Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Bashar al-Assad? Nice guy or not a nice guy?

Trump has attacked a Syrian airport, and destroyed several live, buildings and aircraft, but not the runway.

There is a school of geo-political thought on the Left and in Green circles that takes its cue from the USA. If the USA is against something, that something is OK. Trump is now against Bashar al-Assad, therefore Assad is and OK guy.  All the stuff said about him on the Biased Broadcasting Company is wrong.

So here are some questions for those who say Assad is a nice guy.

Do they have good evidence for the following statements about Assad?

That  his elections are free and fair?
That he did not order the crackdown on Arab Spring protesters?
That the is military definitely not integrated into his Government?
That Assad does not use barrel bombs?
That he has never used nerve gas?  
That the indictments brought against him to the ICC in June 2014 are all made up?
That  his secret police do not imprison, torture and kill political opponents, including children?

Personally, I tend to think there is a germ of truth in the idea that Syria is a rather unpleasant dictatorship. I also think that dictatorships are generically anti-human, and that they should be non-violently discouraged by means of the Green Party's Index of Human Rights.


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