He does, and so does Obama. To be honest, it is very very complicated. Basically you have

Assad, who is Alewite. Sunni muslims consider Alewites to be heretics and worse, not even human - seriously to the point of some really believing they have tails. Remember the youtube of the "rebel" officer eating the heart of a government soldier ? That wasn't just bravado or intimidation. That was a symbolic reference to massacres of Alevis / Alewites a thousand years ago
.
Turkey's (pretending not to be) Islamic government is very anti-Alewite (and anti Alevi, their own brand of that particular sect), hence the opposition to Assad.

Assad has not been the most lovely of people, but is an educated man. It would have been madness to launch a chemical attack especially after so many warnings, etc. I'm not saying they were not responsible, but the possibility of the culprits not being organised government forces is at least present. Refer to news stories earlier in the year (Jan/Feb?) suggesting the US had consider manipulating certain groups to stage such an attack. (not saying I believe that but smoke, fire etc).

Syria has so far resisted many attempts to drag it into a foreign war - Turkey's pathetic attempt with the downed F4 last year which even the Turkish people found ridiculous, Turkey again attacking across the border because of stray shells landing in their territory, Israel attacking Syria because of reasons I cannot even remember.

Assad is not a nice leader by western standards, but do not forget this is the middle east and an absolute tinderbox. What he has achieved, similar to Gadhaffi, is to keep the country stable for many years. If there is a vacuum of leadership or an Islamic government to replace him, it would be an absolute massacre.

Add in the Kurdish question, and Iran, and it is all starting to get very very complicated.

All I'm saying is don't believe the black and white you read from John Kerry etc. It's far more complicated than that. We have very little idea what is going on there.

Posted By: Steve in Holland on August 27th 2013 at 10:30:06

Message Thread

Q: Why do Prime Ministers of all political persuasions want to have a war on their CV ? (n/m) (General Chat) - trustsec, Aug 27, 08:29:39
- to distract from unrest and domestic problems at home (n/m) (General Chat) - revsimon, Aug 27, 10:04:41
- They don't. (General Chat) - norway, Aug 27, 09:15:12
  - Linkage.... (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Aug 27, 12:28:30
    - that email was forged and the Mail paid ?110,000 in libel damages over it (n/m) (General Chat) - CWC, Aug 27, 13:14:42
  - The UK have done their fair share of policing the world (General Chat) - Ben, Aug 27, 10:49:56
    - VMT ^^^ (n/m) (General Chat) - phrankin, Aug 27, 11:05:42
  - c.f Blair, who got high on Kosovo and Sierra Leone and overreached himself (n/m) (General Chat) - CWC, Aug 27, 10:20:11
    - True but considering every conflict on an individual basis,they were fairly righteous inte (General Chat) - protheroe fitzgibbon, Aug 27, 10:26:21
  - ^^ VMT - some nonsense being spoken above and below! (n/m) (General Chat) - Kirrie, Aug 27, 09:27:13
    - I could've sworn that we the raf bombed libya and that our special forces were there too. (n/m) (General Chat) - protheroe fitzgibbon, Aug 27, 10:19:20
      - Was the Yanks, although they took off from here.... (n/m) (General Chat) - Vivid Data Shark, Aug 27, 12:13:18
        
        The French actually did the highest proportion of actual strikes (35%) (General Chat) - CWC, Aug 27, 12:36:23
        
        The RAF most certainly did bomb Libya. Many of the strikes were from Marham too. (n/m) (General Chat) - mike_the_sphinx, Aug 27, 12:16:28
        
        I guess I was talking about the 1986 bombings, it has certainly taken a pounding over the (General Chat) - Vivid Data Shark, Aug 27, 14:42:00
  - So it is nothing to do with the fact that... (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Aug 27, 09:19:23
    - Well yes, it is complicated (General Chat) - norway, Aug 27, 09:30:01
      - He does, and so does Obama. To be honest, it is very very complicated. Basically you have (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Aug 27, 10:30:06
        
        Agree with all that except your assertion that Cameron wants a war! (n/m) (General Chat) - Kirrie, Aug 27, 12:44:39
        
        he did (Libya) so it's ticked off his "Things to do before you're unelected" list (n/m) (General Chat) - CWC, Aug 27, 13:16:48
        
        In summary (General Chat) - duke of york, Aug 27, 11:16:02
        
        That is true. And we need to choose which mentalists are less dangerous (n/m) (General Chat) - Steve in Holland, Aug 27, 12:19:37
        
        ^^^ TRU DAT ^^^ (n/m) (General Chat) - Hertz van Rental, Aug 27, 11:20:12
        
        not to mention the large number of rebel groups, most of which are foreigners (General Chat) - Maillot Jaune, Aug 27, 10:44:32
        
        Interesting and insightful stuff (General Chat) - norway, Aug 27, 10:35:15
- Because they are power hungry egomaniacs with small penis'. (n/m) (General Chat) - protheroe fitzgibbon, Aug 27, 08:33:13

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