I honestly can not say I have a deep knowledge of the Syrian civil war except for a few things.

  1. Multiple groups including Isis and the Syrian army are involved, some of which are US backed

  2. Rojava and the Kurds seem genuinely unproblematic and cool, and are currently being attacked by Syria and Turkey, and their support was withdrawn by trump.

  3. The resulting refugee crisis is a big deal, etc etc. I’ve actually been fortunate enough to talk with several refugees as my mother works in local government helping sponsor them, and one family threw a party and invited us. The food was delicious, but I felt like asking a family who had just been reunited with a family member after years about the civil war would not be a good idea. So I can’t say I learned much from the conversations I’ve had.

I see lots of Assad memes. Is it ironic? Is it unironic? Is it a big critical support deal like Kim Jong un? What’s the consensus? Can someone educate me or?

Thanks.

  • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
    6·
    4 years ago

    The 2 Syrian communist parties are behind Assad and put out statements saying they have comrades in the Syrian Army

    By 2012 the majority of the opposition went back to Assad as they saw Syria become a foreign proxy war

    Assad has been leader during a time 42 armisa have had troops on Syrian soil

    Assad has faced something akin to Stalingrad, the people are behind him and the 2 communist parties are behind him

    Why wouldnt i support Assad

    Edit: statements from the 2 main communist parties

    When the Syrian Communist Party Unified or the Syrian Communist Party Bakdash are in a position to overthrow capitalism I willy rally behind those. However those 2 Communist parties have surveyed the local landscape of Syria and correctly identified the people are behind Bashar in a period where over 40 foreign armies have occupied Syrian soil in one of the bloodiest civil wars of the century so far

    Statement from Syrian Communist Party Unified ( click for full statement I only copied the most pertinent bit )

    Blood is still being shed in Syria, especially in the city of Aleppo, the second capital of the country. 75 percent of its territories were freed by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies. However, terrorists in Aleppo refused any truce to save the lives of civilians, whom they use as human shields.

    The Syrian people, along with the government, Syrian army and progressive political forces of the country, has been bravely resisting this aggression since its beginning in 2011.

    Terrorists who fulfill this attack on Syria have come from more than 80 countries, supported by the imperial powers of the world and their allies.

    Comrades, our party is most interested in confirming the following facts:

    It is not acceptable to put the offender and the victim on an equal footing.

    International law does not allow any county to interfere in the internal affairs of any other country, which is what the terrorists and their supporters do in Syria. Demanding President Assad step down is an affair to be decided only by the Syrian people.

    The aggressors are the only side who carry the full responsibility for the losses and damages in the country.

    The aggression against Syria is going along with mass media/imperialist campaign, on which billions of dollars are spent by the USA and Saudi Arabia. Through this media facts about events in the country are falsified and this information is spread around the world.

    Iraq is also under the same aggression and the Iraqi people are resisting it. It is the duty of all progressive forces of the world to supported the brave resistance of the Iraqi and Syrian peoples against the international terrorist aggressors.

    Statement of Syrian Communist Party Bakdash

    We support the national resistance against the aggressive policy of the reactionary regimes of Arab countries, USA, NATO and Turkey -putting aside the people of Turkey. In certain sensitive areas our comrades took up arms to defend themselves and their families. We also have comrades in the Syrian army.

    Dear Comrades!

    The target of these attacks is to beat Syria eventually. Because Syria is a front resisting imperialism. Syria is resisting with its people's dedication, determination of its army for the independence and honour of the country. And of course with the solidarity of you, all the people of dignity. I thank you once again for your solidarity on behalf of the Communist Party of Syria and the Syrian people.

    Like Ammar Bakdash, our leader said: "The only power which does not surrender to the invaders is the power of the people" To stand up is not only our duty but it is also possible.

    Syrian Communist Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the patriots in Syria against imperialists, Zionists and islamic reactionaries in order to empower the Syrian people. This is not only our patriotic but also internationalist duty.

