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The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-Assad activist organization, said all the members of the crisis group set up by President Assad to try to put down the revolt were are either dead or injured. But there was no official confirmation of that account.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/world/middleeast/suicide-attack-reported-in-damascus-as-more-generals-flee.html?_r=1&hp

New Taliban vs. Syria. No matter who wins, we lose?

Troy wrote:New Taliban vs. Syria. No matter who wins, we lose?

That seems right. From the article:

At the Pentagon on Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that situation in Syria "is rapidly spinning out of control" and warned Mr. Assad’s government to safeguard its large stockpile of chemical weapons.

olympia wrote:

Troy wrote:New Taliban vs. Syria. No matter who wins, we lose?

That seems right. From the article:

At the Pentagon on Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that situation in Syria "is rapidly spinning out of control" and warned Mr. Assad’s government to safeguard its large stockpile of chemical weapons.

Words fail me.

What's the situation of this conflict regarding international law? Previously, the UK government has talked about sanctions, both economic and military. But now that it seems to be a civil war, does the Assad regime have the right to buy weapons from abroad, under the pretext that they are the legitimate government fighting a civil insurrection? Or is there a UN directive about helping rebel groups? Human rights and international law confuses the hell out of me!

Troy wrote:New Taliban vs. Syria. No matter who wins, we lose?

No, if Assad wins, we win.

Most important part:

In Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, offering Russia’s first official commentary on the bombing, said via his Twitter account that the attack had put consensus between members of the Security Council even farther out of reach.

dogma wrote:

Troy wrote:New Taliban vs. Syria. No matter who wins, we lose?

No, if Assad wins, we win.

Most important part:

In Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, offering Russia’s first official commentary on the bombing, said via his Twitter account that the attack had put consensus between members of the Security Council even farther out of reach.

Dogma's got it, Assad is very stable and easy to predict. Not to mention he's slowly been modernizing Syria's economic and political systems(slowly though).
And if Assad loses....well those chemical weapon stocks will get used

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:What's the situation of this conflict regarding international law? Previously, the UK government has talked about sanctions, both economic and military. But now that it seems to be a civil war, does the Assad regime have the right to buy weapons from abroad, under the pretext that they are the legitimate government fighting a civil insurrection? Or is there a UN directive about helping rebel groups? Human rights and international law confuses the hell out of me!

They have the right to ask and other governments have the right to say no.

I think the Syrians traditionally got their weapons from the Soviet Union so probably from Russia now.

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:What's the situation of this conflict regarding international law?

The matter is internal to the country (mostly), so international law is not relevant.

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Previously, the UK government has talked about sanctions, both economic and military. But now that it seems to be a civil war, does the Assad regime have the right to buy weapons from abroad, under the pretext that they are the legitimate government fighting a civil insurrection?

Several sanctions have been imposed by several countries against Syria.

Yeah, but now that is is a civil war, will the sanctions be lifted, as both sides will claim to be legitimate government, or is this a classic case of international law being made up as we go along?