Saturday, 14 September 2013

Inside the Syrian Revolution and what the Left must do

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 'People either in the U.S. or in the Arab world or in Syria won’t necessarily get the message that this is really a message against the war. They’re going to see the pictures of Asad and understand that this is really propaganda, it’s not really against the war.

 I think that the left has a real task ahead of it. It has to really formulate a new position, a more coherent position. A position where one can be at the same time against the war and also against dictatorship. And as long as they don’t do that, I think that they won’t have any kind of credibility. People in Syria will see that as almost a license to kill because the Syrian regime has been actually broadcasting those demonstrations on Syrian State TV, showing how much it is popular in the West and that people are demonstrating in the streets of New York and other cities showing those pictures of Asad. Actually the Syrian regime is not even able to organize such demonstrations or rallies in Syria, so it was very happy to see that emerging in many parts.'

Putin on foreign intervention in Syria

Putin on foreign intervention in Syria.

 Putin on foreign intervention in Syria.

This is what life is like



 'Every single day for more than a year.

 Damascus (Madamiya): Sept 10, 2013 - Non-stop rocket attacks by Assad’s forces continue to rain down on the people in the suburbs of Damascus.

 20 days ago Assad’s forces unleashed an apocalyptic attack on the residents of this town with sarin gas.

 Today, nothing has changed. Tomorrow, nothing will either. In 20 days time? …. nothing. The world may just wait to ‘act’ when there are no more humans left.'

The International Socialist Organization and the imperialist onslaught against Syria


 The anti-Assad people who have been involved in anti-(US)intervention activity have had some nasty stuff from the Bashar Or Syria Burns crowd.

Aziz's story


 Robin Yassin-Kassab:

 'We must ask if it is lack of humanity or lack of imagination which makes some condemn the Syrian people’s struggle. And what kind of simple-mindedness assumes that Syrians need Gulf or Western provocateurs to prod them toward rebellion? The relevant question isn’t why a community would revolt against such oppression, but why not?'

The hateful rhetoric of the “anti-war” left toward Syria



'The last 2 minutes are the most powerful, and, I would say, the most damning of the American public. Look at the cats. Don’t you care about the kittens?'

Syrian-born professor advocates for U.S. intervention


 'This is to show you the absurdity of the régime's thinking of a military solution. Abu Kamal is a city, the rebels are stationed on the roads to Abu Kamal, not in the city. So the air raids come and target the city, and not even get close to the rebel checkpoints. Just to show you the blind eye of the régime on how to make any progress to maybe regain these areas, which is not going to happen because they have lost it and are just trying to retaliate.

 I envision the power of Syrian people to be more overwhelming, than what you called in a very institutionalised way, government.'

What if Assad wants U.S. to bomb Syria?



 Chuck Norris is scared.

 'Assad placed Obama (and, hence, America) in checkmate when he launched chemical weapons upon his people. The temptation is to blow up his chess pieces. But the right and wise move is to step away from the table, quit playing his game and form our own.'

Friday, 13 September 2013

The novelist vs. the revolutionary: My own Syrian debate



 'The novelist, living in exile, in the world of politicians and diplomats, far removed from falling shells and sudden death, wonders whether Syria should be hesitant about welcoming military strikes from the West. She argues that no country has the right to interfere in the affairs of another, that independence and national sovereignty are sacred. And she questions whether hitting military targets without taking down President Bashar al-Assad, especially while Russia and Iran continue to support him, will bring a shift from the inhumanity that the regime has imposed.

 The revolutionary, moving among guerrilla fighters and civilian activists, stands by those who are living under the regime’s bombardment and dying at the hands of its military machine. She argues that sovereignty shouldn’t mean the freedom to kill one’s own people, to displace them or to force a sectarian wedge between them. She notes that the soldiers she overheard speaking Farsi when the rural town of Haish was annihilated are evidence that international intervention happened long ago. She adds that Syria is not the Assad regime. Syria is the Syrian people.'

