Turkey Says It Has ‘Lost Confidence’ in Syrian Government

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon — After trying for months to engage with Syria in an effort to ease the violence there, Turkey’s president declared on Sunday that he had “lost confidence” in the government in Damascus, and he stopped just short of calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

“Clearly we have reached a point where anything would be too little too late,” the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, told his country’s Anatolia news agency, expressing frustration that Mr. Assad’s violent crackdown on protesters has continued past the 15-day window in which Turkey had said it expected a change.

“Today in the world there is no place for authoritarian administrations, one-party rule, closed regimes,” Mr. Gul said, adding that such governments could be “replaced by force” if their leaders did not make changes.

“Everyone should know that we are with the Syrian people,” he said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html

[SavWriter]

1. Is it time for round two

of the Kinetic Military Action? Does Syria have anything our Corporate Masters want?

[geek tragedy]

3. Do you support the dictator Assad's rampage of murder

to preserve his personal power?

[SavWriter]

5. Tell me the difference between

The bombing of London and the bombing of Dresden? Tell me how you would feel if your child was murdered by a bullet manufactured by a company that used solar to power their machines of death. Excuses to justify violence are no better than a child claiming their dog ate their homework. The child will always have an excuse ready to explain why they didn't do the right thing. We will always have an excuse to resort to violence.

I remember a story of a Conscientious objector who was interrogated about his beliefs. In one question, they demanded to know how he would react if his wife, or daughter, or sister was about to be raped. He answered that he would offer his own body to the attackers to try and protect the women.

Violence never solves the problems we face. The problems of today were spawned by the violence and colonialism from more than fifty years ago. Great Brittan and France were the colonials, yet we are blamed because of their violence, and we foolishly try to support one dictator over another.

We have never, not once in history, used Violence to make the world a better place. We fought in Viet-Nam, slaughtered hundreds of thousands, lost fifty thousand of our own, and accomplished nothing but making the industrialists rich building better bombs to drop.

So the violence we use today, will be used for fifty years, or more, to justify the continuing violence in the region.

Isn't it past time to let go of the hatred, the stupidity, and the historically demonstrable failed idea that violence ever accomplishes anything worthy?

[ProgressoDem]

12. No. Violence stopped a greater atrocity in Libya.

There is a good reason for violence sometimes, and it is to stop more violence.

Just because the problems in Syria and Libya were amplified (not caused) by colonialism, doesn't mean that those currently benefiting from the post-colonial societies get to slaughter unchecked. Sometimes someone has to stop it. I don't care about the U.S.'s own mixed record. That doesn't make the action of stepping in any less desirable.

And whoever that conscientious objector is, is a fool. Offering your own body to someone who's going to rape your daughter? Great solution. Even if the rapist says "Sure!", you still get raped, then he gets away and rapes more. How about using violence to subdue a bad person?

I believe the greater crime is to watch a slaughter happen, than to stop that slaughter with a far smaller (and accidental) one.

[totodeinhere]

15. The only one committing violence in Syria is Assad. Yes violence does not solve problems,

so why are you not condemning Assad for committing violence against his own people?

[provis99]

7. the US don't give a damn what Assad does if Syria has no oil.

That's the bottom line.

[SavWriter]

8. Perhaps then the people of Syria

Will be spared the Kinetic Military Action.

[geek tragedy]

9. They're already getting kinetic military action.

It's called Assad using his military to butcher those who want democracy.

But, your crowd has no objections to that.

[MADem]

16. Syria doesn't have any oil.

Well, hardly any. The produce well less than a percent of the world's supply. They are one of the few diversified economies in the region--they don't rely on oil revenues like many of their neighbors.

Syria has never been an oil "player." They're at the back of the pack.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pinto]

4. Well done, Mr. Gul, imo. Turkey has apparently worked to build a diplomatic "bridge" in the conflict

Don't think the reference to "replaced by force" is very diplomatic, but may be a recognition of the realities in place. And, obviously a wake up call, of sorts, it's getting international coverage.

[bluebuzzard]

6. Mr. Gul man of peace

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/18/turkey-bombs-kurdish-rebels-iraq

[Arctic Dave]

10. Turkey says?

Turkey cracks down on it's own people just as hard AND bombs other countries. Turfey needs to STFU and stop calling the kettle black.

[Uncle Joe]

13. No, Turkey shouldn't shut up, nor should any other nation in spite of any apparent hypocrisy.

All nations should speak out, the more the better, against atrocities no matter where they occur.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. Gotta go through the Kurds.

same as it ever was

[pampango]

14. Great that the leading Muslim democracy (and Syria's neighbor) is speaking out.

Also from the article:

"Hours earlier, the Arab League said it would send its secretary general, Nabil el-Araby, to Damascus to seek a resolution to the widespread protests and violent crackdown, which the United Nations has said has killed 2,200 people.

The Arab League called on Syria to “end the spilling of blood and follow the way of reason before it is too late.” The statement was issued after the Arab foreign ministers met through Sunday night into Monday morning in Cairo.

The league did not detail its proposals, but Al Jazeera reported that they would include holding presidential elections, pulling back the army from the cities, releasing political prisoners and those arrested during the protests, and forming a national unity government in which opposition leaders would play a role.

Even Iran, Syria’s staunchest ally, has softened its support in recent days, calling on the government to be more “patient” with its people and to respect their “legitimate” demands, although it did not back down from its remarks that blamed foreign interference for the unrest.

It's amazing that Syrians have been able to continue their protests for so many months in the face of so much military force with the death of over 2,000 (it would be like killing 30,000 in the US) and the arrest of many thousands more. It would be equally amazing if external pressure (other than military) brought about a positive end to this.