|
|
Go to page 1~2~3~4~5~6~7 [Next] | ||||||||||
Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Not sure who wrote this. Please give credit if you do.
President Assad (who is bad) is a nasty guy who got so nasty his people rebelled and the Rebels (who are good) started winning. But then some of the rebels turned a bit nasty and are now called Islamic State (who are definitely bad) and some continued to support democracy (who are still good). So the Americans (who are good) started bombing Islamic State (who are bad) and giving arms to the Syrian Rebels (who are good) so they could fight Assad (who is still bad) which was good. By the way, there is a breakaway state in the north run by the Kurds who want to fight IS (which is a good thing) but the Turkish authorities think they are bad, so we have to say they are bad whilst secretly thinking they’re good and giving them guns to fight IS (which is good) but that is another matter. Getting back to Syria. President Putin (bad, as he invaded Crimea and the Ukraine and killed lots of folks including that nice Russian man in London with polonium) has decided to back Assad (who is still bad) by attacking IS (who are also bad) which is sort of a good thing? But Putin (still bad) thinks the Syrian Rebels (who are good) are also bad, and so he bombs them too, much to the annoyance of the Americans (who are good) who are busy backing and arming the rebels (who are also good). Now Iran (who used to be bad, but now they have agreed not to build any nuclear weapons and bomb Israel are now good) are going to provide ground troops to support Assad (still bad) as are the Russians (bad) who now have ground troops and aircraft in Syria. So a Coalition of Assad (still bad) Putin (extra bad) and the Iranians (good, but in a bad sort of way) are going to attack IS (who are bad) which is a good thing, but also the Syrian Rebels (who are good) which is bad. Now the British (obviously good, except Corbyn who is probably bad) and the Americans (also good) cannot attack Assad (still bad) for fear of upsetting Putin (bad) and Iran (good / bad) and now they have to accept that Assad might not be that bad after all compared to IS (who are super bad). So Assad (bad) is now probably good, being better than IS (no real choice there) and since Putin and Iran are also fighting IS that may now make them good. America (still good) will find it hard to arm a group of rebels being attacked by the Russians for fear of upsetting Mr Putin (now good) and that mad ayatollah in Iran (also good) and so they may be forced to say that the Rebels are now bad, or at the very least abandon them to their fate. This will lead most of them to flee to Turkey and on to Europe or join IS (still the only constantly bad group). To Sunni Muslims, an attack by Shia Muslims (Assad and Iran) backed by Russians will be seen as something of a Holy War, and the ranks of IS will now be seen by the Sunnis as the only Jihadis fighting in the Holy War and hence many Muslims will now see IS as good (doh!). Sunni Muslims will also see the lack of action by Britain and America in support of their Sunni rebel brothers as something of a betrayal (might have a point) and hence we will be seen as bad. So now we have America (now bad) and Britain (also bad) providing limited support to Sunni Rebels (bad) many of whom are looking to IS (good / bad) for support against Assad (now good) who, along with Iran (also good) and Putin (also, now, unbelievably, good ) are attempting to retake the country Assad used to run before all this started?
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
|||||||||
Wizard of Oz Inner circle Most people wish I didn't have 5150 Posts |
For once, I think I actually get it.
Thank you.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
|
|||||||||
EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
Maybe we should just bomb everything to glass everywhere, and let the cephalopods evolve to be the next dominant species.
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
|||||||||
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
Cold War, Holy Warriors Batman!
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
|||||||||
Slim King Eternal Order Orlando 18012 Posts |
That's why the founding fathers said to avoid foreign entanglements.
THE MAN THE SKEPTICS REFUSE TO TEST FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS.. The Worlds Foremost Authority on Houdini's Life after Death.....
|
|||||||||
Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Magnus, that was a masterpiece; where did you see it originally? I'd be interested in knowing the author too.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
|||||||||
Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 5, 2015, Bob1Dog wrote: I read it on Kevin Spraggett's chess blog (strange mixture of excellent chess analysis and girlie pictures ). He credits a reader named Eric. I googled and found a few copies of it from October and November but nothing to indicate the original source.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
|||||||||
Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Thanks Magnus. And thanks for the link to the blog. Good mix of chess and great photography.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
|||||||||
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
One of the all-time greats of Canadian chess!
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
|||||||||
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 5, 2015, EsnRedshirt wrote: That opinion may be what motivates others to acquire the means
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
|||||||||
arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Magnus, your original synopsis makes one wonder if all this could have been avoided if Assad has been dealt with at the very start.
|
|||||||||
Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Good point Arthur!
