Father of Assad spokesman Mekdad kidnapped in Syria - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Gunmen in Syria have abducted the elderly father of Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, one of the most powerful voices in the government. The man, said to be in his 80s, was seized from his village home in the southern province of Daraa, government and opposition sources said. No group said they had carried out the abduction but rebels have targeted the families of officials in the past. Relatives of one of the suspected kidnappers were reportedly arrested. Mr Mekdad's father was abducted in the village of Ghossom on Saturday, the deputy foreign minister's office was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22582583[/url]

He's not going to survive. I'm sorry for that guy.

Which side is more "evil" it's hard to say.

Why would they captured a father of someone related to FOREIGN affairs? Do they think doing this is going to get people to finally start supporting them or something?

[QUOTE=Sword and Paint;40690947]Which side is more "evil" it's hard to say.[/QUOTE] At this point I'm pretty sure we can point the fingers at the rebels. Assad is a dick but at least he wasn't for the Shariah, didn't have any connection to Al Qaida and kept his people fed.

[QUOTE=Bliblixe;40691015]At this point I'm pretty sure we can point the fingers at the rebels. Assad is a dick but at least he wasn't for the Shariah, didn't have any connection to Al Qaida and kept his people fed.[/QUOTE] Between that article of Syrian rebels beheading a guy and feeding him to a dog for being christian, and that news article about the syrian army kidnapping rebels and their family and forcing the rebels to watch as they're raped - I think it's safe to say the entire country is fucked no matter who wins now.

The thing is that the rebels aren't one faction. That's a simplification of things. The only similarity some of the rebel groups share is that they fight the same enemy.

[QUOTE=Bliblixe;40691015]At this point I'm pretty sure we can point the fingers at the rebels. Assad is a dick but at least he wasn't for the Shariah, didn't have any connection to Al Qaida and kept his people fed.[/QUOTE] Assad: Bombs unarmed protesters and indiscriminately shells towns and murders any opposition for years. Rebels: One of the smallest factions recently executes prisoners ERM WHICH COULD POSSIBLE BE WORSE

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40691965]Assad: Bombs unarmed protesters and indiscriminately shells towns and murders any opposition for years. Rebels: One of the smallest factions recently executes prisoners ERM WHICH COULD POSSIBLE BE WORSE[/QUOTE] It's not one of the smallest factions. In fact, I'm pretty sure there was a thread here on FP about how the radical faction was rapidly growing.

[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;40692018] In fact, I'm pretty sure there was a thread here on FP about how the radical faction was rapidly growing.[/QUOTE] Well I read an article in the Economist by how they're shrinking as the fighters are more drawn to the moderate, and foreign backed factions. [img]http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/43/fastest_growing.png[/img] standard FP knee-jerking flavour of the month

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692118]Well I read an article in the Economist by how they're shrinking as the fighters are more drawn to the moderate, and foreign backed factions. [img]http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/43/fastest_growing.png[/img] standard FP knee-jerking flavour of the month[/QUOTE] Do you have any sources at all proving that it's only a small group within the rebels that are doing awful things? Because if not you're just making an ass of yourself insulting everybody

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692118]Well I read an article in the Economist by how they're shrinking as the fighters are more drawn to the moderate, and foreign backed factions. [img]http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/43/fastest_growing.png[/img] standard FP knee-jerking flavour of the month[/QUOTE] afaik the islamists are the best supplied and thus the most powerful faction at the moment.

[QUOTE=Elspin;40692146]Do you have any sources at all proving that it's only a small group within the rebels that are doing awful things? Because if not you're just making an ass of yourself insulting everybody[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/05/syrias-rivalrous-rebels?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d[/url]

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692217][url]http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/05/syrias-rivalrous-rebels?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d[/url][/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahrar_al-Sham[/url] "is in control of the city where I am" [QUOTE]The front's founding statement describes its ideology as based on a Salafi understanding of Islam and declares its aims as toppling the Assad government and establishing an Islamic state, governed by religious Muslim law, for the benefit of all Syrians.[/QUOTE]

I guess you missed the part where she goes on to say how they're fighting a more hardline group for control, because they don't represent the best interest for all Syrians. Every uprising in the Arab spring had Islamist factions. I don't see why SH freaking out over it. SH did the same to some extent over Libya.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692217][url]http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/05/syrias-rivalrous-rebels?zid=308&ah=e21d923f9b263c5548d5615da3d30f4d[/url][/QUOTE] That certainly doesn't paint the pretty picture of the rebels you seem to have. Even the so called better factions still seem like they would result in a disastrous regime

[QUOTE=Elspin;40692301]That certainly doesn't paint the pretty picture of the rebels you seem to have. Even the so called better factions still seem like they would result in a disastrous regime[/QUOTE] Of course its not a pretty picture. Its a bloody long term civil war. What did people honestly expect was going to happen when they sat twiddling their thumbs for years and suddenly get to feel this bizarre sense of vindication that no one really did anything because suddenly the entire rebel faction is worse than a murderous dictatorship and its a good job no one did anything.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692326]Of course its not a pretty picture. Its a bloody long term civil war. What did people honestly expect was going to happen when they sat twiddling their thumbs for years and suddenly get to feel this bizarre sense of vindication that no one really did anything because suddenly the entire rebel faction is worse than a murderous dictatorship and its a good job no one did anything.[/QUOTE] Perhaps you could word that better, the second part didn't quite make sense. Are you trying to say that the rebels have to be evil to overthrow Assad? Because I'd disagree. Of course a civil war is going to be bloody and awful, but it doesn't have to be full of atrocities - especially by the side that's fighting to be free from them.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692295]I guess you missed the part where she goes on to say how they're fighting a more hardline group for control, because they don't represent the best interest for all Syrians. Every uprising in the Arab spring had Islamist factions. I don't see why SH freaking out over it. SH did the same to some extent over Libya.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]establishing an Islamic state, governed by religious Muslim law, for the benefit of all Syrians.[/QUOTE] Does not quite seem to be in the best interest of all Syrians if Assad's regime still has a significant amount of support.

[QUOTE=laserguided;40692385]Does not quite seem to be in the best interest of all Syrians if Assad's regime still has a significant amount of support.[/QUOTE] Assad still thinks he's for the benefit of Syria. Which very few people think, well until SH became some kind of brutal dictatorship apologist hive mind.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;40692456]Assad still thinks he's for the benefit of Syria. Which very few people think, well until SH became some kind of brutal dictatorship apologist hive mind.[/QUOTE] I don't think anyone here really thinks Assad is a good ruler, but you cannot possibly blame people for thinking the rebels might be as bad or worse with some of the shit they've done in the headlines lately. You need to stop pretending everything is 100% one sided and everyone who disagrees with you is just crazy

[QUOTE=Elspin;40692564]but you cannot possibly blame people for thinking the rebels might be as bad or worse with some of the shit they've done in the headlines lately.[/QUOTE] Maybe if people here stopped using SH as an actual news source they would probably notice that Assad is still doing far worse.