This has all the hallmarks of the lead up to the Iraq invasion.
There are just a few things that dont add up with this supposed chemical attack.
Who benefits?: The only ones that benefit are the rebels and their backers in the west. Hence it is beyond illogical for the Assad regime to use these weapons. More about this later.
Place it happened: It was in the last hold out in Damascus for the rebels. Why would any sane.. hell even insane person... use such weapons so close to all the international media and a few kilometres away from a UN weapons team? Makes no sense what so ever for the Assad regime to do it, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense for the rebels to do it. It would create instant knowledge that it happened, since most of the media in Syria are in Damascus. Had this attack been in another smaller city, then it could never have been verified by the media or anyone, and the time for exposure would have been long. Here it was under 24 hours and all over the media.. due to placement.
The way it happened: From what we know from the media, the attacks came in different areas of the rebel held area. If the attack was to take the area, then why did the Assad regime gain no ground? If the attack was to gain sympathy for the rebel cause.. then it would make sense. Also, if it was Assads people who did it, then I would have thought that these well trained military personnel would have been much better at aiming and distributing the chemicals... it seemed very amateur hour.
Previous supposed attacks: There has been several reported attacks across the country and it is disputed who carried them out, but one thing is for sure.. the rebels were heavily suspected in at least one of the attacks if not all. Even the UN and French came out and said that they suspected the rebels.. and yes the Assad regime. That can only lead to the conclusion that the rebels do have capability. And considering that parts of the rebels are radicals of the worst kind.. then you dont have to go far to see that they are more than capable of this kind of crap.
Assad response: Yes the international investigators have now gotten access, and it took some time. But what the media does not report is that the area is under rebel control and there is fighting. What should the Assad government do.. say sure go ahead, but we cant guarantee your safety? No they of course have to negotiate a safe route with the rebels.. who they are not talking with normally.. so .. I will give the Assad regime.. very reluctantly.. the benefit of the doubt. Also the Assad regime have claimed they have found chemical weapons in tunnels they had taken from the rebels.. very odd timing, but it is not the first time they claim this, so take it as you want.
Let me say it up front.. I do not trust either side. I certainly dont trust the Assad regime, and I distrust the ragtag rebels who are so splintered that if they managed to get rid of Assad, then it would just mean that the civil war would continue..
But I have to look at this logically.. and there is only three reasons that Assad would use these weapons.
1) He is a mini Hitler and wants to commit genocide. He has not shown this at all... sure he is a bastard, and is brutal, but there has not been any real systematic ethnic cleansing... aka genocide. It is war, it is nasty, but it is no where near the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Bosnia, Rawanda and WW2 Jewish ghettos and from what I have read about this man.. he aint his father.. who certainly WOULD do this.
2) He wanted his troops to take the area.. that certainly failed.. they barely advanced if at all. So what is the point of doing it and brining down the wrath of the world? This certainly makes no sense.
3) He is desperate and loosing.. Nope, he is actually winning the civil war, so why risk air strikes by the west if he is winning?
So one has to ask yet again.. who benefits the most out of this. The rebels.
Now one could say, why would the rebels gas their own people? Well they could not gas the Assad troops and people and claim that the Assad government forces were just incompetent .. that would look silly. Are they that desperate that they are willing to sacrifice their own people for political and military gain? Considering the biggest and most powerful groups are radical islamists .. they hell yea.. they have been using suicide bombings so this would not be much of a step up.
They are also losing and the supposed gas attack on the area stopped the attacks by Assads forces in the area as I understand it. Assad was close to overrunning the area just before the attack..
So with this attack, not only can the rebels possibly look forward to massive air strikes on Assad and his forces by the US, France and UK, but I would also wager that the amount of weapons heading their way would increase. So the motive is there.. that is for sure.
But the propaganda war, with the help of especially the British Foreign Minister, is well under way and Assad is losing that war thanks to the western media.. and like the lead up to the Iraq war.. most of the media are not asking the hard questions.. and that is pissing me off..
