What, Exactly, Is Going on in Syria?

Written on February 4th, 2017 in politics Comments Off

Published on Alternet.org, by Vijay Prashad, Feb 1, 2017.

The world’s media is lost in the twists and turns of factions and evolving geopolitics … //

… The Russians, Iranians and Syrian government called for the Astana (Kazakhstan) meeting in late January from a position of strength. It was a meeting for Turkey to establish itself as a major interlocutor for the eventual ceasefire that will come for Syria. The main Saudi proxy – Jaysh al-Islam – led the delegation of the armed opposition, a clear sign that Saudi Arabia has thrown in the towel. Turkey’s leading proxy – Ahrar al-Sham – did not attend, but sent its blessings. The United States was not invited. It has been clearly made marginal. It would be too much to expect this meeting alone to bring peace to Syria. But it is a process that will take time to unfold.

Turkey’s abandonment of the armed opposition and Saudi Arabia’s indifference to events in Syria led to a deep debate inside the obdurate section of the armed opposition. Ahrar al-Sham, after its defeat in northern Syria, broke apart, with its former leader – Abu Jaber – taking on the leadership of the new al-Qaeda formation – Tahrir al-Sham or Hetish. These are hardened extremists, certainly, but they are not the only ones. The previous al-Qaeda affiliate – Jabhat Fateh al-Sham – remains in place, but it is now frequently accused of drifting into the arms of ISIS after it absorbed the fighters of the pro-ISIS formation Jund al-Aqsa. Meanwhile, Jordanian fighters from this group have left and – with encouragement from the Jordanian cleric Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi (the mentor of the founder of al-Qaeda in the region Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) – might form a Syrian Taliban. It is a mess. There is no getting around the fact that the armed Syrian opposition is in the grip of a terrible ideological nightmare. In this dream, the Taliban and al-Qaeda begin to seem moderate when compared to ISIS … //

… The Russians and the Syrians have been bombing ISIS positions with moderate success. The more that they concentrate on this fight, the more likely that the new armed opposition formation in western Syria will strike against the government-held cities and towns. This is where the Syrian government had concentrated its fire. Soldiers from the 104th Airborne Brigade of the Syrian Republican Guard and from Syrian Army’s elite Qassem Units were sent to Deir Ezzor from western Syria and have made inroads against ISIS. Whether they will be able to secure the town once more is unclear.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed, in a phone call, to coordinate the war against ‘international terrorism.’ What this will mean in practice is to be seen. For now, talk of regime change in Syria is off the table, not only in Washington, but also in Ankara and in Riyadh. On the ground, however, matters are much more complex. Defeat is not easy to accept by the armed opposition. It will spill more blood before it becomes clear to these fighters that this war is now over.

(full text).

(Vijay Prashad is professor of international studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of 18 books, including Arab Spring, Libyan Winter (AK Press, 2012), The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South (Verso, 2013) and The Death of a Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution (University of California Press, 2016). His columns appear at AlterNet every Wednesday).

Links:

Trump gently ‘testing waters’ with sanctions relief amid anti-Russia sentiment – Ron Paul, on RT, Feb 3, 2017;

Israeli settlements not ‘impediment’ for peace, just ‘not helpful’ – White House, on RT, Feb 3, 2017;

Europe, what’s left? – seminar report, on transform europe, by Roberto Morea, Jan 31, 2017: a seminar in Rome provided space for discussing the numerous crises in Europe and their potential solutions. While the participants did not share all points of analysis put forward, they agreed on the need to break free of the existing framework and the necessity for a reinvention of the left on our continent;

Women’s cooperatives, a glimpse into Rojava’s economic model, on Kurdish Question, by Hawzhin Azeez, Jan 26, 2017: Zahra Shexo bends over her sewing machine and meticulously, but expertly allows the course material to run through her fingers and under the pointed needle of the machine …;

Capitalism Itself is to Blame for Donald Trump – Professor Richard D. Wolff, 59.11 min, uploaded by Deborah Raymond, Jan 23, 2017 … America lashed out at our economic system, but our new president-elect won’t be able to help. Instead, argues Professor Richard Wolff, we must change the way;

Die verbotene Wahrheit über Deutschland, 57.36 min, hochgeladen von m8y1 WSDV, am 30. Aug 2015;

  • auf de.wikipedia: Volkseigentum ist eine besondere Form des Eigentums, das in sozialistischen Rechtsordnungen mit einem dichotomischen Eigentumsbegriff zu finden ist. Der Begriff des Volkseigentums wird teilweise als irreführend angesehen, weil weder das Volk Inhaber des Volkseigentums sei, noch dem Volk als Ganzem („jedermann“), sondern nur einzelnen Beliehenen das Nutzungsrecht an volkseigenen Vermögensgegenständen zustehe …;
  • auf de.metapedia.org: Paffrath, Constanze ist promovierte Politikwissenschaftlerin, arbeitet in der Industrie im Bereich Kommunikation und lehrt an der Alanus Hochschule für Kunst und Gesellschaft in Alfter bei Bonn. Die Autorin lebt in Mülheim/Ruhr und ist dort Stadträtin der CDU. Paffraths brisantes Buch Macht und Eigentum (die Enteignungen 1945-1949 im Prozess der deutschen Wiedervereinigung) erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen die Kohl-Regierung …;

nochmals:

How Do We Break The Habit Of Excessive Thinking? 11.06 min, uploaded by Eckhart Tolle, oct 3, 2011 … Website;

… and this:

French songs / Chansons Françaises, uploaded by Ed Oomen:

  • (2b), 73.22 min;
  • (04), 77.46 min;
  • (06), 80.02 min;
  • (07), 77.26 min;
  • (03), 81.58 min;
  • (5b), 74.42 min.

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