[dsaber]

Well, let's suppose what you said is all true. That doesn't preclude the fact the regime is playing this game as well and in fact is utilizing it to its advantage. The fact of the matter is, Syria has been under the control of a mafia-like government for over 40 years, and ruled by one family. It's one of the most repressive regimes on earth.

You're also forgetting that the revolution started peacefully. People protested simply for freedom and liberty, which all human beings aspire for. It was the suppressive and violent actions of the government, which immediately resorted to killing its own citizens, that has lead the conflict to eventually turn violent and to where it is now.

No matter what the global interests are, it's the very actions of the suppressive regime that's worsening the situation and leading to the country's destruction. None of this would exist and we wouldn't be talking about it today, had the mafia-like government initially conceded to the will of the people and worked on transitioning the country to a fully democratic government. But notice the "mafia-like" adjective? A mafia-like government obviously does not have the best interest of the country in mind, so they're not going to adopt the will of the people and threaten their iron-grip rule. They're going to suppress every dissent with maximum force. That's exactly what has been happening for over 40 years.

[mladenkovacevic]

Events did not play out as straight forward as you describe them. If your only source is the 6 o'clock news then yes that really is what you believe. But if you had followed the conflict closely and relied on a variety of independent sources you would have a much different picture.

[dsaber]

Who said I wasn't following the events closely? Not only have I followed them closely, I also have many relatives there who have been severely affected by the situation and witnessed first-hand what the regime has done. Some have been imprisoned and tortured for simply speaking out.

Rather than pointing at ambiguous 6 o'clock news and blindly judging what I know, please state some facts that refute my statements.

[hasenj]

If your news source is "alduniya" or "almanar" or any other pro-regime outlet then you have no right to talk about anyone having distorted pictures of what's going on.

If you actually have a valid point then present it. What did exactly happen?

[jcrites]

I have not been following the conflict closely. (Note I'm not the grandparent poster.) What picture should I have?