Vapymid

Demonstrators occupying a few buildings - that justifies using tanks and heavy artillery for you? Clutching at straws in this argument, aren't you? Regards P.S. OTOH "Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said they had agreed a "ceasefire process" but PM Arseny Yatsenyuk said no plan from Mr Putin should be trusted." - as if my earlier point about the extent of Poroshenko's power needed any additional proof, it has just been delivered.

Mostly agree with you. This shows the difficulty, doesn't it? Iraqi shia and Kurds will continue to bear the brunt of it. Iran will be supporting both, to some extent. Syria's Assad will continue on his own. But that will only lead to a stalemate, they will keep ISIS from expanding, at least for a while, but it won't "roll them back". Without a supportive Muslim coalition the US is unlikely to do anything more than bombing an occasional car or a house "on actionable intelligence". The UK will stay out of it and the Australians? I have no idea. ISIS have been heard threatening Putin with reprisals for the supplies of the Russian jets to Iraq, that may or may not lead to something... Regards

As you wish... But if you are still interested - there is a helpful timeline here on the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26248275 Look starting in April 2014 onwards. Regards

There is very little chance of that happening, unfortunately. My best hope is that the US will be able to form a coalition with key Muslim states in the region - including Iran, Saudis and Syria - in order to take direct action against ISIS. It's going to be difficult, though, but without that, a unilateral military action by the US may just be what ISIS wants. That will generate for them a lot of popular support in the region as they will be seen as heroes fighting the anti-Muslim oppressor... Regards

Why does everyone think I watch Russia Today all the time? I practically never get any news from them. Well, you level the charges, it's up to you to prove them, I guess... On a different note - let's hope that this may be the beginning of the end for that crisis: BBC News: Ukraine agrees 'permanent truce' with rebels in east Regards P.S. - "Ah, not so soon", says the Kremlin - "we cannot agree on a truce as we are not a side to the conflict". The political games will continue for a bit longer, it looks... P.P.S. - "Putin hopes for peace deal by Friday" - oh, well, maybe there's still hope it's real.

You have a very politically correct view on the situation. Which is also totally wrong and naive. I understand that Russia has long been the bogeyman-du-jour in the West and the constant drips of embedded propaganda in the media have made the Western public automatically assume that Russian intentions are always hostile, aggressive and immoral. Anything that Russia does must necessarily mean that we should oppose it because they just can't do anything good, right? Well, sometimes you need to think a bit beyond the party line, really. Just look up some information on the history of Ukraine and Russia to try to understand the situation today. Also, it would help to track back the origins of the current fighting and see who started it in the first place - a hint: not the "separatists", actually. The situation is bad and it isn't going to become any better on its own. There was a hope that once Poroshenko would be elected, he will get the US permission to calm the things down but, clearly, he hadn't. Maybe you remember those days? Poroshenko - "I'm going to order an immediate cease-fire tomorrow" The army - "Like hell you are" Poroshenko - "OK, I'm not going to order an immediate cease-fire tomorrow" With the West unwilling to negotiate, I hate to admit it, but I now hope that Russia will intervene decisively and force a settlement and soon. If it isn't done quickly then the country will dissolve into a festering war zone - think Syria or Iraq, but only in the centre of Europe and fueled by local nationalism and chauvinism. This will be a big disaster as this will not stop at that. Regards

The US is baiting Russia to start an open invasion. What is their ultimate goal - that is the question that interests me the most. There is only one real way for resolving this crisis - the government is in Kiev must withdraw the troops and negotiate with the South-Eastern regions. But for now the US won't have any of this, they won't allow Poroshenko to negotiate and he has no power to do it on his own even if he wanted to - he does not control the army, nor pretty much anything else. No Russian government will allow Ukraine to be taken into the EU or into NATO. If there will be a real attempt to do so, the Russian army will be in Kiev before anyone will be able to do as much as say "oh, shit!". Russia will also not stop supporting the rebels until a negotiated solution is reached between them and Kiev. So, continuing the "we don't speak to terrorists" line will only prolong the agony and increase casualties. Clearly, the State Department people must understand this. Do they really want to force the Russians into taking Kiev by force in order to totally severe any ties between Europe and Russia and push Europe into further depression and complete dependency on the US? If yes, that will be a new moral low for the Western world. That will also be totally moronic on the part of the European governments to sleepwalk their countries into. Regards

