc.
I feel guilty being amused amidst the suffering of Syrian people. Nevertheless, I imagine Erdogan slamming his head into a wall repeatedly, cursing his stupidity. Now, we have the big players taking sides……but Russia staying out of it. Sit in their bases and watch what happens next. Far from humiliation and defeat, they may look like an island of sense and stability.
Who knows what pops out of chaos? Israel/US supporting Kurds? Turkey on the other side? HT getting stuck in the middle while struggling to run a nation? Hezbollah waiting to see what happens next?
This looks like the worst Principle Of Middle East Politics will prevail: that is, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend”

Posted by: Eighthman | Dec 9 2024 21:18 utc | 264

3.5 Million refugees in Turkey due to

Posted by: Turk 152 | Dec 9 2024 21:20 utc | 265

Pepe Escobar reports massive traffic russian Hmeimim Rusfia and Iran with petmission of Turkey and posits end of Astana Process.telegram and x

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 21:22 utc | 266

3.5 million refugees in Turkey due to a brutal crackdown between Syria and the Russia are now returning to their homes in Syria. Why arent they on the list of winners? Dont they count?

Posted by: Turk 152 | Dec 9 2024 21:26 utc | 267

karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 20:01 utc | 235
Judge Napolitano’s chits recommend every conclusion you have drawn from them. Quelle surprise. A planeload (or two) of Russian military personnel‡ may disagree.

Posted by: Laurence | Dec 9 2024 21:28 utc | 268

Israelis are having a field day today heavily bombing Damascus, even its civil register, so that to erase any footstep of that that land once belonged to the Syrians…
The thing is that many people in the world we know it is the land of the Syrian people…and have met some Syrians to atest they lived there…they can not kill us all…
It seems that ( read at TG ) there are already attacks on Syrian Navy missile boats in the port of Latakia….
While the new Syrian authorities divide political power, Israel continues to methodically deprive its army of military potential….
Do not they realize that Israel is demonstrating that what they are going to do is seizing Syria?

Posted by: Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 21:34 utc | 269

@Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 15:28 utc | 57
>>IMO, Russia is always trying to get to a deal with the US so that to gain time ( for what one wonders…)
It’s a fixture of their character, this is how Russians always talk. When being told “Russia just has to gain time,” many times have I asked “Time? Time for what, if say the same sleazebags come back in every new govt in Moscow?” It may be tied to their unique geography. Whenever Russia was invaded the instinct was to retreat, retreat; and only when the enemy was completely exasperated with this cat-and-mouse game, fight them for real. Maybe it makes sense after all; but they bring the mindset to places and situations where striking the iron while it’s hot might be more fruitful. Clearly, the amateurs of HTS had never followed the masterclass “Slower is better, you can always take the territory later.” They just went with their gut, took all the (key) territory, and won. 🙂
Yes there is also an instinct “If we’d hurt the West for real, we miss out on the chance to ever talk to them again.” While the other way round, such inhibitions are completely alien to say the British midgets.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Dec 9 2024 21:41 utc | 270

3.5 million refugees in Turkey due to a brutal crackdown between Syria and the Russia are now returning to their homes in Syria. Why arent they on the list of winners? Dont they count?
Posted by: Turk 152 | Dec 9 2024 21:26 utc | 267
_______
Depends. Are they being pitchforked out and dumped in Syria, or os their resettlement meaningfully subsidized?

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 9 2024 21:41 utc | 271

Posted by: karlof1 | Dec 9 2024 19:51 utc | 227
I read your substack.

Broadly speaking, Assad has not cared for his people, who have suffered from civil war. He did not forgive those who opposed him and refused to start a process of national reconciliation. The people in Syria remained divided.

I couldn’t disagree more. Assad was the president of heterogeneous country on a geo strategic junction of conflicting interests. A junction where the interests of Turkey/Qatar, America/UK, France/Germany, UAE, KSA and Russia/Iran collided. Damascus is a breath away from Israel. Israel could have bombed Assad and his family whenever they liked. Of course there was tacit agreement between Israel and Russia where Israel could bomb Iranian assets at will as long as they didn’t touch Assad. Still, was Israel honoring this deal etched in stone? Would Assad wanted to continue living in the shadow of an Israeli bomb, risk being coup’d or end up like Afghan Najibullah (castrated, dismembered and hung to a pole) or Libyan Khadaffi (sodomized with a knife)?
The US empire made sure the oil stayed out of Assad’s reach as a way of economic strangulation and keep it on its knees. With the people in those places (SDF) colluding with the US, there was no way to solve this except going for all out war which Syria and Russia would have lost because of the logistical problems, the many US bases in close proximity and Turkey always ready with a knife behind its back. So supposedly he himself personally raised some taxes. How else do you keep the state somewhat functioning? I find this taxes critism very cheap.
I’m convinced Assad wanted to vacate his position a long time ago but didn’t because for Syria he was the person best placed for performing this duty.

