West Asia News and Discussions

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ramana
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

That guy should be working at Center for Pubilc Disinformation.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

@HalaGorani: MT @ivanCNN US ambassador Robert Ford tells CNN Syrian foreign ministry spox Jihad Makdissi is in US, President's mother Anissa now in UAE.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by pentaiah »

@mtvnasurallh: Flying Sauser is ready for Assad, anytime airborne express back up
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

@Bhuvanbagga: Ingenious: India'sEmbassy in CairoEngagesYouth MT @AkbarMEA: Competition on 'Spirit of Gandhi in Tahrir Square'(Pics) http://t.co/jHZRsVT1
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RajeshA »

shyamd wrote:@Bhuvanbagga: Ingenious: India'sEmbassy in CairoEngagesYouth MT @AkbarMEA: Competition on 'Spirit of Gandhi in Tahrir Square'(Pics) http://t.co/jHZRsVT1
Isn't that like meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation? :P
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

Iraqi Sunnistan?
Why Separatism Could Rip the Country Apart—Again
It's not easy being a prominent Sunni in Iraq these days. This past December, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the arrest of several bodyguards of Rafi al-Issawi, the minister of finance and one of the most influential and respected Sunni leaders in Iraq. In response, tens of thousands of Sunnis took to the streets of Anbar, Mosul, and other predominantly Sunni cities, demanding the end of what they consider government persecution. Issawi has accused Maliki of targeting him as part of a systematic campaign against Sunni leaders, which includes the 2011 indictment of Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, on terrorism charges. This is not the first time that Maliki has gone after Issawi, either. In 2010, during tense negotiations over the makeup of the government, Maliki accused Issawi of leading a terrorist group -- a claim that the U.S. military investigated and found baseless. Not coincidentally, this most recent incident occurred days after President Jalal Talabani, always a dependable moderator in Iraqi politics, was incapacitated by a stroke.

The scale of the ongoing demonstrations reveals the widespread sense of alienation that Sunnis feel in the new Iraq. Prior to 2003, Sunnis rarely identified as members of a religious sect and instead called themselves Iraqi or Arab nationalists. It was the country's Shia population that claimed to be victims, on account of their persecution by Saddam Hussein.

Today, the roles are reversed. Shia Islamists consolidated power in Baghdad after the toppling of Saddam's regime, and some -- particularly those who were exiled during Baathist rule -- now view all Sunnis with suspicion. In turn, many Sunnis take issue with the new political system, which was largely shaped by Shia and Kurdish parties. Today, the Sunni population is mobilizing against the status quo and making sect-specific demands, such as the release of Sunni detainees, an end to the torture of Sunni suspects, and humane treatment of Sunni women in jails. Moreover, demonstrators are calling for the overthrow of the regime, using slogans made popular during the Arab Spring.

Meanwhile, Kurdish leaders identify Maliki as the main problem facing Iraq, and some delegations of Kurds and Shia have travelled to Issawi's native province of Anbar to express their own distrust of the regime. The top Iraqi Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, has voiced disappointment with Maliki's government and has called for it to respond to the concerns of the protestors. Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of Iraq's most authentic grassroots Shia movement, the Sadrist Trend, has accused Maliki of provoking the current discontent. Although fear of Maliki's creeping authoritarianism is pushing his rivals together, growing sectarian tensions may yet rip Iraq apart.

As with other protests in the Arab world, which were initially driven by legitimate local grievances, there is a risk that the current movement will become increasingly sectarian. At political events, some Iraqi Sunni clerics use conciliatory language and emphasize Iraqi fraternity. Others, however, speak passionately about the suffering of the Sunni community at the hands of Maliki's Shia administration and condemn his ties with Iran.

Since 2008, when Maliki led a harsh crackdown on the Mahdi Army, a Shia militia, the prime minister has tried to present himself as a nationalist leader seeking to unify his country and evenly enforce the rule of law. The rise of Maliki and the popularity he gained with Shia, however, reveal the flaws of Iraq's new political system, which made state institutions fiefdoms of patronage for sectarian political parties rather than channels for delivering public services. Maliki tried to earn legitimacy beyond just the Shia community, in particular seeking the support of Sunni voters. His confrontation with Massoud Barzani, the president of the semi-independent Iraqi Kurdistan region, over security issues along the disputed border was primarily a move to win the support of the Sunni population there, which is resentful of Kurdish encroachment.

But Maliki has squandered his ability to appeal to the country's other sects and communities because of his paranoia and ideological bias as a leader of Dawa, the Shia Islamist party. He blames external interference for the current tensions, exploiting images of divisive symbols such as flags of the Saddam era, the Free Syrian Army, and Kurdistan, as well as photos of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And Maliki's record -- his targeting of Sunni politicians, his selective use of law, his influence over the judiciary to ensure rulings in his favor, and his close ties with Iran -- confirms that he is prepared to use all means necessary to consolidate power.

