Rebel militias in Syria continued fighting Syrian forces in neighborhoods of Damascus on Monday, sending frightened families fleeing the hardest fighting the capital has seen yet.
The rebels fired grenades at tanks and troops as the Syrian army shelled surrounding areas. In the last few days, the rebels’ attempt to bring the fighting closer to the capital in the hopes of overthrowing the regime of Bashar al-Assad have only worsened conditions for the bulk of Syrian civilians.
The internal stalemate has been matched by the international stalemate. While Syria’s major military ally Russia has partially backed down by stopping all new arms shipments to the regime and agreeing in principle to some kind of democratic referendum on Assad’s rule, the US and its allies continue to aid the rebels.
Washington is actively supporting the rebel militias with arms and resources, despite the fact that they have deep ties to al-Qaeda. The pressure to unseat Assad comes with no concern for the potential boost Sunni extremists will get in his wake.
In a conference last month, UN envoy Kofi Annan brought together world powers and key regional players to agree to strive for a unity government to be formed in Syria according to a democratic process and that it could include members of the present regime as well as opposition.
But such a process couldn’t proceed with the constant foreign meddling.
UN rights chief Navi Pillay last week condemned the continued flow of weapons from foreign powers to both sides in the Syrian conflict. “The ongoing provision of arms to the Syrian government and to its opponents feeds additional violence,” she said in the text of remarks made to the Security Council. “Any further militarization of the conflict must be avoided at all costs.”
Prof. Eva Bellin and Prof. Peter Krause in the Middle East Brief from Brandeis University found in their study of the Syria situation that limited intervention, like arming the opposition, would be counterproductive.
“The distillation of historical experience with civil war and insurgency, along with a sober reckoning of conditions on the ground in Syria, make clear that limited intervention of this sort will not serve the moral impulse that animates it,” they wrote. “To the contrary, it is more likely to amplify the harm that it seeks to eliminate by prolonging a hurting stalemate.”
This reminds me of the battle of Berlin… Tires set on fire in streets leading into the City and all.. The people of Damascus all of a sudden frightened simply by the 'sound' of machine gun fire for the first time since the alleged 'conflict' began 16 months ago (which seems telling in and of itself)…
Wake me up when Assad commits suicide and his corpse has been set ablaze–per his instructions of course…and the "rebels" have proclaimed victory…
These UN "Resolutions" currently in discussion seem completely unnecessary if you consider the "facts on the ground"…
"The arms and resources the US is helping to get to the rebels is making the situation worse"
Worse for whom? So it's better when the Syrian government has the only weapons and can kill, torture and destroy without having to worry about anyone shooting back – albeit with weapons that are no match for them?
John, why does your article call them "rebels", when all the real
information, much of which Antiwar helps disseminate, shows
that they are indeed predominantly foreign mercenaries funded
from non-Syrian entities ?
Terrorist have clear orders from those who buy them their arms and pays their bloody salaries – attack, attack and maybe in opportune time to make happen some big massacre so west can shout at Russia and China.
For those who think that Assad is perverse killer think again. Think about some Caddo rebels in Texas armed to their teeth by Russian's arms and taking home hefty salaries from Putin to fight for their ancestral lands attacking Dallas from all sides. Your friends and neighbors are dying in the streets. What you think your government would do? Would it just surrender or would it fight? Would it fight with slings or other not so lethal arms or would it use everything in its disposal? Answer honestly these simple questions and then you judge president of Syria.
Anyone know anything about Syria? Been there? Know any Syrians? Ever spoken to a Syrian?