Syria - What happens next?

[Zingari]

Yeah, so show me the money. I agree with you and I wasn't being facetious. The point I was trying to make was that, here we are, football fans on a forum saying the US and it's allies (or whoever) should do this, that and the other, based on speculation and probable untruth's. It's fine to have a view but, as you said, facts are needed before we, as individuals, can really make our minds up and put forward a view based on the reality. The reality here is, someone used chemical weapons, the fact is, so far we don't know who.

We probably never hear facts until about 30 years too late , then we just shrug and call it history.

The first casualty of war is always truth 

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

We do need to be certain regard to the use of chemical weapons. If Assad has used them, then he is a monster, who needs to be checked.

[Guest MattP]

"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." - Barack Obama, 2007

[Dr The Singh]

We should not get involved militarily, there are refugee camps which we the tax payer are funding.  Any military action will only escalate the issue.  Diplomacy is the best way to safe guard innocent children and people, well atleast allow those safe passage to one of those camps.........my 2 pence

[James.]

Few interesting points I don't remember being discussed here that I've picked up on after attending a talk by an expert in this area:

 

- apparently Syria has the largest stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons in the entire region

 

- through help from the Russians Syria has one of the best anti air and ship defence systems, it was described by a former senior ranking intelligence officer as "impenetrable". This means it is more likely they would opt for longer range cruide missile strikes which have much more chance of hitting the wrong target

 

- given this is a fight for his life Assad, if he did use chemical weapons, wouldn't refrain from using them again to try to protect his position meaning the situation could well get far more serious

 

- around a third of all rebels have links or are directly involved with Al-qaeda related groups

 

- because of the complications politically and militarily it is unlikely we'd see any action before the middle of next week BUT it is pretty sure there will be SOME action as it would be political suicide if he backed away from the situation

 

- any strike would probably need to be sustained (2-3 weeks) to have any impact on the infrastructure

 

- real concerns that weakening Assad would leave it open for rebels to take control and that the situation is far more serious than something like Libya

 

- UN inspectors will only tell us what we already know, i.e. that Sarin gas was used

[Guesty]

Miliband looked weak earlier repeating and hesitating.

 

It's such a mess of a situation, with massive ramifications. God knows why Assad (or his Army) used Chemical Weapons (if it was them, which looks likely). Is he going out in a blaze of glory, has he just gone mad, has he gone soft and his generals want to oust him, did the rebels some how manage it and have great PR, or is he calling Obama's bluff in the hope it will pit Russia and the USA against each other?

 

Think something has to be done to show Assad that he's pushing his luck though else he will see it as a green light to keep using Chemical Weapons.

[Guest MattP]

Miliband is hopeless. If he keeps talking the public will support this eventually.

 

I think the decision is already made from Washington.

 

No one is sure who has done this yet everyone seems to be ready, what right do we have to do this again? The West is like a monkey with a grenade when it enters the Middle East.

[Jon the Hat]

On one hand getting involved feels like madness.  On the other hand, if we believe that we can reduce Assads ability to kill thousands more of his population with chemical weapons then how can we stand by?  What kind of power does the West really have if it stands by an does nothing?

[The God Emperor]

Miliband is hopeless. If he keeps talking the public will support this eventually.

 

I think the decision is already made from Washington.

 

No one is sure who has done this yet everyone seems to be ready, what right do we have to do this again? The West is like a monkey with a grenade when it enters the Middle East.

I'm not sure. the only explanation I can think of is that the UK still believes we are a colonial power and the US forgot manifest destiny only goes from coast to shining coast and not beyond it 

[Harry - LCFC]

On one hand getting involved feels like madness.  On the other hand, if we believe that we can reduce Assads ability to kill thousands more of his population with chemical weapons then how can we stand by?  What kind of power does the West really have if it stands by an does nothing?

 

Very much agree with that statement. I want to help but only if we can. If it looks like a military intervention would improve the situation at reasonable cost then surely it is our duty to prevent the savage murder of other human beings.

[Guest MattP]

On one hand getting involved feels like madness.  On the other hand, if we believe that we can reduce Assads ability to kill thousands more of his population with chemical weapons then how can we stand by?  What kind of power does the West really have if it stands by an does nothing?

 

We still don't know it's Assad, many respected people and commentators have made excellent points that it sounds daft Assad would do this, he's winning, no was getting involved and he does this on the day he invites chemical weapons inspectors into his country? Sorry, I'm just not buying this. (And if he is that mad what you think he's going to do when we start raining down torpedos on him?)

 

100,000+ have been killed, we stood by, Christians who live in peace under Assads control in Damascus are now being murdered by Islamists connected to the people we are arming, we stood by, priests have been having their heads sawn off by the rebels, we stood by, rebel fighters have been uploading videos of themselves killing a Syrian soldier and eating his heart and liver, we stood by.

 

Now just over 1,000 are gassed we have to get involved? What's the real reasons here?

