Posted on 09/17/2014 2:45:27 AM PDT by markomalley
Bashir Assad is the true moderate in Syria. We should be supporting him against the terrorists in his country. The only problem with Assad are his attacks on rebel and terrorist strongholds where innocent civilians often reside. Sound familiar? Israel vs Hamas. Bibi is being villianized in like manner by the international press; only a matter of time before Israel gets the Syria treatment.
Assad’s no moderate. There are no moderates in that area. Assad’s spoken enmity against Israel and the USA several times in the past; especially, Assad has demanded repeatedly that Israel give him the Golan.
And all this after Putin told Obama to butt out of Syria too?
Assad is a Islamic moderate. Of course he wants the Golan back. Wouldn’t you?
Is this an attempt at comedy? If so, I must have missed it.
Secular strong men have historically our best allies in the Middle East (after Israel, of course). We keep overthrowing these people and then we get “surprised” when Muslim fanatics take over and make things worse.
——Bashir Assad is the true moderate in Syria. ——
Well, I guess it depends on your perspective....
Compared to ISIL Assad is a moderate...
To the rest of the world...he is a brutal dictator....
But at least he is a secular one...
He may give the obligatory tough talk but is not likely to start a suicidal war with Israel.
~Assad’s no moderate. There are no moderates in that area. Assad’s spoken enmity against Israel and the USA several times in the past; especially, Assad has demanded repeatedly that Israel give him the Golan.~
You don’t have a clue about Arab politics. What exactly Assad did to back these rants? It is 100% for domestic consumption to convince domestic audience that he is with them “on Joos”. For the radicals Assad is a Jew himself and it is a primary reason why he is attacked.
Assad’s allied with Iran, so he is definitely on board with a worldwide caliphate under the Mahdi.
If you call dhimmitude “thriv(ing)”, then you probably also think that “Palestinian” Christians also “thrive”.
Thanks for confessing your dhimmitude. You sure you’re on the right site? You forgot all about Hezbollah’s close links with Assad too (Hezbollah has been attacking Israel directly, in case you weren’t noticing)?
Secular since when? You mean like how Turkey is “secular”?
~Assad’s allied with Iran, so he is definitely on board with a worldwide caliphate under the Mahdi.
If you call dhimmitude “thriv(ing)”, then you probably also think that “Palestinian” Christians also “thrive”.~
Have you been to Syria before it has all started? Have you been to Iran ever?
Iranian regime is surely nasty but most people are open-minded. Most of them understands how stupid their theocracy is. It would collapse sooner than later.
There is a stark contrast to allegedly friendly Gulf regimes there literally everyone supports sharia crap.
~Secular since when? You mean like how Turkey is “secular”?~
Have you been to Turkey as well?
This really ain’t the place to ask loaded questions or spread liberal propaganda, you know. If you’ve been to Syria, as Pelosi was back in 2007, then it bears question as to what you were up to.
And if you’re backing Iran in any way, then I sense helmeted cat-cubs on the march.
The problem is regime change. There are some in government - both houses - who believe that when someone is a monster it is their obligation to take them out. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but what is absolutely stupid is that they push for that change without considering what would come in its stead to fill the vacuum.
Assad is not someone I would want to invite for Sunday brunch, but he represented stability in Syria. Sure, he was friends with Iran. He did not like Israel. America was not on his nightly prayer list. But the same can be said for those fighting him. People concentrate on ISIS, but the other groups - such as Al Nusra (in essence, Al Qaeda), the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, Ahrar ash-Sham, and the Fahrouq Brigades are not people who will be celebrating the 4th of July!
While folk like McCain may claim that they are 'good people,' they are absolutely not. Now, that does not mean that Assad is a good person. People tend to think of everything in terms of pure Black or White. The truth is that there are many instances where both situations are Black AND Black, or maybe a dirty charcoal black versus deep obsidian, or maybe soot vs midnight.
Saying one group is bad doesn't mean the other is ok.
Assad is a monster, but the West should never have tried to take him out. Same thing for Qaddafi! Daffy Duck was a joke ...he had mellowed a lot from what he used to be in the 80s, and was some old idiot who would wear ill-colored robes and a necklace made of someone's picture portrait. Look at Libya now.
Now, my only point is that the next time the West decides a country or region needs 'freedom' they better ensure that they come with a credible ALTERNATIVE to the person/regime they are trying to change. Certain regions in the world seem to require a strong hand, and taking out the strong man (even someone like Saddam) should not be done unless a credible alternative is first sought.
I’m not backing any of the above and not spreading any propaganda, but it is all about lesser evil.
You can’t remove Assad and expect any better regime and Iranian regime is surely a problem but it requires specific solutions to deal with it, which is a subversion in the first place, not a military op.
Well said. I couldn’t do any better.
Assad is no Sunday school teacher but he’s the best of the bad options to run Syria.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.