A Bread Shortage Is the First Big Test of a Transitional Council in Aleppo

 “We cannot hold elections while people are hungry; we have to solve that problem first,” he said in an interview in this southern Turkish city, where many leaders of Aleppo’s civil society have sought refuge. “People are angry, frustrated and depressed. They can understand how countries like France and Britain and the United States might hold back on the issue of weapons, but not on the issue of bread and diesel.”

Syrian Protesters Slam U.S. Blacklisting of al-Nusra as Fighting Rocks Capital, North

 'Protesters in the Eastern Ghouta region, just outside Damascus and which has come under regular air raids by the regime army, held up a sign reading: "Thank you to all the 'terrorists' in Syria who are fighting Assad."

 "We are all Al-Nusra Front," it said, in reference to the jihadist group blacklisted by Washington on Tuesday.

 Lines of children and men linked arms and carried the three-starred flag of the revolution as they called for downfall of the regime in the street as shopkeepers looked on.'

Syrian endgame: threat of military intervention grows

 'Anyone who cares about human rights in the region should see their main aim as stopping western imperialism on its march again.'

 Lindsey German is still talking rubbish even as Assad is on the verge of succumbing to Syrian revolutionary forces. Anyone on the left should see their main aim as welcoming that. Thank God she left the SWP when she did.

A near-to-death experience

 'There was never a time when journalists were such a target like they are now in Syria.
While working, we had to bear in mind that staying in one place for more than an hour made us sitting ducks for the Syrian regime. It was necessary for journalists to move in groups of two or more to remain as safe as possible.

 But no matter how many dangers they are subjected to, it remains their sole duty to cover the story at hand, because not giving this tragedy the media coverage it deserves is bound to increase its repercussions.'

Don't Forget Maher Arar's Rendition to Syria

 'President Obama has just announced that the U.S. government has decided to formally recognize the rebel group that is trying to oust Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad from power.
The rebel group, however, seems not to be overly impressed with the president’s announcement. According to the New York Times, Andrew J. Tabler, a senior fellow and Syrian expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated, “But it’s happening in the context of resentment among the Syrian opposition, especially armed elements, of the White House’s lack of assistance during the Syrian people’s hour of need. This is especially true among armed groups.”

 When the brutal Assad dictatorship was in total control of the country and wasn’t threatened by a revolution, the U.S. government obviously had no reservations about working with it to torture people for the U.S. government.'

Syria: The Horror Of Homs, A City At War

 2012 Rory Peck Awards: Courage in journalism
 12 December 2012
----------------------
 'The winner of the news award, with Horror in Homs, was the French photojournalist Mani. His street fighting and sniper alley elements are stunning, but he wanted a different emphasis.
“I liked the way it was edited because they [C4 News] haven’t shown only the bang-bang. The story was really about the civilians suffering cruel suppression,” he said. “On my first visit, Homs was already the hot bed of the uprising and the regime was unable to crush them easily. When I went back (in January/February) the situation was dire – more militias, more sectarian violence, more snipers, but the Free Syrian Army was taking control on the ground.” '

“Red Line” or Empty Threat? How the Left Gasses Itself on #Syria

 I've argued with Pham Binh a couple of times, but this is spot on.

 'The U.S. does not want to step in militarily to facilitate “regime change” in Syria. It has had plenty of opportunity to do so from the standpoint of pretexts and declined for 20 months in a row... from the standpoint of the U.S.-Israeli alliance, there are no good options or outcomes as a result of the Syrian revolution. Why? Because the revolution is not only popular and democratic but also stridently pro-Palestinian.'

An afternoon with a Syrian bombmaker

 'He believes he doesn't have a choice but to make bombs. Foreign countries aren't helping the rebels enough to overtake the heavily armed forces that President Bashar al-Assad commands. 

 The rebels need all the help they can get.

 Those men across the country, he says, have abandoned their regular lives teaching or selling clothes or being lawyers to come together and fight to get rid of that man. It's been nearly two years. They've lost their lives and families. At least 40,000 Syrians have died. Someone with his skills should do what he can.

 Sheik Omar shouts out the window to his kids playing in the yard.