Instead of Iranian proxies, who were held “by the leash and muzzled” by Russia in Syria, Israel received a full-fledged Turkish gang on its borders.

For me that’s quite naive. Daesh (IS) was already on the Israeli border some 8 years ago. They NEVER attacked Israel. Surely there will be some militias wanting to go in the “wrong” direction but whomever is in the wrong place in this Israeli “buffer” (annexed) zone will be killed on the spot be it a male adult or young minor shepperd. Israel, apparently, can act with impunity. Israel razed complete buildings in Beirut and Gaza without any outrage by the West.
Also (I’m just copy-pasting my earlier remarks), Turkey and Israel are good partners even if the eye would show something different. Iran through the Houthi’s managed to impose an embargo on Israel. One needs to look at the oil tankers that leave Turkey for Israeli ports to know that it was Turkey who broke this embargo thereby aiding the Zionazi genocide it publicly keeps denouncing.

The main thing now is that the Turks are also our allies. Simply brilliant.

The Turks were already our “allies”. The quotations are missing. Because tomorrow they will backstab again when it suits them. What will likely prevent that are sweeteners like the Russian NPP and the confrontations with the Kurds which the US will protect to keep Turkey in check. Turkey of course will be able to sell the oil as it does now but not own the oil. The oil wells will remain in US hands protected by their SDF proxy troops. Even Lindsey “Lady G” Graham already publicly said the US will “protect” the Kurds. “Use” would of course be a better word.

Posted by: xor | Dec 9 2024 21:46 utc | 272

RT: “In a statement on Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called the move [Zionazi seizure of additional Syrian territory] “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and unity, as well as a flagrant violation of international law.” Egypt accused Israel of exploiting the fall of Assad “in order to occupy more Syrian land and to impose a new reality on the ground in contravention of international law.””
______
Astonishing the Qataris and the Egyptians managed to dislodge the Zionist membrum vitale from their maws long enough to utter such words.

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 9 2024 21:52 utc | 273

” its important historical artifacts and monuments – will also more than likely be stolen and sold or defaced and destroyed ”
Iraq lost massive amounts of archaeologic artifacts.
mix of destruction and stealing (in exchange for democracy?).
IMU the destruction mostly done to hide the stealing.
the Syrian regions the US had access to may well have in a similar way already.

Posted by: MAKK | Dec 9 2024 21:53 utc | 274

Considering the level of destruction that Israel is inflicting in southern Syria and the constant bombing of Damascus, I believe that it was already planned in advance by Israel and their American partner.
Think about it dear RU strelkovs trolls but also low IQ idiots, if Russia & Iran decided to fight no matter what, they would have needed to fight the Wahabis and at the same time, needed to keep their men and equipment safe from Israeli strikes. It would have been an attritional battle that would only bleed their men while at the same time keep the SAA in line to fight. Also the Kurds showed that they didn’t want to fight initially because their American master wanted to keep them striking when the time was “right” in order for the Kurds to carve a portion of Syria from the depleted sides (no matter if it was the Syrian Opposition or Assad regime) thus making the state that they crave and pose a huge danger for those around them.
I’m now sure that they expected for Russia & Iran to enter the fight and stay as much as possible to help Assad regime.
So again, a very problematic scenario that would have given smaller benefits for RU/Iran/Resistance but big benefits to US, Kurds, Israel.
Now the useful idiots that are now the masters of Syria are stuck in this quagmire and need to figure out the solution (they most definitely need to go after the Kurds which are fully funded and armed by the empire). Let’s see if Muslim fiefdoms and Turkiye will offer them the help and political backing that they desperately need.

