Would be an alternative and rather more relevant headline versus “One in five Syrians say Islamic State is a good thing, poll says,” [a Washington Post report], which is meant to shock the nativist ill-informed and divert the conversation from the US’ uncompromising and ruinous drive for regime change to the politically safer (for an American audience) topic of the European immigration crisis.
But hey, credit where credit’s due: At least WaPo reported this, which is more than you can say of the rest of the MSM.
Here are the main highlights from this poll, which impressively managed to cover all 14 governates including those held by the Islamic State (PDF):
- Only 21% of Syrians prefer life now compared to life under Assad’s full control several years ago.
- 82% say ISIS was created by the US and allies.
- Though 71% of respondents in territories under ISIS control say they support ISIS – surprising it’s not higher, given their… reputation – some 62% of them also agree that ISIS was created by the US and its allies.
- Assad (47%) and Iran (43%) are more popular than the Arab Gulf countries (37%), al-Nusra (35%), the FSA (35%), “Syrian Opposition Candidate” (26%), and the Islamic State (21%). Reminder that this is in a majority Sunni country that is being “oppressed” by Shi’ite Alawites.
Overall, pretty depressing reading for those who bought into the US neocon/Likudnik regime change narrative on Syria on moral or political legitimacy reasons. […]
[…] The British polling organization ORB International, an affiliate of WIN/Gallup International, repeatedly finds in Syria that, throughout the country, Syrians oppose ISIS by about 80%, and (in the latest such poll) also finds that 82% of Syrians blame the U.S. for ISIS. (NB. This poll was reported on this site here.) […]
[…] Four in Five Syrians Say Islamic State Is a US Creature, Poll Says […]
A poll in Syria ? Utter bullshit. Supporters of Putin’s imperial aggression will believe and promote anything. If Assad had anything like the support claimed his war on civilians would have ended well before now.
You don’t know very much about the war in Syria do you Pete Gee?
I tend to look at it the other way round. If the ‘moderate rebels’ had significant support and numbers their revolution would have succeeded years ago.
The most reliable report on what is actually going on in Syria, or was nearer the beginning of the conflict, was the report of the Observer Mission of the Arab League.
http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/Report_of_Arab_League_Observer_Mission.pdf
The west largely ignored it, and the reason for that is easy to divine – it largely backs Assad’s version of events, and reports that “attacks” by Syrian forces against peaceful civilians are fabricated. Here’s an example:
“The Mission noted that many parties falsely reported that explosions or violence had occurred in several locations. When the observers went to those locations, they found that those reports were unfounded. The Mission also noted that, according to its teams in the field, the media exaggerated the nature of the incidents and the number of persons killed in incidents and protests in certain towns”.
Do you figure those reports were generated by Assad’s government, saying it was being attacked by the rebels, and then the media jumped on it and exaggerated it so the west would feel sorry for Assad? Hardly. However, the mission noted the opposite – atacks by the rebels on state forces and civilians:
“In Homs, Idlib and Hama, the Observer Mission witnessed acts of violence being committed against Government forces and civilians that resulted in several deaths and injuries. Examples of those acts include the bombing of a civilian bus, killing eight persons and injuring others, including women and children, and the bombing of a train carrying diesel oil. In another incident in Homs, a police bus was blown up, killing two police officers. A fuel pipeline and some small bridges were also bombed”.
In its usual decisive rejection of the truth if it conflicts with the party line, western governments saw to it that the Arab League Observer Mission was disbanded immediately after that report was released, on the grounds that it had been “ineffective”.
Or we could ask someone who was there. How about reporter Lizzie Phelan? According to her, what is actually going on in Syria is “completely contrary to media depictions”.
http://takethesquare.net/2012/02/14/lizzie-phelan-libya-syria-and-media-propaganda/
She mentioned the Arab League’s report, but criticized it because even though it supported Assad’s version of events, it still said Assad should step down. Why? Because other Arab governments want him to, notably Qatar, who wants to run a gas pipeline through Syria to Europe, cutting the Russian Federation out.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/aug/30/syria-chemical-attack-war-intervention-oil-gas-energy-pipelines
So here’s an idea – instead of just running your mouth like the average pro-American chowderhead, why not read a little?
Noble donky join the club remember when blogging , instead of stating a fact use terms like one has heard or some might say. When dealing with anything to do with Isreal especially. The Russians entering the frey had totally exposed the US and its GCC plan from the beginning. Its all about regime change started in Yugoslavia the want to balkanize the whole area including the middle east and expand Nato. Putin and Iran along with China are all in the way. So the west are soar losers. Daesh is a proxy just like the Kosovars were in Yugoslavia and Nuland Fascist are all collums or pillars that are being established to counter the BRICS. The petro dollar dynasty is collapsing and they are trying their very best to maintain it. That is why Venezuela ,Ecuador ,Russia and Iran are existential threats its all about the petro dollar and nothing more Remember Rothschild( Royal Dutch Shell petrollium and Rockfeller EXXON. We in the west lap up all their BS. IRAN VENEZUELA RUSSIA CHINA ECUADOR SOUTH AFRICA and BRAZIL have never invaded a soveriegn country since Modern post 9/11 history or in the 90’s or 70’s or 80,s The isrealis and Nato side multiple bombings in Lebanon and Gaza, Nato yugoslvia mainly serbia Iraq the us under Clinton bombed Iraq on a daily basis not with standing the end of Gulf war 1. Iraq again Gulf war 2 Afghanistan ,Lybya, Sudan. and now Syria on the pretext of bombing Daesh but the Russians are not allowed . The Russians have blown them straight back to the Magna Carta. They can’t run and hide from this hypocrisy. The Germans and the french being better at diplomacy have already moved away from the washington consensus knowing full well that the Russians move will only expose them to the lies and that they were in on it hence refugee crisis actually worked in Russia and Syrias favour and blew up in the USA’s political hypocritical face . Putin exposed the washington/western hypocrosy , once again . I think Putin studied Kruschev very well. He has out manouvered the west on every angle
I’m pretty sure this will be buried by the so-called media so deep nobody will remember it in a week. The DIA report on America supporting jihadis in 2012 and the MIT report that proved Assad could not have gassed Ghouta both might as well not have existed as far as the Nude Yuck Times and the Guardistanisn are concerned.
I just posted this at the Guardian (where I’m currently under pre-moderation).