 “Bring your father more sugar, please!” '

Highlights from the interview with Syrian rebel leader Moaz al-Khatib

 Ward: If the regime falls tomorrow, will you be able to control all these different groups operating inside Syria?

 Khatib: This indeed is a question that needs to be asked. I expect that there would be a good control on the ground because of the presence of hundreds of civil groups operating inside Syria. They don't like to appear in the media; they are working for the good of our country ... diligently but discretely ... and they are organizing themselves for when that day comes. They are already securing bread distribution, traffic control ... they are preoccupied with setting up judicial committees ... security committees. The Syrian people has taken big steps in the establishment the 'day after' committees. I could not say that this is covering every single part of Syria, but it is widely developing. That of course in addition to bigger institutions that will try to give more support to such groups on the ground.

Syria crisis: Defiance and resolve in war-torn Damascus

 Jeremy Bowen contradicts himself. It may be over soon, the 'long civil war' a memory of régime apologetics.

 'But however calm official Damascus wants to be about what is happening, the fact is that the war being waged in the capital is a sign that the regime faces a severe challenge...
Syria has two choices. The first, and least likely, is a political deal between all the warring parties. It is hard to see, as things stand, how that can happen.

 If it cannot, then Syria faces a long civil war. That prospect is full of danger, not just for the Syrian people, but for the whole Middle East.'

Syria crisis: a beseiged Damascus remains loyal to Assad

 "Syria crisis: a beseiged Damascus remains loyal to Assad"

 The Daily Telegraph can't spell 'besieged'.

 "By Ruth Sherlock in Beirut"

 I'm dying for a chance to say, 'No shit, Sherlock.' Actually her point about the sectarian support for Assad does explain why he has survived as long as he has, though the limited privileges granted to some Alawites (and non-existent to Christians) explain why support, especially active support, has melted away in a way it didn't in apartheid South Africa.

 "One of the reasons that President Bashar al-Assad has not been toppled like the Arab Spring dictators of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen is that he has a strong base of support. Rebels have found to their cost that some of the suburbs are doggedly loyal to Mr Assad, and refuse to allow the anti-government forces to pass through."

 The rest of her piece is Assad supporters repeating, "I see no ships", and this, which I think is a more plausible belief,

 "The régime seems very strong and held together, but it is a paper tiger," said a spokesman for the Revolution Leadership Council.

Google trends: The moment Syria’s ‘revolution’ became a ‘civil war’

 That a lot of people are invested in seeing Syria as a civil war that needs stopping rather than a revolution that needs supporting might suggest one reason for the shift.

Sham II: New fighting machine of Syria rebels

 'From a distance it looks rather like a big rusty metal box but closer inspection reveals the latest achievement of Syrian rebels: a home-made armoured vehicle waiting to be deployed.

 Sham II, named after ancient Syria, is built from the chassis of a car and touted by rebels as "100 percent made in Syria." '

McManus: A call to arms for Syria's rebels

 'It's not about them; it's about us — and the influence we'll have when they win.

 The question of U.S. military aid for the insurgency will be front and center as soon as the current round of diplomacy sputters out. Unless the rebels win first, in which case the United States will find itself playing catch-up, seeking influence with a new government that thinks Washington gave too little help in its hour of greatest need.'

Syrian Rebels Tied to Al Qaeda Play Key Role in War

 'Thamir al-Sadi, an Iraqi from Diyala who joined the regular Free Syrian Army, said that would change, predicting infighting after Mr. Assad’s fall.

 “After the fall of Bashar there will be so many battles between these groups,” he said. “All the groups will unite against al-Nusra. They are like a snake that is spreading its poison.”

 So what he's actually predicting is unity rather than infighting. In the same way one can look at much of the evidence in this report and draw other conclusions.

 “One rebel battalion, the Ahrar, or Free Men, asked on its Facebook page why the United States did not blacklist Mr. Assad’s “terrorist” militias.” '

Hichem Karoui: Pawns on Syrian chessboard

 A passed pawn you push, is worth two in the bush - Bill Hartston.