Posted by: JamesBond | Dec 9 2024 21:54 utc | 275

“…It is high time now for it to finally acquire real nuclear weapons”
I agree with this & it should happen very soon; if they don’t Iran is as foolish as Assad was in the prior 4-6 years or so turning down major Russian and Chinese offers of support/aid and economic development. and Iran will pay dearly for it.
It is the only deterrent that the Western imperial powers, including israel, might actually respect
al Mayadeen News in English news/politics/israeli-escalation-may-extend-beyond-syria–ansar-allah
Israeli escalation may extend beyond Syria: Ansar Allah
The Yemeni movement expresses deep concern over the Israeli aggression on Syria and the occupation of new areas and villages in al-Quneitra and Mount Hermon.
In a statement, Ansar Allah’s Political Bureau stated that “the Israeli escalation may not be confined to specific boundaries but could spill over to other countries in the region, given the continued US and Western support.”
The statement expressed deep concern over “the treacherous Israeli aggression on Syria, the occupation of new areas and villages in al-Quneitra and Mount Hermon, and the intensification of airstrikes on Damascus.”……
….Israeli media indicated that the Israeli military is intensifying its strikes on Syria, targeting weapons depots and air defense systems; anything that could pose a “future threat” to “Israel”.
According to Israeli media, the Israeli occupation army announced bombing about 100 “targets” inside Syria in the past hours……

Posted by: michaelj72 | Dec 9 2024 21:57 utc | 276

Israel is going to make a Gaza of Syria…while the “government encargado” asures from Istanbul to RT that they will have good relations with Russia….really?

More than 350 Israeli airstrikes have targeted Syrian territory in the past few hours, and Israel has occupied Syrian territory twice the size of the Gaza Strip, with its army less than 40 km from the capital Damascus

https://t.me/GeoPWatch/10595

Posted by: Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 21:59 utc | 277

Mercouris latest observation: Erdogan has made a disasterous miscalculation. Yes, absolutely. We might even see Russians willingly leave with local forces asking them to stay. Tar Baby, indeed !

Posted by: Eighthman | Dec 9 2024 21:59 utc | 278

@ xor | Dec 9 2024 21:46 utc | 272
Exactly and thank you. It seems to me that Assad’s tragic flaw was his failure to realize that his Arab leader-brethren — Iraq plausibly excepted — were toadies of the US (and to a large degree of the Zionazi entity as well)*, whose reconciliation with him was utterly phony and who in fact longed for his downfall.
*oh, and let’s not forget Turkey!

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 9 2024 21:59 utc | 279

Not that I’m surprised but of course Reddit is overjoyed at both the fall of Assad and Israeli aggression, anything that serves Wall Street’s interests is fine over there despite their claimed progressivism.

Posted by: Derrick | Dec 9 2024 22:00 utc | 280

B,
This makes no sense.

It [China] may well be the only power that has been a winner in this.

Throughout most of this article, you just provided reasons for Israel and U.S. to be the big winners here. Now you conclude China to be the only big winners when Israel and U.S. are the definite winners here?
You may be too blinded by U.S. ideology. Insane U.S. politicians have been hyping up the China threat. You think if they don’t attack China, it’s China’s gain? Maybe it’s the U.S. gain they don’t fight China. China does not – still does not – consider the U.S. to be an enemy. The U.S. is an enemy to the extent it is making China an enemy. If U.S. distraction prevents U.S. and China from fighting an unnecessary war and if that war is WWIII, I guess being distracted from WWIII is good. But that doesn’t mean China is the sole winner here, B!

Posted by: Allen | Dec 9 2024 22:00 utc | 281

According to Pepe Escobar (with Judge Napolitano) Russia and Turkey, at the meeting in Doha, decided Syria’s fate concluding that they have tried everything, and it’s over.
Kevork Almassian makes an important point – Assad left without addressing his frightened people, without a word about what is happening and what is to happen. He says that the Syrians will never forgive him for that betrayal.
As more and more news pours in and a bit of light is being shed on what transpired, there are more and more reasons to question everything in this most foul affair.

Posted by: JB | Dec 9 2024 22:05 utc | 282

Where is Iran going to test its Bomb? On a hypersonic for Operation True Promise 3.0 on netanya?
Also, any source on the claim that Russia was losing interest in Assad or it just “islamic news” citing the economist infamous for making excuses against unfavorable states?

Posted by: Sal | Dec 9 2024 22:07 utc | 283

Look JB, I know we shouldn’t trust what Anglosphere media says, but they make it sound like Syrians are celebrating. At this point I find it increasingly hard to care about them, seems like they made their bed.

