Homs

[Bixxer Bob]

Am I the only one seeing the irony of the BBC News team monitoring the bombardment of Homs in Syria from the safety of BEIRUT?  :?

[robxxxx]

In short no. You wouldn't believe it was the same country to 20 or so years ago. Always wanted to visit it.
What does amaze me, is the fact that no journalist has tried to sneak across the desert from Jordan.

[NKL]

What I like is the fact we couldn't wait to stick our nose into Libya but Syria we don't give a shit, no oil I suppose.

[Timbox2]

What I like is the fact we couldn't wait to stick our nose into Libya but Syria we don't give a shit, no oil I suppose.

And maybe the fact of an Army with a potential 500,000 soldiers

[Bixxer Bob]

We're not comparing like with like here. Libya made their own change from within; all the coalition did was even the odds a bit. No-one else really gave a shit. In Syria though it's much more complex. The state is much more organised, an they're big friends with Russia and to a lesser extent China.  Noteably, they both vetoed the UN vote security council vote. Can't object to Syria oppressing it's people when it's SOP at home eh?

As for not doing anything, I wouldn't be so sure :?

[NKL]

How is it not like for like. In Libya you had a faction trying to overthrow their government, the same thing that's going on in Syria. There is one big difference though, the Libyan government was fighting seriously armed militia, whilst in Syria ordinary civilians are being killed, so we support the terrorists in Libya but not the ordinary people in Syria. Yet it was supposedly the civilians that we were saving in Libya, what a croc.

[TigerTrax]

What we see is a typical dictator and his army supressing ANY kind of resistance: Either those trying to overthrow an overpowering dictator OR
those using the rebellion to install their own dictator. Either way.... people die. Hope you live in a nation where the military pledges to defend your nation and its doctrines of freedom ( Constitution in USA ) ... and not a person.  North Korean army just promised allegiance to their new dictator.. a 25 year old nut job.

I think that until a nation has gone through a civil war and the outcome determines who they are..... outsiders stay out. There is no way an outside nation can be apart of a civil war ... regardless of how much they can relieve the misery .... and be an ally when the dust has settled.

We will soon see 'established' full democracy nations going thru civil unrest as people of different ethnic, political ideology, and religious beliefs migrate into other nations challenging established values and laws.
Some of those could be just as bloody. . . and coming to a stage near you.

[Spud]

One man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

Libya is in a civil war now and of course it was a very large business opportunity. War is business after all.

Why can't we all get along, why can't we trade and not fight. But it will only get worse as the oil runs out. cheers Spud  

[2doggs]

What we see is a typical dictator and his army supressing ANY kind of resistance: Either those trying to overthrow an overpowering dictator OR
those using the rebellion to install their own dictator. Either way.... people die. Hope you live in a nation where the military pledges to defend your nation and its doctrines of freedom ( Constitution in USA ) ... and not a person.  North Korean army just promised allegiance to their new dictator.. a 25 year old nut job.

I think that until a nation has gone through a civil war and the outcome determines who they are..... outsiders stay out. There is no way an outside nation can be apart of a civil war ... regardless of how much they can relieve the misery .... and be an ally when the dust has settled.

We will soon see 'established' full democracy nations going thru civil unrest as people of different ethnic, political ideology, and religious beliefs migrate into other nations challenging established values and laws.
Some of those could be just as bloody. . . and coming to a stage near you.

Well stated.  

[John Stenhouse]

I keep wanting to post here, I have written two responses, one I posted and deleted shortly after, and the other I just deleted before typing this.

Countries are lousy at looking after the ordinary folk, some are maginally better than others but none of them are worth a light in the real world. I'm afraid that includes the US and the UK, both governments have shot their own citizens for no good reason.

The saving grace for democracies is that sometimes and I'm sure they get away with it far too often, they admit the f**ked up and take a small measure of responsibility for thier actions.

My hope is that Syria will do that one day.