Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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Goatse James Bond: Mar 28, 2010; If you see me posting please remind me that I have Charlie Work in the reports forum to do instead

quote:

3) Over time, allow new currencies to enter our market to compete as legal tender. Those currencies could be issued by the treasury OR private companies. The privately issued capital would be issued by new "central" banks (oxymoron, since no longer "central," but you understand the meaning - new creators of legal tender based on private markets) issuance of this capital would be controlled by government regulations to protect the economy from inflation and other unintended consequences of flooding the money supply, but would not be subject to the misaligned investment goals of the private fed and it's for profit member banks (its owners).

Somebody's not terribly familiar with the history of bank-issued currency.

Edit: This is why starting halfway through is a bad thing (as is not remembering which thread I'm in!). I am impressed with the crazy on show in the first half of that.

Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Sep 9, 2012

# ? Sep 9, 2012 21:09

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 00:53

Mc Do Well: Aug 2, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Since we're in a manifesto mood.

Eurasia and the Americas should drastically separate themselves economically. In terms of fossil fuels and access to other resources the Americas and Eurasia would have some good parity as trade and military powers.

The US defense budget can be more reasonable if we move most of our forces out of Eurasia. We just have to let bygones by bygones with Latin America.

Good luck EU, Russia, Syria, Israel, Turkey, and Iran.

# ? Sep 9, 2012 22:49

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

One thing I've found looking through videos from Syria everyday is while you can learn to sort of filter out the really terrible things you see, it's sometimes something as simple as a juice box that really brings things back into focus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFnCwC8aKso

# ? Sep 9, 2012 23:16

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

Hope he can keep his leg. It's looking pretty bad. :ohdear:

# ? Sep 9, 2012 23:17

Miruvor: Jan 19, 2007; Pillbug

So, Iraq sentenced its absentee VP Tareq al-Hashemi to death for running death squads during the post-saddam days, all the while 100 people have been killed in various bombings today.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-iraq-hashemi-idUSBRE88806O20120910

# ? Sep 10, 2012 02:33

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

lightbox.time.com/2012/09/10/the-end-of-al-qaeda-on-patrol-in-yemen-by-yuri-kozyrev/#1

Great photos from a military patrol in Yemen.

As a side note, I can't get over how silly a cheek full of qat looks.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 10:07

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

This video shows the FSA using an OSV-96 rifle to snipe parked aircraft at Abu Zuhour airbase, where the two MiGs were shot down.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 11:18

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Seems the FSA and Al Nusra Front teamed up in Aleppo to executing 20 people.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 11:59

Invalido: Dec 28, 2005; BICHAELING

Brown Moses posted:

This video shows the FSA using an OSV-96 rifle to snipe parked aircraft at Abu Zuhour airbase, where the two MiGs were shot down.

If he hit what he was aiming at, he might just have badly damaged or even destroyed a bunch of war planes with a shoulder-fired semi-auto rifle.
I guess it's also possible that he just messed with a parking lot full of the junker MiGs of Assad's air force, and that's why he could get so closed. Is there any reason to believe those planes weren't seeing active use around the time they were sniped?

# ? Sep 10, 2012 15:07

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

I don't know about specific planes, but that airbase has been in use, and they've shot down two MiGs based there, so it's possible they were in active service. The question is whether or not they've got the parts to repair those aircraft, cause there's no way in hell their getting resupplied by land.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 15:19

The X-man cometh: Nov 1, 2009

Miruvor posted:

So, Iraq sentenced its absentee VP Tareq al-Hashemi to death for running death squads during the post-saddam days, all the while 100 people have been killed in various bombings today.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-iraq-hashemi-idUSBRE88806O20120910

Is there a good site that's been covering this? Does anyone know if these charges are trumped-up or legitimate?

# ? Sep 10, 2012 16:24

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

In an event that can't possibly go wrong pro-Assad Tweeter Syrian Commando has been publicly outed as some dude called Mohamad Susli doing a Phd at a Hong Kong university.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsyAiGvRhI
He's made a lot of enemies, including journalists, so let's hope he's not the wrong guy.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 22:22

dorkasaurus_rex: Jun 10, 2005; gawrsh do you think any women will be there

big things happening in Palestine today mang.... Palestinians are rioting against the PA and burning PA flags, lots of protests planned for tomorrow....

My buddy who's a photojournalist living and working in the area had this to say:

quote:

Palestinian protesters clashed with the PA police in Nablus and Hebron today (and probably in some other places), looks like it also started in Ramallah tonight - in the Al Amari refugee camp (next to where I live) they already blocked the
main (Ramalah-Jerusalem) road and burned things two days ago, but the PA didn't intervene so there were no clashes.

Tomorrow several protests are planned in Ramallah!

