Thats a shame, some of your cartoons are right on the money. But this one is a clear sign that you have fallen for the lies hook, line and sinker.
Beak
Really? You mean Assad and his mukhabarat were not torturing and executing his citizens? There were not barrel bombs dropped on his populace, but a barrel of monkeys? There were no sieges of Homs in the 80’s? That the civil war was over a complete misunderstanding? No l;ive ammunition was fired at protesters, rather just harmless Nerfballs and fooz ball bullets? If it is all lies, that would be AWESOME! That means everybody was living on Candy Mountain?
“Oh when you’re down and looking for some cheering up
Then just head right on up to the candy mountain cave
When you get inside you’ll find yourself a cheering land
Such a happy and joy filled and perky merry land
They’ve got lollipops and gummy drops and candy things
Oh so many things that will brighten up your day
It’s impossible to wear a frown in candy town
It’s the mecca of love the candy cave
They’ve got jellybeans and coconuts with little hats
Candy rats, chocolate bats, it’s a wonderland of sweets
Ride the candy train to town and hear the candy band
Candy bells, it’s a treat, as they march across the land
Cherry ribbons stream across the sky and to the ground
Turn around, it astounds, it’s a dancing candy tree
In the candy cave imagination runs so free
So now Charlie please will you go into the cave?”
This was Syria all along? Our bad!
Beak
The Assad regime is a legacy of Colonialism and has to go. The Assad dynasty is a vicious, brutal regime. The civil war emerged because the Assad regime is so repressive and their secret police so insidious that it is natural a resistance movement emerge. Resistance emerges, but that is co-opted by other elements in the region, such as the remnants of the Ba’ath party in Iraq who also have years of fighting US occupying forces.The Iraqi Ba’ath also has a history of being oppressive, however, in post occupation Iraq, they still comprise a significant demographic in the region. The US occupiers denied them a place in the Iraqi governing body, thus turning a large segment of society into outlaws overnight. It does not help that the US occupying forces are far from benevolent and pretty much ignore the Geneva conventions. Regions of constant oppression pretty much brew a toxic stew where monsters like Isis grow and thrive. However, Isis are not much different from their occupiers, except they use different means to achieve their ends. They are also a bit more theatric about it. While Assad has to go, a post Assad-regime cannot hold an ISIS-like governing body either. We might look to Lebanon as a possible model of the future where a parliament and different interests exist in an uneasy but viable peace. Sure, Lebanon has Hezbollah, but keep in mind that the Lebanese Shiites were the underdog until they arose to become a viable force. The constant here is that oppression and violent repression leads to these extremist factions. Look at Israel, a bunch of well armed European Jews took land from Palestinians, by force, and oppress and repress local and surrounding populations. Not a formula for security and stability. So back to the point about a Parliament, that seems the better solution in a post-Assad Syria. Proportional representation with some sort of a guarantee that there will not be mass reprisals against Alawites who enjoy privileged status over a majority for far too long.
Niall
You don’t actually believe their lies about Assad, do you?
Perhaps, rather than Mr al-Assad, this particular vision would be better attributed to those in the US government who, with the help of their gallant allies in the region, like Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Kingdoms, and Turkey, fomented, financed, and continue to support the civil war in Syria (https://consortiumnews.com/2015/07/20/hidden-origins-of-syrias-civil-war/) ?…
Thats a shame, some of your cartoons are right on the money. But this one is a clear sign that you have fallen for the lies hook, line and sinker.
Really? You mean Assad and his mukhabarat were not torturing and executing his citizens? There were not barrel bombs dropped on his populace, but a barrel of monkeys? There were no sieges of Homs in the 80’s? That the civil war was over a complete misunderstanding? No l;ive ammunition was fired at protesters, rather just harmless Nerfballs and fooz ball bullets? If it is all lies, that would be AWESOME! That means everybody was living on Candy Mountain?
“Oh when you’re down and looking for some cheering up
Then just head right on up to the candy mountain cave
When you get inside you’ll find yourself a cheering land
Such a happy and joy filled and perky merry land
They’ve got lollipops and gummy drops and candy things
Oh so many things that will brighten up your day
It’s impossible to wear a frown in candy town
It’s the mecca of love the candy cave
They’ve got jellybeans and coconuts with little hats
Candy rats, chocolate bats, it’s a wonderland of sweets
Ride the candy train to town and hear the candy band
Candy bells, it’s a treat, as they march across the land
Cherry ribbons stream across the sky and to the ground
Turn around, it astounds, it’s a dancing candy tree
In the candy cave imagination runs so free
So now Charlie please will you go into the cave?”
This was Syria all along? Our bad!
The Assad regime is a legacy of Colonialism and has to go. The Assad dynasty is a vicious, brutal regime. The civil war emerged because the Assad regime is so repressive and their secret police so insidious that it is natural a resistance movement emerge. Resistance emerges, but that is co-opted by other elements in the region, such as the remnants of the Ba’ath party in Iraq who also have years of fighting US occupying forces.The Iraqi Ba’ath also has a history of being oppressive, however, in post occupation Iraq, they still comprise a significant demographic in the region. The US occupiers denied them a place in the Iraqi governing body, thus turning a large segment of society into outlaws overnight. It does not help that the US occupying forces are far from benevolent and pretty much ignore the Geneva conventions. Regions of constant oppression pretty much brew a toxic stew where monsters like Isis grow and thrive. However, Isis are not much different from their occupiers, except they use different means to achieve their ends. They are also a bit more theatric about it. While Assad has to go, a post Assad-regime cannot hold an ISIS-like governing body either. We might look to Lebanon as a possible model of the future where a parliament and different interests exist in an uneasy but viable peace. Sure, Lebanon has Hezbollah, but keep in mind that the Lebanese Shiites were the underdog until they arose to become a viable force. The constant here is that oppression and violent repression leads to these extremist factions. Look at Israel, a bunch of well armed European Jews took land from Palestinians, by force, and oppress and repress local and surrounding populations. Not a formula for security and stability. So back to the point about a Parliament, that seems the better solution in a post-Assad Syria. Proportional representation with some sort of a guarantee that there will not be mass reprisals against Alawites who enjoy privileged status over a majority for far too long.
You don’t actually believe their lies about Assad, do you?
Perhaps, rather than Mr al-Assad, this particular vision would be better attributed to those in the US government who, with the help of their gallant allies in the region, like Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Kingdoms, and Turkey, fomented, financed, and continue to support the civil war in Syria (https://consortiumnews.com/2015/07/20/hidden-origins-of-syrias-civil-war/) ?…
Henri