complicated Syria

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29767.htm

November 19, 2011 "The Independent" - -Britain has formally opened talks with the Syrian opposition movement as international pressure continues to mount against the beleaguered regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
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Opposition from the veto-wielding members Russia and China has largely prevented the UN's Security Council from responding to Assad's crackdown on an eight-month uprising against his rule. But, following talks yesterday in Turkey, the French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said the situation was "no longer sustainable" and that the UN must act.
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Turkey also called for action, with its Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, saying more must be done to stop the "massacre".

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29761.htm

"Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said of the situation in Syria, 'We see television reports that say some new force, the so-called Free Syrian Army, I believe, organised an attack on a government building…. This is already completely similar to real civil war. It is necessary to stop violence no matter where it comes from. It is an important thing because violence in Syria comes not only from government structures.'"

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-russia-warships-to-enter-syria-waters-in-bid-to-stem-foreign-intervention-1.396359

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29810.htm

"Given the fact that most of the powers involved in this titanic twist have already accepted Iran's dominant position in Iraq, Syria, following the outbreak of its uprising, has emerged as the weakest link to stage a countermove against Iran and has hence become the main battleground to stop Tehran from completing its own axis. In addition to the US, the countries that are directly affected by the emerging situation and hence having huge stakes in the conflict in Syria are Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan.

If Iran's sphere of influence were to exist, it would touch the northern borders of Saudi Arabia and Jordan and the southern borders of Turkey. For these three countries, the place to block it no longer is Iraq, where Iran already has the upper hand. Instead, it is Syria and the key move here is to do everything possible to bring about a regime change in Damascus.

Prior to the Syrian uprising which broke out last March, that was unthinkable. The regime in Damascus was very strong. It just emerged ‘victorious' from a decade-long diplomatic confrontation with the US to force it to change its policies concerning Iraq, Lebanon and relations with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

At present, the polarisation is clear, taking a sectarian flavour for some. The Syrian opposition is supported by mainly Sunni countries with Turkey and the Arab League taking the lead, wherein Iran, Hezbollah and, intriguingly, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki have constituted the Syrian regime's exterior support."

http://rt.com/politics/russia-syria-missiles-contract-crisis-865/

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Russian military officials rejected suggestions that the naval visit has any connection with the present turmoil gripping the Arab republic, saying the visit was planned a year ago. In addition to Syria, the aircraft carrier and its escort ships will pull into port at the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Genoa in Italy and Cyprus, says the former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko.

Speaking on the missile delivery to Syria, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told reporters earlier this year that Russia intended to fulfill the 2007 contract

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Gaddafi is believed to have been summarily executed just moments after being captured by rebel militia on Oct. 11, 2001 in his hometown of Sirte."

http://news.yahoo.com/gulf-states-issue-warnings-syria-iran-155853301.html

-Arab vs. Persians vis-a-vis post-cold war "great game."-

http://rt.com/news/russian-syria-opposition-usa-319/  The Russkies aren't giving up so easy.

Let's not forget that on the Arab side of things the Russians and Soviet Union had their own sets of interests. Saddam Hussein for instance was a client of the Soviet Union before he was a client-of-sorts of the U.S. (selling us oil when OPEC was boycotting us). Well, you know, that was then and this is now. One can only imagine the harrowing struggle of various individual parties to work their connections and stay in power.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Analysis/2012/Jan-09/159265-syria-opposition-split-raises-calls-for-foreign-intervention.ashx#axzz1isuxgrUv

Syria opposition split raises calls for foreign intervention January 09, 2012 05:32 PM By Mariam Karouny

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But the quick unraveling of the pact, which ruled out such international action, ensures that achieving that goal will remain elusive since Western powers are loath to throw their weight behind a fractured Syrian opposition.

Wary of the risks of engendering chaos and wider Middle East conflict given Syria's internal sectarian divisions and Assad's alliance with Iran, NATO says it has no plans to intervene as it did to back Libyan rebels who toppled Muammar Gaddafi last year.

And neighboring Turkey, Assad's former ally, has said any intervention must be backed by the U.N. Security Council with Arab League support, must be justified on humanitarian grounds and not have regime change as its goal.

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Is it possible to envision a scenario where a "humanitarian intervention" in Syria draws in Iran?

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Jan-27/161263-saudi-to-recognise-syrian-national-council-report.ashx#axzz1kfbO50dB

This article relates a claim coming from the Syrian opposition to the effect that Saudi Arabia will recognize the rebels in the form of the "Syrian National Council" as the legitimate government of Syria. The article implies that this decision will stem from a implication of the Assad regime in the failure of the observer misssion.