Been taking a lot of photos since the whole thing started a week ago, I will try to publish something in the next few days...

also dis video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB2BLQhBbv4

and dis picture:

https://twitter.com/BeesanRam/status/245184206093836288/photo/1

No articles yet from any kind of news source, as far as I can tell.

# ? Sep 10, 2012 22:51

Pieter Pan: May 16, 2004; Bad faith argument here:
-------------------------------->

quote:

The biggest media trial in Turkey's history has begun in what human rights groups say is an attempt by the government to intimidate the press and punish pro-Kurdish activists.

A total of 44 Kurdish journalists appeared in court in Istanbul on various terrorism charges, including accusations that they have supported the KCK, an illegal pan-Kurdish movement that includes the PKK, the armed Kurdistan Workers' party. Of those, 36 have been in pre-trial detention since December.

quote:

Prosecutors have demanded prison sentences ranging from seven and a half to 22 and a half years.

quote:

The contentious case comes amid an escalation of Turkey's 28-year-old Kurdish insurgency, with renewed clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces. Over the past 14 months, the country has seen its worst violence since the PKK's leader, Abdullah �calan, was captured and jailed in 1999. Since June 2011, at least 708 people have been killed, according to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. The victims include 405 PKK fighters, 209 soldiers and police, and 84 civilians, it said.

quote:

More than 100 journalists are currently in jail in Turkey, more than in Iran or China. Many of them work for Kurdish media outlets. About 800 more face charges and many journalists have been fired or have quit their jobs because of direct or indirect pressure from the Turkish government.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/10/kurdish-journalists-terrorism-charges-turkey?newsfeed=true

Some quotes from an article worth reading. The Turkish-Kurdish conflict is in full swing right now with people dying continuously, and it seems that the Turkish strategy is to strengthen Kurdish repression, which will likely backfire.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 00:07

Valley Troll: Jun 19, 2012

Brown Moses posted:

In an event that can't possibly go wrong pro-Assad Tweeter Syrian Commando has been publicly outed as some dude called Mohamad Susli doing a Phd at a Hong Kong university.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsyAiGvRhI
He's made a lot of enemies, including journalists, so let's hope he's not the wrong guy.

Let's hope he's not the wrong guy indeed:

http://akhyasouria.tumblr.com/post/31282797136/who-syriancommando-really-is-normally-when-i posted:

It is easy to speculate that his family are direct agents of the regime as he tweeted on the day of the bombing in Abu Rumaneh, Damascus �The bomb went off near our apartment.� This is an affluent neighborhood of Damascus and we are certain his family are not originally from Damascus.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 01:19

cr0y: Mar 24, 2005

Forgive the derail but it seems to be popping up on tickets a lot more as of late. Do we have an Iran/Israel specific thread anywhere? I know we had one about the possibility of Iran closing the straight of hormuz but despite growing war drums I haven't seen much news about the two countries here in D&D.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 06:42

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

The New York Time mentions my blog in their article about that mass execution, if anyone spots a print edition today could they check if the same article appears in it?

# ? Sep 11, 2012 08:46

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

McClatchy has a good piece about the Syrian rebel's anti-aircraft defenses, Syria�s rebels counting on captured anti-aircraft guns to defeat air force, which has more information on those mysterious barrel bombs I've been tracking

quote:

Another rebel, Omar Ahmed, who said he�d defected from the base two months ago, said that concerns about the loyalty of pilots � most of whom are Sunni Muslims, like the rebel force � had hampered the military�s use of aircraft. Assad and the country�s ruling elite, as well as many of the military�s officer corps, are Alawites, a sect that�s related to Shiite Islam. The Sunnis accuse the Alawites of discriminating against them.

....

Ahmed said that while he was on the base he�d been tasked with helping to build more than 100 �barmeels,� oil drums stuffed with explosives and shrapnel that have been used with devastating effect in Abu al Dahour and other areas. According to one military analyst, they�re roughly equal to a 1,000-pound bomb.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 08:54

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

So, it does look like the barrel bombs are a loyalty test of sorts. The trusted pilots get live explosives while those being suspected of Sunni or FSA sympathies would get the barrels full of sand. It would also prevent suspected defectors from bombing Syrian Army formations on their way out.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 08:59

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Here's a piece I enjoyed reading, Assad's Useful Idiots, "How prominent commentators from the �anti-imperialist� left have twisted the public discourse on Syria and, in the process, provided intellectual cover for the Assad regime."

# ? Sep 11, 2012 09:05

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

quote:

Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey ramp up attacks, possibly sensing opportunity in Syria�s chaos

Kurdish militants have killed 10 police and soldiers in an assault near the Iraqi border, Turkish officials said Monday, amid concern that rebels are seeking to capitalize on regional tensions caused by Syria�s civil war with a more intense campaign of attacks in Turkey.

