Iran is an integral part of this. Alawites are Shi'ites. President Assad is a Alawite. There is only one place the Alawites exist as a majority people and that is the coastal area of Syria. Russia's long standing relationship with Syria and Iran is the only path forward in Syria.
Whether The West likes it or not, Russia is still the steadfast ally it has always been since WWII. The West doesn't have to consent, but, it does have to accept the fact Russia is capable of military actions that benefit stability.
Why an ally? Russia could have rolled up it's sovereign borders maintained it's security and told The West to carry on without them. Russia didn't do that. Russia rose to the need for stability with the relationships it built over decades if not centuries. Russia has always been a sour reality for the USA.
It is called "The Balance of Power."
Now, about the Non-Proliferation Treaty....
30 September 2015
...He said Moscow (click here) is interested in other nations joining its counterterrorism effort in Syria. Those willing to do so can join the intelligence sharing center in Baghdad, which Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran established in the run-up to the operation, the president said.
He stressed that Russia is acting in accordance with international law, by dint of having an invitation from Damascus to assist Syria militarily. He said it was the only proper way to fight terrorism, referring to the US-led coalition, which is bombing IS targets in Syria uninvited and with no mandate from the UN Security Council. (Let's get one thing straight. The West has been carrying on without Russia and if it even tried to get a UN resolution Russia would have vetoed it.)
The conflict in Syria is a complex one with genuine domestic troubles at its origin, but it was greatly worsened by the intervention of foreign actors, Putin said.
Russia opposes the notion maintained by the US and its allies that Syrian President Bashar Assad has to step down for the Syrian problem to be resolved. But Moscow expects Assad to be flexible when the terrorist threat is eliminated and a political transition is needed in the country, the Russian president said.
The Alawites have a right to exist. They have been an ethnic religious minority for a long time. I may be wrong, but, if the Alawites didn't seek refugee in other areas of the Middle East their recruitment to military service would be the end of them.
The best thing that happened to the region is the USA removal of chemical weapons under the UN Resolution 2235 (2015) (click here) which contained and eliminated Syria's chemical stores.
UN Documents for Syria (click here).
August 13, 2015
By Omar Abdullah
When 24-year-old Hussain (click here) fled his village in Syria for Mersin, Turkey, six weeks ago, it didn’t feel like a choice. Knowing that he would eventually be called for mandatory military service in the Syrian army, he packed his bags and made the dangerous journey across the border. “I did not want to join the army – this is not my battle,” he told Syria Deeply.
From the Jableh area of the country and a member of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect – a minority in Syria – Hussain is one of a growing number of Alawites who support the Syrian government but refuse to die for it. Since the uprising began in March 2011, they have paid a high price for their loyalty to Assad, prompting more to flee the country in search of security, work and education – all of which have been interrupted by the ongoing bloodshed.
Whether The West likes it or not, Russia is still the steadfast ally it has always been since WWII. The West doesn't have to consent, but, it does have to accept the fact Russia is capable of military actions that benefit stability.
Why an ally? Russia could have rolled up it's sovereign borders maintained it's security and told The West to carry on without them. Russia didn't do that. Russia rose to the need for stability with the relationships it built over decades if not centuries. Russia has always been a sour reality for the USA.
It is called "The Balance of Power."
Now, about the Non-Proliferation Treaty....
30 September 2015
...He said Moscow (click here) is interested in other nations joining its counterterrorism effort in Syria. Those willing to do so can join the intelligence sharing center in Baghdad, which Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran established in the run-up to the operation, the president said.
He stressed that Russia is acting in accordance with international law, by dint of having an invitation from Damascus to assist Syria militarily. He said it was the only proper way to fight terrorism, referring to the US-led coalition, which is bombing IS targets in Syria uninvited and with no mandate from the UN Security Council. (Let's get one thing straight. The West has been carrying on without Russia and if it even tried to get a UN resolution Russia would have vetoed it.)
The conflict in Syria is a complex one with genuine domestic troubles at its origin, but it was greatly worsened by the intervention of foreign actors, Putin said.
Russia opposes the notion maintained by the US and its allies that Syrian President Bashar Assad has to step down for the Syrian problem to be resolved. But Moscow expects Assad to be flexible when the terrorist threat is eliminated and a political transition is needed in the country, the Russian president said.
The Alawites have a right to exist. They have been an ethnic religious minority for a long time. I may be wrong, but, if the Alawites didn't seek refugee in other areas of the Middle East their recruitment to military service would be the end of them.
The best thing that happened to the region is the USA removal of chemical weapons under the UN Resolution 2235 (2015) (click here) which contained and eliminated Syria's chemical stores.
UN Documents for Syria (click here).
August 13, 2015By Omar Abdullah
When 24-year-old Hussain (click here) fled his village in Syria for Mersin, Turkey, six weeks ago, it didn’t feel like a choice. Knowing that he would eventually be called for mandatory military service in the Syrian army, he packed his bags and made the dangerous journey across the border. “I did not want to join the army – this is not my battle,” he told Syria Deeply.
From the Jableh area of the country and a member of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect – a minority in Syria – Hussain is one of a growing number of Alawites who support the Syrian government but refuse to die for it. Since the uprising began in March 2011, they have paid a high price for their loyalty to Assad, prompting more to flee the country in search of security, work and education – all of which have been interrupted by the ongoing bloodshed.