RIP, Glenn Cornick. 2YymGJKhGgY Regards

Summer's almost gone... DcEAI5p-wUg Regards

But the question is - what for? It's not exactly as if AF was handling the users credit card or medical data or, say, jihadist materials... Regards

And the West is desperate too. And now this. Chicken seem to be coming home to roost in droves these days... Regards

Yeah, well, the enemy of my enemy - and all that Regards

May well be... I have to admit - I'm biased. I have a deep dislike of spying organisations anywhere in the world. KGB, FSB, CIA, Mossad, SIS - they are all equally untrustworthy to me. I know how easy it would be for any of them to organise a kidnapping or a murder IF they wanted to. Regards

Yes, to find Wetton, Wakeman, Emerson and Hackett on one album which is not a "best of" something - doesn't happen everyday! Though I'm not a big fan of Ayreon myself... Into The Electric Castle and the first part of Universal Migrator are OK though. Regards

I also think we have an instinct to be wary and to avoid people who behave strangely or seemingly irrationally as they are impossible to predict and therefore may be a potential threat (physically or socially). Very difficult to override the result of millions of years of evolution... Regards

That's possible. I would not put it beyond someone in Mossad, say, to arrange for three poor sclamazels to be sacrificed for the good of the nation. After all, Israel has been spoiling for a fight since Fatah and Hama's announced their alliance. It is not inconceivable that they would consider such killing as the necessary cost of war, if it allowed them to misdirect the blame to Hama's. I hope it was not the case really, as that wold be depressing. Regards

I agree with this, for it applies equally to both sides. Regards

About bloody time... Another result of US-Iranian cooperation, I wonder? The US: "We'll cancel your tickets!", the Iranians: "We'll cancel your life insurance.", Maliki: "Alright, alright - I was just kidding!" Regards

OK, let's imagine that the media world-wide did ignore the situation from the beginning. How would the current conflict have played out and where would have been the endpoint for the Israeli operation? Please, can you elaborate? Regards

smPFdZmKZNQ Regards

He is lucky it wasn't in Pakistan - he'd have been charged with terrorism, treason, apostasy and conspiracy to murder. Now, in the US, he will just have to sign-in to the jaywalking registry for life... Regards

Isn't it always happening like that? The Dutch raid on Medway, the invasions of Russia by Napoleon (also in 1812, by the way) and by Hitler, ISIS offensive in Iraq... Regards

The country is up for grabs now and he is trying to get as big a piece for himself and his backers as he can. He will not give away any of his power to anyone now. Regards

It takes two for a human shield to cause civilian casualties - one side must put up the shield but the other must pull the trigger. Israel did not have to bomb the crap out of Gaza. Their SAMs seem to work quite well swatting the crude ballistic fireworks out of the sky as it is. And everyone has now completely forgotten that the whole thing has started with 3 Israelies kidnapped and murdered by someone as yet unknown (Hamas denied any involvement from the start). So, you get 3 of your people dead and you kill a couple of thousand in retaliation - hardly an eye for an eye... Regards

Destroying the rockets won't do anything. Rockets are simple symptoms. It's like a tortured animal lashing out at his torturer as he walks into the cage... The real trouble is that there is no desire on either side to solve the problems. It is obvious that Israel is governed by people who openly believe in only one solution - where there are no Palestinians left on the territory of the country. Either through exodus or through genocide, they don't care which way. On the Palestinian side - they understand that, and they think that violence is their only option. Both sides need to change but Israel must do that first and it just isn't going to happen anytime soon, or until there is a real pressure from outside (what are the chances of that happening?). In the end to resolve the crisis it will take one night, and nine months, and forty years. The "old dinosaurs" will have to die out and a new generation, the one capable of seeing reason, to take over. Regards