German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier today announced that the latest Vienna talks on Syria have decided upon bringing opposition groups in “immediately,” with an eye toward holding elections in Syria in 18 months.
This, of course, was the exact proposal Russia was expected to offer at the talks, though Steinmeier didn’t offer any details to go along with the plan, and the question of who will be allowed to run in the elections at the end is likely to be a major obstacle.
Russia’s plan, at least as described in the press, was for there to be full, free elections with no restrictions, but this was immediately spurned by rebel factions, as well as Saudi Arabia, who are demanding that President Assad be explicitly barred from running.
The notion of elections at all still seems to be outside of the expectations of a lot of the rebels, however, as many seemed to be operating on the assumption that they would simply be installed as the new government by the US and its allies at some point, and have loudly opposed the idea of allowing materially anybody from the existing government to remain.
Why is Saudi Arabia allowed to have a say on Syria? Or for that matter any nation? And why should secular Assad go, but the biggest villains of our times, the Saudi regime stay? And what moral authority doe the Saudis have in determining whether Assad should be allowed to run or not?
Because we live in insane times. Our media just cranks out formulas and phrases, clichés and other fodder for imbeciles, and people just go along without thinking. And who on earth thinks that it is OK to select some Syrians that lived outside of their country for decades, and declare them legitimate participants in the negotiations? Why on earth is the government and what is probably the bravest army on planet — Syrian army, kept out, while the terrorist groups that came from across the globe, feel entitled to demand anything? In Assad's Syria, women go to universities, have all sorts of jobs in private sector and government, dress as they choose and marry whom they choose. Try that in Saudi Arabia when women are not allowed to drive, and are not allowed to travel without a family male companion
Why are all secular states in the Middle East destroyed in favor of militants sectarian leadership or just in favor of chaos? How does this make world a safer place? And some are not having enough of it — they would dearly love to have Iran join the list of crippled states. The people in charge are seeking profit for themselves, and are sycophants capable of doing anything to get ahead in their careers. It will be hard for anyone to try to fire these people. And especially, since the real power behind both parties have essentially decided to orchestrate coronation of Hillary, the Queen of Neocons. It will take something extraordinary to change that. The only hope is that our allies and the rest of the sane world puts the foot down and refuses to go along.
because no one tells them they can't – and no one will tell them they can't.
Since Putin has been trying to push refugees into Western Europe via the Russia-Norway border west of Murmansk, he's hardly likely to get much sympathy from EU leaders. He has in fact been criticised by Donald Tusk for creating refugees. Equally, the chances of a free and fair election with Putin's troops on the ground are remote. The up side is that all this keeps Putin bogged down.