‘We Just Wish for the Hit to Put an End to the Massacres’



 Max Blumenthal:

 'Inside every canvas tent and corrugated tin caravan I visited across the gravelly wasteland of Zaatari, this is what residents told me: We have no future if Bashar is allowed to remain in power, and he is not going anywhere unless the US intervenes. Like most Americans, I am staunchly against US strikes, mainly because I believe they could exacerbate an already horrific situation without altering the political reality in any meaningful way. The Obama administration has made clear that its “unbelievably small” strikes would not be not aimed at toppling Assad, but only, as Obama said, to send a “shot across the bow.” However, I believe that the refugees trapped in Zaatari deserve to be heard. In the geopolitical chess match outside powers are waging over their country, their voices have been virtually ignored. Yet it is they who will have to face the direct consequences of any outcome of outside intervention.'

Ground truths



 'At the start of what may prove the biggest battle yet in this region, rebel sources claimed that a force of some 8,000 fighters had captured the northern approaches to the city of Deraa. If so, they have encircled a large government garrison that has been pounding rebel-held villages with artillery.'

The Syrian Revolution From Kafranbel


In Syria, Follow the Money to Find the Roots of the Revolt



 'Syria under Bashar al-Assad’s rule tried very hard to join the World Trade Organization. When the U.S. lifted its opposition, the World Trade Organization’s 153 members granted the Syrian government an observer status. Although the state was still the main economic generator, privatization was encouraged; foreign entities such as private banks, joint Saudi-French bank of Bimo, Fransabank, Bank of Jordan-Syria, and the Saudi Islamic bank, joined the Syrian market. The road also began opening for other credible international banks such as Citibank and HSBC to come to Syria and lend money at higher interest rates.'

Syrian oil fields, now in rebel hands, still play crucial role in nation’s economy



 “We had to revolt against this regime. It was brutal,” he responded. “But the price we are paying is too high.”

 That said, “when the revolution wins, we will consider it worth the price. We have lost materially, but our spirit has not been defeated.”

The Tsar of All the Concern Trolls



 'It is simply false that “there is every reason to believe” that the poison-gas attack was conducted by opposition forces and not by Assad’s Army. On the contrary, there is every reason to believe the exact opposite. (Please note, in passing, the pious cleverness of that last sentence, in which Putin gift wraps his whopper in a beribboned package of worried concern for the well-being of Israel.)

 Putin’s mendacity is mainly an exercise in hypocrisy. His method is as much a matter of what he leaves out as what he puts in, as a line-by-line analysis by the Washington Post’s Max Fisher suggests. What Putin puts in, for the most part, is a succession of elegantly restated points that are identical with those made in good faith by American and Europe opponents of air strikes or the threat of air strikes.'

Syria govt struggles with supplies, but holding on

Syrians wait in line to buy bread at al-Shaalan market in Damascus August 28, 2013. REUTERS/ Khaled al-Hariri

 'Syria's worst harvest in decades, as civil war rages, means more pressure to import on a government whose currency reserves are dwindling - even if support from Assad's sponsor Iran, and a shrinking population to support as Syrians flee the country and provinces fall to rebel control, ease the burden and buy time.'

Local experts weigh options over potential military strike in Syria



 ' "Let me be honest with you, I think the U.S. should intervene, and I think they’re late. Because we have lost control of our borders, terrorist organizations have gotten involved and turned the revolution into a civil war," he said. "But I still think that, if the U.S. is careful about selecting its targets, they could really help."

 As for Syria’s future stability, Yaman said he still has hope.

 "You know, in France, it took them 100 years for their revolution to work," Yaman said. "I have hope for Syria. It’s a unique country with so many different religions and peoples, and a wonderful culture. I really want to return one day." '

Former rebel stronghold Homs a shadow of its old self



 That's what the whole of Syria is going to look like if Assad is not overthrown, while we continue to obsess about the possible damage from American airstrikes.

Top Five Worst Arguments Against US Airstrikes in Syria


 'The situation of the Syrian people is tragic and dire, but military action will only make their situation worse – so goes the argument. As Sarah Palin put it, “So we’re bombing Syria because Syria is bombing Syria?”This ostensibly civilian-centered perspective is anti-war in form but pro-war in essence since “sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down,” as Malcolm X said.'

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Syrian Rebels Hurt by Delay



 "The jihadists benefit in all the chaos," said Samir Nachar, a Syrian Opposition Coalition member opposed to the rebel extremists. "They gain as the moderates waffle about waiting for the rest of the world."

