Syria and things

Dad You had it so easy

Where is a mass murderer when you need one? Well in Syria's case he is usually seen swanning  around the lobbies of either the Dorchester or Claridges .
I am of course referring to Dr Bashar's  paternal uncle the ruthless Rifaat Al Asaad.
Whilst the Doctor likes to keep his eyes on things( well he is an opthamologist)  his ridiculous speech to parliament last week showed how out of touch with reality he is coupled with his very pretty wife's ill timed fluff piece in Vogue last month the good Doctor seems conflicted on the amount of ruthlessness he should employ.
His father the late Hafez  no stranger to mass murder had at least Rifaat his brother, who played a key role in his  takeover of executive power in 1970, dubbed the Corrective Revolution, and ran the elite internal security forces and the 'Defence Companies' (Saraya al-Difaa).
In February 1982, he commanded the forces that put down a  revolt in the central city of Hama, by instructing his forces to shell the city, killing thousands of its inhabitants (reports range from between 5,000 and 40,000, the most common suggestion being around 15-20,000). This became known as the Hama Massacre. The United States journalist Thomas Friedman claims in his book From Beirut to Jerusalem that Rifaat later bragged that the total number of victims was no less than 38,000. Not bad going for a killer allowed to retire in the west unchallenged and unpunished for his crimes against humanity.
The good Doctor has murder in his genes and has shown though admittedly on a smaller scale his willingness to kill but with so many revolution fronts opening Israel will certainly not want this regime to fall and so in turn the Western powers have been fairly gentle in their criticism of how he has suppressed his people. Many in the Gulf don't want his ouster as they know it shortens their life span. A sort of honour amongst thieves. 
However once you turn your guns on your own your fate is sealed. Let us hope the International Criminal Courts keep their eye on things in Syria as it would be a crime if these atrocities slip through the net regardless of Saudi and or other despots protests.