 'Some observers speculate that Russia might be already preparing the post-Assad period, as the fall of the regime is now estimated to occur within weeks, not months. It is also believed that the Russians assess the ability of Assad to survive the war as null.'

The Revolting Syrian

 'The photo above is in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus that was once known as the center of peaceful protests in Syria, but is now known as the site of the single worst massacre of the Syrian Revolution when on Aug 25th, more than 1,000 men, women and children were killed by Assad’s forces.

 Today many parts of the city have been blasted into oblivion. Constant rocket and shell fire from Assad’s nearby airbase is constant. The raids are unending. It’s unbelievable that these people actually came out to protest. The building they are protesting on was once an elementary school until Assad bombed it.'

In Syria, marriage as defiance

 'Speaking via Skype, the couple seems to have little interest in chatting about romance or the frivolities of weddings. Instead, both are enthralled with their love for revolution and an ancient country that appears lost to war and strife.'

Syrians Fighting Block By Block

 'Arwa Damon meets Alkhal, who used to sell thread. Now he runs logistics for Syrian rebels."When this is over, the guns will be handed over." '

Little credible evidence

 Alex Thomson: "Yes, by all accounts Syria has nerve and chemical agents. But possession does not mean threat of use. Israel is not credibly threatening to use nuclear weapons against Iran, despite possessing them.

 Equally, as yet there simply is little credible evidence Syria is threatening to use chemical or nerve agents against its own people."

Syrians call for protests against any UN peacekeepers

 The translation is a bit off, but in Zabadani, rural Damascus are saying that the UN peacekeepers will only keep Bashar safe.

 The idea that the Syrian revolution is a foreign intervention has passed its sell by date, but many concepts outlast their explanatory value.

 'The Free Syrian Army is advancing at high speed towards the capital. If blue helmets are deployed, that would enable the regime to stay in power.'

The Most Heartwarming Cluster Bomb Video You Will Ever See

 'I don't have much to add to this video, just it's nice to see people in Syria making the most of a bad situation.'

A Field Guide to the Current Middle East Mess

 'The huge stockpiles of Syrian WMD -- some of which have already been pedaled to Hezbollah.'

 "Peddled" if money was exchanged, "pedaled" if they were transported by bicycle. If any of this is more accurate than the English usage.

Syrian activists skeptical on chemical weapons

 ' "I don't think the régime will use chemical weapons – it's just a media game for the purpose of prolonging the revolution, so the Syrian people become more divided and the regime has more time," said Walat Ahmae, a member of the Syrian National Council based in Antakya.

 "We have known that there are chemical weapons from the start, so this isn't a new or more worrying threat." '

The Syrian children desperate for normality

 "We will get our freedom and stand up again."

Six pointers to Assad's fall

 'Each day's news brings more reasons to believe the Assad regime's fall cannot be far away. Viewed individually these signs may not in themselves spell doom for the regime but collectively they do.'

Taking up the fight

 He does note at the end the shooting of prisoners who admit involvement in massacres, and the hanging or burning of Hezbollah soldiers in Syria.

 "There are Alawites and Christians who fight with the FSA. We invite them to pray with us but many do not. Some even drink. Everyone can practice their religion the way they like. What matters to us is the struggle against Assad."

The U.S. Is Offering Too Little Too Late on Syria

 Rime Allaf:

 'The U.S. has demonstrated that it is consistent, albeit with a questionable rationale, when it comes to letting Syrians fight it out among themselves before deciding to swoop in, perhaps, when the country is at a breaking point.'

A cat sits in front of a damaged building

 A cat sits in front of a damaged building at the al-Khalidiya neighbourhood of Homs. Picture taken December 3, 2012.

 Also,[http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/…/animals-facing-conflic…/…]

Assad has been looking into the possibility of claiming political asylum

 'Syria's President Bashar Assad has been looking into the possibility of claiming political asylum for himself, his family and his associates in Latin America, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. There is little confirmation for the claim but Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, held meetings in Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador over the past week.'

 Has al-Miqdad returned to the state of Damascus, or does he like it in the Western hemisphere too much to leave?

