Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Syria, a Tragic Chess Game

"Bon Air, Beaux Sites, Belles Routes, Bons Hotels,"  reads this 1927 Travel Poster, Syria and Lebanon.  Here we are, 86 years later, more than one person's lifetime perhaps --  1927 between WWI and WWII looking at a travel poster depicting interesting and beautiful places to visit in Syria and Lebanon. 

Power shifts, lines drawn and redrawn. Syria is one of the oldest historical/civilized countries on earth and now is in the midst of a civil war.  We here in the United States do not seem to understand and have a grasp of the situation and the ambivalence and shifting positions of our political leaders reflect this.

Chemical weapons are not new to nations.  Syria has one million pounds of chemical weapons (or more) which Russia is offering to dismantle and to remove  from Syria.  This is a checkmate to our plan to use some kind of military force to state our disapproval of the use of chemical weapons.  More meetings, more proposals, as the world's leaders scramble to seem to be the ones with the answers. 

And so it goes, confusing, complex and tragic.



4 comments:

  1. Hi Tasha ... certainly tragic for humanity in that region - dreadful and appalling ... too much to say and we don't know the half of it ....

    Very good succinct post - excellently expressed - Hilary

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  2. So true that we don't know the half of it. The romantic in me looks at the poster and tries to imagine how that lovely, ancient country looked during its good days. Thanks, Hilary

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  3. Such a tragedy to see a beautiful country rich in culture and history in destruction and to not be able to do anything about it...

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  4. I think about the past times in history when those who could take action, did not. Something to think about at this time and the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Thanks for your comment, Ghadeer.

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