syrian rebels brutally behead catholic priest on camera

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And if this is true (which I doubt), he was probably helping Assad's regime anyways. It's what people do in wars, they kill the enemy, not rocket science.

The fact that people kill each other in wars doesn't make it okay.

Also, why would it be acceptable to brutally murder someone who supported or helped Assad's regime?

Reply 41

Zero Nowhere

Original post by Apocrypha

People dont like Assad, hes a dictator, the fact is he has become the lesser of two evils, sort of like, the devil you know is better than the demons you do not. If Assad falls, no one knows what will happen, it could potentially become an ethnic cleansing of Alawites and other Shia's, along with Christians and other minorities. Because that is what Al-Nusra scream.

Syria isnt better off with him, it was never better off in the first place, but I could go on holiday to Syria. BBC could film in Syria, Top Gear filmed there etc. Lets not forget also, if you support the Palestinians, Assad's Syria is probably the only country in the region who actually helps the Palestinians.

If you study Syrian law, youll see, although it is a dictatorship, citizens had freedoms much like any of us, quite similar to China. People were even given permission to have transsexual operations in Syria.

But you're missing the point, this was the invevitable outcome of his dictatorship, especially when he tried to silence what initially was a just a protest. The assad regime is like a cancer, saying it was better off at stage 1 of the cancer than it is at stage 5 is a moot point given cancer doesn't stop growing. Just like the best way to treat cancer is as early as possible meaning higher chance of survival and the treatment isn't as severe than it would be at stage 5. Well this is exactly the same, if the situation was stopped before it got to the stage it is now where the cancer is being fought by extremists, it could have been stopped earlier with the help of the FSA which had many military and would have made a better tranisiton into a more progressive post assad state before the extremist had time to grow in strength. The cancer (war) has been allowed to grow to stage 5 and now there is little chance of survival and the treatment may kill them i.e. the number of extremists fighting the regime have grown in number.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 42

Zero Nowhere

Original post by Apocrypha

You're missing the point. If Assad is overthrown, these extremists are still going to resume their activities until they succeed. It doesnt matter if the FSA arent radicalised. They will be the Taliban of Afghanistan.

Yes and if the FSA had got the help they needed earlier, the radicals may never have had the opportunity to get to the strength they are today.

Reply 43

paddlesnap

We're arming these nutcases - I've said it before and I'll say it again: it will come back to bite us on the ass.

Reply 44

Apocrypha

Original post by Zero Nowhere

Yes and if the FSA had got the help they needed earlier, the radicals may never have had the opportunity to get to the strength they are today.

And like many many other people, i agree with you, and you have agreed with me, that its too late to do anything, there are too many extremists, going back to the point of the lesser of two evils, and a preference for Assad

Reply 45

snailsareslimy

It's so sad that so many lives are being ripped apart by the warfare in Syria. I hope by some miracle everything ends soon; it breaks my heart seeing the innocent families who are living in constant danger/have lost loved ones/lost everything they ever had on the news.
Although, to be honest, there's good and bad on both sides so I really don't even know who to 'support'. All I do know is that I wholeheartedly support the families and the innocent victims of this mess.

Reply 46

Jizzle88

I have absolutely no idea what is happening in Syria... i really struggle accepting the facts presented to me by the media. I watched a documentary following a young rebel it made me think intervention was a good thing, now this beheading footage. War is a collected series of violence and atrocities, it is very hard to take sides especially in such a complicated conflict as the Syrian one.

Maybe it is just because we are witnessing this from a 'neutral' perspective, as we have no real 'investment' of life in it... maybe if we watched some of the other conflicts we have been involved in from a similar perspective our understanding of them would be different.

Reply 47

Steevee

I'll say the thing noone wants to hear.

When it comes to the Middle East we may as well support whatever regime supports us, and try to slowly change them into a better regime. They're all as bad as each other there. This isn't some ignorant, xenophobic vitriol, this is fact. Islamic theocracies sprout up and will abuse their citizens as badly as any secular regime did. These regimes will have no love for the West and we will have less influence over them than a dictator we support. Better a bad hound on a leash than a dangerous dog off the rope.

