violence in syria claims the life of a foreign journalist for the first time since the on the rest of the arab league vows to continue its observer mission despite deciding to quit. but the implications of the ongoing bloodshed in syria are still hard to predict we sat down with professor of middle east politics dr jeremy salt to get a broader view on what's really going on in that region you watching. thank you jeremy for joining us here on r.t. my pleasure as well as call put it when it comes to the middle east there west talks idealistically and acts positively if it's true if you agree with this what should be done what can be done to prevent syria from falling into these patterns look at what's been happening in the middle east and the policies the western governments of followed they have always had the the noble motive and we're doing

this for this very very good reason but we don't have to be terribly skeptical or cynical to understand that actually behind the noble motive is self-interest if we look at what happened in egypt the west backed mubarak right to the very last and there was no longer possible to back him when it was indefensible they dumped him and with him with the president of tunisia and then they moved very very quickly on libya what was happening in libya that was so absolutely terrible in many cases in the name of human rights they kind of attacked libya the same with syria you know it's kind of it's a it's a protest movement it's democratic change and reform which are very worthwhile motives to support but there is another agenda here which has to do with broader global and regional strategies what has the libyan scenario failed in syria will the western powers change their tactics i think that libya was the template for syria right play kind of went to the u.n. they got the no fly zone was lucian and that opened up libya to aerial attack and i

think they thought that they could repeat this in syria but it didn't prove to be possible largely because of russia actually because russia made it plain that it would not support another no fly and no fly zone of a solution in the security council so this left the government of britain france and the u.s. in particular with you know they had to work out what policy they were going to pursue you know still think they would like to intervene in syria but. i realize that's not saying is that nothing is libya is a different situation altogether thanks so much half the risks are much greater the dangers are much greater because intervention in syria how would you describe it whether you're talking about a buffer zone or the top american military humanitarian causal as the french foreign minister does it still adds up the same thing as the invasion of another country and syria would resist that iran will get involved actively get involved it's hard to take the fall back position i think is to support. certain activities

inside syria which are calculated and then the downfall of the assad government and its replacement by. government will be formed presumably from the exiles from the agitating against a prison would take take over in your book the unmaking of the middle east you chronicled alone and bloody history of western invasions in arab lands with all the efforts by the u.n. and arab league beaten row of arab league is the threat of foreign military invasion for syria is in the past right or not yet of course is still a possibility of course as to the possibly put the body rather do because it's so risky for intervention would be so basically however it was done would be to kind of maintain the support for what's happening inside syria on the side of the opposition like their calculation would be that sooner or later this precious if they were interned would result in the collapse of the assad government well as compare syria with the leave here and iraq to what extent the syrian national

council similar to libya's national transitional council or iraqi national congress rockey national congress was almost a fiction the leader of no support inside iraq whatsoever could live outside iraq for a long long time and he was pumped up because they wanted to create this exiled body called the iraqi national congress so there was an iraqi voice in the propaganda war against saddam hussein the libyan situation the lives of the libyan transitional council as you know basically would affect us from the government tripoli they jump ship when it got too hot and they took of informing the they went to benghazi and the transitional national council for all of whom we didn't know we knew some known problem they said we can't say the syrian national council is largely composed of all the mixture of people who have the roots who are inside

syria but the dominant i think part exiles. has been in paris for a long time like red one. who's based in washington and has very very close ties with the state department you know what kind of clout what part of hold of these people have inside syria i would say not much. you know so there are similarities between these councils and of course you know that the transitional national council on national transitional council in libya. recognize the syrian national council as a legitimate representative the syrian people it's not that simple as that so it's kind of part of the campaign against syria of which that that that now the lead part is now the libyan government is now part elections at various levels are currently on to go in in syria with more had so what do you think will bashar al assad remain in power as a result and we have a very very dangerous situation in syria which could have exploded into a very very nasty. proto breakdown inside the country and could lead

