In past examples (notably Iraq) the clearest indication of a forthcoming war have been when the reports on the ground turned from exaggerations to hysteria to downright absurdity. Having quickly reached the Syria hysteria moment, we are starting to see the absurdities beginning.
Now, it isn’t enough for Syria’s artillery to be shelling the same civilian neighborhood in Homs that its been shelling for the past several weeks (and apparently with no interest in the actual battles happening in the city between regime and FSA rebel fighters). Instead, the regime has to be planning wholesale genocide with chemical weapons.
The report from the opposition says that the Syrian military is loading a school building in Homs with chemical munitions and is distributing gas masks to loyal soldiers in anticipation of launching such an attack.
But maybe you’re not into chemical weapons and are more interested in pro-regime invasions. If so, the reports have you covered as well. Chinese newspaper Renmin Ribao is claiming that the Iranian Quds Force is planning to deploy “up to 15,000” special operations troops in Syria to “maintain order.”
Of course there’s no actual evidence of a forthcoming chemical weapons attack, and the idea that Iran could somehow even deploy 15,000 troops into Syria is laughable. Once presented as rumors, however, such stories tend to have a life of their own, and if nothing else fuel support for less far-fetched, but no less unverified, claims.
To that end the Obama Administration is claiming that numerous unnamed Assad allies are preparing “exit plans” in Syria, preparing for life in exile. This story at least has the advantage of not being out of the question, but there is no indication it is true either.
This story is out of the question, but just as reasonable as many.
Luxury ship goes down and all are lost except a bunch of P5 +1 politicians on board on the top deck. They were traveling to a South Seas resort to discuss action to be taken on the Syrian government’s recent actions. Tossed up on a desert isle they all do their best except the Washingtonians.
The Russians build a crude raft and bring back what they can find on the wreck, sharing with the rest on credit guaranteed by the Chinese. The Frenchmen set up house in the jungle together. The Brits talk the French women into staying in a falling down hut with them. The Russian women are tired from building the raft, but at least they have some food and big guys to protect them. A week goes by. The Chinese do not quite have the electronics completed to contact civilization when rescuers find them. The Americans are stretched out feebly on the beach where they have been laying since the wreck.
“Why haven’t you done anything to help yourselves survive?” is the first question there.
“We are still waiting for instructions from Tel Aviv.” is the reply.
"Once presented as rumors, however, such stories tend to have a life of their own, and if nothing else fuel support for less far-fetched, but no less unverified, claims."
Then why deign them worthy of an article, it is not antiwar.com's role to dabble in every sensationalist rumor brought to life by the opposition and the imperialist powers that stand to gain (or at least that's not what i come here for). If I wanted to hear the latest wild and unverified rumor, I could simply go to the MSM. I come to antiwar.com for sanity and real antiwar analysis, not this load of bull
Look people: US and NATO is nothing but a militarism regime, US, England and France is on top of the list when it comes to their sophisticated lies before, during and after a war that they been creating. From Vietnam to Balkan, to Iraq, Libya and now Syria, they all have lied to people about the outcome of the war and above all most of these wars been a lost cause. US and NATO is desperate in gaining some more countries – strategic ground measuring their success by creating these little wars using all kind of garbage (terrorism) in their arsenals hoping for something good to come out. What they want to achieve by lying is to justify the war, the Stupid George W. Bush did it and it is for Obama, Kozi/Markel, Cameron and the Swedish government to continue with George W. Bush lies creating new wars. You people of USA do have an empire on your hand and most of you don't even know his name or what his social economic or political standing is, you hear the word democracy without knowing the principals of the wording and what they do using this word.
For those of us who no longer believe or watch mainstream media, I think it is a good thing that antiwar.com reports here on what rumors and hysteria MSM is exporting out to the world as fact. Readers of antiwar.com would LIKE to believe that what governments and people do are based on
logic and facts. However, often what they do is based on what MSM tells them. And facts just get in the way.
"…we are starting to see the absurdities beginning.
Not just starting, but in fact Anti-war has been publishing lots of it about Syria for sometime as a propaganda tool of the west. You are becoming just as irrelevant as fawning corporate media, and your readership has noticed it too.
If by "noticed it," you mean "a few Antiwar.com readers equate not frequently and fragrantly kissing the various non-US regimes' asses with acting as a 'propaganda tool of the west,'" you're probably right.
If by "noticed it" you mean that most Antiwar.com readers buy that allegation … well, probably not much.
You have become a fucking irrelevant tool for spreading bullshit like CNN and Faux News. Welcome on board with the rest of the assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what the US and EU militarism regimes wants, read the following news from Lebanon. If they succeed the plan is that Israel would start another war entering Lebanon.
In Lebanon, two people died and 24 were wounded in fierce clashes between Sunnis hostile to Syria’s regime and Alawites who support it, a security official said.
“A Sunni and an Alawite were killed and 24 people were wounded in clashes that continued since Friday between people from the neighbourhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh” in the northern city of Tripoli, he told AFP.
Ten of the wounded were Lebanese soldiers, including a sergeant in critical condition.
The two sides fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other in the bloodiest clashes since June, when six people died in the wake of demonstrations against Syria’s government.
Sunni-majority Tripoli has in the past few years been the scene of intense clashes between Sunni supporters of the anti-Syrian opposition and Alawites loyal to a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Iran and Syria.