In Aleppo, jihadists take on greater role with Syrian rebel army

 “We have a deal with them,” said Mr. Ajouz, the student-turned-soldier. “All the mujahedeen will go back to their countries after the revolution. Jabhat al-Nusra will have no stake in the new regime in Syria.”

I Believe in the Syrian People

 'If the régime falls, they say, the Brotherhood will come and take over control the country. And I really don't care – except if they make me wear the veil. They keep saying that the solution is political Islam. But when they ascend to power, before long people will realise that this isn't the solution at all. In my view, while this revolution will topple the regime, it will be followed by another to overcome the idea of political Islam governing social life.'

The Confessions of a Sniper: A Rebel Gunman in Aleppo and His Conscience

 'The Syrian revolution is also unrecognizable from 20 months ago, when Syrians first took to the streets in peaceful protests demanding freedom and dignity from a totalitarian leader who allowed little of either. The uprising soon morphed into an armed revolt as soldiers defected and men took up arms against the loyalist troops shooting into the crowds and going house-to-house looking for dissenters.

 As the conflict became deeper and bloodier, and the international community looked on impotently, armed rebels scrounging for help were increasingly compelled to compete for resources. Various backers — both Syrian and foreign, private and state-sponsored — entered the fray, picking their men on the ground and funneling weapons and money to them. The help wasn’t always free: it often required pledges of allegiance, which many rebels have said they made with little intention of keeping. The money and weapons haven’t really bought the rebels’ love or obedience, just their temporary gratitude.'

Syria’s opposition warns of a rise in extremists

 Syria's opposition worries, not like the supporters of Assad who care not how extreme it is in the defence of tyranny.

 And that "alarming growth" is still only to "7.5 percent to 9 percent of the Free Syrian Army’s total number of fighters", understandably when “From the reports we get from the doctors, most of the injured and dead FSA are Jabhat al-Nusra, due to their courage and [the fact they are] always at the front line,”[perhaps offers to replace them with concerned secular leftists should be considered], and “In some areas, other extreme groups are merging with [Jabhat] al-Nusra, in others many are leaving it because they did not fulfil promises of support.”

The perilous drift to intervention in Syria

 'The calls for “something to be done” about Syria are getting louder in the US and Europe – so loud that they may soon be heeded. The first step, which could come fairly quickly, would be to supply the Syrian opposition with weapons. The second, which is under active consideration, would be to establish a no-fly zone.

 About 40,000 people have already died in a conflict that Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, says is reaching “new and appalling levels of brutality”. A few days ago, the Assad regime bombed a hospital in Aleppo, causing many deaths. Yet, before the west helps the rebels with weapons or air strikes, key questions remain to be answered. Above all, would intervention bring the conflict to an end? Or might it simply move the war into a new phase– in which the Americans and Europeans would now be directly involved?'

 I can't be bothered to sign in to the FT to read the rest of this, but from the start, the whole thing seems way behind the curve as the opposition has been taking the weapons for itself that the West has failed to supply. But we may have to wait a little longer for Assad's supporters to join the reality-based community.

Revolutionary Footnotes On Egypt and Syria

 Al Hayat - 02 December, 2012

 Author: Hazem Saghieh

 'Even if the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (a weak group compared to its Egyptian and Syrian peers) were to seize control of Syria after Assad, then this does not mean that the new Syria will become Islamist. This is what the moral of the Egyptian (and Tunisian) story tells us.'

How the Syrian Revolution Became Militarized

 ' “The military power is so disproportionate, there was no way the revolt could have sustained itself and re-emerged time and again, despite the regime’s brutality, if it wasn’t for a vast network of support inside the country,” says Omar Dahi, a Syrian scholar at Hampshire College.

“We don’t say enough that the Syrian revolution is a revolution of first, the rural poor,” Traboulsi says. Over the past decade, under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, Syria entered into a “mitigated neoliberal experience which weakened the production and agricultural sectors and created a mafia-style new bourgeoisie that is very monopolistic and very rentier and services-based,” he says.'

Breaking: Syrian anonymous first official statement 3/12/2012

 Occupy.

