Syria in civil war, Red Cross says
Source: BBC News
The Red Cross (ICRC) says fighting in Syria has become so widespread that the conflict is now in effect a civil war.
The change in status means combatants will now be officially subject to the Geneva Conventions, leaving them more exposed to war crimes prosecutions.
The Red Cross had previously regarded only the areas around Idlib, Homs and Hama as war zones.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18849362
virgogal
(10,178 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Including such things as keeping prisoners in the same conditions as their own forces?
How do you do that when there are no defined lines?
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)This could get weird. Under a banner of truce weird.
may3rd
(593 posts)This would be a perfect time to mull over what to do about the changing fluid dynamics on the ground.
I'm sure Russia will be willing to listen in on a formal scheduled meeting of this type . Maybe form a committee to look further into what course of action and options can be found to solve this internal crises.
Last thing this US admin needs is another Chalibi expert to tell it like it is without a formal drawn out proper vetting
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/15/world/meast/syria-defector-interview/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
pampango
(24,692 posts)1: When massive peaceful protests occur, repress them as them as violently as you can get away with - snipers, tanks, artillery, arrests, torture, etc.
2. Sometimes repression works to quell the protests. (It's why dictators frequently stay in power so long or inherit their positions from their fathers like in Syria and North Korea.) If repression works, reward your military and security services and go back to being a dictator.
3. If #1 doesn't work right away and massive peaceful protests continue, keep up the repression. (You have to come up with a strategy to keep the international community at bay. If you already have a powerful international patron, you may be OK. If not you had better find one.) Start talking about the presence of "criminal gangs" or "terrorists" among the protestors. There may not be any yet, but it's good to get the talking point out there for future use.
4. If, after many months, your military and security forces continue to prove to be ineffective in suppressing dissent, don't worry. Do not stop the armed repression. (As a dictator, the military and security forces are all you have going for you. Peaceful negotiations are a trap. Your assets - the army and internal security forces - cannot help you there.) Eventually frustration will build up among factions of the protesters and some will become willing to resort to violence given the apparent futility of peaceful protest. (You will also lose some of your common soldiers to defection. Many of them will not understand that they signed up to protect you not the country.) Or outside groups will begin to take advantage of these frustrations.
5. At this point you can unleash your military and security forces to the full extent and hope you don't lose the civil war you have created. Keep in mind that civil wars are very messy affairs. Be sure to keep you international patron happy.
I think this is a strategy that is workable in many repressive countries when populations get fed up with living with no rights.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=607677
ananda
(28,895 posts)So many innocents caught up in a very ugly power mess.
Also see:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/16/syria-fighting-damascus-live
and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18852617