a regional war in this context let's see if this you give me a few months and see how the process works are bashar does have. a base of popular support so i don't think you could say that the party would be doomed the moment they call free elections that could do well why do you think human rights watch talks and foreign media neglects the damage done done by militant groups in syria it's somewhat of a mystery to me it's a mystery and the city has made some pretty. provocative claims in with regard to syria one of them is that i think it was military people dressing up as doctors in homs hospital because any verification of that if it's a claim made on the basis of unknown people out and similar claims have been made by other human rights organizations human rights watch the. u.n. human rights council its committee is all one way it's all about what the

government is doing and making very very extreme claims the government's response to the death of two hundred fifty six children for example. four thousand five thousand of dart there is no desegregation which is what the critical reader would want you know you see these because were they coming from doesn't even know how many people have been killed in syria so far in its report. the human rights council report said four thousand but there was no expression of that figure where they go. a few days later lovely pillai who's the un human rights commissioner for the security council and said five thousand. and the figure echoes around the world and i think it lodges in the popular imagination is five thousand people being killed by the syrian government by the security forces by the neutral whatever whereas in fact i don't think it's any doubt at all that a large number of military of civilians have been killed by armed gangs about of

it but by defectors so what we actually need to do is to aggregate these figures but how many people have been killed by the syrian army how many of them were innocent entirely innocent how many of them were men who picked up arms. how many civilians have been killed by armed gangs so forth and so on you need to break the whole thing down but these figures are not broken down since we are in turkey let's talk about turkey a little bit turkey definitely wants to be associated with the changes in this region to be seen as a leading play in this movement so may turkey use this momentum to its advantage turkey before the policy for the last seven years of creating zero problems on the borders. and that meant kind of dealing with iran doing with syria and turkey and syria had a rather complicated relationship over many many years. and so these problems were

resolved and they did lead to very good stable business relationships with syria and with iran in particular and all the sudden the policy was reversed instantly like turkey did a sharp right hand turn i think the turkish government seemed to think that the syrian government for the protest movement got up and running and i think the turkey gobbler calculated that's only a question of time before the syrian government goes and therefore i think it want to put to be it want to be riding the wave ok put on the crystal the way the question of the wave of reform and change in the middle east and to be seen as a leader of this movement. turkey legacy but the fact is that. syria's assad himself said. this is not libya. if anyone interferes with us like across our borders to cause an earthquake in this region so the stakes for everyone including turkey in this situation very very high the turkey made this decision that i think

that affable go therefore we support the opposition therefore we put we support the syrian national council office space in istanbul therefore we support free syrian army do you think that was a wrong decision in doing so they have antagonized iran they've antagonized iraq. because now iraq has come out quite strongly in support of syria and of course the lebanese government by his book has also been very very critical of turkey so the change in foreign policy has kind of they've dubbed the zero problem and what they've done that is create problems now if if if our side goes ok then it's all worked out but if if if if if he doesn't if he somehow managed to ride this out. well then i suppose it's going to be paid on someone's face you know and they'll have to pull back from a position that you had to create and actually is not really tenable any longer you've got to deal with this government here like it or not this turkey being

sincere in its intentions saying it wants to politically in syria instability in the region the line itself with the with qatar with saudi arabia with united states britain and france but that's where it is that's what happens and so the rhetoric about humanitarian intervention a buffer zone humanitarian strip has been a kind of simple thing in discussion about syria over the last six months and took it on along with that but they know the dangers they do of course they know that they just that if there was a move across the border if turkey somehow we're talking to taking the lead. it would open up a pandora's box of problems you know and i. you know turkey itself is said you know there's no question of invention but it seems to me this is definitely a big difference over this issue like it's an option that somehow is still there however it might be carried out.

