Article

2007-08-19 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Is Iran's president growing suspicious of Assad 's real intentions?

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Posted by Fred 2007-08-19 00:00|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 Link for this points back to rantburg.com.

Posted by Chuck 2007-08-19 04:14|| 2007-08-19 04:14|| Front Page Top

#2 Assad is in easy range for Israeli airstraikes, and he knows it.

Ahmadi-nejad is the typical arrogant Persian,, thinking he can lord it over the Arabs and use them as cannon fodder for his schemes, while he sits safe in Tehran.

And there is your "diplomatic" line of attack to fracture that "alliance".

But thats only if we had a CinC that had brains and guts enough to push it (Bush isnt the guy, he wimpishly already refused to discpline CIA and State), and if we don;t have anyone in State with the balls to work with CIA to do it (nor do we have inyone left in the top of the CIA with the guts to do this against the Eastern Elties old-boy club).

Posted by OldSpook 2007-08-19 11:07|| 2007-08-19 11:07|| Front Page Top

#3 Opinion: Baby Assad considers himself a major player and Master of High Cunning. Eventually, his scheming will get him in hot water either with the Israelis or his 'allies'. It was probably a mistake for his daddy to buy him the boardgame Risk when he was a kid.

Posted by SteveS 2007-08-19 12:07|| 2007-08-19 12:07|| Front Page Top

#4 General Assef Shawkat ( left), the president's brother-in-law, who by sheer chance is also prime suspect in the Hariri affair.

Nothing but a complete and total coincidence, to be sure. Baby Assad is in way over his head. He has neither the assets nor the strategic savvy to profitably entertain Iran's meddlesome and dubious interests. Islamic Unitybe it Sunni or Shiitestill remains, as ever, a splendid oxymoron and little else.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-19 15:39|| 2007-08-19 15:39|| Front Page Top

#5 Syria has economic problems. The eastern half of the country is loaded with refugees. They're trying to regain hold of their client state, but Lebanon isn't following the master plan and is playing hard-to get. The Iranians are supposedly working with Syria, but the Persians aren't to be trusted(it isn't just Greeks bearing gifts that one should beware). Lastly, the UN may just initiate legal proceedings on the assassination.

So, the Baathists are getting antsy. They figure there's this big target being painted on their collective foreheads. Assad doesn't have the control over the Baathists like his father did. Maybe he's getting tired of sleeping with one eye open...

Posted by Pappy 2007-08-19 21:43|| 2007-08-19 21:43|| Front Page Top

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