I have no deep knowledge or expertise on this part of the world, all I know is that my heart breaks for Aleppo and Syria and its vulnerable people. Is it too much to agree that hospitals should not be bombed?? What has happened to human beings?? I am aghast and powerless and sad.
9
"In Aleppo, We Are Running Out of Coffins," Op-Ed column, by Osama Abo El
Ezz," May 4, 2016. Reading this heart-wrenching article, my jaws dropping, and my heart beating fast, I imagined myself as a young child, trapped in the rubble in Aleppo, mortally wounded and screaming for help from Allah, the merciful, and not getting it. Dr. Osama's noble plea to stop the airstrikes and bombing in Aleppo, I felt that should be translated into all the major languages of the world and printed on the front page of all the newspapers globally. Reading it might rouse the dormant conscience of the world that has for long turned a blind eye to the savage atrocities in Syria perpetrated on the innocents by its own government led by Bashar Assad, his opposition, and the his ally, Russian President Putin.
President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, and the Russian leader, too, should bring every kind of pressure on Bashar Assad to resume
cessation immediately of all hostilities, especially in civilian areas where the vitally needed hospitals, medical professionals, and facilities are.
The immoral civil war in Syria long has been killing civilians, displacing them, and driving them out of their own country for years. If the world cannot stop it, it has lost its heart and head. Stop the carnage of innocents.
Ezz," May 4, 2016. Reading this heart-wrenching article, my jaws dropping, and my heart beating fast, I imagined myself as a young child, trapped in the rubble in Aleppo, mortally wounded and screaming for help from Allah, the merciful, and not getting it. Dr. Osama's noble plea to stop the airstrikes and bombing in Aleppo, I felt that should be translated into all the major languages of the world and printed on the front page of all the newspapers globally. Reading it might rouse the dormant conscience of the world that has for long turned a blind eye to the savage atrocities in Syria perpetrated on the innocents by its own government led by Bashar Assad, his opposition, and the his ally, Russian President Putin.
President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, and the Russian leader, too, should bring every kind of pressure on Bashar Assad to resume
cessation immediately of all hostilities, especially in civilian areas where the vitally needed hospitals, medical professionals, and facilities are.
The immoral civil war in Syria long has been killing civilians, displacing them, and driving them out of their own country for years. If the world cannot stop it, it has lost its heart and head. Stop the carnage of innocents.
14
The United States cannot deal with its own war crimes (see Kunduz) let alone those of Russia and Syria.
4
Russia has no intention of sparing civilians. And no intention to get Assad to back down. Putin and Assad are one of a kind. I am certain that it was Russian jets that destroyed the hospital. Russia should be suspended from the UN.
The US is in no position to go to war; I believe that we helped arm insurgents that were akin to ISIS. On the other hand, the people of Syria deserve better. If the majority want Assad out, he should go. But, Putin doesn't want Assad to go. So he won't.
The US is in no position to go to war; I believe that we helped arm insurgents that were akin to ISIS. On the other hand, the people of Syria deserve better. If the majority want Assad out, he should go. But, Putin doesn't want Assad to go. So he won't.
7
Russia and U.S. Stop War in Syria
7
We should cut a deal with Assad.
There is one way to stop the violence in Syria, and destroy ISIS as well:
ASSAD MUST STAY.
I know it is tough to hear, but it is true.
There is one way to stop the violence in Syria, and destroy ISIS as well:
ASSAD MUST STAY.
I know it is tough to hear, but it is true.
9
Given the amazing amount of neocon propaganda surrounding this war, and the fact that Doctors without Borders facilities ahve been systematically attacked in Yemen and hit in Afghanistan - I think a good journalist must consider the possibility that it was not a Russian or Syrian jet that bombed this hospital:
""According to our data, on the evening of April 27 in airspace above Aleppo a plane of one of the countries of the so-called anti-ISIL [Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] coalition was working in the area for the first time after a long break," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday. "
https://www.sott.net/article/317366-US-coalition-bombs-MSF-hospital-in-A...
if this seems unlikely, consider the significant evidence that, perhaps because the true goal is removing Assad and Balkanizing Syria, the US did not seriously target ISIS until after russia showed up.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/12/us-caught-faking-it-in-syria/
I am not suggesting this is definitely true, only that the lead up to the Iraq war should have decent, intelligent people questioning the easy narrative of "the other guys" being the only ones that lie and kill civilians.
