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[MetalSlimeHunt]

So apparently 10,000 Syrian troops have defected. Assad really should flee Syria to hang out with Ben Ali in exile, as this will probably be his last chance to do so.

[Aqizzar]

So apparently 10,000 Syrian troops have defected. Assad really should flee Syria to hang out with Ben Ali in exile, as this will probably be his last chance to do so.

Uh... Whoa.  Okay, I was going to say that I'm not sure Syria really qualifies as a 'civil war' when there's not much in the way of a distinct opposition to the central government.  But when a whole damn division says, "fuck it, we're not following these orders anymore," yeah that's some brink of civil war shit.

[Kogut]

So apparently 10,000 Syrian troops have defected. Assad really should flee Syria to hang out with Ben Ali in exile, as this will probably be his last chance to do so.

"Still, even in Damascus, rockets have been launched at army vehicles. " - well, it sound like civil war.

[KaelGotDwarves]

So in the latest Middle East James Bond-like adventures, one of Iran's nuclear scientists - who may have been working on uranium enrichment for a bomb - dies in a car explosion from a magnetic bomb attached by a motorcyclist in the middle of the capital.

Sheesh.

[darkflagrance]

Who knew that being a nuclear scientist made you a target for assassination? ;P That's the thing I would least expect if I went into that profession.

[Nadaka]

Who knew that being a nuclear scientist made you a target for assassination? ;P That's the thing I would least expect if I went into that profession.

After dozens of assassinations in that and similar fields in the middle east, you really should expect it. For what its worth, it was most likely mossad and not the CIA.

[Svarte Troner]

I just saw this and thought it would be relevant here:

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-probes-video-depicting-marines-urinating-on-taliban-corpses-166090

Sickening not only because of complete lack of respect for the 'enemy' and the fact that it goes against everything a marine stands for, but also because of the inevitable backlash.

[Phmcw]

For what it's worth, the US policy is so throughly inconsistent that I doubt it will hurt much.

[olemars]

Resurrection for the sake of mentioning the news that a Turkish fighter jet got shot down by Syria yesterday.

[Guardian G.I.]

Resurrection for the sake of mentioning the news that a Turkish fighter jet got shot down by Syria yesterday.

It's a very convenient way for the USA to depose Assad without having to send American troops abroad (which would harm approval ratings).
The Turks can possibly declare war if they will manage to convince the international community (or Western countries, at least) that Syria attacked them first without any provocation. And because Turkey is a NATO member state, Russia (apparently) would be forced not to intervene because Turkey is a NATO member state defending itself from Syrian aggression and helping Syria would lead to a military conflict with the USA.

[Sheb]

Fun part: if that's considered an aggression, NATO is bound to help them.

[Guardian G.I.]

Fun part: if that's considered an aggression, NATO is bound to help them.

And it's a perfect way to bypass the UN Security Council. Russia and China would veto any UN-authorized military operations against Syria.

Now, it's very important how the Russians will react on this...

[Sheb]

Yup, really interesting.

[sneakey pete]

Except from what i'm aware that NATO convention only counts if the act of aggression is in North America or Europe. Which this wasn't.

Not to mention that the turkish government is supposedly saying that the aircraft may have accidentally strayed into Syrian airspace.

[andrea]

it all depends on what the involved countries want.
the case is close enough to the border that it can be spun both ways.