 Also this:

 'Bassam Jaara spokesman of the Syrian revolution General commission in Europe revealed to Saudi Arabia’s Al Watan newspaper that they are getting their arms by either capturing them from the Syrian security forces of President Bashar al Assad’s regime or by purchasing them from corrupt Syrian officers .

 He also revealed that the rebels bought weapons from Hezbollah as a result of corruption within its( Hezbollah’s) leadership adding “we can get the arms we need in one form or another.“ '
 [http://www.yalibnan.com/…/syria-rebels-also-buying-arms-fo…/]

Inside Jabhat al Nusra - the most extreme wing of Syria's struggle

 These jihadis seem to have a better understanding of imperialism than some on the left. And one can see how the governments in the West may like to play up their importance as much as the Russian government does. Whatever their military prowess I don't quite see how they would rule the whole of Syria even if they got the chance.

 'However, a video that helped publicise the group inside Syria is laced with anti-western sentiment, warning against foreign intervention in the country. "Is it reasonable to ask help from the criminals?" asks a voice-over commentary. "Have we forgotten that the West and the USA are the regime's partners in his crimes?" '

Strife hardens Syrian rebel brigade

 ' "After the battle with the sheik, the whole town rose up and gave up on peaceful means," said Mohammed Tallal, an early member.'

 There are several myths propagated by those wishing to discount the Syrian revolution, among them the idea that the Free Syrian Army is something separate to the peaceful protests against Assad. I saw another one on Russia Today today, that the rebels are such a disparate bunch they will fall out like barbarians sacking a city if they ever overthrow the régime (which of course they have massive armament from the West to do, that we never see, not), an idea I saw someone hint at on Facebook the other day. Not a very clever one.

Syrian democracy a dream

 Some on the Left have the same problem, once they've dismissed the Syrian revolutionaries as criminals, they find they don't know the revolutionaries at all.

 ' “Ninety per cent of these revolutionary groups are criminals, actually,” Bishop Armash Nalbandian told The Catholic Register. "I know the ministers and the mayors of towns. On the other side, we don’t know who are the leaders. I don’t know who is in charge so I can start a dialogue with him,” said Nalbandian.'

Stephen Starr on Syria, part 2

 Anyone on the left who can't see the class lines in Syria is wilfully blind.

 ' "Are any of the powerful business families the “big families” you described that depend on the Assads for patronage – like the Tlass clan – less supportive of the regime now?"
"I think not. Those who backed the regime from the beginning solidified that stance. Those who were less supportive of the regime are too fearful to do anything. Their businesses have essentially shut down now. There’s no industry operating in Aleppo, the industrial manufacturing center of Syria."
"Where are their workers?"
"[Some] are they’re protesting, [some] have guns in their hands, [some] are sitting at home waiting for things to end." '

Note 12/4/15, I see there is also this on the treatment of journalists,"You can’t go from a rebel-held area – and you can’t shoot photographs in rebel-held areas – to regime-controlled areas. You can’t pass, and even if you do get in, you can’t behave in the same way. In areas under the FSA’s control, you can take photographs, you can speak to people and get direct quotes, you can get a pretty good picture [of what’s happening in the area]. But if you try to do that in Damascus, in areas under the regime’s control, you won’t last five minutes: you’ll be picked up by the regime’s security. You can’t go out into the streets of central Damascus with a camera and just ask people what’s happening. There’s security everywhere."

She may never walk again: Syria war victim Maram, four, is inspiration for rebels

 

 'Maram is a pretty little Syrian girl with big innocent eyes that could melt the hardest heart.

 She should be out playing in the sunshine. Happy and carefree, as any four-year-old should be.

 But here she lies, unable to move, in an old schoolhouse ­converted into a makeshift hospital in this war-torn land .

 Maram is far too young to under­stand why she’s here. All she knows is she was playing with her dolls one minute and screaming in pain the next after a bomb from Bashar Assad’s jets flattened her house, injuring her spine.

 She has no feeling in her legs. She will probably never run around in the sunshine again.

 But Maram is an inspiration to her fellow wounded, the Free Syrian Army fighters who ­lovingly play with her and other little victims each day in the hospital run by a French charity.

 And for men like Mustapha Al Khalid, she’s a reason to fight on.

