Bashar Assad, in his own words (An Interview with Izvestia)

[reformist2]

I thought it might be the fair thing to do to hear what the leader of Syria has to say about all this - at length, not just sound bites. Here's the link:

http://izvestia.ru/news/556048

[bhikkhu]

1. A good interview to read, he is a "consumate politician", of course

In the question about chemical weapons, it is interesting what he focuses on and how he words things, but generally he paints a picture of the miserable mess his country has become. I don't think he has any more ideas for a good resolution than we have.

[Warpy]

2. It's just like Lebanon was in the 80s.

After years of tribe battling tribe and sect battling sect, they were finally exhausted and the whole thing ended.

While we love to think about bringing them our style of democracy and most of the people there like to dream about it, that's just now how they organize themselves. They're going to have to come up with something completely different that will respect that.

[reformist2]

3. It's way too messy a situation for the US to be painting people as good guys or bad guys, imo.

[delrem]

5. "bringing them our style of democracy"

[Warpy]

6. It worked fairly well for quite some time

but there are a few things they forgot to do to prevent men from becoming rich enough to buy it.

[delrem]

8. It always was a scam, and it's brought nothing but pain.

[bhikkhu]

10. Our general standard of living led the world's for about a century

...and even after that we were overtaken only by countries that had more or less adopted or adapted "our style" of government.

You can say its a scam, but if a scam produces massive material progress, historically unprecedented scientific and technological advancement, reasonable prosperity, good health, and a decent safety net (in comparison to what any other system provided historically) for virtually everybody, that's still worthwhile.

on edit - not to glorify our system of government, which certainly has its flaws and failings, and which has probably been improved upon by other country's more progressive innovations, but you have to ignore a great deal of history to say "its all a scam". In 1815, for instance, 85% of the world's population lived in what we call "extreme poverty" now, and the average lifespan virtually everywhere was 45 years or so. We've done well, and our system of government was an integral part of that.

[delrem]

12. You erased native americans to claim an "empty land".

You had benefit of the entire material wealth of that "empty land".
You had benefit of the entire intellectual wealth of Europe and Asia.

You have turned yourself into the world's largest arms dealer.
You have destroyed everything that you built through to the 50's, so your union movement is barely alive.
Your technology is now operating in China, and your entire economy has devolved to war and preparations for war.
You don't understand world economics, which say that when your *debt* is *owned* by another country, that country has *power over you* - because understanding anything beyond the crudest aspects of war isn't in your purview.

You have shamed yourself before the world with Iraq, and left Libya devastated.
You now want to blow fuck out of Syria.

[bhikkhu]

13. We can certainly do better

I think Obama is trying to do better, and he is making a difference, however small. In a democracy, we all need to try to make a difference as well.

[delrem]

14. Obama is following the PNAC game plan. That isn't "trying to do better".

[bhikkhu]

15. The PNAC game plan is irrelevant

They're a bunch of old men without power who nobody has listened to for years. I'm afraid I don't believe in the vast conspiracy thing, even if they mentioned Syria as an enemy once. Assad has made his own bed on this one more recently, without much outside help.

[delrem]

17. Obama isn't an "old man without power", and the PNAC agenda is well known.

You might *say* that Obama's implementation of the PNAC agenda is totally accidental, but the odds of that being true are ridiculously long.

[bhikkhu]

20. Perhaps you cold explain the PNAC agenda

particularly how it differs from the Democratic Party platform regarding foreign policy. Pretend that I'm ignorant.

[delrem]

23. I don't have to "pretend".

[bhikkhu]

27. That was the easy reply

but what is your understanding of the PNAC agenda, particularly contrasted to the platform of the Democratic party regarding foreign policy?

[delrem]

28. That's your question, bhikkhu.

My goal is simple: to inform people about the PNAC agenda, which is *totally* known, and to make the stone cold obvious connection with the military action of the USA from GWB through to BHO, with no deviation.

[DevonRex]

33. It's made-up bullshit.

[delrem]

34. The past is "made-up bullshit". Interesting idea.

[bhikkhu]

40. Then inform people

I'd still like to know what you think. Saying its "totally known" isn't particularly informative. A person with strong convictions should be able to explain them, however briefly, without simply relying on labels that may or may not mean anything to the listener. What is the substance behind the label?

[hfojvt]

38. the average lifespan was not really 45

that was mostly because of infant mortality

My paternal ancestors in Pennsylvania at the time
Heinrich - born 1779 died 1846 age 67
Eleanora - born 1781 died 1819 age 38
John - born 1798 died 1879 age 81
Hannah - born 1800 died 1849 age 48
Archibald - born 1753 died 1844 age 91
Jane - born 1767 died 1850 age 82
Joseph - born 1753 died 1843 age 90
Ruth - born 1777 died after 1850 age 73+

in Switzerland
Jorion born 1769 died 1830 age 60
Elsbeth born 1773 died 1843 age 70
Jann born 1736 died 1806 age 70
Stephen born 1723 died 1805 age 82
Cathrina born 1716 died 1789 age 73

[bhikkhu]

41. True, infant mortality was probably the biggest factor

...but also, before modern medicine, the most common causes of death were infection and infectious disease, which were pretty random in where they would hit during any lifespan. ( http://longevity.about.com/od/longevitystatsandnumbers/a/Longevity-Throughout-History.htm for one good article).