Maliki could cling to power by presenting himself as the defender of the Shia in an increasingly tumultuous environment, turning his fear of a regional sectarian conflict into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Al-Qaeda attacks in Iraq are on the rise, provoked by discontent with Maliki and inspired by the Syrian civil war next door. So far this month, al-Qaeda has killed Shia pilgrims in Karbala, a Sunni lawmaker in Anbar, and Kurds in Kirkuk. Meanwhile, other leaders are struggling to remain relevant. The credibility of Sunni government officials is declining, due to their inability to prevent discrimination against their constituents while participating in a system that brings them personal benefits. In the Shia camp, Sadr is moving to the center, positioning himself as a nationalist leader. If Sadr is able to create an alliance with anti-Maliki Sunnis and Kurds -- presenting a credible and unifying alternative government -- sectarianism could be curbed. However, Maliki might be provoked by such a challenge and clamp down on his rivals even more aggressively.

Politics in Iraq and the surrounding region are increasingly sectarian. Inspired by the rebellion in Syria and supported by the Sunni leaders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, Iraq's Sunnis may seek greater autonomy from the Shia-dominated central government in years to come. This need not be the case: in the 2010 national elections, most Sunnis voted for the Iraqiya electoral list, a coalition that defined itself as nonsectarian and was led by a secular Shia politician. But, given the sectarian turn of Iraqi politics, Sunni leaders seem likely to run on one list with a platform built around Sunni grievances in the 2014 national elections. In addition, more hardline Sunni leaders may emerge if the current politicians prove unable to achieve meaningful gains for their communities. Sunni leaders may also, if they manage to overcome their internal divisions, propose an independent Sunni region, similar to the one enjoyed by the Kurds. This would mark the end of Iraqi nationalism and put the survival of the state in question.

Maliki's efforts to destroy his rivals have drawn him closer to Shia Iran, which has in turn affected regional power dynamics. To counter Iran's influence, Turkey is now posing as the defender not only of Iraq's Sunnis but also of its Kurds, even though Turkey has long feared Kurdish nationalism within its own borders. Saudi Arabia, despite its usual counterrevolutionary attitude, is supporting the rebels in Syria in hopes of replacing the Shia-Alawite regime with a Sunni government and undoing the pro-Shia axis that now runs through Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

It is up to Iraq's politicians, then, to overcome their differences and construct a national platform that addresses the country's challenges. Any such settlement will require making concessions regarding regional autonomy, internal border disputes, the management and distribution of oil profits, and Baghdad's foreign policy orientation. Unfortunately, given mutual distrust, the personalization of disputes, and the upcoming electoral season, such compromises do not seem likely -- particularly if Maliki insists on remaining in power indefinitely.

The American public is no doubt fatigued by the recent decades of involvement in the country and the region. But to avoid disaster, the United States urgently needs to review its Iraq policy. Washington needs to show the Iraqi people that its intent is not to divide Iraq and keep it weak -- even if that appears to have been a main outcome of the U.S. intervention. U.S. President Barack Obama succeeded in keeping his campaign promise of withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq. In its second term, the Obama administration should stop supporting a status quo that is driving Iraq toward both authoritarianism and fragmentation. The United States should make clear that it neither condones nor supports the prime minister's consolidation of power and blatant use of the Iraqi Security Forces -- which the United States helped train and equip -- to crack down on political opposition. Washington should make its aid to Maliki -- or any other Iraqi leader -- conditional on his behaving within democratic norms.

In addition, Washington should support Iraqi Shia's attempts to select a new prime minister and should help facilitate a pact among the country's elites in order to turn Iraq into a buffer rather than a battlefield state in the volatile region. U.S. engagement in the Middle East should seek to restrain external actors from interfering in Iraq and waging a proxy war there. Washington needs to contain Iran, but should make clear that it is not aligned with Sunnis in a regional sectarian war against Shia. This will require pushing back on Iranian influence in Iraq and simultaneously putting greater pressure on Sunni allies in the region to respect and protect their Shia populations. The United States has invested too much in Iraq to simply ignore these warning signs. Washington should use its diplomatic clout to help prevent further bloodshed.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Assad and the mystical war of mantras:
Syrians heed call to pray for security
Damascus - A large number of Syrians on Friday heeded a call by the authorities to join weekly Muslim prayers for security and gathered in mosques across the country, the state news agency SANA said.