""According to our data, on the evening of April 27 in airspace above Aleppo a plane of one of the countries of the so-called anti-ISIL [Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] coalition was working in the area for the first time after a long break," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday. "
https://www.sott.net/article/317366-US-coalition-bombs-MSF-hospital-in-A...
if this seems unlikely, consider the significant evidence that, perhaps because the true goal is removing Assad and Balkanizing Syria, the US did not seriously target ISIS until after russia showed up.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/12/us-caught-faking-it-in-syria/
I am not suggesting this is definitely true, only that the lead up to the Iraq war should have decent, intelligent people questioning the easy narrative of "the other guys" being the only ones that lie and kill civilians.
10
The problems in Syria are caused by Syrians.
They are caused by sectarianism.
They are caused by Sunni Muslims who refuse, categorically refuse, to live with non-Sunni Muslims.
Blame Russia and the US all you want- it will not change the fact that the people of your country are unwilling to live in peace together.
I hope you folks can decide to live in peace with one another. I hope my government stays out of the way.
They are caused by sectarianism.
They are caused by Sunni Muslims who refuse, categorically refuse, to live with non-Sunni Muslims.
Blame Russia and the US all you want- it will not change the fact that the people of your country are unwilling to live in peace together.
I hope you folks can decide to live in peace with one another. I hope my government stays out of the way.
19
Another heartbreaking glimpse into the barbarity and human suffering in Syria.
On this eve of Holocaust Day I pray that man's cruelty to man ends today, everywhere and forever.
On this eve of Holocaust Day I pray that man's cruelty to man ends today, everywhere and forever.
36
Dr. El Ezz: I read this commentary and am overwhelmed with rage and horror at what is happening to innocent civilians in Aleppo. It is all-too-reminiscent of Sarajevo; of the savage butchery in various nations in Africa; and far too many places around the globe. I salute your compassion and steadfast commitment to those in need of care, and I realize that we in the United States cannot begin to fathom the realities on the ground there. I recoil at Assad's sadistic policies - he has obviously long since abandoned any pretense of his medical training. Vladimir Putin is an unstable, barbaric megalomaniac, and sadly, has no interest in saving lives - in Aleppo, in the Ukraine, or anywhere else. I hope that somehow, the tribal factions and extremist sects can find a way to transcend their hatred in the name of all that is moral and just - the nations in the entire region must take back their civilization; their thousands of years of history; and most of all, reclaim their future. I pray for you all.
44
The depth in me at which this read penetrates strikes heart strings that have never before been so profoundly bowed/plucked/drummed. My humble, now chromatically descendent, drone for what is allowed to be happening in a supposed civilized world in which I live is to say to you: take care, be well; I am there with you.
1
Peace in Syria is long over due. It has been clear that insurgency is going nowhere.
The accompanying Editorial reveals the problem. It proposes that peace would happen if only Russia would make Assad surrender. Well sure, peace breaks out when one side surrenders.
That isn't going to happen. That is why Syria is what it is today.
We need a bit of honesty here. The Syria War as it is today is a regime change effort that failed. In failing, it left some people we like even less in control of large areas, albeit few people. Meanwhile, any people we actually like are gone or have lost. It is a disaster for the intended regime change, unless like Saudi Arabia you actually secretly like ISIS and al Qaeda.
We can end the insurgency. That too would be peace. Cut off the weapons and money, and the fighting would stop. That happened a few years ago, when we held back money and weapons to pressure them, but we gave in then and let them go as they wanted.
Time to pull the plug. We can actually get some terms, if we take control of events by pulling the plug. We could get some of what we want. That won't be the end of Assad. It might be the end in Syria of ISIS and al Qaeda, and so would help against them in Iraq too -- that isn't even a real border anymore for ISIS.
If our hawks view it their way, there can be no peace, any more than they would have gotten a peace in Vietnam.
Pull the plug. Make peace on terms we can get. That is not our surrender either, nor is it theirs.
The accompanying Editorial reveals the problem. It proposes that peace would happen if only Russia would make Assad surrender. Well sure, peace breaks out when one side surrenders.
That isn't going to happen. That is why Syria is what it is today.
We need a bit of honesty here. The Syria War as it is today is a regime change effort that failed. In failing, it left some people we like even less in control of large areas, albeit few people. Meanwhile, any people we actually like are gone or have lost. It is a disaster for the intended regime change, unless like Saudi Arabia you actually secretly like ISIS and al Qaeda.
We can end the insurgency. That too would be peace. Cut off the weapons and money, and the fighting would stop. That happened a few years ago, when we held back money and weapons to pressure them, but we gave in then and let them go as they wanted.
Time to pull the plug. We can actually get some terms, if we take control of events by pulling the plug. We could get some of what we want. That won't be the end of Assad. It might be the end in Syria of ISIS and al Qaeda, and so would help against them in Iraq too -- that isn't even a real border anymore for ISIS.
If our hawks view it their way, there can be no peace, any more than they would have gotten a peace in Vietnam.
