Western countries discuss further support for Syrian rebels

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Source: Xinhua

August 23, 2012

DAMASCUS, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of France, Britain and the United States have held phone conversations to discuss how to provide further support for Syria's opposition, which is fighting an increasingly fierce war with government forces.

A statement by the White House on Wednesday said a phone call between President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron covered a "wide array of global issues," including the conflict in Syria and the need for increased participation from other countries to support the Syrian opposition.

The two leaders exchanged views on "ways the international community can assist those displaced by the conflict, apply pressure on the Assad regime, and support the opposition so that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people can be realized," the statement said.

Meanwhile, a statement from Cameron's office said the two leaders agreed that the use or threat of use of chemical weapons by Syria was "completely unacceptable" and would force them to "revisit their approach" to the conflict.

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/23/c_131802927.htm

[leftynyc]

1. Extremely complicated situation

I recently was on vacation and met a Syrian Christian woman (who now lives in L.A.) whose family in Syria has fled to Beirut. According to her, Assad is indeed a dictator but one who protected the minorities in Syria, women are now free to wear what they want and get educated but her fear is the Muslim Brotherhood (or whatever the equivalent is in Syria) will gain power and women and minorities will suffer greatly. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable helping to place fundamentalists in power there (or anywhere) when the result will be women suffering and going backwards to much less freedom. Very complicated.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

3. This is true.

Christians and women will suffer. 150 years of Western oppression is to blame for that. It has perverted and radicalized the Middle East.

[leftynyc]

5. Uh - no

I will not accept responsibility for men treating women like shit. They're using religion as their reason, not western oppression (frankly, I consider that argument nonsense).

[UnrepentantLiberal]

6. I really can't argue with that.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Meanwhile

Chemical weapons 'excuse for US to intervene in Syria' (Chinese media http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014203822

And Russia had already said the same.

[leveymg]

7. Chemical weapons will only become an issue if the Syrian state and Army disintegrate. Then, all

hell will break loose, and it won't be confined to Syria.

The national security interest of the US is in preventing that - in other words, the Obama Admin. needs to be pushing some sort of negotiated settlement that keeps those institutions intact rather than the armed regime-change "solution" imposed by the Saudis that guarantees increasing chaos, bloodshed, and eventual ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Syria isn't Libya. The violence will only spread.

[oldsarge54]

4. Mixed Feelings

Well, at least there is a discussion before hand with potential allied, unlike the go it alone approach to Iraq. As for the reports that the assad government being kind to minorities, the Assad family itself is from that minority, being the smartest to suck up to the French when France got the mandate to rule that area after WWI. The USE of chemical weapons would be a fair, clear line for action, rather than vague charges of possession of WMD. What I am wondering though is why has the Muslim Brotherhood become bogyman in American politics? Outside of Fox, and overstatements about hating women (yes, here in the West, Roe v Wade was only in was 1973? and been under attack since. Women only got the right to vote in 1919. And in some states, a man can still beat his wife as long as the switch is less than the width of his thumb, we are not that far ahead of them).