The attack happened late Sunday in southeastern Sirnak province, a traditional area for militants who have bases in northern Iraq. An undetermined number of Kurdish guerrillas were also killed. (cont)

There's also been a suicide bombing in Istanbul

quote:

Parts of a police station in Istanbul's Sultangazi district have collapsed after an alleged suicide bomber hit the building, broadcaster NTV reported today.

At least five people were injured after they were hit by falling debris from the collapsed building, NTV said. Wounded people were taken to nearby hospitals and remained in critical condition.

Initial reports said the bomber detonated the explosives he or she was wearing in the station's front yard, between the outer gate and the building's main entrance.

Officials have not yet confirmed that the blast was caused by a suicide bomber.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 10:40

Kenning: Jan 11, 2009; I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.

Fuuuuck dude that's pretty upsetting. Is there any history of suicide attacks in Istanbul or Ankara recently? That is no bueno.

edit: Hmm, it looks like there was one in 2010 and a few bombings in 2003. That still blows.

Somebody fucked around with this message at 10:54 on Sep 11, 2012

# ? Sep 11, 2012 10:48

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Channel 4 News has a really excellent video piece with Al-Farouq brigade in Talbiseh, really worth watching
http://www.channel4.com/news/video-exclusive-inside-syrias-farouk-brigade

# ? Sep 11, 2012 11:26

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

This may or may not be relevant to the current situation with Turkey, Kurds, and Syria, but it's worth a read either way

quote:

Turkey court tries 44 pro-Kurd journalists in biggest media case

Forty-four pro-Kurdish journalists went on trial in Turkey on Monday, charged with belonging to an armed rebellion in the country's largest media case, intensifying concerns about press and political freedoms.

Thousands of pro-Kurdish trade unionists, politicians, academics and journalists have been jailed since 2009, accused of links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 28-year campaign against Turkey.

"The clampdown on the Kurdish press ... raises major concerns about the treatment of minorities and minority opinion," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"Even when those views are offensive, they must be protected," she said. (cont)

# ? Sep 11, 2012 12:09

az jan jananam: Sep 6, 2011; HI, I'M HARDCORE SAX HERE TO DROP A NICE JUICY TURD OF A POST FROM UP ON HIGH

A Saudi writer claims that Gulf Arab men (especially Saudis) are buying Syrian refugee girls, mostly minors, to be their wives for the price of 500-1000 Riyals (130-250 USD).

# ? Sep 11, 2012 15:54

the panacea: May 10, 2008

az jan jananam posted:

A Saudi writer claims that Gulf Arab men (especially Saudis) are buying Syrian refugee girls, mostly minors, to be their wives for the price of 500-1000 Riyals (130-250 USD).

Doesn't seem to be far fetched. Human trafficking is big in the middle east. Media reports are pretty rare on this subject.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 16:44

Tias: May 25, 2008; Pictured: the patron saint of internet political arguments (probably)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund

So someone alledgedly tried to blow up Yemen's defense minister, some say following the assasination of an al qaeda leader in the country.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/yemen-defence-minister-escapes-assassination-attempt

I don't know the site, so I don't know if it's legit, haven't seen it pop up anywhere else.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 17:07

SexyBlindfold: Apr 24, 2008; i dont care how much probation i get capital letters are for squares hehe im so laid back an nice please read my low effort shitposts about the arab spring

thanxs!!!

Okay so I have two laid back an nice questions:

1. To what degree could some of the dumbest/riskiest decisions taken by the Syrian Army (i.e. sending tanks into the streets without infantry support, not sure if they do that anymore) be attributed to general incompetence on the part of the command and officers, as opposite to the often cited desperation and distrust over the Great Sunni Defection? And if it's indeed due to incompetence, what could explain the Syrian Army being so dumb? Would the fact that there's a pervading system of cronyism/nepotism (plus Alawi privilege, etc.) ruling military hierarchy play a part? I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a hard time believing golden boy Manaf Tlass became a Brigadier General on his own merits.

2. Is there any sort of pattern in the targets of shelling/bombing by the Syrian army? i.e. do they just blow up to poo poo all areas with a rebel presence, do they target/avoid relevant city infrastructure, government buildings, etc? I mean I'm well aware that the well-being of the civilian populace is hardly a concern, but I'm wondering if they seem to pay any mind to the fact that they will, eventually, have to reoccupy/rebuild all of that. I remember that video with artillery soldiers chilling while lobbing blind shots at an empty cemetery, but I'd guess that isn't the general case.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 17:11

Golbez: Oct 9, 2002; 1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine

CNN:

quote:

Angry protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo today and hauled down its U.S. flags, replacing them with black flags with Islamic emblems.

The incident prompted U.S. security guards to fire off a volley of warning shots as a large crowd gathered outside, apparently upset about the production of a Dutch film thought to insult the prophet Mohammed, said CNN producer Mohammed Fahmy, who was on the scene.

