[kreuzberger]

Is Putin abandoning his precious Tartus naval base in Syria, "just like that", as various news outlets suggest is already underway?

And where are the ships going to go? They will struggle to rejoin whatever is left of the Black Sea fleet, as Turkey bars passage of warships through the Bosphporus. Murmansk or Vladivostok it is, then.

Unless there is some fancy 5D naval/military chess afoot, none of this makes much sense.

[The Weeping Angel]

The tyrant Assad has been overthrown.

[Bones McCoy]

The tyrant Assad has been overthrown.

Oh no!!
He was barely a season away form staging a Formula One Grand Prix.

[Philip Marlow]

Questions to which the answer is no…

‘Syrians don’t want to die for this regime.’

That aside, the other crucial ingredient appears to have been that Assad’s usual allies either didn’t want or weren’t able to offer meaningful support, having what might euphemistically be described as priorities of their own at the moment.

[Youngian]

Glad Assad and the Russians have fled as it weakens Putin. As he and not Al Aquaeda are now the main threat to European civilization. Supporting 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' realpolitik is nothing to be proud of.

[kreuzberger]

The BBC World Service has been at its absolute best today. The coverage has been from every conceivable angle, with a procession of proper experts and a tapestry of personal experiences.

(All this has made me quite nostalgic.)

[Oboogie]

The Russians have not yet abandoned their Tartus naval base but it can surely be only a matter of time.
They've been putting on shows of normality over the past week - carrying out training exercises, practice launches of missiles etc. Meanwhile several of their ships have quietly slipped away - significantly the oil tanker they use to refuel all the others. Not clear where the ships are heading as Turkey is blocking the Bosporus cutting off access to the Black Sea.

The fall of Assad is also a significant blow for Putin as Syria was the refuelling stop for Russian planes resupplying their forces on operations in Africa - Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mozambique and others.

[davidjay]

The BBC World Service has been at its absolute best today. The coverage has been from every conceivable angle, with a procession of proper experts and a tapestry of personal experiences.

(All this has made me quite nostalgic.)

Yes, but did they have Nigel Farsge on?

[The Weeping Angel]

John Simpson has gone down hill.

[The Weeping Angel]

Dominic massacring thousands of your own people isn't oddball behaviour. Edit he deleted the tweet.

[Philip Marlow]

Imagine, just for a moment, being like this.

[davidjay]

Imagine, just for a moment, being like this.

How the hell was she ever Labour?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Woman's a cunt.

[Killer Whale]

Has she missed the actual news stories of people queuing at the Lebanese border on their way home?

[Andy McDandy]

BECAUSE EVEN THE FUCKING DAILY MAIL HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS WASN'T FUCKING STAR WARS WHERE THE REBELS ARE ALL GOODIES, AND THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ANTI-ASSAD DOESN'T MAKE YOU PRINCESS FUCKING LEIA, AND THAT FOR MANY WHO HAVE FLED, THEY'RE NOT TOO KEEN ON THE NEW BOSSES EITHER.

YOU CUNT

[Bones McCoy]

[Rosvanian]

I was surprised to see how much prominence the Mail was giving Syria this morning then the penny dropped. It's another chance for readers to pile in about immigration and the comments confirmed that. Nothing whatsoever to do with the welfare of the Syrian people, all about the opportunity to declare that all Syrians are criminal savages coming here to take what's ours and that we should despise and fear every single one of them. Job done.

[Crabcakes]

I know we live in strange times etc., but if someone now looks at Putin and sees how weak he/Russia really is and decides a quick move is possible, ousts him, and then pulls out of Ukraine to get sanctions dropped (framing it as Putin’s folly) to immediately improve life for ordinary bods and boost their own popularity, and it all comes down to Syria, it will be quite the bewildering turn of events.

[Abernathy]

The thing is, nobody, not even Vladimir Putin, can go on forever. Bashar Al Assad clearly couldn’t, though him and his dad managed to keep on tyranting over Syria for more than 50 years. The end is always coming, whether it’s the way of Saddam, Ceaucescu, Gadaffi, Johnson, or whoever.

No doubt Vlad has a succession plan of some sort in place, though it’s equally clear he really does want to go on and on and on for fucking ever. Now he’s granting asylum to his dictatory mate, Assad.

But Putin is an absolutely ruthless bastard who gives Lavrenty Beria a run for his money. Any challenge is quite literally snuffed out. Remember Navalny? Prigozhin? Basically any dissenter standing too near a window in a tower block?

I do find the scenario outlined by Crabby rather appealing, though. We just need someone to realise it.

[Youngian]

I'd be surprised if the Mail wasn't complicit in the widespread gushing over Asma Assad. Spoke to someone who claimed to have copped off with her as a teen while Interailing in Holland.