How US bankrolls propaganda.

[Threetune]

How US bankrolls propaganda for military intervention and regime change in Syria (http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-a-comment/syria/1673-how-the-us-bankrolls-the-propaganda-for-military-intervention-and-regime-change-in-syria)

Knowing just how imperialism stunts-up fake ‘revolutions’ is something every worker should know about. This may be a long article but it is very well put together with linked references and maybe it should be stuck to the top of some board.

http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-a-comment/syria/1673-how-the-us-bankrolls-the-propaganda-for-military-intervention-and-regime-change-in-syria

[Hexen]

The wars in the middle east are a product of the oil standard hence the imperialism for it. That's what the whole thing is about.

The only way to stop the wars is to abandon the oil standard (which will never happen under capitalism) or if capitalism collapses/get's overthrown.

[Threetune]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/08/syria-crisis-rebels-kill-russian-general-live#block-50224bd195cb77f057201bef (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/08/syria-crisis-rebels-kill-russian-general-live#block-50224bd195cb77f057201bef)

Big changes ahead for Free Syrian Army?



There was a long and very interesting series of posts last night from a Twitter user known as The 47th (https://twitter.com/THE_47th) about organisational changes in the Free Syrian Army.


We must make clear that we have no idea who The 47th is, though he/she appears to be well informed and has a proven track record (http://brown-moses.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/more-high-level-defections-predicted-in.html) in predicting high-level defections on Twitter (including those of Manaf Tlass and prime minister Riad Hijab).


For that reason, we think it's worth reporting The 47th's latest series of tweets; readers are welcome to form their own opinion of them. We have compiled them into a narrative form and expanded the abbreviations:



Big meetings in Turkey next week between newly-defected generals and representatives from all FSA factions, including loose ones in Jebel Azzawiya and Deir Ezzor.


Part of Hillary Clinton's visit to Turkey next week is to be briefed on the success of this meeting and to make sure the objectives are met.


During the meetings, chains of command will further be implemented, including factions that have earlier been fighting on their own. (Most of the FSA is somehow linked and coordinated, except in some areas of the governorate of Homs, Jabal Azzawya and Deir Ezzor.)


Objectives:


• Introducing the brigades that have been training on heat-seeking missiles, assigning them to official brigades.


• Possibly renaming the Free Syrian Army to the National Free Syrian Army – joining small brigades into big ones. This alludes to joining small brigades into bigger ones, just like the Tawheed Brigade (Unity Brigade).


• Training on Geneva human rights conventions.


• Overhaul of structure of the command.


• Intelligence meetings.


Manaf Tlass will also be present in next week's meetings, including the defected officers and unnamed officers from the Republican Guard.


This major initiative comes after Turkey warned Syrian opposition forces that the west is growing wary of Islamist elements, incohesion and human rights.


Turkey is leading the effort in advising the FSA, training, setting up, supporting and arming the FSA.


There's a major campaign to put these "Abdulhameed-bla-bla-Akbar" brigades into legitimate national units.


The meeting takes place next week, but implementation will take weeks.


Good news is: training FSA elements on heat-seeking missiles and other SAMs has been done and we shall see it on the ground as of next week. (Most of these SAMs are from Libya for some reason.)


After successfully limiting Assad's ground movement (thanks to IEDs, defections and other anti-tank weapons), the battle is now heading skywards. Remember when we used to wish seeing videos of destroyed tanks? Soon it will be downed choppers and rusty MiGs and Sukhois.