The Syrian Opposition Circus Comes to Town

Human Wrongs Watch

By Sharmine Narwani*

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22 December 2015 (RT) – In January, the Syrian government will – ostensibly – sit across the negotiating table from ‘the Syrian opposition’ to decide on the structure and make-up of a transitional government that promises to end the 5-year Syrian conflict.

**An FSA fighter engaged in a firefight in Aleppo | Author: VOA | Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7Gvr5bhrk | public domain | Wikimedia Commons

The ‘Syrian opposition,’ we are told by US Secretary of State John Kerry, will be selected by ‘Syrians’ and will therefore be ‘representative.’

Rohingya Refugees Vanish from Indonesia

Human Wrongs Watch

By Jonathan Vit*

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JAKARTA, December 2015 (IRIN) – Hundreds of Rohingya refugees have vanished from camps in the northern reaches of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in recent months, raising concerns that they are once again turning to dangerous smuggling rings in a bid to reach Malaysia.

Photo: Carlos Sardiña Galache/Geutanyoe Foundation | Source: IRIN

“We get very worried about how safe they are,” said Thomas Vargas, the Indonesia representative for the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR.

“Lets face it, smugglers have shown how ruthless they can be,” he told IRIN.

China vs. Russia vs. USA

Human Wrongs Watch

By Johan Galtung*

22 December 2015 – TRANSCEND Media Service – From very high up three major countries-states stand out clearly: China, the most populous; Russia, the largest; USA, the most military. With three leaders, Xi, Putin, Obama, with much power on their hands.

Johan Galtung

And here is the key hypothesis, presumably more right than wrong: China-Xi: positive peace; Russia-Putin: negative peace; USA-Obama: war.

We have in mind China–also a region–building relations for reasonably mutual and equal benefit with China all over the world, spinning Asia-Europe-Africa together in a road-rail-ship-air Silk network available to all (with major mistakes in the South China Sea).

We have in mind Russia–itself also a region–calling to Russia leaders in violent conflict from all over the world, seeking cease-fires and accommodation (making itself a major mistake in Syria).

And we have in mind USA–more than a state, less than a region–since WWII ended killing more than 20 million people in 37 countries: