War & Peace

Obama on Verge of Historic Rebuke Over Syria

"Pundits on both sides of the aisle say losing the high-stakes bid for congressional authorization would make Obama an instant lame-duck, and might well endanger his entire second-term agenda. On Thursday afternoon, as the whip counts were being tallied, the realization dawned in the nation’s capital that President Obama is perilously close to what would be an historic, humiliating international rebuke. To date, no major military power or international organization has supported Obama’s stated intention to launch a cruise-missile barrage at Assad, the so-called 'shot across the bow.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama on Verge of Historic Rebuke Over Syria

Iranian Military Chief: ‘We Will Support Syria To The End’

"Iran will support Syria 'until the end' in the face of possible US-led military strikes, the chief of Iran's elite Quds Force unit was quoted Thursday by the media as saying. Iran is Syria's main regional ally and some analysts believe a wider goal of US President Barack Obama's determination to launch a strike against the Damascus regime is to blunt Tehran's growing regional influence and any consequent threat to Washington ally Israel. President Hassan Rowhani said Iran will do 'everything to prevent' an attack on the Syrian regime, according to extracts from statements he made before the Assembly of Experts published in the media." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIranian Military Chief: ‘We Will Support Syria To The End’

Official: Potential Syria strikes could include long-range bombers

"Aircraft including long-range bombers may be used in any eventual strike on Syria, but 'that does not fundamentally change the parameters of the mission,' a U.S. official said. The official was responding to a report from ABC News' Jonathan Karl that said the U.S. attack plan for Syria could potentially include missiles fired from B-2 and B-52 bombers flying from the United States. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, has reported that the Pentagon was preparing to employ greater firepower to reach shifting military targets. The revised options under development include the use of Air Force bombers to supplement U.S. destroyers in the Mediterranean, the newspaper said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficial: Potential Syria strikes could include long-range bombers

Report: Assad agreed to quit on own conditions, US refused

"An Iraqi official close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal that Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to step down from power on his own conditions. Acording to the report, Assad's conditions were that elections were to be held almost immediately and that he would be immune from any international legal prosecution. Nonetheless, the report claimed that the US refused." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: Assad agreed to quit on own conditions, US refused

Russia warns of nuclear disaster if Syria is hit

"A military strike on Syria could lead to a nuclear catastrophe if a missile were to hit a reactor containing radioactive uranium, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned. The remark comes as the US continues to push for a military strike on Syria. 'If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic,' Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a Wednesday statement. Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to complete a risk evaluation as the US continues to seek support for military action." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia warns of nuclear disaster if Syria is hit

Report: China Sends Warships to Coast of Syria

"China has reportedly sent warships to the coast of Syria to 'observe' the actions of US and Russian ships as tensions build in preparation for a potential military strike on Syria which could come as soon as next week. According to the Russian news outlet Telegrafist.org, the People’s Liberation Army dispatched the Jinggangshan amphibious dock landing ship and the vessel was seen passing through the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt that leads to the Mediterranean Sea and waters off the coast of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. According to the report, the ship has not been sent to engage in any aggressive actions but is merely there to 'observe'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: China Sends Warships to Coast of Syria

China Officially Backs Russia On Syria, Warns On Global Economy

"China warned on Thursday that military intervention in Syria would hurt the world economy and push up oil prices, reinforcing Vladimir Putin’s attempts to talk US President Barack Obama out of air strikes. 'Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price – it will cause a hike in the oil price,' Chinese vice-finance minister Zhu Guangyao told a briefing before the start of the G20 leaders’ talks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChina Officially Backs Russia On Syria, Warns On Global Economy

Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West

"As the United States debates whether to support the Obama administration’s proposal that Syrian forces should be attacked for using chemical weapons against civilians, this video, shot in the spring of 2012, joins a growing body of evidence of an increasingly criminal environment populated by gangs of highwaymen, kidnappers and killers. Across much of Syria, where rebels with Western support live and fight, areas outside of government influence have evolved into a complex guerrilla and criminal landscape. That has raised the prospect that American military action could inadvertently strengthen Islamic extremists and criminals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West

If Congress says no, can Obama strike Syria?

"Initiating airstrikes in Syria would undermine rather than uphold the credibility of the UN Charter, which generally permits the use of non-defensive force only with Security Council authorization. That has not been granted. The charter’s purpose is in fact to prevent individual states from engaging in the sort of international policing the US is proposing to undertake in Syria. Ultimately, it isn’t clear where the administration could turn for legal justification in the event of a no vote in Congress. Even without a strong legal foundation, if the administration decides to proceed with airstrikes, there isn’t much Congress could do to stop it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIf Congress says no, can Obama strike Syria?

MSNBC’s Alex Wagner vs. Ron Paul On Syria, Liberty, Anti-Semitism

"Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) joins Alex Wagner to give his take on the situation in Syria, how Obama has handled the situation, and why he thinks the 'grand deception' of the Syria debate is that this is a question of national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMSNBC’s Alex Wagner vs. Ron Paul On Syria, Liberty, Anti-Semitism