I've been watching the Olympics today. The first gold medal went to a Chinese woman for marksmanship. The gold medal that didn't go where everyone expected was the loss of Michael Phelps in the 400 meter individual swimming medley. Another American won, but the pressure had been, and will continue to be, on Phelps to collect three more medals in order to win the most Olympic medals in history.
But, I could not help but switch channels, when there were breaks or a sport I wasn't particularly interested was on TV, to see what was happening in Syria today.
What is happening is that the Syrian Free Army is firing anti-aircraft rounds at al-Assad helicopter gunships circling over Aleppo. People are fleeing several popular neighborhoods of Aleppo in order to avoid being caught up in the street battle that everyone expects to start soon between the SRA and regime forces.
In other towns, those left behind after other earlier battles are huddling together in underground areas to avoid random air attacks and to try to stay safe and use a minimum of resources by staying together. The bunker hospitals are operating and the images are now commonplace in the country.
But, it seems the world is watching but not seeing.
However, today, French President Francois Hollande called on the UN Security Council to intervene in Syria as soon as possible. He further called on China to remember that its interest in Syria is with the country and its people, not with the al-Assad regime. He flatly called on China to come onboard with the rest of the world. He didn't mention Russia.
But, the Russian foreign minister was speaking for his country. He mentioned for the hundredth time that Russia wants the fighting to stop as quickly as possible. But, he also said that al-Assad will not be welcome in Russia if he asks for asylum or refuge there.
Is that the crack in the Russian wall that the diplomatic world has been pushing for during the past 18 months. Perhaps the next week will deliver the answer.
After all, the Russians have TVs and eyes to see. And what they see cannot make it easy for them to continue forever in their denial of reality.
Historically the Russians play the International diplomacy game to their best advantage. When the advantage disappears, so does the boisterous demands and threats from the Kremlin.
ReplyDeleteRussia is the master at"positioning"themselves on the international scene. Their positioning effort is always aimed at getting what Russia wants or the best they can obtain from a deadlocked stalemate.
The world sometimes I think can't see at all. No longer is it about good vs evil or right vs wrong on the world stage. It's all about what best can I get out of this situation. It's the "ME GENERATION" of the 70's with much more serious implications, responsibilities, and end results. Obama doesn't see anything except what is good for his re-election chances or his already badly tarnished legacy/image.
The eventual big looser in the Middle East turmoil will not be Russia, China, USA, Germany, one Muslin sect vs another,no. The long lasting loser will be freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom of religion, freedom of self destiny, freedom, freedom, freedom, you name them. And once freedoms are lost and a Theocracy is put into place the pendulum will not swing back our way for many generations without blood running in the streets, much like is happening in Assad's Syria as we speak.