Starvation in Madaya as U.S. Pols Look Away

[Rob L 3,811]

by Mark Salter
January 08, 2016

They’re eating cats in Madaya. Starving people had been eating grass and leaves, according to news accounts, until the snows came and covered the ground. The reports include pictures of children, bug-eyed and skeletal, letting slip their last precarious purchase on life.

It’s been three months since food supplies reached the town in the mountains along Syria’s border with Lebanon. No one can leave Madaya. Sunni rebels hold it, and Hezbollah fighters -- Iran’s Foreign Legion -- have besieged the place on behalf of their client, Bashar al-Assad. They’ve sown mines around the town and shoot anyone attempting to flee. No one’s going anywhere in Madaya. “Kneel or starve,” they’re told.

We’re used to the horrors of Syria’s civil war, and think it’s just another spasm of violence and cruelty in the bloody, raging, hopeless Middle East. Who can make sense of it? Those people are crazy. ISIS and al-Qaeda. Barrel bombs and sarin gas. Proxy wars between Saudis and Iranians. Sunnis and Shiites killing each other over what? Whose side are we on? Why pick a side? What a mess. Stay the hell out.

It’s been three years since the world saw images of Syrian children killed by sarin or some other poison Assad used to slaughter his people. Children and other innocents writhing in agony, foaming at the mouth, glassy-eyed, dying. The U.N. secretary general denounced it as a war crime. President Obama declared a red line had been crossed and said he was prepared to retaliate. Then he changed his mind and let it go. Assad agreed to give up his chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin vouched for him. Well, okay, then. Let’s forget it.

Last summer Assad used these weapons again. The town of Zemalka smelled like vinegar and rotten eggs; people were suffocating and foaming at the mouth. An eyewitness told The Guardian, “I went to one of the houses and found an infant who was a year and a half old. I can't forget this scene till now. He was jumping like a bird, struggling to breathe. I held him immediately and ran to the car but he died.”

We trained a handful of Free Syrian Army fighters and sent them to battle ISIS. When Assad, and then Putin, bombed them, we mostly looked the other way. Now we’re counting on the Kurds, and a handful of U.S. Special Forces, to fight ISIS. Let’s hope Assad and Putin don’t bomb them.

An estimated quarter-million Syrians have been killed in this war, most of them non-combatants. At least 4 million Syrians are refugees. They’re overrunning camps in Lebanon and Jordan and Turkey, and taking to the sea in flimsy lifeboats to reach Europe, washing up on beaches as “wretched refuse” or worse.

What are we doing about it? Nothing much, really. Bombing ISIS positions and hoping Putin and the Ayatollah Khamenei become humanitarians and nudge Assad into exile. Obama rejected the idea of creating a safe zone on the border with Turkey. Too hard. We’d expose our pilots to greater risks. We might have to put a few people on the ground. We’d be more involved in another confusing factional conflict in the Middle East we find so frustrating, the kind that never end well. In fact, they never seem to end at all. And what would Putin do? Would he order his bombers to test our resolve? Even if you had a safe zone, you wouldn’t save most of the war’s victims. Just some of them.

What about Obama’s front-running, would-be successors? What leadership -- political, military or moral -- do they offer? Why, they make Obama look like a model of enlightened, courageous statesmanship in comparison.

Don’t let the refugees come here, they’re Muslims, Donald Trump warns. Why should we care what Assad does? Just “bomb the out of [iSIS]” and “take their oil.”

“Carpet-bomb them,” Ted Cruz adds. But be careful not to choose a side. Don’t help the opposition, lest we become “al-Qaeda’s Air Force.” Don’t worry about innocent children dying by the tens of thousands. Don’t let them come to America. We’re not our brothers’ keepers, says the good Christian candidate as he campaigns for the votes of Iowa’s evangelicals.

Meanwhile, they’re eating cats in Madaya. The regime in Damascus says it will let a food convoy into the town. But you can’t count on Assad or Hezbollah to do the right thing for long, not after the world’s attention turns elsewhere. They feign compassion, but they’re lying. They’ll be eating cats again in Madaya soon enough, until there aren’t any cats left. Until there’s nothing left living in Madaya, and the snow covers the dead.

Mark Salter is the former chief of staff to Sen. John McCain and was a senior adviser to the McCain for President campaign.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/01/08/starvation_in_madaya_as_us_pols_look_away_129256.html

[Darnell 8,479]

Whoa - I swear, the Clinton Foundation pledged to do air drops into Madaya - I wonder what happened ?

[Boiler 46,240]

So nothing to do with the US, hopefully a Mod will edit the title to something more relevant.

[Rob L 3,811]

So nothing to do with the US, hopefully a Mod will edit the title to something more relevant.

not sure if you were serious on both points, but the title is as published and our lack of effective action (according to the author) has everything to do with ineffective leadership in this topic. Slater is a long term political adviser to McCain

[TBoneTX 46,272]

Yes, the title is as published.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

not sure if you were serious on both points, but the title is as published and our lack of effective action (according to the author) has everything to do with ineffective leadership in this topic. Slater is a long term political adviser to McCain

Not our issue . Maybe Prissy can give another red line

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

I notice the author has no suggested plan of action, just a whine session. We could always drop nonstop food so he can write a new article calling us all enablers and responsible for the ongoing blah blah its always the same: We are bastards for everything we do or did and bastards for everything we did not do.

