The End Game of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad: And What that Might Mean?

The sociopathic war criminal, Bashar al-Assad

By Tom Payne
Whenever I initially mention the name of Bashar al-Assad I refer to him as the sociopathic war criminal, because it is accurate. This unflattering estimate seems to be shared by a growing number of his closest associates and it points to the potential for a quick end to this sad son who followed too closely in the footsteps of his father, the equally brutal Hafez al-Assad.

There are reports that three generals in his inner circle have fled to Turkey for sanctuary. Two of the generals were leaders of the Shabiha paramilitary that was savagely attacking the opposition and civilian populations. These commanders are Gen. Mohamed Tatouh, Deputy chief of Syrian political intelligence, and Gen. Mohamed Kodissia, deputy chief of the “Palestinian” Intelligence agency.

Evidently, the “Palestinian” addition to his title is a ruse as he is concerned with other intelligence issues. Finally, the Sunni Maj. Gen. Adnan Nawras Salou, former head of the chemical warfare authority (until 2008) left with six other generals in tow. These revelations come from the DebkaFile, a Jerusalem based news agency specializing in intelligence in the Middle East and elsewhere.

This is impressive news, but here is the bomb shell. These defectors were able to get their families out of Syria as well. This means that they were planning for weeks on a complex operation, and successfully executing it, underneath the noses of the supposedly well-informed intel network protecting Assad and his interests. This in turn means Assad is exposed and vulnerable and probably as scared and dangerous as a cornered rat.

What might this lead to? The permutations are endless, but the first likely option is the intervention of Iran to protect one of its only allies, Syria, their lifeline to Hezbollah. If a Sunni rises to power in Syria, where is Hezbollah? Who will store their missiles, as Syria now does (unless they’ve recently been moved)? Syria’s influence in Lebanon has been strong for many years and if Assad, the member of a Shiite sect, falls, who will support Shiite Hezbollah in the region?

The Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran

Hezbollah’s importance to Iran is only this. They have few missiles that can reach Israel from Iran. But they have tens of thousands that can reach them from southern Lebanon. Therefore, expect Iran to intervene in some capacity. It could be in this one: they realize they are about to be check mated (shah mat, the king is dead; chess came from Persia/Iran) so they do to the West what the West has done to them: they hurt us economically by actually shutting the Strait of Hormuz for weeks and then slowing traffic for months with the occasional strike. And they could decide to use all of those missiles in southern Lebanon while they still can since they may never have a better chance to hurt the Little Satan, Israel.

America should never forget that in the minds of these Muslim extremists, we are the Great Satan. Their missiles might not reach us yet, but their terrorists can. What it comes to is this. You may hate Israel or you may love Israel, but what ultimately matters is whether or not Israel’s interests and ours parallel one another. Should Iran make a desperation play to destroy Israel (an unlikely outcome) and cripple the economy of the West (a more likely outcome), can their be any doubt who we need to be working with and who against?

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.