 Question Time was interesting this evening. At times descending into a squabble about Cameron's statement about not respecting the will of parliament. If there was appetite for intervention, there wouldn't be such a farce. On one side those who wanted to praise the Russians, the very people who have been arming Assad and blocking any action against him, as peacemakers, who might end this "double proxy war" (Caroline Lucas). Chuka Umana and Caroline Lucas told us there were other things we could be doing like helping the refugees, just as Jeremy Paxman was pointing out on Newsnight that the vast majority of refugees have fled Assad's army.

 And so the arguments of the liberal interventionists, that it is the credible threat of force, that the time for action is now, are rehabilitated. Even Caroline Lucas was forced to say she'd support the use of force if the case that it would work was made, that if two-thirds of the UN General Assembly voted for it it could bypass the Security Council. If there isn't military support for Syrians trying to determine their own destiny, as the crisis in Syria goes from worse to who knows where, the argument will swing back to whether a solution can be imposed to them by imperial consensus or by sending the Marines.

 The Americans have supposedly finally sent through some light weaponry. It might not be a game-changer, but it can't hurt. I don't expect the rifles blow up if the owner fails to sing the Star Spangled Banner each morning.

Syria/Serbia



 'Writer, filmmaker, and "humanitarian bombing" survivor Jasmina Tesanovic reflects on the similarities between the war she experienced, and the strikes proposed by the United States against Syria.

 "Personally, I understood why we were being bombed and, politically speaking, I could not argue against it. I was a target, along with my elderly parents and my underage children, but I hoped that the rain of bombs would conclude our endless years of more subtle forms of punishment. Despite those hopes and that comprehension, I went out of my mind with fear when the first alarm sirens went off and the NATO warplanes appeared in our sky.

 That being said, I must admit that the targeting was precise, and aimed at infrastructure. So few civilians were dead that the cynical term "collateral damage" made some sense. My first horrific fears proved worse than the dull ensuing weeks of real life under the raid conditions. When it finally ended, I was relieved that so many of us had survived, and I felt ready to congratulate anyone and everyone still standing, all the NATO forces, the Serbian military and deserters, the Albanians in Kosovo, everybody but our regime which was not even toppled!" '

Syrian Citizen Journalists Set Ethical Example Focused on Dignity, Truth

syria

 'Police also tracked mobile devices and used GPS to scuttle protests in advance, they said, but as more technologists in the regime defected or emigrated, those efforts have stalled.

 It is in these digital arenas that youth has found its calling. The group described a revolution of younger people overall, but especially in the reporting ranks, where they said at 32, 24 and 22, they were older than many. One described a 16-year-old videographer, known for his photos and footage, and a 17-year-old geek who has handily evaded regime digital spying and interference. He’s currently writing the “Guide for the Technical Revolutionist,” they said.'

Not Anymore - A Story Of Revolution Trailer


 Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution, details the experiences of two young Syrians as they fight for Syria’s freedom against the oppressive al-Assad regime.

 "Now one thing that's working, we can talk, and express our opinions about anything. That's really worth all this sacrifice. We're going to build this whole country again, from scratch, from zero, and it doesn't matter how long does this last; because really, all the males and females of this country, are willing to build it again, and even better than it was before."

These Two Men Allegedly Overheard Incredibly Explosive Skype Conversation While Being Held Hostage in Syria



 I think we'll be hearing more of these bullshit artists. They are supposed to have overheard, while kidnapped, an FSA general discussing their plans for a chemical attack in Damascus, in English, as part of their plan to establish an Islamic Caliphate? Do me a favour. I suspect they will turn out not to have been kidnapped by the rebels at all.

Syrian Forces Behind Last May's Banias Massacres As Government And Rebels Committed War Crimes, UN Reports



 'The report documented eight mass killings in all, attributing all but one to government forces.'

Syrian Opposition: "We Don't Trust the Russians"



 'Russia has been a key supplier of arms and funds to the Assad regime, in addition to providing political cover, previously threatening to veto any plan for intervention at the UN Security Council.

