After two years of civil war and with the deeply engrained differences partition is now inevitable. It could just follow the facts on the ground, be a treaty setting up 3 countries or could be a loose federation.
Kurds: northern enclaves
Shia/Alawite: Damascus, Homs, coastal villages.
Sunni: Euphrates valley. Aleppo region.

Much is made that the opposition are islamic nutters. This is an exaggeration.
There are between six and ten thousand fighters in the islamic forces. But they vary in conviction. Many are there because they had more and better kit. Many are just devout Some salafists and some jihadists.
There are about 150,000 opposition fighters who are non salafist/jihadist.

Eclectic, one small problem in what should be an obvious plan.

The Kurds also claim parts of Turkey and Iran. In Iraq, with Shia in the Basra area, in Kuzestan they are also Shia Arabs rather than Persian.

Granting autonomy to different factions in the western countries of Syria and Iraq could be cause for more conflict between Syria-Turkey-Iraq-Iran in the north and Iraq and Iran in the south.

Carving up the Ottoman Empire really was the problem.

USA has weapons specifically for use against chemical and biological stockpiles: http://defensetech.org/2013/08/30/ai...mical-weapons/

The U.S. Air Force has spent years developing so-called “Agent Defeat Weapons” designed to target and destroy stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons without dispersing or releasing them to surrounding areas, service officials said.

“The U.S. Air Force has Agent Defeat Weapons designed to limit collateral damage and effects,” Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy told Military​.com. “The munitions are PAW (Passive Attack Weapon) and Crash Pad.”.......more

The lines on this map look more sensible than the ones the imperialists drew:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...23815259_n.png

Eclectic, and that illustrates my point as Turkey, Iraq and Iran have larger Kurdish areas.

Russian stirring?: ?????????? ?????? ????????????? ?????? ???? ?????????????? ????? ? ??????????? ?????????? ??????????????? | RT ?? ???????

Russian Defense Ministry has fixed the launch of two ballistic targets in the direction of the eastern Mediterranean

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the trajectory of ballistic targets two passes of the central part of Credizemnogo sea in the direction of the eastern part of the Mediterranean coast. According to Interfax, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on detection of the launch of two ballistic targets in the Mediterranean.
'Start of the two ballistic targets fixed at 10:16 MSK combat crew node in Armavir early warning ", - explained in the Ministry of Defense.
As ITAR-TASS in NATO headquarters, the alliance is now "checks the information about the launch of ballistic missiles in the Mediterranean region."
The Embassy of Russia in Syria no data about the start of the two ballistic targets in the Mediterranean Sea. "I do about it do not know anything," - said "Interfax" the representative of the Russian diplomatic mission in Damascus. Now in Damascus did not hear the ringing of the rocket attack and bombings in the city. This was reported
by ITAR-TASS Russian Embassy in Syria. "Signal warning of missile attacks and bombings in the city is not" - said the official.

The Western Foreign policy in this region, has, for decades, been an utter joke, where three year old kids could have made better strategic decisions.

We tend to forget the nine year war, where a US backed, and fully funded Saddam Iraq war against Iran, claiming 1,000,000 lives, ended, then the US turned on Sadam, and the rest is history, as they say.:ugh:

In reality, no one really knows what to do, however, the pot was stirred with the inavsion of Iraq, and now everyone must reap what was sown. If it ever ends, it is not going to end well methinks

What gobble-de-gook is this? Do they all speak like Yoda?

@dead_pan

Article is in Russian. Auto translated.

Re Missiles, they now looks like maybe an Israeli ALCM test. Why would they be doing that just now?

If there was anything ballistic fired, it would almost be the Israelis testing the Arrow ABM system.

The target IRBMs are ship launched from the central Med back towards Israel.

A wise precaution in case of any Syrian/Iranian response against Israel due to an American attack.

Very interesting - any idea how recently this was drawn? Also, the areas indicated as loyalist or rebel held, can we extrapolate these reflect broadly the same ethnicity/religious bent?

Unfortunately the main blocks may be the wrong way around i.e. wouldn't it be better to have the Sunnis taking the south and Alawites (& Kurds) the north? Blimey, I'm probably beginning to sound like Sir Mark Sykes of yore.

Beforeitsnews.com
 

Go there and read...

Also watch x22report on YouTube.

Breaking news. Go to @THE_47th on Twitter and follow in real time.

The head of medical services in Assad's Chem Warfare branch, Abdel Tawwab Shahrour, has defected with documents. He will reveal more evidence on Assad's 21st August chemical attack.
The first press conference will be held in Istanbul, they are trying to make it by 5pm local time today.

Ah you terrible untrustworthy Brits.....Shame on You!

This will show you who is in charge!


US leaves ?unreliable? British out in the cold | The Times

Now that I have your attention.....

Could it be the Intel doesn't match up with what Odumbo is saying is the situation and he is afraid the real truth might leak out instead of just what the Administration wishes to leak?

Ask yourself why Odumbo still gets Intel Briefings as after all he reversed himself and decided to go to Congress instead of carrying out the Attack he had ordered?

Then of course we know he does not listen or read his Daily Brief (PDB) with regularity so probably no big problem if he was cut off all together as he doesn't need no stinking brief to make up his mind...does he?

I thought you were 65, not 12.

Tsk, tsk...

You don't have to live under the "benevolent despot" and his cronies... You can sit back satisfied in the knowledge that the UK has already been through it's total collapse at the hands of socialist fools and that there is nothing you can do about it. Over here, we are still aghast at the speed at which a "few good men and a crazy lady" can trash a nation... Over here the consensus seems to be that the ship can still be turned...

who is this crazy lady?

The US has a plan to help Syria's rebels bring down the Assad regime
 

The US has a plan to help Syria's rebels bring down the Assad regime


Syria: Obama Makes New Military Action Vow

And what of the unbenevolent despot, Dubya, who turned your country into a laughing stock? He's probably a hero, in your deranged Teaparty mind.