Syria is no exception to the current wave of revolutions in the Middle east - the usual pattern of demonstrations and violent response by the regime is repeated.

Interesting times we live in.

And what`s the status on the Golan Hights yet ??

How very off topic of you.

Syria= Golan hights

False & still off topic.

OP, you haven't stated a topic, just a flat statement that does not invite debate or comment. I'm not sure what you expected really

The Golan area is in reality just a very small area of Syria. Add to this that the Israelis have handed back most of the Syrian territory they conquered in 67. What now is at stake is the rule of the Allawite minority over Syria.

And of importance is that the Alawites dominate the Syrian officer corps. Particularily the tanks, the artillery and the airforce are fully in Alawite hands.

Dr Assad in a way is the "nice face of the Assad rulership". Dr Assad has liberalized a lot of things in his country, but practically nothing in regard to more democracy.

either say something nice or nothing at all..

fu@k off...

what are you selling, anyway?

Very convincing argument

Do you have some sort of position that you can put together in a few logical sentences?

Some new claims;
"US intelligence company Stratfor says satellite images suggest four helicopters and 20 lorries destroyed at T4 base.
An entire Russian helicopter unit based in Syria was wiped out in an Islamic State attack, satellite images appear to suggest.

The attack on 14 May targeted a strategically significant airbase in central Syria used by Russian forces, and again suggests Isis forces are trying to operate outside territory held by the terror group to undermine the regime of Bashar al-Assad."

Source

If this is true it would support claims that Russia did little against ISIS before withdrawing most of their forces.

The Russian position is that these are just pictures of old bomb craters but it seems unlikely that Stratfor would make claims that could be so easily disproved!

Post 443 in this thread, I quote; "Something tells me that the Russian attacks will be way more effective than the Western ones
Bye bye ISIS"

Post 448, quote "Yeah, dream on...

Russians are there just to shore up Assad against the opposition. ISIS is going to be there for a long time, at least until someone puts up the 50k+ troops required to effectively deal with them.
Russia is nowhere near that kind of commitment"

From previously visiting syria on numerous occasions, i can confidently say that this is just one of many media halts. Sky news, BBC and all the others are just trying to portrait syria in a very negative way. i think one should try and understand and go and live in syria if one wants to label syria as the bad guy.

Syria is an amazing country with a rich history, excellent people and fantastic hospitality, unlike Britain !

Which part is unlike Britain ?

Now excuse me: I have to send SMSs to tell syrians to riot.

Interesting times indeed.

And yes it is rather odd how that almost identic pattern got repeated is it not. Très bizarre.
I can't wait to read the books which will be written about what triggered all this sudden uproar. One might, again, be surprised what comes to the light !!!

Anyway, I truly hope that the next generation will reap at least some benefits from all this and won't get stuck in years and years and years of not getting anywhere.

The books author`s name may be Hillary Clinton

Oh wow.
Now that would be interesting indeed. Very good !!!

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Clinto.....-a0246495246

From Her Crystal Ball Jan 2011

seems the Syrians have stopped the emergency law that was in place for 50 years; astounding progress.

Ah well. Interesting. One thing is for sure. Such kind of systematic uproars don't fall just from the sky without any serious preparations.

The daily killing of civilians continue in Syria. The UN human rights keeps silent: Arab on Arab violence is not something it condmemns.