An Embassy operator told CNN that the facility had been cleared of diplomatic personnel earlier in the day, ahead of the apparent threat, while Egyptian riot police were called to help secure the Embassy walls.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 19:08

The X-man cometh: Nov 1, 2009

the panacea posted:

Doesn't seem to be far fetched. Human trafficking is big in the middle east. Media reports are pretty rare on this subject.

That's true, but I've never seen trafficking of Arabs, only Indians(including Pakistan and Bangladesh), Filipinos and other non-arab Muslims.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 19:25

Invalido: Dec 28, 2005; BICHAELING

The X-man cometh posted:

That's true, but I've never seen trafficking of Arabs, only Indians(including Pakistan and Bangladesh), Filipinos and other non-arab Muslims.

From what I hear, non Arabian-peninsula Arabs aren't considered quite as Arab. Arab-ness supposedly varies on the peninsula too, depending on whom you ask.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 19:39

J33uk: Oct 24, 2005

Golbez posted:

CNN:

That embassy is a loving fortress with a whole bunch of marines stationed there, thankfully nobody got killed during this. I can't imagine it's going to help the domestic US feelings towards the Arab Spring, but at the same time I doubt too many people will pay attention.

J33uk fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Sep 11, 2012

# ? Sep 11, 2012 19:57

Baronjutter: Dec 31, 2007; "Tiny Trains"

Golbez posted:

CNN:

Wait.. why aren't they protesting a dutch embassy then? Or is it like how people smashed up china-town after Pearl harbour, or beat up Hindu's after 9/11 ?

Baronjutter fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Sep 11, 2012

# ? Sep 11, 2012 20:03

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Here's a total safe collection of UXO someone has gathered in Houla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYNsS3SvttE

[edit]Here's another one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keZMR9qrXB0

Brown Moses fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Sep 11, 2012

# ? Sep 11, 2012 20:22

az jan jananam: Sep 6, 2011; HI, I'M HARDCORE SAX HERE TO DROP A NICE JUICY TURD OF A POST FROM UP ON HIGH

Baronjutter posted:

Wait.. why aren't they protesting a dutch embassy then? Or is it like how people smashed up china-town after Pearl harbour, or beat up Hindu's after 9/11 ?

They weren't really thinking it through.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 20:31

az jan jananam: Sep 6, 2011; HI, I'M HARDCORE SAX HERE TO DROP A NICE JUICY TURD OF A POST FROM UP ON HIGH

The X-man cometh posted:

That's true, but I've never seen trafficking of Arabs, only Indians(including Pakistan and Bangladesh), Filipinos and other non-arab Muslims.

Trafficking and exploitation of Iraqi women became common after the civil war broke out. Here's a report on it.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 20:35

J33uk: Oct 24, 2005

Baronjutter posted:

Wait.. why aren't they protesting a dutch embassy then? Or is it like how people smashed up china-town after Pearl harbour, or beat up Hindu's after 9/11 ?

I haven't actually found any news stories that say what the film was they were supposedly fired up about. Is this just a case of a rumor getting out of hand and people eager to burn poo poo? Hell, the Algerian embassy got a similar treatment back in 2009 and that was just because of a football game (one with years of tension behind admittedly, but still).

# ? Sep 11, 2012 20:57

Davincie: Jul 7, 2008

Dutch news (that even mentioned the attack) are saying they are mad about a film Egyptian Christians are making in the USA so I'm not sure what to believe. Probably just a weird rumour that spread and got traction.

# ? Sep 11, 2012 21:08

Neurostorm: Sep 2, 2011

Salon is reporting (through BBC and atlantic) it's some Terry Jones(Quran burning guy) project:

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/11/breaking_protestors_swarm_u_s_embassy_in_cairo/

From the BBC:

quote:

The film which sparked the protest is said to have been produced by US pastor Terry Jones and co-produced by some Egyptian Copt expatriates.

Egyptian protesters condemned what they said was the humiliation of the Prophet of Islam under the pretext of freedom of speech.

And from Salon:

quote:

Terry Jones, you may recall, is the Floridian pastor who likes to draw attention to himself by burning Korans. Today, according to his Web site, he�s saying he�s going to be holding �The Trial and Execution of the Prophet Mohammad with Terry Jones.� Jones�s wildly offensive statements have a proven ability to incite murderous violence.

There's a video on that salon article I linked, it's... bizarre.

Edit: The atlantic article has more information on the video itself:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/the-movie-so-offensive-that-egyptians-just-stormed-the-us-embassy-over/262225/

Neurostorm fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Sep 11, 2012

# ? Sep 11, 2012 21:29

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 00:53

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

According to Al Arabiya

quote:

#BreakingNews: Militant Islamists storm American consulate in Benghazi: correspondent

# ? Sep 11, 2012 21:36

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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