One point he made:

President Obama declared a red line had been crossed and said he was prepared to retaliate. Then he changed his mind and let it go. Assad agreed to give up his chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin vouched for him. Well, okay, then. Let’s forget it

I remember this.. Obama made the red line speech and every single ally and non ally alike turned their backs. He bluffed Russia into forcing Syria to agree to turn over their chemical weapons. The result? 600 metric tons of various chemical weapons was turned over from Syria to the US Navy before the deadline in June 2014 and were destroyed over the course of 42 days. What did anybody else do? *Nada*

[ExPatty 502]

I notice the author has no suggested plan of action, just a whine session. We could always drop nonstop food so he can write a new article calling us all enablers and responsible for the ongoing blah blah its always the same: We are bastards for everything we do or did and bastards for everything we did not do.

One point he made:

President Obama declared a red line had been crossed and said he was prepared to retaliate. Then he changed his mind and let it go. Assad agreed to give up his chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin vouched for him. Well, okay, then. Lets forget it

I remember this.. Obama made the red line speech and every single ally and non ally alike turned their backs. He bluffed Russia into forcing Syria to agree to turn over their chemical weapons. The result? 600 metric tons of various chemical weapons was turned over from Syria to the US Navy before the deadline in June 2014 and were destroyed over the course of 42 days. What did anybody else do? *Nada*

true in fact. When it seemed Obama wanted to bomb them everybody said how dare you get us embroiled in this. So he actually changed his mind, backed off, and has been mocked by the same people for his red line quote since.

And I see no prescription from this article at all. What does the author think should be done?

As much as Assad deserves to be out in front of a firing squad there is no denying Syrians were better off five years ago and I don't anybody thinks there is anyway that five years from now or even ten or fifteen they will be better off than they were (even those not killed).

[Póg mo 1,749]

true in fact. When it seemed Obama wanted to bomb them everybody said how dare you get us embroiled in this. So he actually changed his mind, backed off, and has been mocked by the same people for his red line quote since.

And I see no prescription from this article at all. What does the author think should be done?

I was wondering the very same thing

As much as Assad deserves to be out in front of a firing squad there is no denying Syrians were better off five years ago and I don't anybody thinks there is anyway that five years from now or even ten or fifteen they will be better off than they were (even those not killed).

Exactly, the CIA has pumped hundreds, if not Billions of dollars into waging war against Assad, and the only thing it has to show for it, is.....? Lots of Dead Syrians, millions of refugees and the rise of ISIS!

[Rob L 3,811]

Not our issue . Maybe Prissy can give another red line

So if it is not our issue, who's issue is it?

[Boiler 46,240]

So if it is not our issue, who's issue is it?

Ummah?

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

So if it is not our issue, who's issue is it?

Well lets see...

The "World Food Programme" has aid convoys of food and medicine for Madaya on the ground waiting to go in (See funding for this group: http://www.wfp.org/funding/year/2015

The truckloads of food and medicine was not allowed in by Assad who controlled the roads to the town.. So the food we were sending was turned back.. Assad supporters instead sent photos of food to the people: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12091010/Assad-supporters-taunt-starving-Syrians-in-Madaya-with-pictures-of-food.html

Yesterday the Assad regime relented and said they would allow the food to go through: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/eu-welcomes-access-to-syria-s-madaya--urges-halt-to-attacks-on-civilians/41881504

The food was supposed to have arrived today but once again pro Assad supporters stopped the convoys and are negotiating (read: waiting for bribes) and expect to let the food go through on Monday: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35271260

- So the food and convoy infrastructure is about 90% paid for by US, UK, Germany, Canada, and EU Commission

- Most likely The Russians are putting pressure on Assad to allow the WFP through to feed his fellow countrymen

Edited January 10, 2016 by OnMyWayID

[Rob L 3,811]

Well lets see...

The "World Food Programme" has aid convoys of food and medicine for Madaya on the ground waiting to go in (See funding for this group: http://www.wfp.org/funding/year/2015

The truckloads of food and medicine was not allowed in by Assad who controlled the roads to the town.. So the food we were sending was turned back.. Assad instead dropped photos of food to the people: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12091010/Assad-supporters-taunt-starving-Syrians-in-Madaya-with-pictures-of-food.html

Yesterday the Assad regime relented and said they would allow the food to go through: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/eu-welcomes-access-to-syria-s-madaya--urges-halt-to-attacks-on-civilians/41881504

The food was supposed to have arrived today but once again pro Assad supporters stopped the convoys and are negotiating (read: waiting for bribes) and expect to let the food go through on Monday: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35271260

- So the food and convoy infrastructure is about 90% paid for by US, UK, Germany, Canada, and EU Commission

- Most likely The Russians are putting pressure on Assad to allow the WFP through to feed his fellow countrymen

So you did a good job of documenting the Assad is an @$$%0L3 ( not a news flash) but you did not document why leaders in the west shouldn't be stepping up their game

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

So you did a good job of documenting the Assad is an @$$%0L3 ( not a news flash) but you did not document why leaders in the west shouldn't be stepping up their game

From the article:

Meanwhile, they’re eating cats in Madaya. The regime in Damascus says it will let a food convoy into the town. But you can’t count on Assad or Hezbollah to do the right thing for long, not after the world’s attention turns elsewhere. They feign compassion, but they’re lying. They’ll be eating cats again in Madaya soon enough, until there aren’t any cats left. Until there’s nothing left living in Madaya, and the snow covers the dead.

What exactly is he suggesting?? All out invasion? I'm asking...

Edited January 10, 2016 by OnMyWayID

[Rob L 3,811]

From the article:

Meanwhile, they’re eating cats in Madaya. The regime in Damascus says it will let a food convoy into the town. But you can’t count on Assad or Hezbollah to do the right thing for long, not after the world’s attention turns elsewhere. They feign compassion, but they’re lying. They’ll be eating cats again in Madaya soon enough, until there aren’t any cats left. Until there’s nothing left living in Madaya, and the snow covers the dead.

What exactly is he suggesting?? All out invasion? I'm asking...

Some would say we should have thought that out when we Invaded Iraq