Syria in Ruins

[Thrik]

I'll confess that I've not been following this whole Syria situation too closely as it's been going on for so long now, but this is a noteworthy photo series showing what's going on in a place that must literally be hell for the poor civilians caught up in it all:

http://www.theatlant...n-ruins/100402/

Some pretty graphic stuff, although the really bad ones have to be clicked before they show. Some of what's going on over there is truly shocking, for example a set of three photos depicts the before, during, and after of a civilian being shot down by government snipers. Seems like a lot of innocents are being shot by both sides because combatants are often going around in civilian attire. Fuck me. Really does make any problems going on in my life right now seem like a joke.

[dux]

Waiting for d3 to update us

[Pampers]

that guy got shot seconds later

[dux]

Yes there's a picture of him with his brains all over the ground with the guys laughing and smiling as they shoot him.

Woo humanity.

[Sentura]

some really good image refs in that. i always wonder how a photographer sneaks into a warzone to take pics like that, must be pretty crazy.

either way good luck to syria, hopefully they'll sort their shit out soon so the US won't have to invade them and stuff.

[e-freak]

-snip-

Edited August 8, 2021 by e-freak

[Minos]

That's some pretty fucked up stuff. Honestly I think these countries would be better off with their current dictators than with these savage rebels.

[e-freak]

-snip-

Edited August 8, 2021 by e-freak

[Izuno]

This is just awful.

[Minos]

not sure about that, those dictators just usually hid the stuff better (using secret service doing this kind of stuff in some basements). the problem is that those rebels don't fit our image of Ghandis that want to just remove the system and then have tolerance and peace nor do they fit the image of true representatives of their nation - often devided by ethnicies, confessions, religion, skin colour, education, wealth level - whatever they can come up with - they represent only a certain part, often those who have been surpressed before. Just that instead of learning from their own experience in oppression, it seems they seek payback more than equality, replacing one system with another. instead of seeking a democracy, equality of beliefs, division of power they grasp for power themselves, put the laws of their beliefs in front of secularity and basically just turn the sides on who sits on top.

if anything, we can hope that at some point during those revolutions and unrest the ones who actually want to see equality get the say.

Yep, they are just replacing a violent and oppressive system with an even worse one imo. One example that comes to mind is Gaddafhi. He was demonized by the western media but if you look for facts he wasn't all that bad. Libyan women enjoyed some of the highest degrees of freedom among arab nations and Libya had also one of the highest HDI in Africa (higher than Brazil even lol). I don't think those savages who anally raped Gaddafhi before beating him to death are going to build a better country.

I don't really know what the situation is in Syria but I don't think we should just jump on the bandwagon and hail these rebels as freedom fighters:

[El Moroes]

This is just awful.

I agree :/

[kleinluka]

The problem I see with the whole Rebel movement in Syria is that they are totally not a unified group. They don't have an "agenda" or a "wish list" of how they want things to change. They don't have a plan. They don't have a unified message or a stance, they are not organized, etc... In the start I believe the rebels consisted mainly of Syrian citizens who were against the Assad government. But by now they have been joined by members of Al Qaeda and other militant Islamist groups.

While I really hate what the Assad government is doing to its own people, what I would REALLY hate to see is the Rebel movement winning and then all these Islamist nutjobs getting their hands on the Syrian chemical and bio weapons stockpile. It's pretty obvious that groups such as Al Qaeda only join the battle because they hope to take the government's place when the battle is over and use the fragility of the nation as a means to install a new stronghold for themselves. Look at Sudan, look at Yemen. I think this is also why the U.S. does not want to get involved in actively arming the Rebels, because they know they'd be arming terrorist groups as well.

I fear this war is going to go on for a while, probably a decade. And I don't think it's going to end well for either side. And especially not for civilians trying to live there in peace.

[-HP-]

Why can't people just get along for fuck sake?

[Puddy]

Okay, so the government is shit and the rebels are shit.

Can't America just step in and kill everyone? peace will blossom!!!

[Thrik]

' timestamp='1352750409' post='316736']

Why can't people just get along for fuck sake?

Yeah, the futility of the situation right now is really frustrating. No matter which side wins, everyone loses — especially if terrorist/oppressive groups manage to entrench themselves in the new country's leadership as Klein describes. Fucking hell.