Pull the plug. Make peace on terms we can get. That is not our surrender either, nor is it theirs.
19
I don't understand why people are still living there. There is no food, no work, no money, no medical care, and now no coffins. What is all this daily trauma doing to the psyches of the young who see carnage every day and live in fear surrounded by rubble? Who will these children become, should they survive? There will be a whole society of traumatized people suffering from PTSD. What's that going to do for the region? For the world?
5
Where exactly are they supposed to go?
Every country currently flooded with migrants trying desperately to get their families to safety are overwhelmed. Our own country has taken precious few migrants from Syria, despite the obvious living hell these people have been through.
It's not like they have a wide range of choices.
Every country currently flooded with migrants trying desperately to get their families to safety are overwhelmed. Our own country has taken precious few migrants from Syria, despite the obvious living hell these people have been through.
It's not like they have a wide range of choices.
23
Syria and Russia are bombing civilians and you are blaming the USA (also). Why not? Perhaps the US should start WW3 and attack Russia to make you feel better.
What the US *should* do IMHO is to get a few B52s and "bomb" the civilian areas with food and medical supplies.
There is no need for convoys of trucks and "guarantees" of safe passage from barbarian head hunters. Just parachute in supplies. Some will be confiscated of course but if the terrorists (pick your group) eat they might steal less from the civilians.
What the US *should* do IMHO is to get a few B52s and "bomb" the civilian areas with food and medical supplies.
There is no need for convoys of trucks and "guarantees" of safe passage from barbarian head hunters. Just parachute in supplies. Some will be confiscated of course but if the terrorists (pick your group) eat they might steal less from the civilians.
2
I think it's important to understand the full situation in Allepo. In the article the author says that "Hospitals cannot be targets". In reality, they can be if there are enemy combatants using the hospital as a base of operations. The article doesn't clearly say why the hospital was attacked and I believe that is vital information. Also, it is important to keep in mind that although war is a terrible thing it has become better. We no longer see millions of people dying in war like we did during World War 1 or 2. We don't have situations like the bombing of Dresden in World War 2 where thousands of civilians were killed. Yes war is terrible and we should do our best to prevent it but remember that it could be a lot worse.
1
It is not only Russia and Syria that have been bombing hospitals.
In Yemen, the Saudis with our help are bombing the hospitals of the same international organizations.
In Gaza, Israel has bombed hospitals.
In Fallugah, the US very deliberately bombed all the hospitals, after a half hearted evacuation of that major city that left about 50,000 civilians still in place.
In Afghanistan, the US has "by accident" been bombing hospitals.
In Ukraine, the Western supported government bombs hospitals in the Donbas region.
I agree it needs to be stopped. The Geneva Conventions need to be enforced. But that won't happen unless we see that the problem is far more than just Assad.
In Yemen, the Saudis with our help are bombing the hospitals of the same international organizations.
In Gaza, Israel has bombed hospitals.
In Fallugah, the US very deliberately bombed all the hospitals, after a half hearted evacuation of that major city that left about 50,000 civilians still in place.
In Afghanistan, the US has "by accident" been bombing hospitals.
In Ukraine, the Western supported government bombs hospitals in the Donbas region.
I agree it needs to be stopped. The Geneva Conventions need to be enforced. But that won't happen unless we see that the problem is far more than just Assad.
19
I don't think anyone could "understand the full situation in Allepo" more than the author of this article, who is actually in Aleppo. Certainly none of us here in the U.S. can understand this situation more than the author, who is actually experiencing it. I don't think we need to accuse him of not understanding the situation in Aleppo. What is happening there is absolutely tragic, and yes, thousands of civilians HAVE died in this war. Just because war is no longer in Europe doesn't mean "it has become better." If Denver was being flattened by bombs, if Denver's hospitals and schools were being intentionally targeted, if the last pediatrician in Denver had been killed, I'm sure Coloradans wouldn't want to hear "it could be a lot worse."
26
There is nothing else but 'hollow statements'. If there would have been a chance for a stringent action for crossing a 'red line', this chance have been forfeit long ago. And for a good reason, because we know that if we start enforcing some measures in the name of humanity and morality, and will and can not stop there - and much to soon the US would be meddling with a war, where there is no right or wrong, but just collateral and blame.
Russia and Assad are making an ethnic cleansing, and they are taking their time. They destroy what the people in Aleppo and elsewhere needs most for survival. Russia wants you to flee. And you should, you can't win this war, not if you stay.
So get out of there, there is no point in dying there. You are not the first who will live in a diaspora, and has returned to the ME to claim a turf for their own.
