Quote:
Originally posted by Timber Loftis:
I didn't mean to imply Syrians weren't smart. I meant to point out that they couldn't miss the fact that it ain't gonna happen because they surely are smart.
This is possibly a political ploy to garner discussion of the issue, as you point out. However, it is also possibly, and more likely, a lame-ass excuse to not do away with their chemical weapons. And, since it's an ulitmatum, I'm sure that's what it is.
Which is problematical, because Syria cannot be trusted with chemical WMD. It is simply too likely that it will use them in the near or distant future. Not because the current leaders are bad, but because it has a lot of extremist groups inside the country who have a great deal of popularity and may come to power. Many Syrians verbally yell about how great killing Jews is. If the right combination of these people came into power, well... it wouldn't be pretty. SCUDS will reach Israel from Syria for sure.
As well, chemical WMD are not as destructive as nukes and do not cause permanent damage -- so they can be used without as big a threat of retaliation or of permanently damaging the earth; look at what Saddam did to 40 Kurdish villages with mustard gas bombs and other lovely treats.
I see this as a poker game. The world is looking to Syria to end its chemical WMD program. Syria in turn is looking across the table at Israel and saying "only if Israel folds too." Israel's response, whether directly or impliedly, will be quite simple: "You got a pair of Jacks -- bully for you. We still got a full house, which beats your measley Jacks anyday. Ante up."
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Giday Timber,
The bit about Syrian intelligence I put in simply to get a response. I seem to have taken up the role of thread stopper here. Call me paranoid, but I've posted on a few threads in here and seen it stop dead in it's tracks. But I'm not paranoid, it's them! Not me!
I hear what your saying with respect to the "jacks" and the "fullhouse" but if they didn't have the chips(Chemical weapons) they wouldn't be allowed in the game at all.
The Syrians have proved themselves to be fairly restrained if you ask me. They were also respected members of the coalition in Gulf War 1. Strange how they now have fallen out of favour as soon as they mention disarming Israel of their WMD when referring to their own disarmerment. To my mind this is a entirely reasonable request.
You mention extremists. I don't think there is a country in the world without their extremist elements. Just the degree varies and the issues they feel strongly about. Syria has been the brunt of Israels incursions for a long time now and have managed to be amazingly restrained in its responses to date. I can not remember an incident where they have felt compelled to use their Chemical Weapons. And this after years of provocation. Lebanon is a point in fact, a place that seems to have been forgotten for the time being.
Please don't take me as being pro-Arab or for that matter pro Israeli in this issue. I am firmly on the side of whoever advocates a peaceful Middle East. I simply feel that the Israeli's must make concessions as well if the problem can be sorted. At the moment they are not, and it would seem that the US and the UK are happy to back their position.
I'm 41 in February. All my life there has been conflict in this part of the world. How tired must a 40 year old Israeli or Palestinian feel?