    We do not give up our class struggle while fighting the outsider enemies.

    My comrades of the Communist Party, Turkey, forward to the Socialist Revolution!

    The victory will belong to the Palestinian people struggling against Zionism.

    The victory will belong to the people of Yemen against Saudi's.

    The victory will belong to the people of Iraq resisting invaders and terrorists.

    Eternity is for our martyrs.

    The victory belongs to all the people who resist.

    Dear Comrades!

    I repeat: Syria will not surrender!

    Long live Communism!

    Long live the internationalist movement of the working class"

    • Classic_Agency [he/him,comrade/them]
      1·
      4 years ago

      Why wouldnt i support Assad

      You have no need to, you just need to oppose US imperialism in the country

      Being against the Iraq war doesnt mean you have to support Saddam Hussein, being against the Afghanistan war doesn't mean you have to support the Taliban.

      • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
        7·
        4 years ago

        Na i dont believe in that

        All that happens is you get shitlibs go

        "Oh so you support a dictator"

        And you end up giving out some trotty arguement like "hes shit and terrible and i dont support dictators blah blah"

        Much better to say Assad is great death to America

          • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
            2·
            4 years ago

            Its whatever is most effective to support an anti-imperialist line

            Ive no problem gaslighting liberals

    • EldritchMayo [he/him,comrade/them]
      4·
      4 years ago

      Well, I'd say the allegations of chemical warfare would be a start. Again, this is just based on what I have heard. I'm still making up my mind on critical support here.

      • comi [he/him]
        2·
        4 years ago

        Meh maybe you shouldn’t unironically critically support him, he’s not a leftist. It’s more like one should oppose US/nato intervention and advocate for better refugee treatment. It’s much more consistent position and easier to argue with libs, compared to “Assad done nothing wrong” thought termination.

        • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
          8·
          4 years ago

          Assad has a higher approval rating than the majority of US presidents

          Assad has done nothing wrong except defend his country against one of the worst crimes the West has committed this century

          • Civility [none/use name]
            1·
            4 years ago

            Assad has done nothing wrong

            😬

            Assad's support from the right-wing has mostly been from the far-right, both before and during the Syrian Civil War. David Duke hosted a televised speech on Syrian national television in 2005.[281] Georgy Shchokin was invited to Syria in 2006 by the Syrian foreign minister and awarded a medal by the Ba'ath party, while Shchokin's institution the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management awarded Assad an honorary doctorate.[282] In 2014, the Simon Wiesenthal Center claimed that Bashar al-Assad had sheltered Alois Brunner in Syria, and alleged that Brunner advised the Assad government on purging Syria's Jewish community.[283][284]

            The National Front in France has been a prominent supporter of Assad since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War,[285] as has the former leader of the Third Way.[281] In Italy, the parties New Front and CasaPound have both been supportive of Assad, with the New Front putting up pro-Assad posters and the party's leader praising Assad's commitment to the ideology of Arab nationalism in 2013,[286] while CasaPound has also issued statements of support for Assad.[287] Syrian Social Nationalist Party representative Ouday Ramadan has worked in Italy to organize support movements for Assad.[288] Other political parties expressing support for Assad include the National Democratic Party of Germany,[289] the National Revival of Poland,[281] the Freedom Party of Austria,[290] the Bulgarian Ataka party,[291] the Hungarian Jobbik party,[292] the Serbian Radical Party,[293] the Portuguese National Renovator Party,[294] as well as the Spanish Falange Española de las JONS[295] and Authentic Falange parties.[296] The Greek neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn has spoken out in favour of Assad,[297] and the Strasserist group Black Lily has claimed to have sent mercenaries to Syria to fight alongside the Syrian army.[298]

            Nick Griffin, the former leader of the British National Party, was chosen by the Assad government to represent the UK as an ambassador and at government-held conferences; Griffin has been an official guest of the Syrian government three times since the beginning of the Civil War.[299] The European Solidarity Front for Syria, representing several far-right political groups from across Europe, has had their delegations received by the Syrian national parliament, with one delegation being met by Syrian Head of Parliament Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.[288] In March 2015, Assad met with Filip Dewinter of the Belgian party Vlaams Belang.[300] In 2016, Assad met with a French delegation,[301] which included former leader of the youth movement of the National Front Julien Rochedy [fr].[302]

            For someone who's "done nothing wrong" Assad sure tends to hang out with a lot of fucking fascists.