Russia and Assad are making an ethnic cleansing, and they are taking their time. They destroy what the people in Aleppo and elsewhere needs most for survival. Russia wants you to flee. And you should, you can't win this war, not if you stay.
So get out of there, there is no point in dying there. You are not the first who will live in a diaspora, and has returned to the ME to claim a turf for their own.
5
"Russia and Assad are making an ethnic cleansing"
It is far more than just Russia and Assad abusing that population.
Does Germany want to live with al Qaeda or ISIS in control of any of its territory, or allow their groups to stay there? Germany too would clear them out.
This is a mess. It is not just one side in the wrong.
To stop this, pull the plug on the whole insurgency, and make terms with Russia for it to pull the plug too.
It is far more than just Russia and Assad abusing that population.
Does Germany want to live with al Qaeda or ISIS in control of any of its territory, or allow their groups to stay there? Germany too would clear them out.
This is a mess. It is not just one side in the wrong.
To stop this, pull the plug on the whole insurgency, and make terms with Russia for it to pull the plug too.
7
"Syrian or Russian" Air planes, but that is same, every single Syrian citizen which is fight against Terrorist which are payed, trained and protected by Saudi, Turkey and of course Papa bear USA....Every single of them is War Criminal , but when USA jets in several days drop bombs on several hospitals, then that isn't Ethnic cleansing but error ... Never mind that whole Eu and half world knows that Turkey is save haven for ISIS, which never can't be whit out fully approval by "Papa Bear ", never mind, that plunder of Iraqi, Libyan and Syrian oil profits was share between Turkish political elite, American military elite , and Saudi Military , Elite, Never was stopped propaganda about Russian which actually "do not fight against ISIS but " moderate" (letters and numbers, in senate commission questioning "how many moderate groups in exist in Syria" Answer of American general "TWO" fighters in Syria , but some how ISIS was decimate , probably because to many of them was kill it self .... Time and Time again is shown how functioned So called USA mind, fully oblivious y atrocity's which was did it in the name of USA national Security based on fully, constructed LIE's from Iraq to the all around the world, why, because simply deep in self, average USA like Idea of Racial Superiority and World domination, and there is roots of all stupidity, triple standards, lack of any moral ground, and in essence fully ignorance about reality , and who actually is "Moderate" "Bad" and "Good"
1
Syria is a war and humanitarian crime on every level, but not until those who started and continue to feed the fire stop, will it end. When does the US (and Hillary Clinton, specifically) take any responsibility for the plight of millions of Syrians who were living fairly nice lives until we decided on regime change? By sending in jihadi proxies, largely foreign, the US and its friends just continue the string of human disasters that runs from Afganistan, to Iraq, to Libya, to Yemen, to Syria. When will our foreign policy strategists learn? How many innocents have to die for their outdated cold war mentality and outright callous stupidity?
8
Neither the U.S., nor Hillary Clinton, started this war. It was the ham-fisted, violent response on the part of Basher Assad to non-violent pro-democracy demonstrators, including children, who wrote graffiti on school walls, which started it!
Apparently, Assad has no qualms about destroying his country in order to save his totalitarian regime from pro-democratic opponents!
Apparently, Assad has no qualms about destroying his country in order to save his totalitarian regime from pro-democratic opponents!
25
I am sorry for your loss and the loss of a what used to be a beautiful country with an educated middle class population.
The war will not end until all sides acknowledge the truth. The truth is that (1) the Rebells main reason for desiring to remove Assad is his religion. That is not a valid reason in the 21'st century, (2) If Assad is deposed his clan as well as Jews and Christians with be ethnically cleansed, so he cannot leave. (3) You cannot trust the west or Sunni/Shiaa muslims to honor any agreements to protect the other. Now given the conditions above can anyone offer a sane solution... I do not think so. Add (4) that if Assad falls ISIS will take over Syria and you have the perfect recepie for a disaster.
This will not end until every one in Syria agrees that the religion, or lack there of, of the ruler does not matter!!
The war will not end until all sides acknowledge the truth. The truth is that (1) the Rebells main reason for desiring to remove Assad is his religion. That is not a valid reason in the 21'st century, (2) If Assad is deposed his clan as well as Jews and Christians with be ethnically cleansed, so he cannot leave. (3) You cannot trust the west or Sunni/Shiaa muslims to honor any agreements to protect the other. Now given the conditions above can anyone offer a sane solution... I do not think so. Add (4) that if Assad falls ISIS will take over Syria and you have the perfect recepie for a disaster.
This will not end until every one in Syria agrees that the religion, or lack there of, of the ruler does not matter!!
16
The Syrian Jews have long since been "cleansed" or fled.
Not a valid reason?!