Reply 48

Umar1

Original post by Aj12

Doubt we are arming them. Do you really think the CIA are just showing up in Syria and throwing guns at every guy who passes by? They are doing pretty detailed checks and vetting of the groups they do arm. Had they started arming moderate groups far earlier we may not have seen the extremists gaining such a hold

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Reply 49

Some random guy

Original post by snailsareslimy

Assad is the secular dictator these uncivilised countries need. If you give democracy to savages, you'll get a savage leadership and constant bickering, feuds and riots, just look at Iraq or Egypt. These people need to be properly educated first before they are given democracy. And I'm of Iraqi descent so not being racist.

Reply 50

Tea is for mugs

For anyone who fervently supports the rebels, remember you are agreeing with people like:

Barack Obama
"Obama to step up military support of Syrian rebels"
Barack Obama is a terrible person for peace in the middle east (even worse than Bush): increasing the frequency of drone strikes in Pakistan, support of torture (Guantanamo, water-boarding etc), continuing "the good war" that he calls Afghanistan. Do you think he cares about the lives of Syrians?
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-step-military-support-syrian-rebels-233546868.html

John Mccain
"US Senator John McCain who has advocated more direct intervention in the conflict, decried the fact that the US had taken so long to take any action at all."
Remember this man previously sang the song "bomb bomb bomb iran". And additionally he was on the senate intelligence committee that reviewed the WMD claim which then led us to war with Iraq war.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22683261 (mccain supporting rebels)

Supporters of Al-Qaeda (Al-Nusra)
"A syrian rebel group's April pledge of allegiance to al-Qaeda's replacement for Osama bin Laden"
http://www.freep.com/article/20130614/NEWS15/306140065/Syrian-rebels-pledge-loyalty-to-al-Qaeda

The Saudi government
"Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday the Syrian government's attempts to suppress a rebellion amounted to "genocide" and called for rebels to get military aid to defend themselves, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric over the conflict."
The Saudi dictatorship is detested by everyone around the world and even more so by Arabs.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/thomson-reuters/130625/saudi-arabia-says-syrian-war-rebels-genocide

Tony Blair
"Tony Blair urges Britain to help America arm the Syrian rebels"
This man to me lost all credibility when he launched the war on Iraq.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair-urges-britain-to-help-america-arm-the-syrian-rebels-8659991.html

I am not a supporter of Assad, all I'm trying to convey is that you should be very skeptical when these type of people are supporting/arming the rebels.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 51

CurtisDean

I knew I shouldn't have watched it

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Reply 52

arkhamz

Why are these beheading videos so popular now? It seems so barbaric, if you're going to kill someone then at least do it efficiently.

Reply 53

OedipusTheKing

Original post by Aj12

Yeah but there's nothing to stop the genuine groups from handing arms to their extremist comrades, is there? Once arms are on the ground you cannot control who gets them.

Reply 54

Jamiesonn

Somebody pm me the link to the video?

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Reply 55

Aj12

Original post by OedipusTheKing

Yeah but there's nothing to stop the genuine groups from handing arms to their extremist comrades, is there? Once arms are on the ground you cannot control who gets them.

True but I imagine the CIA have thought of this. Once you had the guns out you don't just leave. The groups you are supporting will need continued support, ammo, cleaning kits, replacements for weapons that are lost or destroyed. Provided you do enough monitoring you should be able to keep an eye on what is happening with the weapons you have put out there. If a group starts giving away it's guns or becomes extremest you cut off the support. It's not ideal but I imagine the US feels it is better to take a side in this conflict and try to sway the outcome than just watch and see either Assad winning which would be bad or an al Qaeda backed group taking control which would be worse.

Reply 56

cosimakarateman

Original post by Aj12

they armed the mujahedeen against Russia, saddam against iran, it wouldn't be the first stupid decision they made. I don't really see what 'vetting and checks' they can do in the middle of a syrian warzone with random islamists and rebels asking for rocket launchers

Reply 57

Aj12

Original post by cosimakarateman

The CIA is likely on the ground with the groups they want to arm. Afghanistan is no doubt looming large in the minds of the White house when they made this choice. Obama is a very cautions man, I doubt he could have been convinced to arm the rebels without making sure they were vetting and being very careful about who got what weapons

Reply 58

Death_of_Rats

Sadly few things can match a Civil War for brutality and bloodshed. Too many hatred a and old scores to be settled wit nothing to limit or control escalating excesses.