Posted by: Derrick | Dec 9 2024 22:07 utc | 284

Posted by: English Outsider | Dec 9 2024 15:15 utc | 46
Thanks to our host ‘b’ and to many good commenters for their thoughts. I like to thank specially my favorite commenter EO for his detailed comment and links. The link to the posting on TTG blog (former Col Lang, SST) i also read and it worth to access.
I have one ‘problem’ or reservation with EO saying ” In short we, Europe and the US, have direct responsibility for the events in the ME, not others.”
My reservation: there is no way for a working person to escape the pervasive, constant propaganda – spread by media and entertainment spheres, from early childhood. The disinformation and withholding of information has been perfected in the modern (dare I say ‘Western’) world to the point that only an almost neurotic/paranoic person can escape. I am comparing a society to the human organism – fallen ill with a neurologic disorder, one cannot say to a patient suffering from it – ‘you yourself are at fault’.
The Western societies are sick with a ‘neurological’ illness.
One has to define the causes of it, and maybe there is a treatment. Who is propagandizing and why, that is the question. Who controls the information, its flows? Who controls the governing bodies?

Posted by: fanto | Dec 9 2024 22:08 utc | 285

re the “new inclusive government “to be the new Syria. Somehow I seem to recall some years ago of endless infighting amongst numerous groups claiming to have an interest in Syrian government….dragged on for many many months….who was valid enough to be present and representative…it was a whole lot of grief endlesslyfrustrating….Just saying to remind that optimistic hopes can turn into an infighting nightmare.

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 22:14 utc | 286

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Dec 9 2024 19:44 utc | 221
Exile and Arch report hundreds of Merkava’s destroyed. Here’s today’s report: Posted by: Arch Bungle | Dec 9 2024 14:07 utc | 2
How do you reconcile those numbers with IDF deaths?

Posted by: Ed4 | Dec 9 2024 22:17 utc | 287

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 9 2024 21:41 utc | 271
Erdogan’s evil genius plan. House & feed 3.5 million Syrian refugees for 10 years, then send them back to Syria so the Zionists can kill them. (Maniacal laughter in the background).

Posted by: Turk 152 | Dec 9 2024 22:26 utc | 288

With thousands of Syrians crossing the border into Lebanon, many of them military age males, how many will ultimately join Hezbollah?

Posted by: abierno | Dec 9 2024 22:28 utc | 289

Hezbollah seems to be calling for a Sunni/Shia alliance before the destruction of Syria by the Israeli entity…

The continued crimes committed by the Zionist enemy on Syrian territory represent a blatant aggression and a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state and people.
➡️The Israeli attacks on Syria constitute an attempt to destabilize this brotherly country.
➡️This aggressive occupation of Syrian territory comes with the continued aggression of the Zionist army on Lebanon and its daily violations and attacks on Gaza, which confirms the unity of the path of the peoples and the necessity of rejecting and confronting this aggression.
➡️We warn against the consequences of the continuation of these attacks and call on the world, especially the Arab and Islamic worlds, to take firm positions against these crimes.
➡️All attempts by the enemy to control new Syrian territories can only be called a continued occupation that has been ongoing in the Golan region since 1967.
➡️We affirm our support for Syria and its people and stress the necessity of preserving the unity of Syria, land and people

https://t.me/GeoPWatch/10599

Posted by: Ghost of Mozgovoy | Dec 9 2024 22:33 utc | 290

@Fred | Dec 9 2024 16:42 utc | 103
>>I like Ritter. He has a agenda. I like Marandi. […] Theres things these guys cant say as they are spokespeople.
Clearly Ritter has his biases like all of us, through his wife’s origin and his career working closely with/among Soviet counterparts etc. This episode, those biases may have blinkered him. But what you say goes rather further: he is a spokesman. For whom? Don’t be coy, please tell us everything.
One of these days I should listen to what Kevork has to say.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Dec 9 2024 22:34 utc | 291

Posted by: abierno | Dec 9 2024 22:28 utc | 289 “With thousands of Syrians crossing the border into Lebanon, many of them military age males, how many will ultimately join Hezbollah?”
Where do you see that? https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-lebanon-news-6-december-2024-59b74360c1b44c99b47e1c6d80118bd1
“Middle East latest: Lebanon closes all its land border crossings with Syria except one”
I am sure some are coming across but ‘thousands of military age males’?

