In terms of sheer numbers and scale of the devastation, modern
history has certainly known worse tragedies. But this particular tragedy is unfolding
in Damascus, the oldest living repository of human memories in history. Moreover,
it’s unfolding right now, in full daylight, and not long after the world made
its “never again” promise. What good is the international order and what value
have its promises if they cannot stand up to the madness and avarice of few mad
men?
Tuesday September
18, 2012
Today’s
Death toll: 160. The Breakdown: 67 in
Damascus and suburbs where the majority died under aerial shelling in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad
and Mlheiha, 30 in Deir Ezzor, 26 in Aleppo, 16 in Idlib, 11 in Daraa, 6 in
Homs, 2 in Raqqa, 1 in Hama and 1 in Banyas (LCC).
News
Special
Reports
“To Assad, the rallies spurred by
the Islam-bashing film were heaven-sent: they have given credence to his claims
that the Arab Spring is at heart an Islamist spring and that al Qaeda and its
affiliates will be empowered as a result,” says Ammar Abdulhamid, a
Syrian activist based in America. “Meanwhile, the rallies have also distracted
international attention from the current mayhem unfolding in Syria, and they
might give pause to any calls for intervention.”
It remains to be seen whether the
controversy will result in any lasting gains for Syria or for Hezbollah, whose
reputation has suffered severely for siding with the Assad regime even after
supporting revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain.
Out of Istanbul, the two Gulf
states play a game of conflicting favorites that is getting in the way creating
a unified rebel force to topple the Assad regime
Owen Bennett Jones asks how and why
Syria's House of Assad has survived so long.
The Syrian government has tried
with great determination and dexterity to fragment the society and to exploit
sectarian differences and class differences to prevent the emergence of a
secular nonsectarian nationalist opposition. Michael Provence is the director
of the Middle East Studies Programs at the University of California, San Diego.
His research focuses on the colonial and post-colonial Arab world, particularly
popular insurgency and nationalism, and he has travelled and lived in many
countries in the region including Lebanon and Syria.
Although
many Turks at first agreed with their government’s support for the Syrian
opposition, many now believe it is undermining Turkey’s economy and security.
How the Gaza flotilla organizers
became the best hope of Syrian refugees abandoned by the world.
Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla
Yusuf: The
Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today
And here is an
interview to a Turkish TV channel conducted by my old friend and partner in
crime in Tharwa, Barzan Iso: Video,
Transcript
The Great Distraction
Building on my quote in the Daily Beast today:
“To Assad, the
current rallies spurred by Islam-bashing film were heaven-sent: they have given
credence to his claims that the Arab Spring is at heart an Islamist Spring and
that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates will be empowered as a result.”
Indeed, Assad’s violent and bloody crackdown against protesters and his
war crimes must seem all justified now to his followers in whose minds he must now
appear as a prophet as well as a protector. From now forward, Assad’s followers
will fight for him with even greater zeal, committing more massacres with
greater impunity and relish.
“Meanwhile, the
rallies have also distracted international attention from the current mayhem unfolding
in Syria and might still give pause to any calling for intervention.
On the other hand, this development is already making many
revolutionaries question even the Islamists’ commitment to the main goal of the
revolution: the establishment of a democratic civil state. The divide between
secularist and Islamist revolutionaries (by now mostly Sunni Arabs) continues to
expand. But this is unlikely to push secular Sunnis back in the direction of Alawites
and other confessional minorities in Syria. The sense of betrayal is too deep, and
secular Sunni Arabs are still too divided along regional and ideological lines
to be able to come together and decide on a common vision. They might the
largest group demographically, but they are the most divided of all.
Meanwhile, MIGs have taken part in bombarding Damascus City for the
first time today. Funny how the tragedy of it all seems so insignificant and irrelevant
at this stage!
Video Highlights
Helicopter gunships take part in pounding the restive neighborhoods in
southern parts of Damascus City and Eastern Ghoutah Region: Mleihah http://youtu.be/1Ui7T6lJk44 , http://youtu.be/g1acSRuwN9s Mazzeh
http://youtu.be/DOHxUfMEriE Al-Qadam
http://youtu.be/f3HIfXxzyXg , http://youtu.be/s-47T_C05Tc MIGs took
part in the pounding as well: Saqba http://youtu.be/4Qe-0bS69B8
, http://youtu.be/aMy3TMyl45E , http://youtu.be/t9dG6uXjTuY Kafar
Batna http://youtu.be/wO4oiBKWzvo
Local rebels in the town of Eizaz, Aleppo Province, carry out a
summary execution of a local informant: no specifics are provided. But the town
has been under continuous pounding by MIGs for weeks http://youtu.be/QWUbuzrDMyI
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