Looking at genealogy, most of my family was pretty long-lived as well, at least after 1800 where we have good records. I always think of that as "the ones who survived", the thin line of unbroken lineage that passed on its genes to the current era. Knowing everything, we could say that every living thing could trace a direct line back to the beginnings of life itself hundreds of millions of years ago (and so also, interestingly, if life began once, everything living is precisely the same age). The number of paths forward that dead-ended were always far more numerous.

[hfojvt]

42. no, there were others not so long lived

I always think it is kinda neat when a man has a child after he dies. For example Samuel Kingsbury 2 May 1745 to 4 Aug 1767. He is said to have died by drowning in the Stop River after returning from a tryst with his girlffiend, Sarah Harris. My ancestor Samuel Harris Kingsbury was born 20 Feb 1768.

But life is somewhat hazardous and there are no guarantees even today. I went to school with some people like

Curtis - died in a fire in the 7th grade, along with the rest of his family except his father
Kim - died in a car accident at age 17
Sandi - died in a car accident at age 20
Mark - died by suicide at age 18 after he was said to have caused a car accident that killed six other teenagers.
Brad - killed in a motorcycle accident at age 17

and something like 15 or 20 deceased before the 30th reunion, making them 48 or under when they died.

[Warpy]

22. sorry you feel that way

but the three powers with checks and balances were pure genius. So the Indians thought of it first, it was definitely worth cribbing.

However it did and does rely on extragovernment organization into groups like unions in order to work at all well for most of us.

[delrem]

24. Bullshit.

What you say now has nothing to connect it with wars intended to "bring them our kind of democracy". I know you mean well, but your wording is incredibly condescending.

[Warpy]

25. you need to up your comprehension, buster

[delrem]

26. Hey, Warpy! How ya doin in the war prep dep't?

You seem a little bit wacko - y'know, aggressive? I think you do know, buster.

[polichick]

31. Agreed - our style of democracy is a scam...

and our gov't is a front for corporations who want to take whatever resources they can from countries across the world.

[delrem]

7. He wants the US, fronted by Saudi Arabia, to stop hiring, training, equipping, al Qaeda terrorists.

He's quite aware that the US won't stop.

[DevonRex]

29. I cannot believe you said that as if you agree with him.

[delrem]

35. I absolutely do!

I want the US, fronted by Saudi Arabia, to stop hiring, training, equipping, al Qaeda terrorists.
Sorry that my desire bothers you, DevonRex.

[DevonRex]

36. The fact that you believe that makes me sick.

That is my opinion and I'm not sorry for it one little bit. Good day.

[delrem]

37. Unlike you, I'm not a fan of al Qaeda. So yes, we're on very different sides.

eta: I totally reject the claim that Saudi $$ for mercenary jihadists only goes to "good rebels", and not to outfits like al Qaeda. That is proven false by history. So I totally reject the US claim that its support for "the rebels" is only supportive of "the good rebels". That is a lie, a damnable lie.

[KittyWampus]

11. He could step down.

[David__77]

30. The insurgents could lay down their arms.

They will have to sit for talks eventually - all of them.

[kentuck]

4. He's nuts!

Why doesn't the UN call for elections in Syria? Would Russia veto that also? I suppose they would?

But this guy wants to hunt down everybody that disagrees with him and kill them. He's nuts!

If the people do not want you in power, then you should leave voluntarily - not hang around and use your military to intimidate and kill your opposition.

And a country with any morals would not support this kind of insanity. This is not a problem we can forget about.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

9. Why do I care what this genocidal madman has to say for himself?

The guy lost all rights to be heard objectively by the public. If he won't step down and go into exile the. He should be forced out by his people.

[reformist2]

16. The same madman John Kerry ate dinner with a couple of years ago?

[Pretzel_Warrior]

18. Was John Kerry engaged in diplomacy to possibly

Get this guy to leave gracefully? That was the hope as protesters continued to demand it. And prior to Assad going into full "kill my own people" mode.

If Kerry was engaged in diplomacy then that was HIS JOB and had some probability of saving tens of thousands of lives.

At this late date, I don't want to hear one repressive regime (Putin's) pimping for another repressive regime so we can give them the benefit of the doubt while continuously attacking our own democratically elected leaders and blaming them for all. It is perverse, naive, and fitting the agenda of these madmen.

[reformist2]

19. This is all absurd. Assad is not a madman.

[David__77]

32. No, he isn't.

And people who blind themselves to listening are doing themselves no favors.

[moondust]

21. A question they forgot to ask:

"Were all those people in the streets in 2011 demanding your resignation just a bunch of imported terrorists? You know, the ones you attacked with your army? When exactly did the "terrorists" of the world decide to lay down their bombs and AK-47s in favor of peaceful demonstrations?"

[hfojvt]

39. izvestia?

there's no pravda in Izvestia and there's no investia in Pravda.

[arely staircase]

43. Assad? Isvestia?

how could it be anything but the truth? what do glenn beck and the blaze say?

[reformist2]

45. Yes! Let's not listen to anything Assad says, ever! WTF.

[roamer65]

44. It is really sad that Syria has become a proxy war...

between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The people of Syria are suffering because these two countries cannot resolve their religious differences.