Qatari leader says he favors sending Arab troops to Syria to stop violence

[maddezmom]

By Associated Press, Updated: Saturday, January 14, 7:58 AM

BEIRUT — The leader of Qatar has said that Arab troops should be sent to Syria to stop a deadly crackdown that has claimed the lives of thousands of people over the past 10 months.

Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s comments to CBS “60 Minutes,” which will be aired Sunday, are the first statements by an Arab leader calling for the deployment of troops inside Syria. They come amid growing claims that a team of Arab observers dispatched to the country to curb the bloodshed has failed in its mission.

Asked whether he is in favor of Arab nations intervening in Syria, Sheik Hamad said that “for such a situation to stop the killing some troops should go to stop the killing.”

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/lebanese-man-killed-in-border-village-by-bullet-fired-from-syria/2012/01/14/gIQA5Yo6xP_story.html

[tabasco]

1. Send 'em on in dude!

You first!

[jakeXT]

2. THey were in Libya, Qatari Special forces

[joshcryer]

17. They did a good job.

[leveymg]

3. Good thinking Sheik - Invade a neighboring country to stop violence. War is Peace

[Mopar151]

4. And you would propose what instead? n/t

[David__77]

7. How about Qatar NOT invade another country?

Is that so hard? I propose that "instead."

[Mopar151]

9. So it's open season on Syrians?

The Arab League observers are quitting, sickened. Who's gonna stop the Syrian military - Ghostbusters?

[David__77]

10. Same rationale for the Vietnam war, for the Korean war... for all immoral wars.

A war against Syria would be unjust and immoral.

[DeSwiss]

13. +1000

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Ditto.

[Fool Count]

11. I would propose the Arabs invade Qatar instead.

That will probably be much easier and definitely more lucrative for them. And they could
use the same "democratizing" rationale too.

[Lasher]

5. Iraq should send in some peacekeeping soldiers!

Paid for with their own money, or with somebody else's besides ours. That would give the Iraqis something else to do besides blowing each other up. And they're right next door with all that swell military hardware we left behind.

[jonthebru]

6. Good luck on that.

"With, without. That's what the fighting's all about."
From that Great English poet: Roger Waters.

[David__77]

8. If Qatar attacks, they deserve whatever they get.

And they should not be surprised if their little city-state gets smashed to smithereens. They're certainly within range.

[joshcryer]

16. Yes, it's unlikely they'll get involved. This sounds like a general "Arab states" call to action.

[David__77]

18. There is some level of dissension among Arab states.

I never doubted that Gaddafi himself was an amoral loon, despite his pretensions to the contrary. He had zero credibility among Arab countries' elites. But I cannot say the same with Syria's government. Iraq and Lebanon - neighboring states - may have other ideas indeed. There are sectarian implications. That Israel too is a neighbor is no small factor. I don't think the Egyptians are interested in a foreign adventure. So I'm not sure who would be, other than Turkey - not an Arab state at all. France seems especially eager to intervene militarily.

[joshcryer]

19. I'm going to go out on a limb here and maybe get in trouble with my free-Syria friends...

...but I do not think that the anti-Assad force is as strong as anti-Gaddafi was in Libya. Yes Gaddafi probably did have a lot of supporters (maybe as much as 25%, assuming the security forces were ever that large; which I do doubt). But in the end I do not think he had enough to win him over (he needed at least 75% and it had to be ubiquitous, not just in the east; losing so much territory and allowing a transitional government to gain credibility was his failing). Note: I'm talking numbers here, not necessarily military might; military might is strategically good, but to get support from the international community requires popular civilian numbers.

France does appear to be escalating, but they won't do anything without UN support, and we know that won't happen without Russia and China on board, so I'm not too worried about their rhetoric.

It will come to a head eventually. I think that since the Arab League observers refuse to leave Syria Assad's regime will have to adapt their tactics, otherwise the continued violence will align the Arab states against Syria, particularly if the free-Syria people do begin to get the support they require to continue their dissent.

Problem with that is that free protest and free movement ends only one way for a regime. Even a small percentage can oust a President. Just look at Egypt where 'only' 3% ousted Mubarak by continued protest. If Homs can be counted as homogeneous against Assad they make up roughly 5% of Syria's population. Plenty to get Iran, Russia, and even Iraq to tell Assad he must go, imho.

I do admit this comment neglects the sectarian elements among others, and it may be too simplistic, just throwing it out there. I can only follow one revolution per year, and I never felt that Syria had momentum, unlike Libya. Could be years before this is resolved.

[pampango]

21. Have I missed something? "since the Arab League observers refuse to leave Syria..."

I assumed all along that at some point Assad would get tired of the observers' "meddling" and tell them to leave. Has he told them to go and they refused?

I can't see the Arab League (or NATO or Turkey) getting involved militarily without UN backing and Putin and Wen Jiabao won't authorize the UN to do so much as send a nasty letter to Assad.

It is amazing that such masses of peaceful protesters have continued to demonstrate for so many months. These demonstrations of popular discontent have led to significant military defections (not surprisingly) as frustrations rise and some people see no other way out. While that may be a long term problem for Assad, it could also mean a civil war, many more deaths of civilians and post-war chaos that could have been avoided by an earlier resolution of the people's grievances.

[joshcryer]

24. The violence is escalating and they're not leaving.

I'm not sure if they are being told to leave or what, that was a report I saw the other day about "Arab league observers refuse to leave with escalating violence" if I recall correctly.

I do think that civil war is the only outcome if Assad doesn't adapt.

And I think Assad's ouster is the eventual outcome, regardless.

[ellisonz]

23. "Could be years before this is resolved."

I'm afraid you could be about right...

[4dsc]

12. Remember Qatar sent 100's of troops into Libya

Qatar has admitted for the first time that it sent hundreds of troops to support the Libyan rebels who overthrew Muammar Gaddafi's regime

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/26/qatar-troops-libya-rebels-support

It could happen again.

[Fool Count]

25. The whole Libya operation could have been carried out with 100's of well trained

troops even without any help from so-called "rebels". Qaddafi had no regular military to speak of.
Add NATO's air force to a thousand or so skilled commando fighters on the ground and that's a done deal.
In Syria without close air support the same thousand foreign soldiers will get slaughtered within days.
It will take a 100-200 thousand men force to even begin thinking of intervening there. Who will assemble
that force? Who will pay for the operation? There is only one country in the world capable of that, and
Qatar ain't it.

[riderinthestorm]

14. Russia being the wild card who oppose ANY troops being sent in support of the "rebels"

Clearly the Qatari elite have decided to fuck over the Russians (there's historic bad blood there) and are advocating troops in a flagrant middle finger gesture. Things are going to get very interesting if Qatar sends in those troops. It will (finally) pit the ME against the Russian bear and honestly I have no idea how that fight will end.

Edited for clarity

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I love scary music on CNN and scary GRAPHICS, BREAKING NEWS!!!!

that is all that is left, but we are in for a regional war, at the very least.

[ellisonz]

22. This is a call for peacekeeping, not war. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. No, I will not bother posting this as breaking news, even if it is

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/16/uns-ban-urges-security-council-to-act-seriously-on-syria-crisis/

Suffice it to say, you got it. Anybody wants to follow my posts on Syria... go here

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003248998183

There is one exception I will make about that, but after that, like William Rivers Pitt, it really is not worth it.

Have fun.