Did they promise him free rein in a new & improved Ottoman Empire, or what?

To varying extents, each of these entities and countries shared in the Grand Strategy, but there were specific objectives which were individual to each of those entities and countries, which he doesn’t canvass, and he should have, as this prank on their part could be called juvenile except that it cost 30,000 lives, which he doesn’t mention, and should have.

Nor does he anywhere mention the Iranian link to Syria via the mutual defence pact they signed in 05 which would have been activated had the situation become untenable for the Assad govt.

Instead of mentioning that German intel has stated that 95% of the FSA are not Syrian, he slightly hints at the diverse origins of jihadists as being `from Morroco to Xinjiang`.

He can’t say that space did not permit, as he was good on interesting, but gossipy detail.

It could be that he – yes, he is in Damascus, is laying down a narrative preparatory to a quiet withdrawal, to save the face of the western alliance, as they appear to be failing in their Grand Strategy of both engaging Iran and increasing the regional influence of some local players.

A key to Thierry Meyssan writing in this way may be that the Turks finally figured out that if they were to roll into Syria gung-ho, they would have to deal with the Iranians on their own, with Obama and Netanyahu having barely controllable fits of laughter as they waltz into assured election victories in November and January respectively, the electors seeing them as astute statesmen who kept them out of foreign wars.

BAFS