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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Mar-2011
25-Mar-11 News -- Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters

Web Log - March, 2011

25-Mar-11 News -- Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters

Circus continues as Nato takes command of Libya No-Fly Zone

Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters

Syria's president Bashar al-Assad made historic concessions to young protesters on Thursday, in a desperate effort to head off the fate of leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other targets of "Arab Revolutions," according to the BBC.

Left: Bouthaina Shaaban speaking at press conference on Thursday. Right: Dead protesters in Deraa on Wednesday. (EuroNews)

Left: Bouthaina Shaaban speaking at press conference on Thursday. Right: Dead protesters in Deraa on Wednesday. (EuroNews)

The concessions come as democracy activists have called for massive demonstrations on Friday, celebrating "Dignity Friday." The demonstrations are to start after midday prayers, when thousands of people pour out of mosques onto the streets.

The concessions were announced by Buthaina Shaaban, Assad's media advisor, according to Bloomberg. They include economic reforms and political reforms, including the dismissal of a deeply unpopular governor.

Most surprising were the announced intentions to provide political freedoms, including a draconian "state of emergency" that's been in effect since 1963.

The democracy protests began last Friday, and have been growing. They were entirely unexpected, since demonstrations have been rare in Syria. Thousands took to the streets on Wednesday in Deraa in southern Syria, near the Jordan border. Protesters chanted, "Traitors do not kill their own people. God, Syria, Freedom. The blood of martyrs is not spilled in vain!" The Guardian quotes rights activists as saying that security forces shot and killed more than 100 people.

In her press conference on Thursday, Shaaban denied that security forces had killed anyone, and she blamed the killings on al-Qaeda and other foreign terrorists.

The concessions are not expected to satisfy the protesters, according to an analyst quoted by Reuters. "When you first hear it you think they're making major concessions, but when you look at it you realize there's not a lot there besides the salary boost. You understand the regime is in a very difficult spot and they're flustered."

Circus continues as Nato takes command of Libya No-Fly Zone

In a bizarre twist of diplomacy, Nato member states agreed on Thursday to assume command of a no-fly zone over Libya, according to VOA.

However, the US will retain command for other operations, especially protecting Libyan civilians from Muammar Gaddafi's forces on the ground.

Turkey, in particular, was opposed to authorizing Nato to take any action that might allow "Turkish bombs" to kill any Libyan civilians, even as collateral damage. The current compromise meets Turkey's objections.

However, the U.S. still has the major part of the command responsibility, and also supplies most of the assets. The administration has said that it intends to turn all command responsibility over to someone else, but so far it is not known how that will occur.

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Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigned on Thursday, throwing Portugal and the euro currency into a new crisis. Bloomberg

Turkey is objecting to Nato air strikes in Libya, but they're launching their own air strikes aainst the PKK Kurds in northern Iraq. Zaman

The Israel/Gaza border war continued on Thursday. The Israel Air Force bombed a Hamas arms depot, after two rockets and several mortars were fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Haaretz

As the numbers of deaths and atrocities grow in Ivory Coast, France is seeking a United Nations committment to do more to stop the fighting. Bloomberg

As we reported several times, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah was furious with the Obama administration for throwing Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak under the bus so quickly. As the administration has repeatedly failed to side with Arab leaders in the "Arab Revolutions," the gulf in Saudi-American relations is growing larger. The Gulf nations have always depended on the US for protection, but now the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of nations is planning to take on the responsibility of protecting itself. This development is consistent with the Generational Dynamics prediction that Sunni Muslim countries will be allied with Pakistan and China, while Iran, India and Israel will be allied with the West in the Clash of Civilizations world war. McClatchy

China and Indonesia have agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation, including the joint production of missiles. Jakarta Post

When Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly criticized Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for comparing the Libyan intervention to "a medieval call for a crusade," he revealed a larger split between the two leaders. Putin wanted Russia to veto the UN revolution, but Medvedev overruled him and allowed an abstention. Putin wishes to pursue a more confrontational policy with the West, while Medvedev wishes a friendlier policy. This policy disagreement is fundamental, and pulling them apart, as the 2012 presidential election approaches. Jamestown

The conflict between Russian authorities and the Muslim population of the North Caucasus (Russia's southern provinces) is deepening. Just in the first half of March alone there were dozens of victims resulting from the confrontation between the authorities and the armed opposition as the North Caucasus slips further and further into chaos. Jamestown

The Florida court system is going bankrupt because the number of mortgage foreclosures has fallen dramatically. Filing fees for each foreclosure is $400-$2000, and the number of foreclosure filings has fallen from a high of 39,114 in March 2009 to a recent low of 8,205 February. The number of foreclosure filings has plummeted because several banks have imposed foreclosure moratoriums on themselves, following the "robo-signing" crisis. (See "22-Oct-10 News -- Foreclosure mess turns into a major crisis.") Banks used computerized "robo-signers" to process tens of thousands of foreclosure notices without having each set of documents reviewed by a human being, and that's become a crisis, causing a foreclosure moratorium, and bankrupting the courts. Schadenfreude, anyone? St. Petersburg Times

Detroit was once the fourth largest city in the United States, but economic problems have caused Detroit to lose 25% of its population in the last decade, after losing population steadily since the 1950s. Detroit's population is now at World War I levels. Detroit News

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that capitalism is to blame for why there's no life on Mars. Fox News

Yes, sex can kill you. Reuters

Men may be jerks ... but women are insane. Real Clear Politics

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 25-Mar-11 News -- Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (25-Mar-2011) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Mar-2011 25-Mar-11 News -- Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters

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Circus continues as Nato takes command of Libya No-Fly Zone

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Mar-2011
25-Mar-11 News -- Syria's desperate president Assad tries concessions to appease protesters