Reaction to Barack Obama’s decision to go to Congress… A Syria roundup…

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Syria air strikes: reaction to Barack Obama’s decision to go to Congress

From dismay in Israel to caution in France, reaction to the US president’s decision to seek approval from Congress was mixed

President Obama speaks on Syria, watch or listen live


U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with his national security staff to discuss the situation in Syria in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington, in this photo taken August 30, 2013, courtesy of the White House. REUTERS/Pete Souza/White House/Handout via Reuters
Transcript of Obama?s remarks on Syria–?limited, narrow act? under consideration

President Obama says he is considering a ?limited, narrow act? against Syria, but has not made a final decision on a possible military attack following the Syrian government’s reported use of chemical weapons against civilians. Full transcript at CNN.com.
Syria: end of the British ?global era??

On Thursday night, the House of Commons effectively rejected the use of British military force in a punitive but measured strike against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. The week before, his murderous regime used chemical weapons indiscriminately in the suburbs of Damascus, killing over one thousand people, in one of the worst excesses of a protracted civil war. The British government ? along with those of France and the United States ? had planned to punish his crime using salvos of cruise missiles delivered from warships, submarines and combat aircraft. This planned attempt to lay down a marker that the Western powers will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons, and to deter against their future use, has been derailed by the Members of Parliament. The United States? president, Barack Obama, has now pulled-back from striking and has offered to give the United States? Congress its own vote.

BDP co-chair denounces Syria intervention at Istanbul Peace Day gathering

A group of unions, associations and political parties, including theBDP organized a demonstration to mark World Peace Day in Istanbul’s Kadıköy
Al-Assad says Syria can confront external aggression

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Syria was capable of confronting any external aggression
Iranian agency drops Rafsanjani remarks accusing Syrian government of using chemicals

An Iranian news agency quoted former President Rafsanjani as saying Syria’s government had used chemical weapons later replaced the report with a different version

Obama?s Congress move for Syria dismays Ankara

Turkey looks on in agitated anticipation as President Obama says a Syrian invasion must be approved by Congress despite his personal backing for raids
A brief history of US military intervention in Syria: “The Baby and the Baath-water”

At BBC News, Adam Curtis has a compelling look at how the US intelligence and military services have botched regime change and justice-by-bombs in Syria, over the past 65 or so years.UN gave strength to the Syrian regime: Turkish PM

Turkish PM Erdoğan intensified his rhetoric against the U.N., saying that the current system had given strength to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria

Report: U.S. had intel on Syria’s chemical attack before it happened

Foreign Policy reports that American intelligence agencies “had indications three days beforehand that the Syrian regime was poised to launch a lethal chemical attack that killed more than a thousand people,” which set the stage for what now appears to be a likely U.S. military strike on Syria. “What, if anything, did it do to notify the Syrian opposition of the pending attack?”
German pundits on Syria: ‘Humanitarian wars are also wars.’

“Humanitarian wars are also wars. Those who jump into them for moral reasons should also want to win them. Cruise missiles fired from destroyers can send a message and demonstrate conviction, but they cannot decide the outcome of a war. Neither can a “we’ll see” bombardment. There has to be a strategic motivation behind the moral one, and it demands perseverance.” The business daily Handelsblatt, from a roundup of German pundits in der Spiegel.
Turkey?s main opposition CHP warns against 3rd world war in Syria unrest

An intervention in Syria could trigger a third world war, the deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP), Erdoğan Toprak warned

Palestinians in Syria fear being caught in the crossfire between Syrian Army and Salafi-Jihadists who have infiltrated refugee camps in large numbers.

Homs Palestinian Camp, Syria: Jihadists are entering Syria at an accelerating pace, according to Syrian, UNWRA, and Palestinian officials as well as residents in the refugee camps here. For the now-estimated 7000 imported foreign fighters, Palestinian camps are seen as optimal locales for setting up bases across Syria.

Syrian Electronic Army: If U.S. Attacks ‘We Will Target All of It’

Sea-interview

The mysterious pro-Assad hacker group known as the Syrian Electronic Army was back in the spotlight this week, when it hijacked The New York Times and Twitter Internet domains.
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