4 December 2011 — williambowles.info

4 December 2011
‘Sanctions against Syria won’t bear fruit’
Russiatoday.ru Today at 06:47
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for military intervention in Syria to bring down the ruling regime as sanctions continue to be piled on Damascus. But political activist Franklin Lamb has doubts on…

Syria faces fresh Arab ultimatum
BBC News Today at 09:18
Damascus faces a new Sunday deadline to accept Arab League proposals to allow foreign observers, as violence continues in Syria.

Victor Nieto, “Pulling on the Russian Leash” (Cartoon)
MRZine.org Today at 01:22
Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. Cf. Vitaly Churkin, ‘Russia Against Any Sanctions on Syria’ (2 December 2011); ‘Done Deal: Russia Supplies Cruise Missiles to Syria’ (RT, 2 December 2011).

VIDEO: Fresh Syria clashes leave 23 dead
BBC News Today at 00:43
At least 23 people die in Syria as violence between army defectors and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad swells, activists say.

Syria unrest: Arab league issues new Sunday deadline
BBC News
Syria is facing a new Arab League deadline to accept proposals to allow observers into the strife-torn country. Arab foreign ministers meeting in Qatar said Damascus had until Sunday to agree to the league’s plan. The Qatari prime minister threatened …
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16021738

In Syria, fear and violence recall dark days of 1980s
Los Angeles Times
Syria activists had intended this uprising to be peaceful and less confrontational. But with Bashar Assad using the same violence and mass detentions his father did, history seems to be repeating. Standing before a portrait of President Bashar Assad, …
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syrian-detentions-20111204,0,1609824.story

Embattled Syrians cross into Lebanon
Al Jazeera
The conflict in Syria is forcing many families to leave the country in search of safety. Families who live along the relatively porous Lebanese-Syrian border have fled from their homes, while others injured in the fighting have been receiving medical …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HicqyJCd3Hw

Syria foreign ministry: UN vote on human rights violations “unjust and hostile”
eTaiwan News
By Cherice Chen Syria”Syria on Saturday condemned a UN vote on rights violations by the Syria”Syrian security forces as “unjust,” and said it was based on false information from Syria”Syria’s foes. The UN Human Rights Council resolution passed in a …
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1777755

Turkey is ready to invade Syria
Sunday Times.lk
By MK Bhadrakumar Turkey and its western allies are transferring the Libyan fighters whom they trained and armed to depose Muammar Gaddafi to Syria. Around 600 Libyan ‘volunteers’ have entered Syria. Daily Telegraph reported that secret meetings were …
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111204/Timestwo/int13.html

Free Syrian Army sergeant speaks to Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
With the conflict in Syria raging, the number defectors from the armed forces is on the rise. Al Jazeera has been speaking to soldiers in the Free Syrian Army. Sergeant Nidal Agady says social media was one factor which made him change sides.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWfSIgcTbVc

Deadline set for Syria, 23 die in clashes
Sydney Morning Herald
An Arab League ministerial committee has slapped 19 Syrian officials with a ban on travel to Arab states and gave Damascus until Sunday to accept observers to monitor the country’s unrest. The new deadline come as 23 people were reportedly killed on …
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/deadline-set-for-syria-23-die-in-clashes-20111204-1od2x.html

Syria Death Toll Soars
Daily Beast
An evening battle near Syria’s border with Turkey left at least 23 dead on Saturday, as the death toll in the eight-month uprising approaches 4600, according to a leading activist group. Four other civilians were shot dead in Homs, a hotbed of violence …
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/12/03/syria-death-toll-soars.html

Biden urges Arab leaders to allow free speech
Reuters India
“Democratic revolutions, like the ones in Tunisia, in Egypt and Libya, and the ones still unfolding in Syria and Yemen, are imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit,” Biden told a meeting of young entrepreneurs in Istanbul. “It is hard to think different …
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/04/usa-biden-idINDEE7B301K20111204

Sweden ‘weakened’ EU sanctions against Syria
The Local.se
Sweden stepped on the brakes, stopping the EU from imposing sanctions against two telecom companies active in Syria. Both do business with Swedish telecom giant Ericsson. The decision has come in for some heavy criticism from several players. …
http://www.thelocal.se/37720/20111203/mostread

Syria bans iPhone in attempt to curb protests and silence citizen …
By Zachary Lutz
Times are tough in Syria right now, but that isn’t stopping the Assad government from making things a whole lot worse. The nation’s customs departm.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/03/syria-bans-iphone-in-attempt-to-curb-protests-and-silence-citize/

UN Human Rights Council condemns violence in Syria – Jurist
By Dan Taglioli
JURIST – Paper Chase: UN Human Rights Council condemns violence in Syria.
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2011/12/un-human-rights-council-condemns-violence-in-syria.php

RealClearPolitics – Why Russia Loves Syria
By Owen Matthews, The Daily Beast
When it comes to standing by old friends, Moscow has an unrivaled record. Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, deposed Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and soon-to-step-down Yemeni President Ali Abdullah …
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/12/03/why_russia_loves_syria_268467.html

The Shadow War in Syria | Dissident Voice
By Pepe Escobar
Target Syria — the strategic prize that outstrips Libya. The stage is set. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Libya 2.0 equals Syria? It’s more like Libya 2.0.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/12/the-shadow-war-in-syria/

Why Is Russia Supporting Syria’s President Bashir Assad? – The …
Owen Matthews reports on the mutually beneficial Syrian-Russian relationship.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/02/why-is-russia-supporting-syria-s-president-bashir-assad.html

Syria opposition groups agree to coordinate efforts – latimes.com
The Free Syrian Army agrees to scale back its campaign of attacks on Syrian forces after talks with the Syrian National Council, which advocates nonviolence.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-accord-20111202,0,2838836.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fworld+(L.A.+Times+-+World+News)

3 December 2011
Seeing the US Everywhere
The Greanville Post Yesterday at 23:18
By Stephen Gowans, What’s Left
The New York Times ran an article today about Washington’s plans to strengthen its military presence in Australia. Australia is to be used by the US military ‘as a new center of operations in Asia’ from which the United States will seek ‘to reassert itself in the region and grapple with China’s rise.’

Syria shrugs off UN resolution as ‘unfair, politicized’
Strategic Culture Foundation Yesterday at 21:07

Fresh Syria clashes leave 23 dead
BBC News Yesterday at 18:13
At least 23 people die in Syria as violence between army defectors and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad swells, activists say.

Moscow Confronts US-NATO-Israel. Russia supplied ship killer missiles to Syria
GlobalResearch.ca Yesterday at 13:21
For more details, please click on the link to read the article.

‘Syria solution: Federation without Assad’
Russiatoday.ru Yesterday at 11:40
The Western plan to dismantle Syria would mean a terrible civil war, so Bashar Assad should sacrifice his presidency to protect the country from splitting up, believes Professor Johan Galtung, rector of the Transcend…