Paul Robinson — The peaceful city

Countering incredible Western naiveté.

Western propaganda has convinced most people in the West that the "reblels" were liberals fighting against the "dictatorial" Assad and his "repressive" regime rather than Sunni Islamists trying to impose their strict version of Islamic custom and law, similar to the Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia.

BTW, life in Damascus is reported to be similar to that described in the post about Aleppo prior to Western and Saudi/Qatari arming and funding of the "opposition."

Irrussianality
The peaceful city
Paul Robinson | Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa

Sputnik International — Trump: US to End Up Fighting Russia in Syria if Attacks Assad

"Assad must go," no more. Now it is "ISIS must go," and the enemy of our enemy is our friend.

Finally some realism in US foreign policy. Whatever else True does, it won't be as bad as war with Russia.

Sputnik International
Trump: US to End Up Fighting Russia in Syria if Attacks Assad

The Moderate Syrian Opposition Are Terrorists from All over the World — Desislava Pateva Interviews Mohammed Ibrahim

Interview with a Syrian who also has Bulgarian citizenship and now lives in Bulgaria. Longish but revealing.

SouthFront

The Moderate Syrian Opposition Are Terrorists from All over the World

Interview conducted by Desislava Pateva with Mohammed Ibrahim, chairman of the Association of Syrians in Bulgaria; Originally appeared at A-specto, translated by Borislav exclusively for SouthFront

Marko Marjanović — Uncle Sam in Arabia: 'Modernity for Me, but Not for Thee' – Why West Deposes Arab Secularists but Backs Arab Kings

Another paradox of liberalism.

A quick glance at a map of US military bases in the Middle East will immediately tell you that Washington's friends in the region are crowned heads. The Emirs of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and UAE. The Saudi king in Riyad and the Hashemite king of Jordan. 

Meanwhile its historic chosen enemies in the Arab world have been secularist Arab nationalist regimes. Nasser in Egypt, Hussein in Iraq, Gaddafi in Libya, Assads in Syria…

Why?

Retrograde Arab monarchies reinforce the Western Orientalist idea of hierarchy of civilizations – Arab modernizers challenge it

The current geopolitical dynamic can be viewed as colonies challenging their former colonizers. While this may not true be of Russia, the goal of the US to turn Russia into a vassal state. Most Atlanticists don't view Russia as part of Western civilization.

Russia Insider
Uncle Sam in Arabia: 'Modernity for Me, but Not for Thee' – Why West Deposes Arab Secularists but Backs Arab Kings

Marko Marjanović

Did Putin just sell out?

Did Vladimir Putin just sell out?

At a hastily convened meeting at the G-20 gathering, Putin and Obama met in some hallway where, according to reports, Putin agreed with Obama's demands for a "transition" in Syria.

"The United States and Russia have reached consensus at the G20 on the need for “a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition” following a sidelines meeting between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin on Sunday." Read more.

Does this mean  a transition like, Assad has to go? If so, then why the hell did he send in his military to take out the U.S. backed anti-Assad "moderates?"

If Putin is selling out now, I am done...I am totally done. Is there not one politician on this earth that does not sell out? Kim Jong Un?

WTF is happening to this world?

Stephen F. Cohen — By Toppling Assad US Will Open Damascus' Doors to ISIL

"Russia has said for nearly a decade and certainly since the beginning of the Arab Spring that every time the United States begins a "regime change" the result is something much worse. Russia points to what happened in the aftermath of the American war in Iraq, it points more recently to what happened when we abetted the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya. And when these things happen: failed states, civil wars, extremists… who pays the price? Not the United States. It's these countries. And now we see Europe itself facing a refugee crisis," professor of Russian studies at Princeton University and New York University Stephen F. Cohen emphasized in his interview with US author John Batchelor.

Sputnik International
By Toppling Assad US Will Open Damascus' Doors to ISIL 

Stephen F. Cohen | Professor emeritus at New York University and Princeton University