Article

2005-11-01 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian Bigwigs and Capital Flee under Implied Threat of Military Action

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Posted by Steve 2005-11-01 08:40|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Local futures market in action?

Posted by Phinerong Unotch8835 2005-11-01 08:57|| 2005-11-01 08:57|| Front Page Top

#2 Time to get out of Dodge ... problem is where do we go????

Posted by The Happy Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2005-11-01 09:09|| http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com]">[http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com] 2005-11-01 09:09|| Front Page Top

#3 The explicit threat of economic sanctions was deleted from the American-British-French draft demanding Damascusâ cooperation. It was dropped for the sake of a unanimous 15:0 endorsement...

Remember 2002 Resolution 1441 passed unanimously. "serious consequences" indeed. The devil's in the details.

Posted by doc 2005-11-01 09:36|| 2005-11-01 09:36|| Front Page Top

#4 Bashar Assad..

[...]

His young brother Maher Assad, or his sisterâs husband, Assed Shawqat?

"Asshats", by any other name.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-11-01 10:07|| 2005-11-01 10:07|| Front Page Top

#5 Down the hawsers on the Ship of State?

Posted by mojo">mojo 2005-11-01 10:12|| 2005-11-01 10:12|| Front Page Top

#6 The largest capital transfer â estimated at $6-7bn â was made by the tycoon Rami Makhlouf who lost no time in removing himself, business and family from Damascus to Dubai.

Anybody want to start a pool on how long this A**hat continues to breathe? I figure once the dominos start to fall they will start whacking each other. That will lead to inter-tribal retribution...the sort of insane red-on-red we have grown to love.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2005-11-01 10:18|| 2005-11-01 10:18|| Front Page Top

#7 Right on Mouse. The Kalashnikov is to the ME what HIV is to Africa. The "whacking each other" is the key. They don't have a weapons problem, they only have a Class V problem/shortage.

Posted by Besoeker 2005-11-01 12:11|| 2005-11-01 12:11|| Front Page Top

#8 What happens if Assad falls suddenly is not just red on red violence.

There are democratic voices around, pro-market reformers around, Christian groups and Kurdish groups that seek more freedom, etc.

Unfortunately, the above groups are not as well armed as various Islamist and secular criminal groups.

If the Assad dynasty crumbles, it will be up to the Syrian Army to maintain order. They can probably do a rudimentary job of this for a short period of time. However, the progressive groups will be very vulnerable.

Let's not be too gleeful.

Posted by mhw 2005-11-01 15:57|| 2005-11-01 15:57|| Front Page Top

#9 a Class V problem/shortage

Definition, please?

Posted by trailing wife 2005-11-01 17:24|| 2005-11-01 17:24|| Front Page Top

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