 

We're now being told as no one can confirm Assaf actually did this the rebels couldn't gets their hands on Sarin gas? Even though people connected with the rebels have been arrested for possesion it recently in Turkey?

 

If Al Queda, Al Nusra etc have pulled this off and conned the West into helping them bring down Assad and turning Syria into another 1990's Afghanistan we deserve everything we get.

 

It's making me feel psychically sick watching so called 'Conservative' politicians backing these people.

[Guest Bilo]

Assad is quite clearly the lesser of two evils. The rebels against whom he is fighting are so far off being the heroic freedom fighters some seem to believe they are it's frightening. 

 

We go into Syria in any way, shape or form and it'll turn into a bloody quagmire. 

 

Nice to see Galloway lying to Parliament again as well.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPzvy808pr8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkPzvy808pr8&nomobile=1

[ADK]

We still don't know it's Assad, many respected people and commentators have made excellent points that it sounds daft Assad would do this, he's winning, no was getting involved and he does this on the day he invites chemical weapons inspectors into his country? Sorry, I'm just not buying this. (And if he is that mad what you think he's going to do when we start raining down torpedos on him?)

 

100,000+ have been killed, we stood by, Christians who live in peace under Assads control in Damascus are now being murdered by Islamists connected to the people we are arming, we stood by, priests have been having their heads sawn off by the rebels, we stood by, rebel fighters have been uploading videos of themselves killing a Syrian soldier and eating his heart and liver, we stood by.

 

Now just over 1,000 are gassed we have to get involved? What's the real reasons here?

 

We're now being told as no one can confirm Assaf actually did this the rebels couldn't gets their hands on Sarin gas? Even though people connected with the rebels have been arrested for possesion it recently in Turkey?

 

If Al Queda, Al Nusra etc have pulled this off and conned the West into helping them bring down Assad and turning Syria into another 1990's Afghanistan we deserve everything we get.

 

It's making me feel psychically sick watching so called 'Conservative' politicians backing these people.

 

Is that a posh way of saying you've got a headache?

[MooseBreath]

I think we should stay out. I doubt any intervention will save any lives, and I don't see why the use of chemical weapons should be seen as any worse than murders committed by any other means. Just leave them to it.

[Guest MattP]

Assad is quite clearly the lesser of two evils. The rebels against whom he is fighting are so far off being the heroic freedom fighters some seem to believe they are it's frightening. 

 

We go into Syria in any way, shape or form and it'll turn into a bloody quagmire. 

 

Nice to see Galloway lying to Parliament again as well.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPzvy808pr8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkPzvy808pr8&nomobile=1

 

Good find, why didn't the MP who brought the question up check that out before he went in?

[leicsmac]

Totally agree with the general consensus here. Both sides here are killing each other in particularly brutal fashion, but toppling Assad would result in another Middle Eastern basket case. 

 

Stay out. We've done far far too much intervention in that region as it is.

[Zingari]

America needs a new Pearl Harbour, a new Gulf of Tonkin or a new 911 incident if it's going to get popular support for any sort of military intervention now.

 

I really hope i'm wrong but i get the feeling someone will conveniently oblige 

[Jordan]

Let's just all assume that Turkey--one of our NATO allies: is demanding military action against Assad and they're demanding it ASAP. Let's assume they've told their allies that they cannot tolerate Syria using chemical weapons when the two countries share a border--a border that Assad's forces have crossed to attack in the past.

Now, I'm not saying that Turkey is the one leading the march to war here, but I'm gonna throw this out there because this is happening, to some degree, and for the sake of argument. Does this change anything? How obligated are we to assist our NATO ally if they seem Syria to be a matter of urgent importance?

[sphericalfox]

Airstrikes? Think again...

 

http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/syria-spooks-wikileaks-military/5502

[Guest MattP]

Well done to those 285 who voted against it tonight.

[Danno]

Not our problem.

[Jon the Hat]

I don't know how I would have voted to be honest, fair play to Cameron for acknowledging the outcome and what it meant. This is what parliamentary democracy is supposed to be.

[Fox in the North]

Well done to those 285 who voted against it tonight.

Absolutely.

[Guest MattP]

I don't know how I would have voted to be honest, fair play to Cameron for acknowledging the outcome and what it meant. This is what parliamentary democracy is supposed to be.

Certainly, at least will uphold democracy, Blair wouldn't have done that.

These are no heroic freedom fighters who we would have been directly helping to power,, they are brutal ruthless butchers who wouldn't tolerate anyone in society who didn't conform to the most extreme branch of their warped religion. Lets hope President Assad can destroy them before Team America get going.

30 absent Labour Mps and Tories mps already saying they reluctantly voted yes, you wonder how big the margin was in a free vote.

Good luck Barack, enjoy going in with the French. To all our mps who wanted to set the ball rolling for more of our young men to go away and die shame on you.

[Nift]

Shows that we are relying on the Americans to do the job for us, doesn't this make our government look weak in world power?