"Let me be perfectly clear...make no mistake about it": Syria Edition

[Wezil]

North Korea should be at the UN so we can politically ***** slap them on a daily basis. Instead we let them do the slapping. Doh!

[kentonio]

There are other options. Meeting certain standards of human rights before sitting on a Human Rights commission for example.

Being represented and being put in a position to pronounce on others are two separate things.

Agreed. I'm guessing it's incredibly hard to do that however without the feeling that a certain group of countries are controlling the place.

[Dinner]

About those nerve gas attacks...

Syria nerve gas claims undermined by eyewitness accounts

Description of attack in which six rebels died adds to uncertainty about claims that sarin has been used in the conflict

New questions have emerged over the source of the soil and other samples from Syria which, it is claimed, have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin, amid apparent inconsistencies between eyewitness accounts describing one of the attacks and textbook descriptions of the weapon.

As questions from arms control experts grow over evidence that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons on a limited scale on several occasions, one incident in particular has come under scrutiny.

While the French, UK and US governments have tried to avoid saying where the positive sarin samples came from, comments by officials have narrowed down the locations to Aleppo and Homs.

Last week the Obama administration suggested that Syrian government forces may have used the lethal nerve gas in two attacks. Opposition fighters have accused regime forces of firing chemical agents on at least four occasions since December, killing 31 people in the worst of the attacks.

A letter from the British government to the UN demanding an investigation said that it had seen "limited but persuasive evidence" of chemical attacks, citing incidents on 19 and 23 March in Aleppo and Damascus and an attack in Homs in December, suggesting strongly that samples were taken at these locations.

A US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Los Angeles Times, appeared to confirm that one of the samples studied by the US was collected in December – suggesting that it too originated in Homs.

According the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, "sarin is a nerve agent that is one of the most toxic of the known chemical warfare agents. It is a clear colourless liquid … generally odourless and tasteless".

But eyewitness accounts of that attack, in which six rebels died and which were reported at the time by the Associated Press described "white smoke" pouring from shells that "smell[ed] … like hydrochloric acid".

The suggestion that one of the sarin-positive samples may have originated in Homs has added to the growing confusion surrounding the claims made with different degrees of caution by the Israeli, French, UK and US governments in recent days.

According to the US and UK governments, "miniscule" samples recovered by opposition sources and passed on to western intelligence agencies have shown traces of sarin. No other agents have been mentioned.

While the contradictions between the eyewitness accounts and traces of sarin in the samples may well be attributable to the confusion of battle, it underlines the uncertainties around the claims, which have included questions about whether some of the videotaped symptoms are consistent with sarin exposure.

Reflecting just how little is known about the circumstances in which people may have been exposed to chemical agents in Syria, President Barack Obama has said: "Knowing that potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. We have to act prudently. We have to make these assessments deliberately." Obama warned in December that the Assad regime would face "consequences" if it were disclosed that chemical weapons had been used.

So even these samples came from the rebels who have every incentive to fake the samples to get western help. I'm not convinced especially since we only have their word to go on. Some sort of better proof seems in order before we risk a wider war.

[Colonâ„¢]

North Korea should be at the UN so we can politically ***** slap them on a daily basis. Instead we let them do the slapping. Doh!

Wezil, North Korea isn't a member of the UN Human Rights Council. I can't recall they ever were, nor that of its predecessor (the Commission on Human Rights), contrary to what some tool here claims. The process of periodic reviews do allow any other UN member to make comments, but those have no hand in composing the review - only Council members do.

Here's a brief of the review on Canada: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR...ril2013am.aspx

Seems reasonable enough to me.

[Zevico]

North Korea, Libya, potatoe potato. Can't always have a perfect memory. Have a look at th ELISA and see if you can pick out a few countries that don't belong there.

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/CurrentMembers.aspx

[Hauldren Collider]

While everyone else rolls their eyes. The alternative of course would be for the nations to vote on whether new governments should be allowed to join, and I can just imagine how that would turn out in the long run..

Nobody rolls their eyes at China or Russia, and they have security council seats.

[PLATO]

Why would I put you on ignore? You're not annoying. You're unhealthily obsessed. You seem like a decent person, but when it comes to the president, you discard all reason.

Thanks DaShi. You actually said something nice to me. As for being unhealthily obsessed, I guess that is just a difference of opinion.

[kentonio]

Nobody rolls their eyes at China or Russia, and they have security council seats.

There's something about having the biggest country in the world or the worlds largest population that tends to focus peoples attention.

[PLATO]

There's something about having the biggest country in the world or the worlds largest population that tends to focus peoples attention.

Not to mention that their words are backed by Nuclear Weapons!

[Aeson]

The main problem with the UN imho is the complete lack of standards. Any tyrant with enough guns to seize a country can take their seat then proceed to lecture.

Without the UN they could still lecture on YouTube. (Which happens to be a more potent forum for getting things done.)

[The Mad Monk]

About those nerve gas attacks...



So even these samples came from the rebels who have every incentive to fake the samples to get western help. I'm not convinced especially since we only have their word to go on. Some sort of better proof seems in order before we risk a wider war.

That really changes nothing, even if true. The President believed the information, and acted on it -- or rather, failed to act on it.

[The Mad Monk]

Youtube: more potent than the United Nations.

[Wezil]

Wezil, North Korea isn't a member of the UN Human Rights Council. I can't recall they ever were, nor that of its predecessor (the Commission on Human Rights), contrary to what some tool here claims. The process of periodic reviews do allow any other UN member to make comments, but those have no hand in composing the review - only Council members do.

I'm not sure anyone here made that claim, only that their comments (NK among others) were rather rich.

Regardless, I don't think you really want to argue UN bodies don't contain some rather bizarre and hypocritical choices. If you do, let me know.

Here's a brief of the review on Canada: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR...ril2013am.aspx

Seems reasonable enough to me.

Sure, until you scratch a little deeper to see what those broad recommendations mean in detail.

[Wezil]

Youtube: more potent than the United Nations.

And a **** of a lot cheaper.

[Sava]

YEAH EVEN IF THE GAS ATTACKS WERE FAKE OBAMA STILL DIDNT FOLLOW THROUGH

BECAUSE GOING TO WAR IS AWESOME

ALL THE TIME
EVEN IF YOU ARE MANIPULATED INTO IT

AND **** POOR PEOPLE