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And next, Syria?

PBS Frontline goes inside Syria and helps boost the Assad regime

If, before broadcasting his film, Smith had invited the regime to vet his production, I suspect it would have received their unqualified approval. After all, the evidence suggests that PBS is more effective in boosting support for Assad than are many of his own media operatives.

Really, this is worse than Syrian state propaganda precisely because it has a veneer of objectivity. Smith delivers the regime’s message that it is the bulwark of stability and that its enemies are terrorists supported by foreign powers, but he does this by presenting himself as a passive witness — “I went, I saw…”

Having given the opposition no voice whatsoever — it merely looms in the background as a dark uncontrollable force outside the narrowing boundaries of state-sustained stability — towards the end of the film he finally seems to give the rebels a face and a voice in the form of Majd Heimoud, but not quite: This is a man who in 2011 defected from the Syrian army to the opposition, only to later rejoin the army.
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This is Smith’s MO: His “honesty” derives from calling out those moments when he is transparently being used as an instrument of regime propaganda, as though this transparency means he no longer has that function.

It’s a subtle form of deception that simply makes the propaganda that much more effective. The message is of a rebellion leading to disenchantment, and a regime with the magnanimity to welcome back those it once lost. It hints at the faint promise of Assad, the peacemaker, while gliding over his responsibility in destroying his own country.

This is the core message in Smith’s portrayal of Syria: On one side we are shown images of stability and even prosperity and of a state much healthier than we had been led to imagine, and on the other side — shown mostly in clips from YouTube videos — is carnage, destruction, terrorism, and the influence of malevolent foreign powers. Smith points out that the regime and its supporters conflate all opposition groups by portraying them all as terrorists, but then, who does he call out by name more often than any other group? ISIS.
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Casually Red said:
Once could be seen...by the gullible...as a mistake . Twice is deliberate . And remember too this faction only came into being after they removed Saddam, who'd have hung them by the balls . So really that's almost 3 times in recent years . And if Islamists ever take Kosovo it'll be 4 .
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There's a military expression: once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action.
 
STOP PRESS:



...Syria and Iraq have been torn apart this year by Islamic militants battling for control of vast swathes of territory, and a US-led coalition has intervened by launching air strikes. Imperial said that underlying volumes of its so-called growth brands, which include Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes and Lambert & Butler, slid by 5.6pc during the year, with Syria and Iraq accounting for more than half of the fall....
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What's going on here then? And why?

Syria conflict: Russia softens support for Assad

Russia says it is not crucial for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to remain in power, backing away from previous support, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry has said.

When asked if saving the Syrian leader was a matter of principle for Russia, Maria Zakharova said: "Absolutely not, we never said that."
"We are not saying that Assad should leave or stay," she added.

Russia had previously said it objected to Mr Assad's government being toppled.
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butchersapron said:
What's going on here then? And why?
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Possibly a realisation that their WW2 bombing technqiues aren't going to do much more than buy some time for Assad? Putin could trade Assad away, stabilise a rump Syrian state with his precious ports, declare victory and switch the Russian media back to 24x7 Ukraine.
 
Idris2002 said:
Russia and US have held a joint training session in Syria, Lebanese paper reports:

Russia, U.S. air forces held joint training exercise in Syria: agencies
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Just part of the safety stuff.

"There was a joint exercise with air crews and ground troops from the Russian and U.S. air forces," General Andrei Kartapolov said in a statement.
He said the exercise entailed Russian and coalition jets practicing close encounters in a special zone at a minimum distance of three aeronautical miles. Crews practiced communicating in English and Russian, he added.
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But the Pentagon downplayed the Russian report, saying the interaction between one U.S. fighter aircraft and one Russian fighter aircraft in the skies over Syria was a 3-minute-long test tied to newly agreed safety protocols and not a military exercise.
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Russia, U.S. air forces held joint 'training exercise' over Syria - Middle East News
 
butchersapron said:
What's going on here then? And why?

Syria conflict: Russia softens support for Assad
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The rest of what she said, quoted from the same article I already linked to in previous post, sounds more like their usual sort of public position:

Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharova said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: "Absolutely not, we've never said that."