Perhaps. But religious discrimination in Arab/Muslim lands is nothing new. Respect for others is not exactly rampant in the area. Ask the Armenians, Kurds or Jews of Turkey, the Bahai, Christians, Jews and Sunni of Iran, the Sunni in Iraq (all others there are "gone"), the Copts in Egypt, etc., etc.
Being all PC and stating that "This will not end until every one in Syria agrees that the religion, or lack there of, of the ruler does not matter!!" is nice but really - are you planning on holding your breath until then?
there are only Sunni in Saudi Arabia,
Not a valid reason?!
Perhaps. But religious discrimination in Arab/Muslim lands is nothing new. Respect for others is not exactly rampant in the area. Ask the Armenians, Kurds or Jews of Turkey, the Bahai, Christians, Jews and Sunni of Iran, the Sunni in Iraq (all others there are "gone"), the Copts in Egypt, etc., etc.
Being all PC and stating that "This will not end until every one in Syria agrees that the religion, or lack there of, of the ruler does not matter!!" is nice but really - are you planning on holding your breath until then?
there are only Sunni in Saudi Arabia,
4
Your work, and that of your colleagues and medical professionals, is greatly respected and appreciated.
What can the rest of us civilians do. We can demonstrate - and we are ignored. We form petitions and write letters - and we are ignored. If the United States is unable to make Russia cower and halt indiscriminate bombings all-the-while waving the banner of 'anti-terrorism' then who can?
We feel your pain. Not physically, but mentally we read the stories coming out of Syria. We see the photographs and cover the testimonies. We are not blind, we are not without compassion.
We are powerless.
What can the rest of us civilians do. We can demonstrate - and we are ignored. We form petitions and write letters - and we are ignored. If the United States is unable to make Russia cower and halt indiscriminate bombings all-the-while waving the banner of 'anti-terrorism' then who can?
We feel your pain. Not physically, but mentally we read the stories coming out of Syria. We see the photographs and cover the testimonies. We are not blind, we are not without compassion.
We are powerless.
45
WAR IS OBSOLETE
One wonders how many mistakes, murders, deaths, injuries, rapes and lost lives it will take before we realize that the institution of war no longer works.
What is the alternative, you ask?
Good question.
First, any alternative (s) to war shall need to be relationship based. Relationship is the best resource for security in the world today. Not war.
Second, (this is critical), these relationship-based alternatives need to be begun BEFORE the conflict, as preventative measures, not after. Once the insanity of war has begun, probabilities swing wildly away from peace with each death, rape, atrocity and murder.
Please, if you sincerely want a lasting peace, as you read this and other articles on war, notice the futility of it all. Each report is slightly different. Unique body counts, different atrocities, particular kinds of rape and torture. Different mistakes, specific lives lost.
Now re-read the article with the mindset that war is obsolete. Think about the nonsense of it all. Notice the repetitive suffering humans endure at the hands of each other. Look at war with new eyes.
What would it take to create preventative alternatives to war? The price tag, if you are thinking in terms of dollars, is minuscule compared to the cost of war. Maybe 1/1000, or even less. I wonder what the Paris Climate Conference cost. And what it will cost to fulfill and sustain it's initiatives.
WAR IS OBSOLETE.
It's true.
If you want to survive, don't forget it.
One wonders how many mistakes, murders, deaths, injuries, rapes and lost lives it will take before we realize that the institution of war no longer works.
What is the alternative, you ask?
Good question.
First, any alternative (s) to war shall need to be relationship based. Relationship is the best resource for security in the world today. Not war.
Second, (this is critical), these relationship-based alternatives need to be begun BEFORE the conflict, as preventative measures, not after. Once the insanity of war has begun, probabilities swing wildly away from peace with each death, rape, atrocity and murder.
Please, if you sincerely want a lasting peace, as you read this and other articles on war, notice the futility of it all. Each report is slightly different. Unique body counts, different atrocities, particular kinds of rape and torture. Different mistakes, specific lives lost.
Now re-read the article with the mindset that war is obsolete. Think about the nonsense of it all. Notice the repetitive suffering humans endure at the hands of each other. Look at war with new eyes.
What would it take to create preventative alternatives to war? The price tag, if you are thinking in terms of dollars, is minuscule compared to the cost of war. Maybe 1/1000, or even less. I wonder what the Paris Climate Conference cost. And what it will cost to fulfill and sustain it's initiatives.
WAR IS OBSOLETE.
It's true.
If you want to survive, don't forget it.
3
IS and other, Western defined, "rebels" have been taken in into Aleppo.
They live and rest among the civilian population and they hide within the civilian population while attacking government forces.
It was the Aleppoeans who took them in and created a war zone among their own civilian population.
