Syria- should Parliament be recalled?

Sorry, forgot to 'blue' the links:

www.avaaz.org/en/syria_a_path_to_peace_51/?tcSnpab

www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/09/banned-anti-murdoch-ad-finds-new-voice-on-web/

Here's another take on the Syria crisis.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/syria_a_path_to_peace_51/?tcSnpab

Meanwhile. in Australia we are in the middle of a dreadful election, horribly skewed by the Murdoch press, with his newspapers shamelessly badmouthing labor and promoting the LNP (our Tories). Our only major dailies in Queensland are both owned by Murdoch, and this advert

http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/09/banned-anti-murdoch-ad-finds-new-voice-on-web/

has been banned.

We don't stand an earthly. But even when/if the right wingers win, there will be loud objections and deep disgust, but no violence. That is not how our democracy works, I'm glad to say.

Poor Syria.

Looks like Obama has got the OK......

This - and a number of other articles on the net - demonstrates the plight of the Christian community in Syria. It's also true that Western politicians often ignore the fact that a substantial number of Palestinians are Christian, an inconvenient fact if they want to portray all Arabs as Muslims of on kind or another.

As a point of information not all Arabs are Muslims, though most are.

Civil wars are appalling as those who have previously lived harmoniously side by side are forced to take sides. I have said it before that it is a rock and hard place...

There have been many situations where the Arab nations could have united against the Euopean/US alliance but they have not. Not sayig they never would but there are many Arab countries (they are as different as any European) who admire Britain.

This is an Arab war muslim fighting muslim ie Sunni against Shai. Interfere and it is guaranteed they will eventually turn on us.

Pull the other one, J0.

I think the test was most likely planned some time ago. Nothing to do with the Syria thing.

When North Korea test-fires a missile, it's provocation. What would they call this? An exercise?

Are they determined to start an all-out war?????

Some of the refugees are fleeing because they fear an attack from the US, not just from their own government.

This must surely raise the temperature.

Interesting about the North Russian Expedition.
My grandfather's brother was sent to Russia in 1919 with the Syren force and ended up with pneumonia in an Archangel hospital - but this is the first I have heard of gas here!

There's that elephant in the room again - well, maybe two elephants: Israel and Iran.

Apparently Obama's wish for military intervention is as much to do with Iran as anything. If they don't intervene Iran will be encouraged to go ahead with their nuclear programme.

Two million refugees. Two million lives shattered.

This

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/revealed-britain-sold-nerve-gas-2242520

Indeed. And remember, a lot more recently, the extensive use of Agent Orange by the USA in Vietnam.

Churchill and the use of chemical weapons. Makes his halo a little less shiny, no?

Yes.

j08 Not stupid but greedy.

There is only so much that humanitarian aid can do.

annodomini makes you want to weep doesn't it? How could they be so stupid?

I wasn't deliberately misunderstanding you bluebell*. It sounded as though you thought it wasn't so bad because it wasn't actual chemical weapons.

Sorry I got it wrong.

I hope that Western governments are thinking very carefully before getting all gung-ho about bombing Syria. I think Obama's involvement of Congress, which he doesn't have to do constitutionally, is a bid for time in the hope that pressure can be brought to bear on Russia and, less importantly, China at the G20. Military action in Syria could easily create a precedent that comes back later to bite the bums responsible in the same way that US/UK action in Kosovo was used as justification for Russian action in Georgia.

Any enterprise in that region is high risk. Probably the biggest risk would be war spreading across borders. Syria has close ties with Iran and Israel is aching to have a go at Iran. Syria also has close ties with Hezbollah.

I think it is a rock and a hard place. We cannot take action without being reasonably certain that it will have the desired outcome. However I am not sure anyone in UK government/US government is clear or agreed what the desired outcome would be.

If they really think that one bombing of Assad's stronghold will end the civil war /stop the use of chemical weapons then maybe it is worth it...but I am not convinced..also what happens next?

If the show of strength is to discourage the others then it would have to be a more sustained commitment.

I think we really need to be organising huge humanitarian support and working through UN to try to gain support from Russia etc to condemn the Syrian government.

Also we have no idea what the spooks ( from a variety of places) have been doing. Truth is a difficult thing to be sure of