 Once he was an estate agent, now he’s an FSA commander here in Idlib, north west Syria, near the Turkish border. It is a city that, like Homs, has borne the brunt of the dictator’s wrath for 18 months.

 Mustapha left his wife and three children behind to help cut supplies to Assad’s army. His left arm has been shattered by a mortar.

 “It is a strange feeling missing people I love. But after witnessing the killing by Assad’s forces I had to fight for freedom.” he says.



 A wounded fighter next to him picks Maran up to comfort her. I ask if he’s a relative. “In Syria, we are all family,” he replies.

 We are joined by Malik, a bewildered 10-year-old boy in a wheelchair. His left leg has been amputated from the hip.

 Mustapha explains there are hundreds of thousands of refugees crowding into towns like this close to the Turkish border.

 They calculate Assad will not send his planes in for fear of provoking the Turks. “We have put families up in schools and public buildings,” says Mustapha. “But people who have just arrived have to sleep outside because we have nowhere left to put them. We can provide one meal a day After that the family has to fend for itself.”



 They rely on scant supplies smuggled over the border from Turkey. Crops lie unharvested as Assad’s snipers keep farmers from their fields. Grain depots have been destroyed to stop them falling into rebel hands. Children weak with hunger are most at risk of disease. New arrival Abu Abdul says: “There are no medicines to treat ailments so minor complaints become serious.”

 Meanwhile, only 22 miles away in Harem, rebels clash with Assad forces. I ask the fighters if they wish they had never embarked on their revolution. “No! No!” they cry. “We can’t go back. If we stop all of us will die.” The fighters all give a defiant Victory V sign. Maram stirs on her bed... and copies their salute. All eyes in the room look at her. And Mustapha’s fill with tears.'

Syria’s DIY revolution

 'Syria has become a do-it-yourself revolution, a fact that won’t be forgotten by the revolutionaries if the regime is ultimately defeated by its own hardware.'

Why Women Must Be at the Heart of Phase II of the Arab Spring

 'In the Syrian opposition front based outside Syria, and just being recognized by European governments, not a single woman is included.'

Syria Internet Shutdown: A Loser’s Strategy

 'Assad's move may backfire as Mubarak's did. When Mubarak cut the internet, he crippled the country's major industries and businesses, the ones connected to the global economy. Those businesses -- from oil to finance -- were crucial to keeping Egypt's economy functioning during what the regime hoped would be a passing protest phenomenon. Syrian business, while sputtering, is still generating revenue for Syria's cash-strapped economy.

 "Technology doesn't "make" a revolution -- at least not after the initial stage. What keeps a revolution going is a citizenry turning against its government to such a degree that each new repressive step only makes them angrier.'

Syria shuts off internet access across the country

 'Syria's information minister blamed "terrorists" for the outage, but the communications shutdown was seen as an attempt to stymie rebel moves as militias try to co-ordinate an assault on Damascus. It was also thought to be aimed at thwarting any plans for advances in other towns and cities.'

Paint and Suffering: A Syrian Artist’s Cry for Help

 'Fadia’s final painting in her exhibition, entitled “His Soul,” depicts the soul of her husband’s 19-year-old cousin, who was tortured and died before his parents’ eyes. Fadia hopes that the painting will send her audience a vivid message: “I died for freedom. What have you done?” '

Nothing nuanced in Assad's bloody survival strategy

 Why any socialists would think such people have any insight into events in the Middle East is mindboggling.

 'Some activists, intellectuals and human-rights advocates who are defined as leftist, anti-imperialist and fiercely pro-resistance have mocked the revolution while warning against the "reactionary" tendency to frame Syria as a humanitarian crisis instead of a geopolitical catastrophe. Though they are committed to drawing attention to the unrest in Bahrain, cheering any whisper of trouble in Saudi Arabia, welcoming the unfolding protests in Jordan and expressing outrage over every Palestinian death in Gaza, they continue to watch with "critical" eyes as dozens are killed in Syria every single day.'

Yabroud: Assad is overthrown

 'In Yabroud, a child searches for a space in the sky for his kite, perhaps it can take him to his Syria, a country free from all tyrants and prisons.'