What Is Happening In Syria?

The western propaganda machine is in full swing as Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution which included measures for Bashar al-Assad to step down as leader of the Syrian people. The west would like to convince the world that the Assad regime is massacring peaceful protesters. This is being accomplished by media outlets airing raw footage of carnage, and applying the US state department's version of event to create the context for the videos. This version of events has no basis in realty, when one examines the facts.

The Arab League sent 165 observers from 14 different countries to monitor the situation on the ground in Syria. Many of the monitors participating in the report were members of human rights organizations like Permanent Arab Committee For Human Rights Paris, Arab Organization For Human Rights, and Egyptian National Council On Human Rights to name a few.

The Arab League and Syrian opposition has called the observer mission a failure, and the primary reason I would surmise is because the report didn't fit the narrative endorsed by the west. The media has essentially ignored the report, which initially was prevented from being translated by the Gulf Cooperation Council, but shortly afterwards was leaked.

The report explains that there has been violence on both sides, being initiated by the Free Syrian Army, and other opposition groups within Syria. The following comes from the 4th page of the report.

26. In Homs and Dera‘a, the Mission observed armed groups committing acts of violence against Government forces, resulting in death and injury among their ranks. In certain situations, Government forces responded to attacks against their personnel with force. The observers noted that some of the armed groups were using flares and armour-piercing projectiles.

27. In Homs, Idlib and Hama, the Observer Mission witnessed acts of violence being committed against Government forces and civilians that resulted in several deaths and injuries. Examples of those acts include the
bombing of a civilian bus, killing eight persons and injuring others, including women and children, and the bombing of a train carrying diesel oil. In another incident in Homs, a police bus was blown up, killing two
police officers. A fuel pipeline and some small bridges were also bombed.

Hardly the version of events provided by the corporate media of a repressive government assaulting their own people for demonstrating peacefully. If there was a group of people within the United States who were bombing civilian buses killing woman and children, along with trains carrying diesel fuel, and engaging police and military personal in fire fights, how do you think the US would respond? The US has resorted to violence, and use of non lethal chemical weapons against peaceful protesters, so one can only imagine what brutality would be used to curb the enthusiasm of a militant movement.

The report stated the following concerning the medias coverage of the Syrian conflict:

28. The Mission noted that many parties falsely reported that explosions or violence had occurred in several locations. When the observers went to those locations, they found that those reports were unfounded.
29. The Mission also noted that, according to its teams in the field, the media exaggerated the nature of the incidents and the number of persons killed in incidents and protests in certain towns.

68. Since it began its work, the Mission has been the target of a vicious media campaign. Some media outlets have published unfounded statements, which they attributed to the Head of the Mission. They have also
grossly exaggerated events, thereby distorting the truth.
69. Such contrived reports have helped to increase tensions among the Syrian people and undermined the observers’ work. Some media organizations were exploited in order to defame the Mission and its Head and
cause the Mission to fail.

As I am writing this the Associated Press is still referring to the militant resistance within the country as "protesters". What I have found most disturbing is how well these distortions, and in some cases fabrications have been accepted as fact by the western popul0us. In an age when information is a literally keystrokes away, people would rather form opinions based off of conjecture, instead of thoroughly investigating a subject before reaching any conclusions.

Peaceful protests have taken place in Syria, with no interference from the government, and only minor clashes resulting in zero fatalities between opposition demonstrators and those loyal to the regime. The mission provided the following statement concerning what they observed on the ground in the way of protests:

30. According to their latest reports and their briefings to the Head of the Mission on 17 January 2012 in preparation for this report, group team leaders witnessed peaceful demonstrations by both Government supporters and the opposition in several places. None of those demonstrations were disrupted, except for some minor clashes with the Mission and between loyalists and opposition. These have not resulted in fatalities since the last presentation before the Arab Ministerial Committee on the Situation in Syria at its meeting of 8 January 2012.

While the west, and their puppets within the Arab League are calling for Assad to step down, a poll conducted by the Doha Debates shows that 55% of the Syrian population still support Assad. An interesting discrepancy from polls conducted outside of Syria where large majorities from around the world believe Assad should step down. This phenomenon is likely due to the misinformation being spread by the media. As the opinion of Assad varies, citizens on both sides, do not want the west to intervene.

74. In some cities, the Mission sensed the extreme tension, oppression and injustice from which the Syrian people are suffering. However, the citizens believe the crisis should be resolved peacefully through Arab
mediation alone, without international intervention.

Secretary of State Clinton and Ambassador Rice ranted hysterically about blood being on the hands of Russia and China for their veto of the Security Council's resolution, but in reality that veto was supported by the Syrian people. The Syrian National Council, and the Free Syrian Army are primarily Muslim Brotherhood members, and mercenaries, with certain elements of the popular uprising, but by no means a majority of their membership nor influential in the decision making process.

Assad has appeared eager to partake in negotiations with the resistance forces, which Russia is attempting to facilitate. It will be interesting to see how the divide in Syria will play out in the coming weeks, as oppisistion forces seem reluctant to negotiate, and have intensified attacks.

Click Here For Full Arab League Syrian Observer Report