“Popular participation was broad in the prayer in mosques across Syria for the return of safety and security to the homeland,” SANA said, a day after a Muslim feast in which the authorities called for a “million-man prayer.”

State television broadcast footage of prayers at the Umayyad mosque in central Damascus, showing hundreds of people, as Sheikh Mohammed Said Ramadan al-Bouti, a top cleric frequently featured on television, led the prayer.
The sheikh also recited a prayer for President Bashar al-Assad.

“Give your servant (Assad) success on his good path,” he said, and called for national unity in the strife-torn country.

“Neither religious differences nor the enemies of religion will separate us,” he said.
Elsewhere on Friday, protesters in flashpoints across Syria held demonstrations calling for the fall of Assad under the slogan: “Our leader for ever, the Prophet Mohammed.”
Meanwhile in Tunis:
Sacking of Sufi shrines condemned
The Tunisian government on Friday condemned a wave of “outrageous” attacks on Sufi shrines by suspected hardline Islamists and vowed to identify the culprits.

“Outrageous attacks on mausoleums in several regions and cities of Tunisia have increased recently,” the Islamist government, dominated by the Ennahda party, said in a statement.

Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali vowed to work to “find out who committed or ordered these acts.”

Two Sufi mausoleums were torched on Thursday, police and media reported, in the latest violence which the mystical Muslim sect claims is being carried out by ultra-conservative Salafist Muslims.
“This is just the beginning. They will go on to destroy the (Roman) sites in Carthage, El Jem and Duga. Then they will force men to grow beards and women to wear the full veil,” he said.

According to the union, which urged Tunisia's Islamist-led government to take effective action, such attacks are financed from abroad.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

ShyamD, Turkey posing as a defender of Kurds is an oxymoron..
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

It only applies to KRG territory and the Barzani's who have an alliance with Turks to export their oil. KRG have given the Turks a lot of business too. Cooperation on PKK to an extent.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by SSridhar »

Why did Sultan Qaboos opt out of being the Chief Guest at this year's R-Day celebrations ?
Link
By agreeing to be the chief guest, the King bailed India out of an embarrassing position after the Sultan of Oman pulled out about a month back citing previous engagements. But the King displayed humility, thanking India for inviting him to the 64th Republic Day.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

^ so much for strategic partnership, hundreds of billions of investments in infra and super powah India.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by habal »

he's more clued in into indian politics than many expat Indians themselves. The govt has lost credibility and he does not want to be seen to prop up or endorse a non-credible regime.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by sum »

SSridhar wrote:Why did Sultan Qaboos opt out of being the Chief Guest at this year's R-Day celebrations ?
Link
By agreeing to be the chief guest, the King bailed India out of an embarrassing position after the Sultan of Oman pulled out about a month back citing previous engagements.
1st step of Strategic partnership onlee...
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

SSridhar wrote:Why did Sultan Qaboos opt out of being the Chief Guest at this year's R-Day celebrations ?
Link
By agreeing to be the chief guest, the King bailed India out of an embarrassing position after the Sultan of Oman pulled out about a month back citing previous engagements. But the King displayed humility, thanking India for inviting him to the 64th Republic Day.
Because Sultan Q is saying he never said okay to the dates that were given to him and now MEA is investigating who said 'okay' on behalf of him or who cocked up. He was meant to visit for 1 month last year and all his family turned up for the holiday but then as you know protests started in Oman.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by SSridhar »

OK. Thanks. The MEA has to be sanitized. SMK & SK are really messing it up.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

^ it is always MEA fault. Then how can we trust the MEA's decision/roadmap on strategic partnership with such tin can dictatorships?
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

^^ Lol. RamaY, can you tell us more about Indian relations with Oman since you have more knowledge than all of us and MEA put together?

Please tell us when he sold out our interests worse than SL or Nepal or Maldives.

Thanks
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

ShyamD Garu...

Let's not go there. I can LoL you all over the place and it will end up in unnecessary bitterness.

All I am asking is if MEA can screw up on a date related to republic day (which comes on the same date, unlike our Hindu festivals) how much trust we can put on these worthies to run our strategic partnerships especially with those tin-pot dictators. Don't forget that this MEA is mostly responsible for the plight of our Indian immigrants in GCC.

Please note that I am not blaming your GCC masters. You may feel bad that I am calling them tin-pot dictators because they don't have a clue on what is going to happen to their own kingdoms at any given point of time, be it a sand spring or camel-urine tsunami.

By the way, it will be nice if you can list out the strategic investments all these GCC tinpot dictators made in the past 8 years in return for our puppy Jhuppy.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

RamaY wrote:ShyamD Garu...