            Also, homosexuality is still illegal in Ba'athist Syria and has been since 1949 with a penalty of 3 years in prison for sex acts.

            Pretty sure "Human Dignity Trust" is a CIA front just by the name but they quote actual Syrian penal code which I couldn't find elsewhere in a hurry: https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/syria/

            Edit: human dignity trust seems more likely to be MI6 than CIA but you get the picture

            • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
              6·
              4 years ago

              Did Assad write that law or did the Mps of parliament write them? :thinkin-lenin:

              if you asked the average Syrian do you think they would have progressive values comparable to the West or reactionary ones given their economic wealth in comparison? :thinkin-lenin:

              • Civility [none/use name]
                1·
                4 years ago

                What part of giving literal Neo-Nazis medals and TV time says "has done nothing wrong" to you?

                • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
                  6·
                  4 years ago

                  Given Syria and Libyas history (Libya financing IRA)its probably Assads way of fucking with the West and fermenting internal conflict to highlight reprobabtes like that in which case critical support for trying to fuck with the West

                  • Civility [none/use name]
                    1·
                    4 years ago

                    Critical support for ... David Duke? in his struggle against ... anti-fascism?

                    • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
                      7·
                      4 years ago

                      The only threat to the US state are the right wing nationalists

                      If you were the leader of a country like Syria i could see a very good foreign policy argument in promoting the greatest threat to the US state

                      • Civility [none/use name]
                        1·
                        4 years ago

                        That's not why the Ba'athists are doing it.

                        They took in Nazi officials fleeing Germany and have been supporting international fascism ever since.

          • comi [he/him]
            2·
            4 years ago

            Approval rating in war-torn country is patently meaningless, of course after eight years of this bloodbath people would want to chill and return to some kind of normalcy.

            And Ba’ath party was arresting communists in the 90s I thought? Also Kurds didn’t spontaneously rebel, they had some issues with him. And communist party supported (more or less) more autonomy for them, I believe.

            Frankly, it’s meaningless argument I feel. As I’ve mentioned it’s better if Assad stays and gives concessions to saner rebel groups, then US overthrows him, put some mercenary ghouls around oil fields and funnel weapons around the state to keep divided people fighting over nothing, doesn’t make him a good guy. Politicians by default should be treated with extreme suspicion.

            • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
              3·
              4 years ago

              And Ba’ath party was arresting communists in the 90s I thought?

              And now those communists are behind Assad

              Its almost like when circumstances change so should your strategy:thinkin-lenin:

              • comi [he/him]
                1·
                4 years ago

                Well no shit, doesn’t make him a good guy (tm). Like do you think Chang Kaishek and kmt were good guys? Or they were the least bad option for early cpc to support?

      • Value_Form2 [none/use name]
        4·
        4 years ago

        Regarding chemical weapons reports:
        https://thegrayzone.com/category/syria/
        https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/war-propaganda-firm-bellingcat-continues-lying-about-syria-60e02587e66f
        https://medium.com/@jrbml.public/the-skripal-incident-and-bellingcat-881d85660dfd

        • disco [any]
          1·
          4 years ago

          That medium post is pure schizo ranting that hinges on "something dropped from high up would never bounce and then land near the spot it bounced from"

      • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
        4·
        4 years ago

        Opcw report was doctored by Yankee bastards

        The head inspector came to the conclusion rebels did it yet bastard West doctored his report to say the exact opposite

        This inspector provided a full statement at the UN to this effect

        Dont trust western media