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
|||||||||
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Or if the US had never bombed Iraq...
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
|||||||||
Slim King Eternal Order Orlando 18012 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 5, 2015, arthur stead wrote: What if ASSAD, like GADDAFI, and HUSSIEN .... was simply fighting TERRORISTS to begin with? What if the truth is that these guys have been fighting Muslim Extremism from the very beginning and other evil people tried to say they were killing civilians instead of terrorists? Gaddafi had 700 Al-Qaeda in prison. He wasn't killing his own. He was killing terrorists .. Just like Assad. This verifies what the Russian leaders (Who also fight terrorism) are saying.None of these guys are/were angels, but THEY had Jihadist terrorism under control. The 911 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia.
THE MAN THE SKEPTICS REFUSE TO TEST FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS.. The Worlds Foremost Authority on Houdini's Life after Death.....
|
|||||||||
arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
You're forgetting that Assad was using chemical weapons against his own people ... and I'm sure nobody is checking to see if he really got rid of all that stuff.
Also, I wouldn't believe the Russians if they say they're bombing IS. They're more interested in bombing anti-Assad rebels, who are supported by the USA. These Arab sects (or tribes) have centuries-old gripes against each other. They don't care if someone is a good guy or a terrorist. They just want to eliminate the opposing tribe. My thought is that their squabbles are not worth even one American life. Just leave them to their own devices and let them destroy each other. |
|||||||||
NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 6, 2015, arthur stead wrote: But then certain people wouldn't be able to become extremely wealthy from oil deals, weapon sales and trading in political favors gathered by using their position to further their own agenda rather than actually representing their constituents; all while pretending to help the oppressed du juor, and to spread Democracy. And we couldn't have that.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
|
|||||||||
Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 6, 2015, arthur stead wrote: Keep in mind that many of these squabbles were created when the League of Nations partitioned the Ottoman Empire after the first world war. The modern borders were imposed by the West on peoples that didn't want them. Things were further exacerbated by the creation of the State of Israel after the second world war. For better or for worse, the establishment of the modern Israel resulted in further divisions and enmities. Following the creation of Israels came a period of massive external interference. The CIA (and others) assisted rebels who sought to overthrow the governments Syria and Iran. (There are suspicions that there were others, as the 1950s-70s saw an unprecedented string of coups d'état in the region.) Enter the cold war. Now the Soviets are backing their supporters (the Assad family in Syria, for example) and the US and its allies are backing theirs (the Shah in Iran, for example). Proxy wars continue unabated until the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the 1970s, OPEC discovered that it controlled the world and began using its influence to shape economic policies worldwide. The Soviets gained some independence by maintaining its favored dictators; the West gained some independence by trading military protection for corporate ownership and entrepreneurial opportunity. The Soviets protected governments with troops; the West protected corporations with troops. The fall of the Soviet Union led to political instability, and this is where we see the modern story emerge. The power vacuum was quickly filled with independent armies--many led by religious fundamentalists--and terrorist organizations began struggling for control. The past 20-odd years have seen numerous attempts by the West to restore security for multinational corporations with military force. Tribal conflict? Partly. But there is significantly more than that going on.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
|||||||||
arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
The east/west conflict dates back many centuries.
|
|||||||||
lynnef Inner circle 1407 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 6, 2015, arthur stead wrote: yes, but the current crisis with Daesh is in the imperialist era. I agree with your previous reference to look at the invasion of Iraq as one of the beginnings of this current mess. An excellent PBS program links the current growth of ISIS originating in the de-Baathification of Iraq. The Baath party in Iraq was secular; but when Paul Bremer dissolved the party, guess where the military went? Thank you so much Magnus for the scorecard... the only thing I would add is that there are no 'good' guys. Lynn |
|||||||||
Slim King Eternal Order Orlando 18012 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 6, 2015, arthur stead wrote: There is no proof that Assad used chemicals against his people. It's more likely that Al-Qaeda did. Secondly... The USA STILL has 9 times more chemical weapons than ASSAD ever did! What's funny is that our PBS actually used Russian video's when saying WE were bombing ISIS held oil positions.
THE MAN THE SKEPTICS REFUSE TO TEST FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS.. The Worlds Foremost Authority on Houdini's Life after Death.....
|
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Not very magical, still... » » Syria Explained (9 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2~3~4~5~6~7 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.05 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |