Jive Talking on Syria War

Contrary to the usual jive talking on the Syria war, the rebels are NOT taking over, and the Syrian government still runs most of Syria, including all the large towns. Patrick Cockburn, writing in The Independent in London, continued his reporting on his recent trip to Syria and Beirut, exploding the myths peddled by nearly all the Western press based on fairy tales from the British-Saudi terrorist networks running London's "regime change" operation. Last week Cockburn reported that he had driven from Damascus to Homs without seeing any signs of war, and in a 12/30 article he adds that this was equally true of his drive from Damascus to Beirut. "Driving the short distance between Damascus and Beirut is like shifting from one planet to another," Cockburn writes. "What seems obvious and commonsensical in the Syrian capital becomes controversial and a minority viewpoint over the border in Lebanon. Outside Syria there have been repeated media and diplomatic forecasts of imminent victory for the rebels and defeat for Bashar al-Assad. Ignored in this speculation is the important point that Assad's forces still hold, wholly or in large part, all the main cities and towns of Syria. "The difference in perceptions inside and outside Damascus is explained partly by the way the international and regional media describe the war. There are few foreign journalists in the Syrian capital, because it is difficult to get visas. By way of contrast, the rebels have a highly sophisticated media operation — often also foreign-based — proffering immediate details of every incident, often backed up by compelling, if selective, YouTube footage. Understandably, the rebel version of events is heavily biased towards their own side and demonises the Syrian government. More surprising is the willingness of the international media, based often in Beirut but also in London and New York, to regurgitate with so little scepticism what is essentially good-quality propaganda." Most importantly, Cockburn points to the open U.S./British support for terrorists in the oposition: "The policy of the US and its allies is increasingly bizarre: on the one hand, they recognise the opposition National Coalition as the legitimate government of Syria but, on the other, they label its most effective fighting force, the al-Nusra Front, as 'a terrorist organisation' linked to al-Qa'ida. Just as in Iraq after 2003, Syria has become a magnet for jihadi fighters across the Muslim world."