“The weather is excellent for bombing, my love.”

DDGD – October 7, 2015

Editorial Comment

The times are always interesting, but we are not always interested. This is why we have so many demons around. This is why we all get to be demons, at least some of the time. How interesting! Are you interested?

Articles & Commentary

Russia’s Holy War in Syria. This is a link to my article on the Lawfare Blog, in which I argue that Russian President, Valdimir Putin, is seeking to capitalize on the Syrian conflict and on the weakness of the Assad regime to establish an even larger presence on the Mediterranean than a simple base in the city of Tartus. In doing this, Putin is reminding Iran of its place as a junior partner in the alliance, and will seek to shore up Assad, at least for a while, to provide him with the necessary cover to legitimate what is fast becoming a de facto occupation.

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Enter the Dragon? Days after warning the world about the dangers of arbitrary intervention in Syria, China seems poised to interfere there alongside its Russian and Iranian allies, with the alleged intention of bombing positions controlled by terrorist groups, who are said to include a number of ethnic Uighur Jihadis. The actual number seems to be exaggerated on purpose in order to give China a legitimate excuse to enter the fray.

But, while the potential decision by China to enter the Syrian fray could be motivated more by calculations related more to the situation in South China Sea, which China is now claiming lock, stock and barrel, than to that prevailing in Syria, its move there is bound to complicate an already too complicated and messy scene. So, unless the Chinese have already won the war before even joining it, to paraphrase Sun Tzu, there is something “arbitrary” and, therefore, ominous about their decision to intervene, should they indeed make it.

Anecdote

A bear and a dragon go into a bar. On the menu: slow roasted “lion^*” and rabbit stew.

Factoid

The original surname of the Assad family is wahesh, which in Arabic means “monster.” The family’s grandfather is credited with changing it to assad, which means “lion.”

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While technology is proving useful in managing certain ongoing programs to help Syrian refugees, we should not allow this success and such heartwarming/breaking stories as this one to lull us back into the observer mode. There is much more that needs to done on all fronts. The challenge of supporting Syrian refugees is daunting indeed, but the world has to learn how to manage it in order to ready itself for coping with the numerous other crises looming ahead.

For should leaders of the United States and the European Union continue to hold on to their current noninterventionist ethos, then, the least that they could do is find effective ways for coping with the rising influx of refugees who will flood their shores in search of a safer and better life, as conflicts metastasize and multiply. Indeed David Miliband is right when assert says that the “refugee crisis is here to stay.”

Meanwhile, and as governments struggle to cope with this “crisis,” there is ample room for entrepreneurs, like five visionary ones, to step in.  

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In Syria, even history is in danger of being erased. It started with the Assad regime’s own disregard for historical sites, then, various rebel groups stepped in, then, it was the Islamic State’s turn, and now Russia. 

Quote of the Day: Cc Barack Obama. Bcc Syrian Opposition

“To see what is right and not do it is cowardice.” Confucius

The No-Fly Zone: comments that just make no sense (i.e. they don’t fly)

“A Russian forecaster predicts ‘excellent weather’ for bombing Syria. Broadcast on a Russian TV channel POCCNR24, the forecaster says that October is a great month for flying in Syria. She goes on to give average wind speeds and rainfall for the month. This is edited with footage from a bombing raid.” Source: The Guardian.

The weather is excellent for bombing, my love.

Think of me when you bomb that school.

Don't look down to see the children bleed,

Or look up to see how the clouds drool

In anticipation of the feast.

Video(s) of the Day

Artistic Delirium

"The Drowning" by Ammar Abdulhamid from "Reflections on Liberty and Revolution Series - a digital deconstruction of Delacroix's famous Oeuvre "Liberty leading the people."

Cartoons