Let's not go there. I can LoL you all over the place and it will end up in unnecessary bitterness.

Go for it boss - lets talk Oman since this is what it is about.
All I am asking is if MEA can screw up on a date related to republic day (which comes on the same date, unlike our Hindu festivals) how much trust we can put on these worthies to run our strategic partnerships especially with those tin-pot dictators.
We don't know who's fault it is yet. And when you say "those tin pot dictators" - can you not jump around and answer the question I asked above?
Don't forget that this MEA is mostly responsible for the plight of our Indian immigrants in GCC.
Tell us their plight in Oman.
Please note that I am not blaming your GCC masters. You may feel bad that I am calling them tin-pot dictators because they don't have a clue on what is going to happen to their own kingdoms at any given point of time, be it a sand spring or camel-urine tsunami.
So this is how you want to debate ???? By making silly accusations like this? You want to speak about hindu's and dharma and all that and this is how you display your hinduness and dharma and all that???????
By the way, it will be nice if you can list out the strategic investments all these GCC tinpot dictators made in the past 8 years in return for our puppy Jhuppy.
Judging by what you have said above I dont think its worth it as you as usual resulting to lies and twisting what people say and petty accusations. Anyways, you spoke as if you knew all that is going on and you have clearly been there and seen for yourself and you know more than any of us and you are extremely dharmic and hindu and all that. Your perspective will be the best on Oman. THanks
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

http://connect.bwint.org/?p=451
According to the PMLU, the Government of Oman had declared amnesty for irregular migrant workers in 2010 in order to ensure that migrants could return home without facing a jail term or big financial penalties.  To date, 23,000 Indians registered with the Indian embassy but only 14,000 have been able to return with the remaining 9,000 still stranded in Oman.  It is estimated that 3,000 of these 9,000 are from the state of Andhra Pradesh. 
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

...so..... are you saying the fact that 9000 illegal residents couldn't return because they didn't have money is Oman's fault now?

Can you tell us also if the amnesty was extended to process indians or any other nationals? Also tell us the status of the remaining 450,000 - 24,000 = 426,000 indian nationals present in Oman? Are they all in a terrible plight?

Thanks
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

Keep rationalizing my friend, rationalize.

By one measure there are 990million law-abiding Indians. So we must ignore about the remaining 10 million rapists.

Those 426,000 Indians are getting free lunch in Oman? If Oman is not at fault for the plight of 9000 Indians it should not be given credit for the success of the 426000 Indians right? Oman is allowing them to work there because it needs them there.

It is a simple economic relationship. No need to get idiotic orgasms about strategic relationships.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

RamaY wrote:Keep rationalizing my friend, rationalize.

By one measure there are 990million law-abiding Indians. So we must ignore about the remaining 10 million rapists.
Arrey bhai - stop dilly dallying around and answer the questions straight. Are you saying that it is Oman's fault that these people are in their country illegally and dont have money to pay for their flights home?
Those 426,000 Indians are getting free lunch in Oman? If Oman is not at fault for the plight of 9000 Indians it should not be given credit for the success of the 426000 Indians right?
:rotfl: eh? You are the one making out the plight of Indian workers is soooo bad in Oman and they all want to leave and all that. You are blaming Oman for these indians who entered/overstayed illegally and also their financial situation? So you are telling me GoI is responsible for the financial well being of illegal citizens - Bangladeshi's etc resident in India?
Oman is allowing them to work there because it needs them there.

No shit sherlock. You were talking about plight earlier, now you are saying something totally different.
It is a simple economic relationship. No need to get idiotic orgasms about strategic relationships.
Please tell us what a strategic relationship means in the indian context and what strategic relationship we have with Oman. You still haven't answered my questions Guruji - what has Oman done that is so bad compared to our allies SL, Nepal?

And FYI the basis of most strategic relationships with any country is the economy - mutually beneficial - they have something we want, we have something they want.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

He hee...

You got your undies twisted when I questioned the wisdom of MEA in going for strategic partnership with tin pot dictators in GCC. When I gave details of 9000 Indians stuck in Oman, you bring 426000 Indians who are living Jennat in Oman.

i am blaming MEA, not Oman. You started whining the moment you saw your masters name.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

Lol as usual trying to lie your way out and make up that I'm upset about one thing or another. I'm questioning your insult to the Sultan of Oman who has been a good ally - or certainly better than SL or Nepal. But obviously you have more knowledge than any of us about that so I asked why you were calling the sultan a tin pot dictator and insulting him with the name. Only seeking some knowledge but you are not answering my question.

Glad your blaming MEA and not Oman. But even then lets assume it's MEA's fault, you know western govts only pay the bill back if the person was a victim of terror attack or a major incident (war weather etc).

