Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Forgot to link to the source: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/R-SANA/SANA-Dispatch5-Syria-armed-opposition.pdf -- Tristan Sloughter "I am not a crackpot" - Abe Simpson t...@crashfast.com _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * On 3/19/17 10:20 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism wrote: Or they could link up with the Rojava revolutionaries and continue to fight for a non-sectarian democratic revolution. Such a joke. PYD leader Salih Muslim said that Assad "may stay on during a transition period, during a period of dialogue between the conflicting parties." The Idi Amin and Pol Pot of Syria who has used poison gas, killed 13,000 prisoners in cold blood, bombed hospitals, whose goons castrated a 12 year old protester in 2011 and then dumped his body on his parent's doorstep should engage in "dialogue"? You might as well have a dialogue with a rattlesnake. Insane. _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * This assumes a YPG interest in allying with Syrians against Assad, and also assumes YPG willingness to work with other forces on a comradely basis, neither of which they'd shown any proclivity toward. On Sun, Mar 19, 2017 at 10:20 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > > _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Louis' and Tristan's thoughts on the nature of rebel groups and alliances are right on target, the fact that membership reflects much more who has better access to arms to money in such a desperate situation against such a massively armed state-terrorist enemy. This has been widely reported and analysed for years, and among those following the situation, is not even remotely controversial. The idiocy of shallow interpretation of events in actual revolutions, by those with a barrow to push, was highlighted when I was once analysing precisely this fact about the contradiction between much of the ranks and file troops of Nusra and its reactionary sectarian leadership, and Assad bootlicker Tim Anderson pulled a quote of mine out of context, which was explicitly referring to "many of the ranks" of Nusra, made up up one of his amoeba-brained 'memes' with my FB photo and a hacked off a half "quote" which tried to say I saw "Nusra" itself as "decent revolutionaries." While that might be expected of the likes of Anderson, it is sadder to see such shallow analysis (without the slander of course) from some SA comrades writing here in recent discussion. But I'll leave that for another post. Regarding this current rebel offensive in Damascus, which has linked two long-time rebel-held working class bastions in the Damascus suburbs, Jobar and Qaboun, there are three main components: Faylaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham and HTS (ie, the JFS-led new coalition) (http://en.eldorar.com/node/5159). Not involved in Jaysh al-Islam, which dominates certain parts of Ghouta (west Damascus working-class suburbs). Neither HTS nor Ahrar are very strong in this region, given the traditional strength of Jaysh Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman, but appear to be part of this same offensive. The Rahman legion is the known local force in Jobar and Qaboun. Faylaq al-Rahman is a kind of FSA-soft Islamist fusion project, which is the main opposition force to the often overbearing Jaysh Islam in the region, with which it has regularly clashed (http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/63376?lang=en). It is led by SAA defector Cpt. Abd al-Nasr Shmeir from Homs, who claims to be fighting for a non-sectarian future Syria (http://civilwaralsham.com/midsized). It was formed a a fusion of several groups, including the FSA 1st Brigade (https://beyondthelevant.com/2016/04/26/english-statement-first-brigade-in-damascus-has-fully-merged-with-al-rahman-corps/) and the soft-Islamist Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, which was itself formed on the basis of a more moderate interpretation of Islam than that offered by Jaysh Islam, and more in line with traditional Damascene Islam. It neds to be remembered that the "Damascus suburbs" where the revolution dominates are new working class and poor shanties surrounding Damascus, composed of hundreds of thousands of recent rural immigrants from the neo-liberally-devastated countryside, and soft-Islamist politics tends to reflect the traditionalism of these suburbs. -Original Message- From: Tristan Sloughter via Marxism Sent: Monday, March 20, 2017 5:18 AM To: Michael Karadjis Subject: Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over? POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Right, that is the case with nationalist jihadist militias that have access to weapons. They still have to be fighting the same enemy. It is also why FSA militias would fight along side Nusra. If an armed group is making progress in fighting the regime and you sit it out, how does that look to potential recruits? And has been a detriment to any group accepting Western assistance: "In the formation of strategic alliances, moderate armed groups face restrictions due to their reliance on Western donors. As they cannot formally participate in coalitions that include controversial groups such as JAN, moderate armed groups have limited opportunities to increase their military effectiveness through coordination with other armed groups.[32] Yet, with every military success of coalitions in which the FSA does not have a visible role, such as the takeover of Idlib city, the image of moderate factions as a weakening force is reinforced, making them less attractive to potential recruits." Just trying to understand the makeup of the current offensive. I haven't read any detailed reporting/surveys since 2016, and
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Right, that is the case with nationalist jihadist militias that have access to weapons. They still have to be fighting the same enemy. It is also why FSA militias would fight along side Nusra. If an armed group is making progress in fighting the regime and you sit it out, how does that look to potential recruits? And has been a detriment to any group accepting Western assistance: "In the formation of strategic alliances, moderate armed groups face restrictions due to their reliance on Western donors. As they cannot formally participate in coalitions that include controversial groups such as JAN, moderate armed groups have limited opportunities to increase their military effectiveness through coordination with other armed groups.[32] Yet, with every military success of coalitions in which the FSA does not have a visible role, such as the takeover of Idlib city, the image of moderate factions as a weakening force is reinforced, making them less attractive to potential recruits." Just trying to understand the makeup of the current offensive. I haven't read any detailed reporting/surveys since 2016, and their content was based on 2014/2015 I think. -- Tristan Sloughter "I am not a crackpot" - Abe Simpson t...@crashfast.com _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * On 3/19/17 1:45 PM, Tristan Sloughter via Marxism wrote: So it is the FSA? pro-Assad media is reporting the attacks are Tahrir Al-Sham (Hetesh). Who my understanding had been doing more fighting against then fighting alongside FSA formations than say former Nusra? Even though HTS is still a "nationalist jihadist" org unlike daesh? Sometimes I wonder if these various formations are reflective less of how one stands on sharia law and much more on access to weapons and funding. If I was a Syrian living in a town that was desperately in need of anti-tank weapons, I'd hide my Salman Rushdie novels, grow a beard and forsake alcohol to get my hands on something that could stop the Baathist killing machine in its tracks. _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Didn't Patrick Cockburn say the war in Syria was over?
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * So it is the FSA? pro-Assad media is reporting the attacks are Tahrir Al-Sham (Hetesh). Who my understanding had been doing more fighting against then fighting alongside FSA formations than say former Nusra? Even though HTS is still a "nationalist jihadist" org unlike daesh? -- Tristan Sloughter "I am not a crackpot" - Abe Simpson t...@crashfast.com _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
