Syria Crisis

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I have to say, even I'm feeling uneasy. I'm no fan of Putin or Assad and trust both about as far as I could throw them. That said, the proof we keep hearing about seems thin.

This is the problem though. After years of 'dodgy dossiers' and fake news, it's almost impossible to know who or what to trust anymore. This leads to people relying on instinct, which can be very dangerous and plays directly into the hands of the unscrupulous.

We've never had freer access to information, yet ironically, that has diluted it's worth unless you have the tools to analyse effectively. One thing is for sure though. People living in Syria will continue to live in fear. Just awful.
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Dayvan Cowboy
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Aren't we lucky to be able to form these opinions in the safe detachment of our own houses hundreds of miles away, instead of finding out that a life that our own government was already making miserable is now being made worse by foreign super powers fighting a proxy war? Yet again, even if the fighting stopped tomorrow it'll be decades before that country is ok. We shouldn't do this, but we always do

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Some reports saying that some greek "communists" trying to rip some first US president statue..I guess Greece feeling the most that the bombing in Syria unfold the huge refugee crysis, which they felt very much
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Negamuse wrote:Aren't we lucky to be able to form these opinions in the safe detachment of our own houses hundreds of miles away..


Correct. I know a lovely Syrian family who fled the war (my daughter goes to school with one of their daughters) and I dread to think how they must feel about all of this.
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Dayvan Cowboy
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Mexicola wrote: I know a lovely Syrian family who fled the war (my daughter goes to school with one of their daughters) and I dread to think how they must feel about all of this.


I'm glad they managed to make it out.
God knows what kind of hell they would be undergoing now if they hadn't been able to.

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I was (and still am) reluctant to wade into this thread, but I think there are a few points worth making.

Clearly - as a sign of the times we’re in - there’s a ludicrous amount of propaganda, information and disinformation coming from all sides, but the amount of conspiracism i’ve seen from the left (ie the political “tribe” I see myself as part of*) on this (and other issues recently) has left a really bad taste in the mouth. So much “anti-war” sentiment has been thinly veiled support for authoritarian regimes because they’re not “the West” therefore somehow innately “anti-imperialist” and good, which is just plain nonsense.

I thought this piece from Vice (I know, I know..) was very good: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/9kgm ... -of-idiots

I’m all for questioning media narratives, but when I see “those dead children were faked” comments I get *very* uncomfortable- you’re then sharing a line with the far right.

In this instance i’m reluctantly pro-military action (targeted and limited) - the whole situation is a horrific mess, but forgive me for being in favour of reducing the military capability of brutal authoritarian regimes...

* - I mention this because I fully expect a “the right are just as bad/worse” response. That may be so, but I always hold my own side to a higher standard.

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Syria war: The online activists pushing conspiracy theories - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-43745629

The irony? I recall Mikhail Gorbachev once saying how when the Russian coup happened they relied on the BBC for accurate and unbiased reporting. I'm not saying they aren't or that this article is inaccurate. My point is when the truth becomes so obscured, 'they' win. Whoever you consider 'they' to be. Disinformation, fake news, propaganda. It's never been easier to spread, or more effective. Apathy and confusion the net result, giving carte blanche to the nefarious. Sick times?
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A_Northern_Soul wrote:I always hold my own side to a higher standard.


The probability of any side being wrong is immense and chances anyone is right about anything so slim I don't see how you could hold your own side to a higher standard. Truth is nobody has a clue about anything, yet everybody has an opinion about everything.

...but I'm probably wrong.

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