As IS does not negotiate and will only accept two outcomes of its Jihad, total victory or death, the population of Aleppo does face the same choices, courtesy of their "guests".
There is only one additional choice and that is to get rid of those "rebels" by killing them before the government forces do more bloodshed.
So stop whining about war, Dr. El Ezz, you took them in.
Sounds harsh?
Not at all, this is local culture.
Something the West, especially the US, the originator of the plans for government change, called "Arab Spring" should have known when destabilizing an entire region.
Well, they did not know and did not care.
Makes you wonder what is worse.
No wonder another article just a few pages away calls for a better class of foreign politicians.
They could start by using educated people who do understand that there are differences in local and regional culture and that in most cases it will not when using US dreams of cultural supremacy as a blue print for foreign politics.
They live and rest among the civilian population and they hide within the civilian population while attacking government forces.
It was the Aleppoeans who took them in and created a war zone among their own civilian population.
As IS does not negotiate and will only accept two outcomes of its Jihad, total victory or death, the population of Aleppo does face the same choices, courtesy of their "guests".
There is only one additional choice and that is to get rid of those "rebels" by killing them before the government forces do more bloodshed.
So stop whining about war, Dr. El Ezz, you took them in.
Sounds harsh?
Not at all, this is local culture.
Something the West, especially the US, the originator of the plans for government change, called "Arab Spring" should have known when destabilizing an entire region.
Well, they did not know and did not care.
Makes you wonder what is worse.
No wonder another article just a few pages away calls for a better class of foreign politicians.
They could start by using educated people who do understand that there are differences in local and regional culture and that in most cases it will not when using US dreams of cultural supremacy as a blue print for foreign politics.
2
It is a mistake to suggest that the civilians in the middle had any choice in this matter. It is done to them, not by them, from both sides from the very beginning.
10
Our world has lost its way.
26
If this doctor wants peace, he should be calling for the hundreds of thousands of young Syrian men who fled to Europe to request military training from those European nations that they fled to so that they can return and help liberate and free their homelands, just as the Free French and Free Polish armies did during WWII. Unfortunately, that is unlikely as it appears these young men fled to Europe for the benefits that it has so it will instead fall upon the young men of the west to clean up the Syrian mess.
22
Totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those young men fled Syria to avoid being conscripted into Basher Assad's army and avoid being forced to commit war crimes against Syrian civilians. The Free French, Free Polish and other underground forces fighting against the Third Reich during World War II had a heritage of democracy to restore. Unfortunately, Syria has never had a democratic heritage, thus Syrian youth have no cause for which it would be worthwhile to fight.
6
I don't know what has disturbed me more, this heartbreaking article or some of the callous comments I've just read. These are human beings caught in a horrible situation in Aleppo, and there is nothing they can do about it. We who live in safety and comfort in the United States have no right to judge them. The Assad regime has always brutally suppressed dissent. A number of Syrians did try to rise up against it during the Arab Spring five years ago, and look what has happened to them. This is an ongoing tragedy, and I pray that Secretary Kerry is able to negotiate another cease fire to relieve the suffering of these unfortunate people.
93
Thank you Carla for your words. I was feeling the same after reading some of these comments. We in America seem to take comfort in our little bubble of political intellectualism and anti-Islamic / tribal cultural analysis. I suspect these were the same type of comments made about the Bosnian War in the early 1990s. Please, dust off your compassion and place yourself in the hospital with this doctor. Aleppo (extend to Syria) is a humanitarian crisis and we should be responding to these horric war crimes.
39
We shouldn't judge them -- and we should be deeply sympathetic to the humanitarian plight. We should also try and help the parties come to some peaceful resolution where possible. But we can't take this on as our problem to solve. The underlying stresses in that society have nothing to do with us, and we don't have any reasonable tools available to MAKE the combatants stop. I, for one, am unwilling to commit more American lives or treasure to Middle East wars.
2
Dear Carla,
My exact thoughts! The article has moved me more than anything I read in today's paper - then it elicits only a few comments - so many of them written cruelly from a safe home in the midst of our wasteful and belligerent country. How can one ask this man to leave - and at the same time refuse to take in refugees?
This doctor knows that the lives of many depend on him. While feeling helpless to make an actual difference, my heart and my deepest respect go out to Dr. El Ezz and his colleagues!
My exact thoughts! The article has moved me more than anything I read in today's paper - then it elicits only a few comments - so many of them written cruelly from a safe home in the midst of our wasteful and belligerent country. How can one ask this man to leave - and at the same time refuse to take in refugees?
This doctor knows that the lives of many depend on him. While feeling helpless to make an actual difference, my heart and my deepest respect go out to Dr. El Ezz and his colleagues!