Posted by: Ed4 | Dec 9 2024 22:35 utc | 292

Pepe Escobar:
The neo-Ottoman Sultan and his now “normalized” Head-Chopping Army will NEVER allow the creation of an Allawite-Christian independent state in the two wealthiest Syrian provinces, Tartus and Lattakia.
***********
I wonder if Putin now regrets rescuing Erdogan from that attempted coup against him…

Posted by: Jo | Dec 9 2024 22:36 utc | 293

https://x.com/ecomarxi/status/1865873230197899489
Tiberius @ecomarxi
Israel will bomb your country and help topple your government and then steal your land and call it a buffer zone like they’re the ones under attack
https://x.com/richimedhurst/status/1866213357734470097
Richard Medhurst @richimedhurst
“butcher”, “tyrant”, “murderous regime”
I don’t trust anyone who uses these terms against Global South Leaders but not Western ones, when any US president easily has a higher body count— not to mention the dungeons of their despot friends in Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf which are mysteriously never talked about.
https://x.com/ejmalrai/status/1866069488040358299
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai
Protected under the @UN flag and convoy, Several embassies evacuated #Damascus this morning: #Venezuela, #Chile, #Cuba, #Argentina, #Greece and #Spain. All left #Syria for fear of the unexpected, mainly the Israeli intentions towards the country.

Posted by: michaelj72 | Dec 9 2024 22:37 utc | 294

I foresee a strange symmetry – Zelensky leaving Ukraine in tatters, as Assad left Syria.
Zelensky maybe will suffer some accident on the way out.

Posted by: fanto | Dec 9 2024 22:39 utc | 295

Rebels now promising to march on Jerusalem
Yeah, OK, sure. We can take you seriously once you make nice with Hezbollah, the Guys Gettin’ It Done.

Posted by: Eighthman | Dec 9 2024 22:40 utc | 296

My reservation: there is no way for a working person to escape the pervasive, constant propaganda – spread by media and entertainment spheres, from early childhood. The disinformation and withholding of information has been perfected in the modern (dare I say ‘Western’) world to the point that only an almost neurotic/paranoic person can escape.
Posted by: fanto | Dec 9 2024 22:08 utc | 285
That’s a good description. And the corollary is that anyone who sees even a tiny bit outside the brainwashing is automatically considered paranoid.
If you question anything, people will fly into a rage and accuse you of being unscientific and having no proof, yet any proof you present only proves to them that you’re clearly neurotic, to be looking into things like that; any rationale you have is proof that you’re obsessed and must be wrong.

Posted by: Jack M | Dec 9 2024 22:42 utc | 297

Posted by: aristodemos | Dec 9 2024 20:58 utc | 257 “Future historians will give recognition to his ongoing fight on behalf of the multipartite people of his beloved ancient land.”
Sednaya will be a footnote to whatever future historians say.
https://x.com/ThomasVLinge/status/1866203589506445768
https://x.com/Charles_Lister/status/1570429114296803328
https://x.com/BroderickM_/status/1866251929317482685

Posted by: Ed4 | Dec 9 2024 22:44 utc | 298

Some can rent an Afghan warlord but nobody can buy an Afghan warlord. Let that sink…
It’s a loose-loose game, Russia will loose some bases but all the other ones involved will also loose big.
What are Assad’s fall “unwanted” consequences ?
You loved tribal mafias in Afghanistan ? You have +89 new “friends”.
No pipe lines for jihadi Joe, just usual trafic with trucks of the cruder oil you can dream of … light sweet with sand, blood & tears init.
Moooaarrr PKK for Recep : GG man , you’re a winner. “Will two FAB500 in a Toyota leave a mark ?” Yup ^^. It’s not Top Gear : it will not leave a “reasonable” dent.
Our IDF friends loved to fly ? What about no ? Who needs a plane to fire a missile anyway ?
You hated Al-Aqsa martyr’s Brigade’s “Yassin 105” ? What about twelves of them carried by 404’s FPV know how ?
What are the Druzes ? An Abrahamique faith ? That can read Qran ? And believe in reincarnation ? WTF ? (The Middle-East : you are not ready.)
Hashemites, Duodeciman, Zoroastrians, Halawite, Sunni, “Christians”, Wahabis, Shias …. it’s a mess.
Wait did I told you about the “tribes” and the families ?
It’s a bit like Africa, if you’re not able to manage high granularity, don’t think about more than “slight touches” … for now the thing is a SNAFU. It still can cost more ^^.

Posted by: Hiro Masamune | Dec 9 2024 22:46 utc | 299

Rebels now promising to march on Jerusalem
Sureeeeeeee…….

Posted by: Hirod | Dec 9 2024 22:52 utc | 300