Not sure if this has been covered… i.e. the gas/chemical attack in Syria

I despair at humanity when a chemical attack that kills scores of people seems to illicit a nonchalant (for want of a better word) response from the rest of the world with each superpower seem to be stoking their own fires… US/Britain/France blaming Assad whilst Russia blames the Rebels. The Trump administration more caught up in pettiness

The White House said the attack “cannot be ignored” and blamed the Syrian government, but also said it was “a consequence of the last administration’s weakness and irresolution.”..NYT

Just feeling deflated.

Of course in the same vein I am as guilty as being indifferent apart from these feelings that I have and not doing anything worthwhile about it.

Why would Assad, who has practically won the war, suddenly launch a chemical attack days before an important diplomatic summit on the future of Syria?

Who would benefit from the launch of such a chemical attack? Not Assad.

I think the apathetic response comes from the fatigue caused by being constantly lied to by your own government and media.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n08/seymour-m-hersh/the-red-line-and-the-rat-line

“A series of chemical weapon attacks in March and April 2013 was investigated over the next few months by a special UN mission to Syria. A person with close knowledge of the UN’s activity in Syria told me that there was evidence linking the Syrian opposition to the first gas attack, on 19 March in Khan Al-Assal, a village near Aleppo. In its final report in December, the mission said that at least 19 civilians and one Syrian soldier were among the fatalities, along with scores of injured. It had no mandate to assign responsibility for the attack, but the person with knowledge of the UN’s activities said: ‘Investigators interviewed the people who were there, including the doctors who treated the victims. It was clear that the rebels used the gas. It did not come out in public because no one wanted to know.’”

“Why would Assad, who has practically won the war, suddenly launch a chemical attack days before an important diplomatic summit on the future of Syria?
Who would benefit from the launch of such a chemical attack? Not Assad.”

This. …but then ISIS don’t have Sarin…

So the apathy comes from not having a clue who did it, or what’s going on.

tuskaloosa – Member
Not sure if this has been covered… i.e. the gas/chemical attack in Syria

I despair at humanity when a chemical attack that kills scores of people.
Just feeling deflated.

Of course in the same vein I am as guilty as being indifferent apart from these feelings that I have and not doing anything worthwhile about it.

Chemical weapons are not new, WW1 for instance was one of the most prolific times they were used.

You’ll have to get used to the fact that chemical weapons will be used in the future.

Why would Assad, who has practically won the war, suddenly launch a chemical attack days before an important diplomatic summit on the future of Syria?

Probably cos he thinks he’s immune to punishment?
Given that Russia vetoed a UNSC resolution in Feb to have Syria punished for using chlorine bombs in 2014 and 2015. Moreover b’cos recently the Trump administration made it clear that ousting Assad is not a priority but fighting Isis was or that Trump himself has been sputing a distaste for America’s traditional role as a promoter of human rights and constantly heaps praise on authoritarian leaders such as Putin?

Also that indications are pointing to the use of Sarin which neither the rebels nor ISIS seem to hold.

Thousands ripped to bits and crushed by Russian, French, British and American bombing and there’s general satisfaction. A small number poisoned and there’s outrage.

signed: confused of SW France.

Someone shared a video on Facebook of some of the dead and some convulsing children in the street, some others desperately hosing them down with water.

Hard to put into words what that must be like.

“Thousands ripped to bits and crushed by Russian, French, British and American bombing and there’s general satisfaction. A small number poisoned and there’s outrage.”

Agree, are explosives not chemicals?

“Probably cos he thinks he’s immune to punishment?”

In which case why do it only once and then deny it? …and why not use it on an obviously military target?

The only winners here are the rebels, yet we can be fairly sure they don’t have Sarin. So we just don’t know, and I fear we’re not gonna find out.

Thousands ripped to bits and crushed by Russian, French, British and American bombing and there’s general satisfaction. A small number poisoned and there’s outrage.

Exactly what I was thinking. Remember, the good guys don’t use chemicals – that is how we can differentiate our murdering from the bad guys murdering

indications are pointing to the use of Sarin

Which indicators may that be? The press releases of a Syrian exile living in Coventry?

Which indicators may that be? The press releases of a Syrian exile living in Coventry?

conveyed via media yes – but from witnesses and medical workers where in the symptoms were different, they included the pinpoint pupils of victims that characterize nerve agents…

Thousands ripped to bits and crushed by Russian, French, British and American bombing and there’s general satisfaction. A small number poisoned and there’s outrage.

This. If we kill innocents it’s collateral damage, an unavoidable consequence of war no matter how many.

Because EVERYONE is awful
Soon the Earth will be a barren, atomosphere-less rock spinning through space for billions of years and there will be nobody out there to observe, care or notice. The universe is indifferent to our triumphs and failures.

Edukator – Reformed Troll

Thousands ripped to bits and crushed by Russian, French, British and American bombing and there’s general satisfaction. A small number poisoned and there’s outrage.

The cure for fatigue is short sharp shocks of outrage. Sad but that’s just how it is, maintaining interest about a large diffuse problem over time is hard and individual incidents give them an urgency and individuality. And also in this case reduce it to a more human, easily understood scale- the biggest reason for fatigue in Syria is that hardly anyone really knows what’s going on let alone what to do about it.

there is nothing other than outrage we can supply and its pretty depressing. The whole place a sorry mess.

Edit, got distracted by phone

I see Theresa May had asked for an investigation. I assume this is to find out why they are using chemical weapons instead of good old fashioned UK manufactured cluster bombs (as endorsed by the Saudi air force).

PM on Radio 4 last night quoted figures of 470000 casualties in the Syrian war.

Watched Channel 4 news last night.
The usual shrill and hysteric coverage with pretty much no actual information. Completely avoiding basic journalistic stuff like:

What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Where is the footage from?
Who would do this?
Why would they do it?

But no time for any of that as Jon Snow went straight into barracking politicians about when they’re going to ‘take action’. Without more information, I don’t really know what the footage was showing, but there are already examples of Syria reports which seem extremely suspect:Fabrication in BBC

“The usual shrill and hysteric coverage with pretty much no actual information.”

Well put. The BBC website have horrific pictures of stricken Children but a dearth of actual facts.

It’s almost as if we’re paying taxes so Her Majesty’s Government can lie to us and sell as many weapons as possible, whilst reaping the rewards of global conflict, with no concern for people or the planet…

Government contractors effectively run a press office for opposition fighters but communications conceal UK’s role

The British government is waging information warfare in Syria by funding media operations for some rebel fighting groups, in the foreign front of what David Cameron has called “the propaganda war” against Islamic State.

The campaign aims to boost the reputation of what the government calls the “moderate armed opposition”, a complex and shifting alliance of armed factions.

Deciding which factions to support is risky for the government because many groups have become increasingly extremist as the five-year civil war grinds on.

Contractors hired by the Foreign Office but overseen by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) produce videos, photos, military reports, radio broadcasts, print products and social media posts branded with the logos of fighting groups, and effectively run a press office for opposition fighters.

Materials are circulated in the Arabic broadcast media and posted online with no indication of British government involvement.