New confidence in Damascus as Russian strikes turn the tide

BBC News ^ | 16 December 2015 | Lyse Doucet

[MinorityRepublican]

You notice it on the road to Damascus.

New posters of President Bashar al-Assad hang from the centre of soaring archways that welcome you into Syria and replace the once-fading images all along this route from the border with Lebanon.

You notice it on the main highway, the strategic artery that runs to the city of Homs and on to the Mediterranean coast. Military checkpoints have been bolstered and brightened by fresh coats of paint in the black white and red tricolour of Syria's flag.

And you sense it in the comments of President Assad's supporters - the new signs of confidence.

"The problem is not with the Syrian government," insists presidential adviser Dr Bouthaina Shaaban when I ask about the new international diplomacy gathering pace to find a negotiated way out of this war.

"The problem is with those who are truly targeting Syria. " Nearly five years into a devastating conflict that has shattered large parts of Syria into a patchwork of rebel strongholds, there's an atmosphere of greater certainty in political and military circles in Damascus. 'We're glad the Russians are here'

Never mind that the economy is bad, and getting worse, that a spent Syrian army's accelerated recruitment drive is causing many young men to flee, and that a growing number of middle class professionals have left or are thinking of it.

"We're glad the Russians are here," is a phrase I heard time and again in the corridors of power.

[TigerLikesRooster]

In the end, this process is nothing more than a long bloody torturous road to de-facto partition. This is also the kind of result many of interested parties, inside and outside of Syria, are determined to resist. Even when people finally accept the idea of partition, the battle will rage on because warring parties want to secure as much territory as possible before the final agreement is reached.

[MinorityRepublican]

Much like the Yugoslav Wars.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Yes. They have to accept the idea of partition along ethnic/religious lines as early as possible, and work to minimize bloodshed during the process of finalizing it. The blind zeal to impose the country of multi-ethnic harmony is simply insane. Of course, the first step is to wipe out Islamist terrorists. ISIS and Al-Nusra Front are virulent expansionists. No stable arrangement of partition can work if we let them in the process.

[Shadow44]

Deposing Assad was grasping from the start, let alone the lack of a credible force that is friendly.

Unless there’s going to be a push for Syrian Kurdistan, the whole thing was a debacle.

I doubt Obama will choose the Kurds over Turkey, it’d be too just.

[GraceG]

[ Deposing Assad was grasping from the start, let alone the lack of a credible force that is friendly.

Unless there’s going to be a push for Syrian Kurdistan, the whole thing was a debacle. ]

Agreed! Giving the Kurds a homeland would be the only damn thing that would redeem this debacle.

[BeadCounter]

Yesterday, there was an article that Russia was getting bogged down in Syria and Iran drawing down, today it’s about a “new confidence”. I don’t know, but using barrel bombs when the Russian firepower is there certainly seems strange.

[Jimmy Valentine]

You are correct. This is the unraveling of the Sykes-Picot treaty from the end of WWI. The historical tribal, religious,and territorial divisions of the Mideast are reappearing and will not be stopped.

[SJackson]

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[rawcatslyentist]

What was that saying Nazi Peelousy said?

"The road to peace lies through Damascus."

I think the Biblical scourging of D town to be soon. If Jugears can't have it he'll burn it.

[Trumpinator]

American propaganda news outlets doing Obama's bidding like the NY Times were saying that the Russian campaign was failing. I just read that a day or so ago.

Also, I think reports that Iran was removing troops due to high casualties felt phoney. What I am reading from news sources on Twitter is Iran is withdrawing in some places ahead of peace talks and being replaced by Iraqi Shia Arabs who can speak Arabic (Iranians can't) and by Afghani mercenaries.

[BeauBo]

If there is partition in Syria, and the Russians have the whip hand during the process, the Turks may rue the day that they shot down that Russian plane.

Setting up a Kurdish stronghold on Turkey’s border would be a huge strategic defeat for Erdogan, and Russia might be strong enough to back it up from Turkish invasion.

Assad probably wants all the Kurds and Christians he can get to remain in Syria though, to counter-balance the Sunnis.

[Eleutheria5]

The worst that should happen is that Syria will be partitioned. A Greater Kurdistan emerging from the ruins of the Arab-dominated and Iranian-meddled-with Middle East is actually a good thing.