We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

China’s Interests in Syria and the Middle East

Click here to access an interview with Dr. Christina Lin posted on Syria Comment

The interview, which was conducted by the website's administrator Joshua Landis, contains by far the best observations regarding China's involvement and political interests in the Syrian conflict and nearby regions that I have seen to date.
China does not want Syria to turn into a haven/base for Uyghurs to attack Chinese citizens and interests overseas as well as in the Chinese homeland.  The August 30 bombing of the Chinese embassy in Krgyzstan, planned by Turkistan Islamic Party [TIP] in Syria and financed by Al Nusra, is a sign of what is to come if they continue to grow.