President Assad

What was great about 1939?

Hitler invaded Poland and we then entered the Second World War.
Millions across Europe were killed, soldiers, civilians, Jews, Gypsies.
Cities were levelled and burnt to the ground.
1939 was the beginning of complete hell.
If 1945 had been quoted, then I agree, a better future for the whole of Europe.

petal53

Macadia

What a great time for Syria
We haven't seen such a great thing since 1939

What do you mean?
I don’t understand.

I do. It gives the people some hope for a better future.

Too early to talk of elections the leader of the rebel group will take charge for a period of months or years

Macadia

What a great time for Syria
We haven't seen such a great thing since 1939

What do you mean?
I don’t understand.

Yes Assad was brutal and Netanyahu and the rest of the IDF and the Z cabinet need to learn. Soon they will run.
What the UK govt says is insignificant, apart from a few anti muslim, anti islamic slogans to placate the racist DM and Gammon brigade.
Hopefully the new Syrian govt will stand up to Israeli aggression esp around the Golan heights, that should be secured. Assad and his father never supported the Palestinians and showed cowardice to Israel. Stability is key in areas of economy, education, health and defence.

“Over the coming days and weeks, the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East will be redrawn further as power in Syria shifts from Assad’s Alawite minority, a Shia offshoot, to the country’s Sunni Arab majority.

Both Shia Iran and Russia will lose their most important Arab client. Russia, whose ruthless aerial bombardment helped Assad to recapture rebel-held cities, looks set to lose its naval base at Tartus and air base at Hmeimim to the north, depriving Vladimir Putin of a foothold on the eastern Mediterranean. But Putin has other options in the region, most notably in Libya, where Russia supports Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who controls most of the country.

Iran, on the other hand, is far more weakened. Israeli military action has hollowed out its most important non-state allies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.“

The Telegraph today.

I think it's possible we are jumping to conclusions far far too early about Syria's future. There are so many different groups and interests involved not least international groups/governments who have been giving aid, and substantial help in re-building comes with conditions.

A civil defence group this morning is reported as destroying tunnels under the notorious prison where people are still being released from. It's all very, very new yet people are assuming "worst option" scenarios.

I say hope for the best, which is that elections are called and people get their say.

"According to the United Nations, 90% of Syrians live in poverty. The Assad family were not among them."
This is why we send overseas aid , ordinary Syrians have had the most dreadful existence for such a long time which is why so many have fled, the foreign aid helps those who choose to stay and they are totally dependent on it.

Macadia

What a great time for Syria
We haven't seen such a great thing since 1939

With a proscribed terrorist organisation in charge, I don't hold out much hope for the ordinary Syrian people.
Let's not get too excited, could be as bad as Assad.

Yes Allira quite right, my earlier comment was very much tongue-in-cheek.

According to the United Nations, 90% of Syrians live in poverty. The Assad family were not among them.

I think most of us on here fear for the future of Syria. A sudden power vacuum in the Islamic world only ends in the same thing: Those with the biggest armoury and aggressive suppression, take power. They are then backed up by Russia/Iran or other world tyrannies. The Syrian people may wish for prosperity and stability, but it won’t happen under the flag of Islam, there are too many warring interests. And so it continues, sadly.

ronib

John Simpson is under fire for calling Assad meek and not a traditional dictator. Daily Telegraph.
That makes two of us now.

Dictators vary, just like politicians. Assad was a cruel dictator. No question about it. Him being overthrown isn’t likely to mean improvements for the general population. Especially the women

ronib

I am truly unsure that Assad was a cruel leader - will the next leader be kind? I doubt it. Didn’t Assad train to be a doctor before becoming president?
The news becomes worse daily.

ronib Are you convinced yet that Assad was a cruel leader?

In case you aren't, here is a reference to a news item on the BBC this morning www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2dx3ekpr59o

It estimated that more than 30,000 detainees had either been executed or died as a result of torture, lack of medical care or starvation between 2011 and 2018. Citing accounts from the few released inmates, at least another 500 detainees had been executed between 2018 and 2021, it said. - and that is just the main prison in Damascus. There were many more prisons all around Syria. All with reputations for torture, execution ond other barbarities.

Yes, Assad did train to be a doctor and specialised in eye disease, but that tells nothing of him. He trained to be a doctor because his elder, openly more brutal, brother was expected to succeed their father. However the older brother was killed in a road accident, and he gave up his medical career, no doubt seeing a better and more lucrative career in Syria as a dictator.

The advantage of having an heir and a spare.

It was reported on the news last night that the man who has declared himself the new leader of Syria has close connections to Al-Queda.

I hope that it goes well for all Syrians, only time will tell.

I hope it works for them that extremists don't take over again., I hope Assad is captured, knows no peace and is imprisoned.

Presumably all the Syrian refugees will now be heading home. They will need our help to get re-settled and there will be a massive re-building programme.
This may well cause conflict between other countries who wish to take advantage of the situation.

What a great time for Syria
We haven't seen such a great thing since 1939

petra

David49
I think there’s more chance of the Ayatollah turning to christanty than this latest group turning to Iran.

In that case we can be optimistic that Hezbollah and Hamas will be marginalized and Gaza will begin to recover.

HousePlantQueen

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Looking forward to seeing Gay Pride in Aleppo next year under this "diverse" and "inclusive" jihadist terrorist government.

Sorry, but given what the Syrian people have suffered, and the uncertainty they face, I don't find your comment funny.

I don't think it was meant to be funny. If you thought it was, that's rather sad because it is going to become worse for women and minorities now.

Personally, I feel very worried.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Looking forward to seeing Gay Pride in Aleppo next year under this "diverse" and "inclusive" jihadist terrorist government.

Sorry, but given what the Syrian people have suffered, and the uncertainty they face, I don't find your comment funny.

John Simpson is under fire for calling Assad meek and not a traditional dictator. Daily Telegraph.
That makes two of us now.

M0nica

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Looking forward to seeing Gay Pride in Aleppo next year under this "diverse" and "inclusive" jihadist terrorist government.

You are expecting too much, too soon.

I some times wonder what right we have to demand that other countries - anywhere should do what we do, just because we consider it a human right.

You are expecting too much, too soon.
🤔
I think it was tongue-in-cheek.

I do wonder if some countries need leaders like Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad, and others of their ilk, to prevent worse extremists who are against human rights taking charge?
Better the devil you know?

Whatever we think, it is really nothing to do with us unless it threatens our peace.

That was it foxie. Good understandable graphics. It covers other countries in the region too.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63dd2a9fe90e075da4268111/UK_Syria_Crisis_Response_Summary__Feb_2023.pdf

It was from the govt website if anyone is interested. I think the there's a lot of misunderstanding of what overseas aid is spent on.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Looking forward to seeing Gay Pride in Aleppo next year under this "diverse" and "inclusive" jihadist terrorist government.

You are expecting too much, too soon.

I some times wonder what right we have to demand that other countries - anywhere should do what we do, just because we consider it a human right.