"What we did say is a regime change in Syria could become a local or even regional catastrophe," she said, adding that "only the Syrian people can decide the president's fate."
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As for whether it does signal a change and whether it was said deliberately now, perhaps this has something to do with it, will be interesting to see who attends if it happens:

Also on Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian news agencies that Moscow is aiming to host a round of talks between Syrian officials and opposition leaders next week.

Bogdanov said the Syrian government has agreed to participate, but that it is unclear which opposition groups might come. He did not give a specific date for the proposed talks.

The talks are expected to be discussed Wednesday at a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura, Bogdanov said.
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So perhaps we might expect the 'Russian solution' for Syria to involve at least paying lip-service to the idea of political reform and including some limited opposition in a future government. Not got much more to say until its clearer how far they plan to take it, but I guess even Russia can't pretend there is no 'legitimate' opposition in Syria, although won't be shocked if they still play it so cynically that the propaganda ends up having the usual lack of credibility.
 
The Russians have been very consistant. The media are simply reporting what the Russians have been saying all this time as if there's been some sort of change... there hasn't. I'm quite sure about this due to a preference I have to listen to what people actually say (barring the need for translation) rather than what a journalist tells me they say. I won't on this occasion bother linking to Valdai 2014 for example.

They've been banging on about there being a legitimate Syrian opposition and the need for political processes rather than the adventures of mercenaries and terrorists in pursuit of regime change in Syria for ages as well by the way. By all means though (puts on thick foreign accent, narrows eyes and twiddles mustache and rubs hands in cynical calculation....) characterize as you see fit.
 
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Not very promising stuff on the SDF:

New U.S.-Backed Alliance to Counter ISIS in Syria Falters

But 10 days of interviews and front-line visits across northern Syria with many of the forces in the alliance, called the Syrian Democratic Forces, made clear that so far it exists in name only, and that the political and logistical challenges it faces are daunting.
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2nd piece i've read in the last week saying stuff like this. I suspected a clever bit of pressure being put on the US by various components of the SDF after the first one, but not so sure now.
 
Anyone here attend this event and can comment on what happened?

On Monday night the Stop The War Coalition (STWC) held a public meeting at the House of Commons - Syria: the case against military intervention.

Diane Abbott MP was the Chair. There were the usual suspects as speakers plus Tory MP Crispin Blunt, whose Foreign Affairs Select Committee had just delivered a report against any British involvement in Syria. Plus Alex Salmond and Caroline Lucas. Conspicuous by their absence as speakers were Syrians, the STWC refused to give any a platform.
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SSM were also blocked from speaking at an April solidarity with refugees march - by STWC. This led to an apology from the march's organisers!

Last month Birmingham STWC dared to invite a speaker from SSM but were forced to withdraw the invitation and were told SSM 'backs imperialists'.

en SSM leafleted a "overwhelmingly white and middle aged" STWC conference in June they were insulted, and called in language which would make Kremlin propagandists proud "the pro-ISIS lot".

Yet they do not have an issue with some Syrians. In 2012 STWC platformed a Baathist and in 2013 the controversial nun Mother Agnes - which backfired when no one would sit on the same platform as her.
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On Monday at the House of Commons, says Peter Tatchell:

Some Syrian victims of Assad's brutalities turned up anyway but were not allowed to speak. They eventually shouted out in frustration, turning the meeting into momentary chaos, as they were jeered by some of the audience and as STWC stewards tried to eject them - allegedly threatening that they'd be arrested. The police turned up soon afterwards.Order was eventually restored.

When it came to questions from the floor, other members of the audience were asked to speak but not the Syrians.

Near the end of the meeting, I personally appealed to Diane Abbott to let the Syrians have their say but she refused and closed the meeting. ​
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​
Said Omar Sabbour (of Sussex Friends of Syria):

To wind down the clock to stop Syrians speaking, Abbot literally allowed a history lesson by an old man (who said the Arab spring..was a fiction) to drone on, the license given him was so long (initially before panel was challenged only quickfire Qs were allowed) that even the crowd started to scorn, whilst Abbot sat listening with her head resting on her hand with her Umbridge-like smile​
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Reports that the SAA might be reaching Kweires airbase, if true then they will be breaking what is now a two year siege. Pretty remarkable, it will be a big morale boost for the government.
 
Absolutely huge news, it's of little strategic importance but a huge coup in terms of propaganda.
 
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