with about spilling blood. just the war of barricades from one side and fears blockade from the other. invisible border has cut people from the land for twelve years. the conflict that divided serbia into two hostile parts is still not over. if they shoot something inappropriate for a public they can easily be. and casualties are ok. i wish they would have never happened but if. a t.v. camera becomes an unnecessary what does their own safety all foreign nationals

including journalists and inspectors should leave. and it's clear what happens with such witnesses i got on my site. many. mercer's shooting. and.

the headlines on the storm brewing over iran the west the cues that a provocation and that suspicion is developing nuclear weapons. claims the u.s. and israel the assassination of a scientist into new. balance in syria claims the life of a foreign journalist for the first time since. the arab league continue its observer mission despite one monitor deciding to quit. worldwide protests one tenth anniversary productive human rights agencies condemning president obama's . going to the sports now.

including the. step towards the kid the expense of. first blood liverpool will take a lead into the second leg of the carling cup semifinal of manchester city. let the games begin the. winter olympics get going on friday. in austria. on the ice where we start and with the kontinental hockey league it is not too often that. struggle to make it into the playoffs but place in the

last sixteen was essentially what was off for grabs when the sides met when constantine to top off watch the action. ok the darby between sparta tuck into his car was to become even more important as the teams battled hard for eighth place which comes with a chance of a playoff in the western conference both sides were under extreme pressure to scott's offer to end the feeds in eleven matches among them a repeat of the cage hill record a humiliating last two or more nothing while spar tuck struggled to get back on winning form with a new coach behind the bench and they said a anchor with no real science for success the game started cautiously with both teams putting defense first the hosts had possession but it was a day visitors who broke the deadlock mean away through the opening period but a horror king was forced from the rebound after you get the feel out of shot who earned his first point in the sixth game since his second comeback from the n.h.l.

in the second test car kept collecting penalties and spartak finally converted in the end and won the chip having an extra man a grandson of protégés college and marius mikhail of your work to get feed from hail in cough to level matters scoring his fifth of the season the neck tonight game continued in the last frame right up to the fifty three minute one sergei shock of capitalized on a power play for his fifteenth goal of the season to give their man believe spartak threw everything at their rivals for an equaliser the red and whites pulled a goaltender but only in vain as the visitors shot an empty netter to seal a final score of we won. forces fundamentals do so good in the forests. and build it. still better with my game in the first four into so maybe less panic now and the whole thing is going to get going so i think we

have a lot are my chances. for the park and that you know that hurts when you know that i want to form mentally the rest going to start the other way. you know you we had better moments for the very. calm managed to bounce back up to three eight nothing defeat to beat duke or see two rivals and style ten points separate the teams in the rankings and it seems bartók will need a little miracle to secure a little place in the playoffs. but up of. a preexisting football where its advantage at liverpool in the carling cup semi final clash with manchester city steven gerard making all the difference thirty minutes in converting a penalty kick following this challenge by city staff and salvage. the referee pointing to the spot with captain gerard doing the rest all in all other deserved win for the reds with the second leg down for the scotian out on field on january

twenty fifth crystal palace big part of one nil in the other first that semifinal directly are. also just the one premier league game on choose the england star going level point split second place much united falling to no win over mid table everton are lennon. netting either side of the break in the one sided and. over in spain through to the last stage of the company el rey that despite a second leg home defeat to severe on wednesday second half action here with the visitors breaking the deadlock twenty minutes for the break the sole down to the netting to find himself one on one with the n.c.a. a shot stopper. needing just four minutes to level knowledge even a dusting first respond to the broken ball sophia well that would regain their lead

right something death thanks to an own goal from victor roux is to one survey on the night to chew on i do get the meaning it's valencia who'd founds to the next stage on the way. brings to basketball where a philadelphia six game win streak has ended the new york knicks winning by six and square garden host totally in control during the first time after beating by thirteen points off the first quarter on a dozen of the big break philadelphia though hasn't been tough it does not i fear nothing going into the game moving closer to the knicks in the third period but the referee would prefer new york retaining a double digit advantage they had on twenty seven points from come along for me and twenty of them are a start of the biggest contributions to the next fourth when you know. a quick update now from the car rally were sponsored nummy roma one stage ten in the cars come to grief room a coming home inside four hours in the three hundred fifty one kilometer run from