Since you know more about me and who my masters are can you tell me more and provide evidence to your slanderous allegations? Or are you making shit up again to get yourself out? Why can't you just answer those questions that I asked about strategic relationship - why are you trying to divert the debate into something personal and make these allegations instead of answering the simple questions I asked ?
Last edited by shyamd on 27 Jan 2013 05:04, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

MOTO - More Omani than Oman :P

I will give Oman credit for what it is though
Oman is one of the few countries in the region that have made it a policy to abstain from voting whenever a vote on Kashmir is taken at international forums such as the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

Thanks :)
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

I am glad a member of some godforesaken club abstained from a resolution that called my wife a w6ore. It doesn't matter if that club has no business talking about my wife.

Such is my self-awareness! I know i know, he is better than other club members. If only I can make strategic partnership with him so I can influence others stop calling my white a w6ore. It also matters that my children work in that club.

I hate when others call me a slave.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

............... Right.... So moving on....

Breaking: Netanyahu warns of Syrian chemical weapons: Syria is disintegrating - the situation on the ground is critical
#Syria "on verge of collapse" says #Israel's Dichter. Being given top priority "because of imminence of threat"
http://t.co/0jkAmfFO

Attack on Syria will be seen as attack on Iran says Iran
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSB ... 6?irpc=932

@WashingtonPoint: Even in #Assad's coastal retreat, the war has come and the bombs are dropping http://t.co/WDZypir1 #latakia #Syria

Video: #FSA Losing Military & Popular Support in #Syria http://t.co/iTJIlaiU via @AJEnglish #Assad #news
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RoyG »

I hope a full blown civil war starts in that region.

Hopefully, the Russians and Iranians keep it going for a long time.

I've always wondered what would happen if Syria uses its chemical weapons on Israel with the aim of pitting them against the Islamists they are supporting.

The Islamic world is going through a purification with the help
of Gulf states and the West.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

#Israel warns it will strike #Syria if rebels or #Hezbollah obtain #ChemicalWeapons http://t.co/pEb4ySRC via @spur_dahlin #FSA #news
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

Syria has four possible targets for its chemical weapons

1. Internal enemies - it would invite ICJ and mean end of the regime by western powers and will lead to long term occupation
2. Turkey - will invite Turkey+NATO into Syria and result in long term occupation
3. KSA - at right time and right place this can lead to complete chaos in Ummah. May not lead to occupation.
4. Israel - high chance of interception and possible pin-point retaliation by Israel but no invasion and occupation.

So the best choices are 3 and 4 as the key objective is to avoid long-term occupation.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Baikul »

I'm by no means well versed on the topic, but IMO the only way Syria will deploy chemicals weapons is if Assad and his generals are prepared to die fighting.

It seems to me that even if they lose, they can still 'reasonably expect' to find asylum somewhere.

But once they've pulled the trigger on a chemical weapon, that option may be off the table. For all the talk, will even Iran shelter them if that happens?
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RoyG »

Chemical weapons are a trump card for them. They could perhaps carry out chemical terror attacks on Israel with the help of Hezbollah. Israel would probably hit Lebanon hard.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by brihaspati »

West Asia thread so quiet on Morsi versus Suez and Cairo "resistance" and state of emergency? No news on continuing troubles in Jordan! No news on Yemen. Nothing on Iraq's Sunni drama and limiting of term of ruler. Things are getting hot under the collar there.

Oman's strange "behaviour" related to things going on there connected to the neighbourhood and renewed pressure on the Dawood connection.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Oman is very close to Iran - the only Gulfie that has defied US pressure and maintains close and positive relations with Iran. It was also close to India, until its strange behavior recently, coinciding with the upturn in anti-India vibes coming out of Iran itself.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by brihaspati »

^^Because Luteyens pleasure garden has finally seen the wisdom of joining the Sunni club completely for gazillions of future investments, and prosperity and hopefully security from pakis. Iranian mullahcracy core is now like a caged mad cat. Internally also lots of pressure - even the "communists" have been befriended by friends of democracy from across the pond.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

Bji

What is the probability of the Shia-crescent go for the juggler vein? I would love to see them show some fighting spirit for it would cause some pleasent collateral damage.
Aditya_V
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Joined: 05 Apr 2006 16:25

Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Aditya_V »

RoyG wrote:Chemical weapons are a trump card for them. They could perhaps carry out chemical terror attacks on Israel with the help of Hezbollah. Israel would probably hit Lebanon hard.
Libya, Saddam gave up thier weapons and were not attacked, this seems the only reason cruise missiles and bombs to keep the the peace have not yet taken place.
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