8
I have come to expect very little from Bashar Assad's regime and his foreign allies as they prosecute this uncivil war that has destroyed Syria as we knew it. The depraved acts of these goons eloquently described by one of the few remaining physicians in Aleppo is human nature at its worst. Here's an FYI to our administration: It is clear that Assad, with the assistance of Iran and Russia, is attempting to reassert control over Aleppo and other Syrian cities in an attempt to salvage an attenuated state. I fear this will continue until there's no one left in these once beautiful cities. Let us not dishonor those who have perished and those who will surely perish by suggesting that parties are constructively working to end the violence. Bashar Assad's regime will be remembered as one of the most pernicious regimes of the century. A lesson in inaction that can inform Ms. Powers's next book.
17
If Sunni Muslims take over Syria every non-Syrian will be killed.
Every. Single. One.
Every Alawite. Every Druze. Every Christian. Every Yazidi.
And then? Why then every Sunni who isnt the right kind of Sunni will die.
Assad is doing what he has to do to protect his people from certain, and horrible, death.
Every. Single. One.
Every Alawite. Every Druze. Every Christian. Every Yazidi.
And then? Why then every Sunni who isnt the right kind of Sunni will die.
Assad is doing what he has to do to protect his people from certain, and horrible, death.
6
When the USA turned in it's world's policemen's badge as Americans became war weary, I fear we set the stage for many Aleppo's to happen all over the so called middle east. A middle east war is underway. Interventions by Russia and the US will occur only when some strategic interest pops up. Russia has vital interest in Syria and their military model takes no prisoners, ours is the occasional drone, operated from 7,000 miles away.
1
there are no words, dr. osama. we see it, and are horrified.
17
Whatever happened to the battlefield? That space, outside a town, a field on which opposing forces faced each other and proceeded to perform carefully designed maneuvers until a victor was declared formally. Ordinary citizens gathered on the perimeter to observe the spectacle in safety. Depending, some came in carriages with picnic hampers, some on foot in rags. All, however, went home to their safe beds after the day''s entertainment.
Or so I recall from the novels I've read and, I admit, those are not the same as historical records.
Nevertheless, while war was no picnic then either. it was not the same as conducting war in the streets of the towns, in the homes of civilians.
And now we have drones! No need even to get dust on one's boots; what will become of the boot polishers?
L&B&L
Or so I recall from the novels I've read and, I admit, those are not the same as historical records.
Nevertheless, while war was no picnic then either. it was not the same as conducting war in the streets of the towns, in the homes of civilians.
And now we have drones! No need even to get dust on one's boots; what will become of the boot polishers?
L&B&L
3
Ida,
You are asking an important question, I think. The "battlefield" has been lost, which is to say everywhere is now a "battlefield". It is a concept that at one time demonstrated the civility of some, but not all, nations. It demonstrated a certain ethos: that if you and I must go to war, then we will agree to at least do it in the most civilized way manageable. That ethos has disappeared. Darker than war is the loss of all civility, since war at least is to be expected. These are dark times for many of us.
You are asking an important question, I think. The "battlefield" has been lost, which is to say everywhere is now a "battlefield". It is a concept that at one time demonstrated the civility of some, but not all, nations. It demonstrated a certain ethos: that if you and I must go to war, then we will agree to at least do it in the most civilized way manageable. That ethos has disappeared. Darker than war is the loss of all civility, since war at least is to be expected. These are dark times for many of us.
1
Here is the horror and heartbreak US foreign policy has wrought. See Andrew Bacevich for details. Let's not elect another hawk.
10
The alternative to the hawk is now a problem in other ways.
We have only one way out, to avoid choice of evils. California can still get us out of this, or Super Delegates. It is a narrow window. We have massive domestic political problems.
We have only one way out, to avoid choice of evils. California can still get us out of this, or Super Delegates. It is a narrow window. We have massive domestic political problems.
2
Your nobleness and courage is very rare Dr. Osama
45
Then stop killing each other!!!!!
6
Reply to Menlow:
He is not killing anyone. He is working 20 hours/day to save lives along with his brave colleagues who are slowly being killed.
He is pleading for all of us to pay attention and to advocate for a cease fire so that, yes, people will stop killing each other while good people like this brave doctor are caught helpless in the crossfire
He is not killing anyone. He is working 20 hours/day to save lives along with his brave colleagues who are slowly being killed.
He is pleading for all of us to pay attention and to advocate for a cease fire so that, yes, people will stop killing each other while good people like this brave doctor are caught helpless in the crossfire
42
The last pediatrician, one of the few doctors left in Syria? Yesterday I read there are seven pediatricians in rebel held Aleppo. And what about al Qaeda & Co in rebel held Aleppo. What about their behavior towards those left in that part? What about their cruelty towards the population in general? No mention of this. What did this doctor do swear the oath of hypocrites? If Al Qaeda & Co didn't kidnap foreigners there would be foreign medical personnel there. But after kidnapping them and then killing them or selling them to ISIS no one dares to come anymore.
