Syria crisis: Daraya massacre leaves

a ghost town still counting its dead

Other people say the regime soldiers fed them and provided medical attention to the wounded. "They gave us bread," one man says. "Not all of them were monsters."
Two weeks on, Daraya still stinks of death. A poor Sunni suburb south of Damascus, it had been well known for furniture-making, and for its peaceful resistance before the conflict.

Syria and the region's nationalist left

 Details on the refugees and a spot-on analysis that might be more generalised
 'The misanalysis of Islam and the strong commitment to military backed “secularity” still exists among these left groups. This is why they have lost many of their political fights against the right-wing AKP party. For them, after almost 70 years of secularist republic life, surely people who voted for AKP were “stupid” or “uneducated” not to see the dangers of “AKP Islamism”. Having long lost the connection with the working class due to their sectarian attitudes, they grabbed on to the issue of “religion” in a secular republic. But it has clearly not worked for them.'
Update, 28/10/15. The original link has expired. Some of it is preserved here, [http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.politics.marxism.marxmail/162586]

Empire and revolution - Syria and

the critics of the anti-war movement

Now every second taxi driver in Cairo says, "I had that John Rees in the back of the cab once, and he completely lost the plot when he said 'Some have recalled the old International Socialists' slogan of ‘Neither Washington or Moscow’ to justify a middle position of equal condemnation of both the West and Russia. But that slogan was only ever meant to indicate that the old Stalinist system was not socialist.'" Taxi for Counterfire's credibility.

The Party for Socialism and Liquidation:

PSL as Assad’s Bloodhounds

"Playing up sectarian elements within the Syrian opposition while pretending Shia support for the revolution does not exist, and raising a hue and cry over interference with Assad’s counter-revolution from the imperialist West while “forgetting” about the arms, fuel, and economic subsidies provided to the regime by the imperialist East.
This is what passes for Marxist analysis these days!"

The Syrian revolution is tearing apart the Arab left

 "Unconditional support tends to be found at the far left of the political spectrum, among Trotskyists, the Socialist Forum in Lebanon, revolutionary socialists in Egypt, Maoists, and the Democratic Way in Morocco. Such groups have relations with some factions of the Syrian opposition, such as the Revolutionary Left of Gayath Naisse...parties usually committed to ‘revolution’ and ‘progressism’, and for some, to ‘Marxism’, paradoxically now prefer a negotiated and gradual transition in Syria, because they fear the outcome of this revolution."

How to support the Syrian Revolution?

– Discussion with Anti Imperialist friends

"Speaking today in Syria on “revolution against Gulf-backed forces” is empty words that confuse the political map. First the revolution should win. For this it needs unity and help. Then what will be left on the ground is the brave Syrian people that fought for the revolution and sacrificed so much to get their freedom." Words full of meaning from Haifa.
Much better than this Libertarian Communist, "FSA fighters don't just fight the armed regime forces, but also take revenge on people suspected of sympathizing with the regime; that parts of the resistance use bloodthirsty rhetoric against not just regime supporters but against whole communities thought integrally to support the regime."
[http://libcom.org/blog/syria-imperialism-left-3-10082012]. Find out that most of that isn't true, mate.

Guns On The Roof

"Assad army morale is at an all-time low, the latest losses (including jets and military bases) have increase defections, and they are slowly getting desperate. The lack of supplies (along with new arms) is exactly why FSA brigades can take over whole military bases like Abu Aduhoor, Taftanaz, etc."[http://brown-moses.blogspot.co.uk/…/updates-on-opposition-s…]

Ibrahim Qashoush Remix

The soundtrack of the Syrian revolution: ‘It’s time to leave, Bashar’
[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/…/186890-the-soundtrack-of-the-…]

George Galloway's imaginary reflection on his television programme

 "Some faulted me for saying that Syrians should start a revolution in Saudi Arabia first instead of joining the Zionist-Salafist-American-Saudi-Qatari conspiracy against their own country."

 That isn't even satire. And someone must have heard his Talksport show,"I decided to run the discussion with the audience according to my time-tested method of ‘you speak, then I speak and tell you not to speak over me, then I speak some more.’ "

War artist observes Syrian life amid chaos

"Normal life was continuing amid the chaos, and George - under the protection of the Free Syrian Army - started to sketch and paint watercolours of the scenes he observed."

Damascus Alawites stand firm behind Assad

'Abu Basil and his colleagues were surprised when the protests erupted. He repeats the government's narrative of "terrorist armed groups sneaking into urban and rural areas".He says that as a "military institution", the army never kills "unarmed civilians" and that it "helps them move out of dangerous areas", which are then "cleansed of terrorists".' Given that these are obvious lies, should we really care what those who are part of the military and security institutions, believe? Other than to understand how to overthrow their rule.
I saw a piece by Lucy Kafanov on Russia Today this morning, where she claimed that only the crimes of the régime have received attention, her evidence that the opposition had been wrongdoing was limited to one BBC report about a government militiaman who might have been forced to drive a truck full of explosives, but was uninjured when they didn't go off. Not convincing.