 "They’ve become part of the problem. They’re not part of the solution," said al-Atassi. "We will wait, and work according to the Syrian revolution’s interest. That will be our answer." '

The revolution and the war

Syrian armed forces march toward protesters in Homs (AFP)

 'I'm really curious about this because nobody--not even on the left--talks about what the revolution actually looks like. In listening to you, I'm reminded of what I learned about the Spanish Revolution in the 1930s, where the anarchists and socialists were also struggling with a war on two fronts: one against the fascists, and one against the Communists. That's a more complicated story, but what I was struck by is how your descriptions of the revolution developing its own institutions is similar to Spain, where an egalitarian society sprouted there. What does the revolution look like on the ground in Syria?'

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

On The Ground In Syria: Political Prisoner Speaks Out

 'I told the investigator that I had stopped attending demonstrations because I disapproved of the militarization of the opposition. When asked about my opinion of the events, I said that taking up arms against fellow Syrians will only destroy the country, so I decided to live like any other citizen. I admitted to having reservations about official corruption but emphasized that I did not support the armed uprising as a solution.'

 Recounts torture.

[Note 19/2/25, Original link to allvoices.com no longer working]

The revolution and the war



 Yasser Munif:

 'From far away, I can't really tell. I think the population is split. Many people are against the U.S. attacks.

 I think that some people, because of the destruction and the violence and the killing, see a U.S. strike as a "way out," but I don't think that they are necessarily the majority. People have learned in the past 30 months that no one is really allied to their cause or cares about the Syrian population--that the Syrian people don't really have any friends. They understand that the West--Europe and the U.S.--aren't necessarily in favor of the victory of the revolution.

 When you talk to the average person in Syria in those liberated areas, they tell you that whenever they're losing territory in fighting against the regime, they receive weapons--and whenever they're winning, the weapons stop coming. The reason why is because the West and the U.S. want to see this war go on as a stalemate, because this is in their interest. They're not necessarily in favor of the regime, and they're not necessarily favorable that the revolutionaries--or what they call "al-Qaeda"--win.

 So the best thing for the U.S. so far has been to keep this conflict going. That's also in the interest of Israel--it doesn't necessarily want to see the revolutionaries win. For many Israeli politicians and U.S. politicians, they are in favor of a weakened Bashar in power.'

How Assad chose his killing fields



 “We hear the Americans are going to be bombing, but the only bombing is being done by Bashar.”

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

A Syrian's Cry for Help



 'During the revolution’s first year, Syrians demanded international protection. First we asked for no-flight zones or humanitarian corridors, and later for weapons and military aid for the Free Syrian Army, but to no avail.

 Not a month went by without some American or NATO official expressing little appetite for intervention.

 Realizing that this attitude was not about to change, the regime escalated the violence. It attacked the rebels with everything it had: first with rifles, then with tanks, helicopters, jet fighters, missiles and toxic gases.

 Meanwhile, Western powers masked their diplomatic inertia with empty rhetoric about a “political solution.” Yet they have failed to coax the regime — which has not once indicated that it is ready to abandon its “military solution” — to the negotiating table.'

Sisters who are CSULB students worry with family about relatives in Syria



 “There’s been two and a half years of revolution, but it’s not a civil war,” Tessniem said. “It’s the government killing their own people. 100,000, at least, innocent civilians have died and every day that number goes up.

 People have this image of Iraq in their head and they’re afraid of that again, but it’s completely different from Iraq. In Iraq it was an invasion and the U.S. wanted to go there. We should do it from afar, click some buttons and take Bashar (Assad) out. Once you do that and stop the killing, then America should leave them alone and let Syria figure itself out.”

Heartbreak and revenge fuel Syria's revolution



 'His battalion, a conservative group independent of the Free Syrian Army that operates under the umbrella of the ultra-conservative Syrian Islamic Front, may not necessarily be aligned with what appears to be his more moderate way of thinking.

 But it is also not as radical as some of the brigades and has not embraced suicide attacks like the more radical Al-Qaeda-linked groups, so to Ali, it is where he belongs. He intends to return to the battalion when his leg heals.'

Christians flee to Damascus cathedral



 Obama doesn't want to Russian to any decision.

 'One priest said they were being used by the régime, deliberately exposed, in the hope that a Christian trauma would strengthen the anti-war camp in the United States.'

Monday, 9 September 2013

5 Dinner Party Rules For Discussing the Syria Crisis


 'Some people say truly insensitive things about Syria. In a public speech this summer, Sarah Palin made statements regarding Syria, and she said, “These Islamic radical countries aren’t even respecting basic human rights with both sides are slaughtering each other as they scream over an arbitrary red-line Allahu akbar. I say until we have someone who knows what they’re doing, I say, let Allah sort it out,” to audience laughter.