7
It was the rebels who broke the truce and forced the Syrian government to send troops to Aleppo with their conquest of Tal al-Eis. It looks like they want to have it both ways: they want to keep attacking while simultaneously they want to mobilize international pressure to keep the Syrian government from the logical solution: a completion of the encirclement of Aleppo city.
It should be noted that there are also medics working at the other side of the frontlines. And they have quite a different story. See for example here:
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/05/01/exclusive-aleppo-doctor-attacks-we...
It should be noted that there are also medics working at the other side of the frontlines. And they have quite a different story. See for example here:
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/05/01/exclusive-aleppo-doctor-attacks-we...
8
The situation in Syria is indeed an outrage and all foreign combatants should be removed from the theater of operations immediately. However, do not for one minute think that this will cure the carnage in Syria.
The situation in Syria is the result of tribal interests over national interests that pervades the entire Middle East. The Syrian population should have risen in revolt when faced by the tyranny of its ruling regime. Silence indicates agreement and you are now paying the price for your silence.
The situation in Syria is the result of tribal interests over national interests that pervades the entire Middle East. The Syrian population should have risen in revolt when faced by the tyranny of its ruling regime. Silence indicates agreement and you are now paying the price for your silence.
10
Dr. Rosenblum, I almost choked when I read your concluding sentences, "The Syrian population should have risen in revolt when faced by the tyranny of its ruling regime. Silence indicates agreement and you are now paying the price for your silence."
You must have forgotten or are unaware of exactly how the "Arab Spring" arrived in Dera'a, Syria in 2011 when children decided to emulate those Tunisians and Egyptians who had recently overturned their tyrannical dictators. The Assad regime used brute force against those children and their families, facts that spread throughout the country and finally acted as the straw that broke the camel's back. Until that time, Syrians' silence had nothing to do with their agreeing to being ruled by a mafiosa family. People were literally afraid for their lives because Assad retribution was a known quantity.
Certainly since that time multiple vying factions have obfuscated that original goal of freeing the country from decades of corruption, torture and cruelty. Our western media certainly has not done any of us a service by offering simplistic explanations of what's happened in the past 5+ years. Nor has it been easy or safe to obtain the facts in Syria. However, your reducing this issue to "tribal interests over national interests" is offensive to all those millions of Syrians who've fled for their lives and to the memory of those 500,000+ who have died.
You must have forgotten or are unaware of exactly how the "Arab Spring" arrived in Dera'a, Syria in 2011 when children decided to emulate those Tunisians and Egyptians who had recently overturned their tyrannical dictators. The Assad regime used brute force against those children and their families, facts that spread throughout the country and finally acted as the straw that broke the camel's back. Until that time, Syrians' silence had nothing to do with their agreeing to being ruled by a mafiosa family. People were literally afraid for their lives because Assad retribution was a known quantity.
Certainly since that time multiple vying factions have obfuscated that original goal of freeing the country from decades of corruption, torture and cruelty. Our western media certainly has not done any of us a service by offering simplistic explanations of what's happened in the past 5+ years. Nor has it been easy or safe to obtain the facts in Syria. However, your reducing this issue to "tribal interests over national interests" is offensive to all those millions of Syrians who've fled for their lives and to the memory of those 500,000+ who have died.
6
"The situation in Syria is the result of tribal interests over national interests"
No, those tribal interests are used by larger international interests that arm them, fund them, and protect them, with sanctuaries all around Syria too, as well as sending in all of it to the original government in its remaining bastions.
That can't all be put on the tribes being used. The French and Indian War was not about the Indian tribes, it was about the British and French fighting for North America. It stopped when the British won, then started again when the British used them again in the Revolution. This isn't new.
No, those tribal interests are used by larger international interests that arm them, fund them, and protect them, with sanctuaries all around Syria too, as well as sending in all of it to the original government in its remaining bastions.
That can't all be put on the tribes being used. The French and Indian War was not about the Indian tribes, it was about the British and French fighting for North America. It stopped when the British won, then started again when the British used them again in the Revolution. This isn't new.
4
Dr Sam,
this is the outcome of a Peaceful civilian uprising...
You live in the neighborhood, you should know by now the rule of "might makes right"!
Blaming the Syrian people is preposterous.
this is the outcome of a Peaceful civilian uprising...
You live in the neighborhood, you should know by now the rule of "might makes right"!
Blaming the Syrian people is preposterous.
7