The ongoing unrest in Syria.

XX55XX

Over 5,000 are dead.

Tens of thousands are displaced.

Civil war looms on the horizon, and neither side looks like they are giving up.

I'd say that the most optimal solution is if the international community can get the Turks to create a buffer zone inside the country and help the shield the dissidents from attacks from the armed forces, while encouraging the armed forces to defect and form some nucleus for a rebel army. Looks like this uprising is going to burn quite slowly, unlike what happened in Libya.

What do you guys think? Is al-Assad going to win, or will the international community force a settlement between the two sides? Or will this slowly devolve into a civil war that destabilizes the region?

Salvation122

XX55XX wrote:

I'd say that the most optimal solution is if the international community can get the Turks to create a buffer zone inside the country and help the shield the dissidents from attacks from the armed forces, while encouraging the armed forces to defect and form some nucleus for a rebel army.

I kind of feel like that would just end up in Turkey annexing half of Syria.

[Tycho?]

The Middle East Thread

Where we talk about such things.

I don't think the "international community" (meaning the West; Russia and China are strongly opposed) would create a lot of stability by intervening in Syria. I think it is unlikely that the US will use overt force, perhaps Turkey would be willing to risk some involvement with US blessing. Syria is an important country though, and the use of force-

well, I guess thats what the link is for.

AManFromEarth

I think that this is an important enough topic it merits its own thread. If not, that's what Mods are for.

Russia did this today:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16210330

If Russia's siding with the west against you, you know you fucked up.