As fighting rages in Aleppo this weekend the narrative is clear on one count, that whatever happens it will be vindication of rebel demands for Assad to be immediately ousted. Exactly what it happening and how that narrative will be advanced remains to be seen.
On one hand rebel factions are predicting a “massacre” by Assad’s troops, demanding Western intervention including either a full-scale international invasion to install them or, failing that, a dramatic increase in armaments.
At the same time, other rebel leaders are predicting an imminent victory of their own and promising to turn Syria’s largest city into a “graveyard” for the military and by extension the regime.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta appeared to try to avoid guessing which of the two was going to happen, and instead insisted only that Aleppo would be a “nail in Assad’s coffin” in some vague manner, and will assure that his regime is going to be ousted. Whether Assad needs to be ousted for losing Aleppo or ousted for winning Aleppo is just a detail.
Jason.., Look, if these “rebels without a social program or a political agendas” had the majority of the Syrian people support they would have won the war by know, considering the fact that they were in Damascus just last week. If the had that much of support they wouldn’t need the $73 billing dollars donated to them to continue the war, they wouldn’t need to have 7million dollars donation by the Saudi kings and the crown prince and all the help that they get from US and EU , the Jordanians the Turks the Israelis, the Balckwater entities and other mercinarise alike.., Jason Look, Pannetta is in Tunis negotiating on behalf of Obama to have a military base in Tunis while congratulating the nemeses of the Islamism who attacked the world triad center.
I'm sure the "Syrian People" in Aleppo are throwing flowers at these 'peaceful protesting' rebel 'liberators' –many of whom are in ski masks:
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120728015…
This is what US foreign policy has come to…supporting armed militants in ski-masks terrifying civilian populations…
This is what a civil war looks like…and the US has absolutely no business interfering or getting involved – and that includes supplying weapons.
"Whether Assad needs to be ousted for losing Aleppo or ousted for winning Aleppo is just a detail."
Exactly. It doesn't matter to the US what is really going on…
"Send mixed signals"… I guess they're lucky they stil can send any kind of signals. Western powers don't need them alive in Aleppo, on the contrary.
The constantly proclaimed prospects for the end of Assad are all eggs and no chickens. Maybe, maybe not, but these predictions are ridiculous.
"Whether Assad needs to be ousted for losing Aleppo or ousted for winning Aleppo is just a detail." I love your sense of humor.