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Dec 10
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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Well, Assad received a LOT of help from those two powers for a long time. The Russians are saying Assad refused to let them modernize his military and to make some reforms they wanted--in short, that his regime was too corrupt for them.

Which is saying something, is it not?

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Shaenah Batterson's avatar

Thank you for this message of somewhat roundabout hope!

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Nakayama's avatar

We shall not lose sight of the larger trend.

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Raveen's avatar

All these foreign-backed regime changes (even if they are against authoritarian rulers) usually end up with long periods of instability and chaos, with the common people suffering the most. Nothing good comes out of it.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

It never ceases to amaze me how people look blank when I say "Libya."

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Mark Keating's avatar

Throw a dart at MENA. Egypt? Iraq? Afghanistan? Yemen? But this time - this time it'll be different.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

I think the term 'authoritarian' as applied to others' rulers is totally abused...It's like the term anti-semitic. Totally meaningless. ...No one in the US has any claim to label/assess another country's rulers.....As if Bush ii, Trump, Biden didn't have some problematic tendencies.....

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Raveen's avatar

It is indeed! That label is used towards any leader the Western empire doesn't like and wants to overthrow.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Authoritarian means any leader who resists the Empire.

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djean111's avatar

I am watching a guy named Alex Cramer saying that the US should beware of such an easy "victory". nAndd of course Israel grabbed some more land.

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Tonyl's avatar

The rebels have already voiced a popular sentiment; Jerusalem next, so as much as opportunistic Israel tries to seize more land, it will not avail them; why ? because the US (even with Trump) is in decline - and that decline can not be stopped. At some point, Israel will not be able to rely on the US and will fall to the enemies it has accumulated since its inception. Both the US and what's left of Israel will discover that the world will keep spinning.

Amen.

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Gilgamech's avatar

Very well written,OB.

The laptop-class slaves of the slave nations rejoice! as the slaver empire enslaves another nation.

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GadflyBytes's avatar

I love this analogy. It’s perfect. It’s also sad. The parallels to preRevolutionary War France with America today, domestically are so similar. When will people learn to stop cheering war? George Washington was so right. The problem with neutrality is that you have to live within your means, I guess? People don’t like that.

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Ben_H's avatar

This is the exact moment where the empire, traditionally at least, desperately needed a diversion. The moment when a minor military "achievement" (which they have been working on for well over a decade) and the public is simply tired of yet another regime change. In this moment where emptiness with naked greed is in full view, it leaves everyone numb and apathetic, so does the empire right now need something to excite us once again? Or has the magic gone and they're not going to even bother?... Oh, our beloved criminals. The only thing the public have an appetite for right now is the gunning down of them bastards one by one. This is where we are now – as an “empire”. Not for the fall of Assad we are waiting but for the fall of our criminal elite in the West.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Well, our rulers tend to think we'll think it's great because THEY think it's great. I don't see anyone walking around Cleveland expressing their joy at the fall of Assad. I think for most Americans what's happening in Syria is about as relevant as a distant thunderstorm.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Bravo for putting this into proper context....This is just one blip on the empire decline trajectory....Michael Hudson had much earlier said that the ongoing global readjustment would take decades. Having said that I still have sensitivities currently for the Syrian peoples and in the larger picture all of the many victims that have been the spill-over of the empire-orchestrated regime changes. And just think about it, it is still roughly 40 days (+/-) until the bitter end of regime Biden....I'm guessing that Maduro is secure...but wondering who's next?

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Hmmm. There are weirdities going on in Bolivia that I do not understand, so that's one possibility. The Sandanistas in Nicaragua and Maduro's Venezuela look increasingly stable, so I doubt it will be them.

They are trying to pull off a color revolution in Georgia and are desperately trying to keep vassal governments in place in Moldova and Romania.

Not to mention France. Keep an eye on France. The French working class is starting to move, and things could get real interesting real quick.

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The Watchman's avatar

Another good read as usual. Linking as usual @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/

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@smokygirl2006's avatar

Very good article. I’m amazed at all of this fawning over these so-called “moderate rebels” that are really murdering jihadists who were beheading their victims not too long ago. It’s always if you don’t do what US wants you’re a dictator and need to be toppled,but the U.S. has supported plenty of brutal dictators such as the Shaw of Iran, Batista of Cuba, Stalin( I understand that at that time U.S./Soviet Union were allies in WW2) and others I’m sure. Oh and don’t forget Natanayu who is every bit as brutal toward the Palestinians as they say Assad was toward the Syrias, maybe even more so. I’m disgusted by the news media talking about Assad this Assad that, but yet an actual genocide is going on in Gaza with the worst of the worst atrocities being committed by the IOF and no mention of this on these news reports in the mainstream media and this has been going on for over a year now. I’m sickened by all of it.😢☮️🇵🇸

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Penelope Prill's avatar

You have outdone yourself here! Bravo. Syria's collapse crushed me. But I realize I need to think long term. Evil empires always fall.

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Kali Prajita's avatar

I needed that! Thank you Mr Barbarian. 🙏💚

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The Revolution Continues's avatar

Well said! Another good thing to come out of France and the French Revolution--the guillotine. It might not save the US Empire but it will help us get rid of the imperialists. #FreeLuigi

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Kay Kay's avatar

Beautiful piece... Loved it

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