 The only way to deal with such nonsense is further nonsense. Try something like “Did you know that there’s an island in Japan dominated by cats?” Don’t be afraid to be creative.'

Geneva 2

 "President Assad accepted Geneva 2. The opposition didn't up to now."

 That was an Assad supporter wearing a Hands Off Syria T-Shirt being interviewed by the BBC in Washington just now. Foreigners should stay out and let Syrians solve their problems. His friend wasn't convinced about the chemical weapons.

What I saw today at the “Hands Off Syria” rally


 'The communists were also very vocal. Their presence seemed to be a pure protest against American-Imperialism. They didn’t give me the impression to be very worried about the conditions in which the Syrian people are living but rather obsessed by the fact that an American strike would be a terrible imperialistic action.'

Cameron to hold Obama's jacket in Putin confrontation



 Pretty much the way it happened.

 'The confrontation, which will take place in the tea and coffee area after the opening presentation at the G20 summit, has been carefully stage-managed by the Americans.

 A US government source said: “Obama’s going to be first in the drinks queue and casually ask Putin ‘Anything for you, Vlad? Cup of Sarin gas?’

 “When Putin starts ripping his top off – he does that every G20, you can set your watch by it – then Obama will coolly hand Cameron his jacket, like he’s really going to fight him this time.'

The Bloodless Massacre - English Subtitles



  'A heartbreaking and short documentary on the chemical attack by Assad’s forces in the Eastern Ghouta area in the suburbs of Damascus.

 Where were all the ‘anti-war’ protesters when this happened?'

Sunday, 8 September 2013

Assad forces fear rebel rampage once US strikes



 "If a foreign strike comes and the rebels manage to intensify their operations simultaneously, that’s a whole new level of combat. I’m still more scared of rebel mortars than US cruise missiles."

The woman in the Syrian revolution, viewed by revolutionary women

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 'Another, Yasmine, said that what distinguished our movement, it is its peaceful character. However the regime, by committing several massacres against civilians in many parts of Syria, forced people to take up arms to defend themselves. The constitution of the free syrian army pushed us to take a clear position on this issue.

 This is what we did because we are in favour of a free army organized with a single commandment in accordance with the political leadership of the revolution and whose objective is to establish a democratic, pluralistic civil state to serve all Syrian people, and which assumes the task of protecting civilians and work for the emancipation and the overthrow of the regime according to a thoughtful and responsible strategy.'

American threats widen fault lines among Syria's rebels



 'At a table down the hall, a group of Free Syrian Army fighters were enjoying a late lunch beside an olive grove, wondering out loud what regime targets the US would go for and revelling in the discomfort of the jihadists, whom they felt had ridden roughshod over their war in recent months. "I don't care if the Americans attack them too," said one of the men, whose unit has been joined by the jihadists in several battles. "I'd like that in fact. They need to be scared of someone." The table erupted in laughter, before the men calmed themselves. "I hope the Americans know where their headquarters are," said one.'

Jihadists, US backed-rebels and intervention: Syria is very different from these rampant lies



 'The Free Syrian Army are hugely different to the al-Qaeda-linked fruitloops that so many leftists, regime apologists, and unsavory, sneering internet experts (most of whom have restricted their research to listening to the incoherent, generic ramblings of Syrian expat Syrian Girl Partisan for a few minutes) would have you believe. I didn't see a single jihadist or hardline Islamist during my travels across Idlib. If the closest I can get to finding one is a fighter from Tunisia who took his religion seriously, then it doesn't cast the media coverage of the Syrian genocide in a good light at all. It seems like they parrot reports which parrot reports which come from shady sources with affections for the Assad regime - notorious 'journalists'/shills like Cockburn, Fisk, and countless others.

 When they're not fighting, they're living with their families in neat, respectable looking homes (despite shortages, family homes are still where the heart is for everyone) where children toddle around playing, and relatives and friends come and go for a meal, a glass of tea, or a chat - many spend much of their time looking after their children, using radios and the internet to coordinate and plan their next moves (again, the picture of fabulously armed, US-backed rebels really doesn't add up at any point whatsoever), and enjoying family life.'

