Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I'm following Assad's big speech. It's Gaddhafi minus the comic timing and the sharp dress sense. He's blaming it all on a conspiracy (evidence: use of cellphones), likening conspiracies to germs, refusing to lift the state of emergency, saying the people they arrested turned themselves in, praising the Syrian people for taking arms against "saboteurs," and basically, telling the Turks where they can stuff their demands for reform.
Meanwhile, the pro-government Turkish press is running articles warning that "Turkey will not be a bystander if and when the Syrian army, which is located close to the Syrian-Turkish border, starts killing civilians in front of the eyes of Turkey."
According to the reports from the region there are about 15,000 Syrians who have fled from the Syrian army’s latest attacks on the villages in a bid to catch the protesters. Those Syrians have set up camps on the Syrian side along the Turkish border and are waiting to cross the border in the event the Syrian army attacks intensify in the coming days.
Ayhan says that if the Syrian army steps in and harms those people along the border this will have grave consequences. He also warns that Turkey will not stay put in the event that the Syrian army moves into the area, especially with an intention to conduct mass killings of its own people with whom many in Turkey share historical, cultural, religious and familial ties.
You know what that means, right? "Grave consequences" is a phrase with a particular meaning in diplomacy. (The utterer of the phrase isn't speaking for the government, officially, but what's coming out of the government is close.)
Modern man and vanguard of world order Dmitri Medvedev has said Russia will veto a resolution in the Security Council to condemn the crackdown. I'm not sure what Americans are saying--we're leading from behind, I guess.
Best Assad line so far: "I am only talking about a minority--few Syrian people who used arms and committed genocide, which was the case in the town of Jisr al-Shughur." Yes, what naughty people.
He told the refugees to come back from Turkey, the state would protect them. Reaction on Twitter:
- SyrianPresident Folks how did I do? I look good on TV! Let's get back to work now, we must kill them all in Turkish border.#Syria #Hatay #Guvecci #Turkey
This situation is bad, and going downhill fast.
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Jan '11
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
When our own Hopey-Changer in Chief blames our economic woes on ATMs, then what do you expect from the rest of the world? Common sense? Reasoned debate? Or any ol' excuse to wind up their tanks and planes and go to war?
I hear Bulgaria's nice this time of year; perhaps the cats will like it there.
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
It would be good if the Turks were to go in. Assad is not as bad as Saddam Hussein was -- though they are cut from the same (Baathist) cloth, but he is far, far worse than Mubarak was -- and, under the guidance of our "realists," we have embraced him time and again -- all in the name of "stability." In the end, however, as current circumstances reveal, this stability is elusive. My bet is that ordinary Syrians would welcome the Turks with open arms.
Apr '11
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I have seen in my electronic travels salutatory references to The Ottomon, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As things fall apart is there some nostalgic Ottoman revanchism in the Middle East?
Here is a sample of what Al Jazeera is broadcasting to the world from June 8th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LESM7tIR-gs
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I think I speak for everyone in the range of Syria's ballistic missiles in saying that you need to think hard before provoking a dying, vicious animal. And the winner could very well be Iran.
I cannot game this out in a way that results in a good outcome for anyone who lives in this region.
Sep '10
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I think it would be a good thing in the long run for Turkey and the rest of the region to recognize the threat from Iran. The sooner the better but that is easy for me to say over here on the Atlantic coast far from the tyrants, thugs, wackos and their bullets. If Syria descends into chaos one has to assume Hezbollah will attempt to step into the void.
Apr '11
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
Turkey warns Assad: You have less than a week to start implementing reforms "Ersat Hurmuzlu, an advisor to Turkish President Abdullah Gul, told the Dubai-based al-Arabiya channel on Sunday night that Turkey will be watching closely what Assad tells his people in a planned speech on Monday. "The demands in this field will be for a positive response to these issues within a short period that does not exceed a week," Hurmuzulu said. " http://www.haaretz.com/news/mideast-in-turmoil/turkey-warns-assad-you-have-less-than-a-week-to-start-implementing-reforms-1.368717
Jun '10
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
Hey. Who added the chin in the drawing of Assad?
Apr '11
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
Al Jazeera Network on Assad's speech
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/06/201162013048808816.html
Apr '11
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I'm no expert on the middle east, but from what I recall of history the Turks are not ethnically Arabs, they have a history of oppressing other ethnicities in the region, and some 100 years ago the Ottomans where the most hatted group of people in places like Syria. Now, 100 years is a long time but in my experience for every one outside of America the ethnic grievances of 100 years ago are always ready to be renewed given a chance. Turkey invading Syria will be a mess, and probably distabalize the whole region. What will Iran do when their only Arab ally is taken out by Turkey? What will happen in Lebanon? If Hezbola does try to take over in Syria do you think Israel will let them have it? No they will probably get involved too, and if Israel starts fighting an Arab nation that would be the worst thing of all...we should be worried, and ready.
May '10
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
The trouble is that tyrants sometimes have a failure of imagination when trying to comprehend diplomatic language. A milder phrase was used to describe the consequences of Argentinian solders remaining on South Georgia, or attempting to colonise the Falklands against the wishes of the inhabitants. Unfortunately, Galieri et al interpreted this as meaning "we will make a fuss at the UN, and shout, and bang the table, but it will all blow over" rather than "we will send most of the world's third largest navy, with scary hard marines and paratroopers who will sling you off the islands with extreme prejudice".
It's an easy mistake to make.
Edited on Jun 21, 2011 at 2:47amNov '10
Re: Assad: The Season of Conspiracy is Flourishing--And Go to Hell, Turkey
I am for clarity. If one views a certain action as an act of war, then say: "if you (in this case Syria) open fire on the refugees, then you will be at war with Turkey". It is hard to mistake that.