on to for gas the two. however overall leader stephan peter hensel crossed the finish line just twenty one seconds after that leaving the nine time champions the after ten days equal to more than nineteen minutes south african general villiers was third one of the bikes covering you on the parade aborts claimed his first stage victory at the rally his complete feel smart woman was second to minutes ahead of several to pray fronts to finish the day third but contained his over old leading position. some great fuse there let's stay with that motor sport where for henri are hoping for a much better formula one look in two thousand and twelve the stable will introduce a completely revised car next month ahead of the new season the overhaul and the sesame according to the team's principal. no doubt that the main reason for a very these important year last year was the problem was not performant you know so i think that we have a a just to get his asian pride to maximize and. the people that were already in him

for i had to bring new stuff you know the fresh air of a new we're working in figure eighteen with the people you monitor because that's a fundamental thing that we have to do junior athletes from over sixty countries will get to find out what it's like to set up the adults table from tomorrow with the inaugural youth olympics winter games to get underway in austria events of course. over team russia's chances at the global event. extraordinary talent getting noticed in the youth ranks is nothing new across the sporting spectrum but now aspiring winter athletes have the chance to call themselves the limbic champions in the fourteen to eighteen year old age category sixty three sets of medals and fifty disciplines are up for grabs in the side of the nine hundred sixty four and the nine hundred seventy six senior winter games russia have sent sixty seven athletes to be inaugural events with the figure

skaters facing perhaps the largest amount of podium pressure three time domestic champion adelina sotnikova and junior world championships runner up you. have every reason to feel confident the games will be similar in structure and format to the sochi two thousand and fourteen olympics making for a perfect rehearsal for the russian but it's going to be much more than just a condition for me myself and my team might. represent our country at the games it's a big responsibility and exciting experience at the same time i have a great chance to settle about the head of such a two thousand and fourteen what it feels like to even communicate with other athletes under the pressure and hopefully. expect results from our team at the games hopefully each of them will. pressure which is always there. the russian youth hockey team also feeling the pressure facing off against arch

rivals canada on that friday the thirteenth starting date the red machine celeb though have had plenty of practice time in the kids shell supported m.h.l. youth hockey league these past few months while around one thousand young athletes in total will be vying to take baby steps in the quest to become the next legends of their sport and with the likes of lindsey vonn sidney crosby and benjamin rakes basters the opportunity to seize the day and the podium has never been greater. r t. finally china's most well no one on the mall has benefited from the country's most popular bus schiphol player retired a time n.b.a. all star yao ming helping release six giant pundits bred in captivity back into the wild this week take a look the thirty one year old who protected the rim from being opponents for almost a decade now offering the same protection to some of his country's most famous

inhabitants retired last july jeter repeated foot injuries but the two metre twenty nine center we were told sensation well he turned his attention to helping those who conserve china's national symbol and yellow might be getting very busy very soon the wildlife center aims to host all to forty days when it's completed as well as up to one hundred. as well. great stuff on the mits all the fellow i'll be back in just under two hours time whether it's next year or twenty four hour r.t. . will do the. science technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the future.

mission free critique free. for charges free. arrangement free. three stooges free. old free blog just plug in video for your media projects a free video dog r.t. dot com.

storm brews over iran to the west accuse it of provocation amid suspicion of the balloting nuclear weapons all of this while tehran blames the u.s. and israel for the assassination of a fourth scientist in two years. violence in syria claims the life of a foreign journalist for the first time since the unrest began the arab league vowed to continue its observer mission and despite one monitor deciding to quit. and worldwide protest tomorrow guantanamo bay is the tenth anniversary with activists and human rights agencies condemning president obama has broken a vow to shut it down.