Funny how Russia is now in the region and also ready to help Iran if Israel nukes it. This is getting scary, folks. I just hope & pray that Israel is talking big, but doesn't actually follow-thru. Don't trust Netanyahoo is act sane.

But then again, Russia is also very efficient on the subject too. It's not our problem now. Nothing we can or should do if the Russians are this intent on propping up a dictator.

Just look at how many civilians we've killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

But realistically, what else can we do other than issue protest?

Should we get involved militarily? Should we risk starting a war with Russia?

nt

Al-Qaeda killing innocents in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Because this movement occurred within the same historical frame as another well known movement known as the Arab Spring ...

With such a powerful groundswell of resolve displayed by millions upon millions of Arabs during this movement; Who are YOU to deny the implication that the Syrian peoples actions were not born of the same impulse ? ...

What evidence have YOU that the Syrian movement runs counter to the thrust of fellow Arabs in nearby states ?

Who are you to ascribe the actions of the Syrian opposition to some nefarious 'terrorist' organization ? .. Have you evidence to support this assertion ?

Your assertion is unfounded and unwarranted ...

is based on what you read/see in the media.

Belarus) should be viewed as a natural reaction to oppression. To view such protests as the result of "outside agitators" reminds me of the rhetoric of the 60's when conservatives contended that protests were not caused by genuine citizen discontent but the result of "outsiders" who had stirred up local people who otherwise were quite happy.

I dare say that any of us who lived under a dictatorship would join peaceful protestors in the street to rid ourselves of such oppression. The fact that dictators are able to suppress discontent for many years with security forces is not an indication that people are happy, just that they are scared.

As an interesting footnote, it was those accusations that led, inadvertently, to the Yippie catchphrase, "Don't trust anyone over 30":

under color of law (USC 18 Chapter 13 Civil Rights 22)
That was the common offense-the deprivation of our rights by "our government"!!! Yep, I got "sweptup" by those domestic black operations that sought to "neutralize" all those names on LISTS drawn up by CRIMINAL TRAITORS to democracy and the Constitution of The United States of America. People like John Edgar HOOVER, Allen DULLES, President EISENHOWER, President TRUMAN, President KENNEDY, President JOHNSON, President NIXON, President FORD...and all those administrations since.
I'm 62 now, not 18.
I'm a WISCONSIN ACTIVIST who has suffered, along with loved ones, deprivation of rights under color of law, and a conspiracy from the 1960's that grew to a metaconspiracy-a politicized one.

If the Russians help 'crush' the rebellion, it will certainly give Russia and the BRIC block a black eye in the Arab world. They are too reliant on the status quo, which won't last forever. Assad won't be around forever, either.