Senate Markup on Military Force in Syria



 'The Senate Foreign Relations Committee marked up and approved a resolution on authorization for the use of military force in Syria in response to use of chemical weapons against civilians in that country. After debating the proposed measure, the committee approved the resolution on a vote of ten to seven, with one member voting present. The measure set a 60-day deadline plus a 30-day extension and would ban any use of U.S. armed forces on the ground in Syria.'

 There's a section discussing arming the FSA (albeit an indirect discussion over the wording of amendments) that I think starts about an hour in. Nobody is trying to drag anyone into war on a lie.

 The first caller on Washington Journal said that Assad could make up some chemical weapons, blame the US for the result, drag in Israel. Then the caller told us we need to use our brains.

 Caller 2: I don't know if it's the elite people in the Israeli government, but there's a plan.
 Caller 97: There is one group of opinion-makers who are all in favour of it, and they're all Jewish.

Imagining Syria


 'It’s more accurate to say that a military strike, even a limited one, is an escalation serving to perpetuate America’s role of slaughterer?'

 Er, no.

Mana Neyestani Fan Page



 "Now Choose Assad!"

More False Reports of Sarin Usage by Assad's Opposition in Syria


 The ex-Russian diplomat on al-Jazeera's Inside Syria was telling us that "some groups" carried out the chemical attacks in Damascus. Maybe it was groups of tooth fairies. He also repeated the claim that Turkish police caught rebels with a tub of sarin a few months ago. A friend told me he'd seen this on a blog recently*. It's a lie.** Steve Hynd also tells us of "a bleak picture of what some within the opposition stand for," on the basis of an Amnesty report that there are isolated cases of opposition abuses. Try reading 10 THINGS WORSE THAN EATING A DEAD MAN’S HEART*** if you don't understand the difference between the régime and the opposition.

 I did have another thought as to why Assad launched an attack on this level. Apart from the military advantage gained by killing oppositional civilians and encouraging more to flee, it may be a test to see how much proof can be gathered about the attack. If they can squeeze through this one, maybe they can get away with further, bigger attacks. If I were in Syria, that would be my fear, not US attacks.



* 'In May this year, Turkish forces “found a 2kg cylinder with sarin gas after searching the homes of Syrian militants from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front” .'[http://stevehynd.com/…/its-quite-possible-that-both-sides-…/]

** 'More False Reports of Sarin Usage by Assad's Opposition in Syria

 The Long War Journal says:

 While Adana mayor Hüseyin Avni Cos denied that the suspects were captured with sarin gas and warned against labeling them as part of any terror organization, the Turkish mainstream dailies Sabah and Milliyet are reporting today that the suspects were in fact members of the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusrah Front and were captured with sarin gas.

 While it may be very useful for the pro-Assad forces to believe unquestionably these Turkish newspaper reports, more observant readers will question how they know more than the Turkish government is reporting and especially, how could they possibly know, on the same day as the arrests, that the seize chemicals are sarin, while the government is saying there was no gas found and the chemicals found have yet to be tested.



 The Daily Star of Lebanon quoted the governor of Adana, where the arrest were made:

 "We cannot reveal any organisation names right now, but their links will be evident after the questioning," governor Huseyin Avni Cos was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency."there is no gas or anything of that sort captured as claimed," adding that they had found"some chemicals" that were still being studied by experts." [http://claysbeach.blogspot.co.uk/…/more-false-reports-of-sa…]



 The Hynd article also talks about a Russian claim that rebels used chemical weapons at Khan al-Assal. At best nothing but a claim.[http://claysbeach.blogspot.co.uk/…/syria-sarin-blame-game-i…]

*** 'I am proud that people demand we condemn these acts while not asking the regime to do the same because it means that people have come to expect this kind of filth from Assad’s party but they hold the opposition to much high standards.'

The U.S. may change the balance of Syria’s civil war


 'This endgame talk may be overly optimistic, but it shows that the Syrian war is approaching a potential turning point. If the U.S. strikes, the rebels will push to seize the advantage, and the fighting could enter a decisive new stage. The U.S. hopes that if the opposition forces gain ground after an attack, the regime and its allies would be more ready to negotiate a cease-fire.'