Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the media center for the APEC summit in Vladivostok, Russia, Sept. 6, 2012.
/ AP/RIA-Novosti(CBS News) LONDON - Russian President Vladimir Putin has asserted that "some people want to use militants from al Qaeda... to accomplish their goals in Syria."
In a loosely veiled dig at the U.S. support for Syria's opposition, Putin argued, "in that case, one should unlock Guantanamo, arm all of its inmates and bring them to Syria to do the fighting."
Putin was playing directly to his home crowd in the interview aired Thursday on Russian television.
Old-school Russians love it when their president talks tough - especially to their old Cold War enemy. To them, Putin's "some people" was a clear reference to Washington, and his reference to Guantanamo and - by extension - the costly invasion of Iraq, was a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Russia's President didn't say it in so many words, but he implied that America, the West, and their allies in the Middle East are backing violent Islamic extremists in Syria to bring down Bashar Assad in a policy blunder that's bound to fail.
There is a grain of truth here.
Some al Qaeda fighters, or at least some militants claiming to be al Qaeda, have joined the armed Syrian rebel groups on the ground, and at least some of those men would be eager to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in Syria after Assad.
Is al Qaeda fighting in Syria?
U.S.: Al Qaeda in Iraq fighting in Syria
Assad's support from elite in key city erodes
But the Islamists are just one fragment of a broad and complex opposition movement that includes secularists, young democrats, Christians, tribal leaders, students - a sample of the entire Syrian society. The majority just want a prosperous, open, modern Syria - and one, most importantly, not run by a dictator and his corrupt family.
This larger opposition is the one backed - so far very cautiously - by the U.S. government.
Russia, on the other hand, has bet against Syria's citizens and chosen to back the dictator.
But dictators are a delicate subject for Mr. Putin.
He was called one himself by vast crowds of Russian protestors who, this winter, accused him of rigging elections (video) to hang onto power.
In response to the anti-Putin movement gathering steam, he cracked down on dissident voices and views inside Russia.
So you might think in an interview meant to impress at home, Putin would have steered away from the topic.
Instead he plunged right in, talking about Arab leaders who were deposed in the series of citizens' uprisings last year.
They, "obviously overlooked the need for change and missed the ongoing trends," he said. "So they failed to produce the reforms which would have saved the day."
Perfectly valid analysis of political shifts in the Middle East. But also, perhaps, a timely warning - for himself.
While you're at it Vlad....let those "dangerous" rock & rollers out of prison you creep.
Rotties here is a complete moron. America arming al Qaeda - yea, that's true. And I gotta bridge to sell you. This, from the army of ninnies....
We most likely are funneling $ or the arms themselves to parties that get them to the 'rebels', which includes a smattering of al Queda and similar fighters, but please. Get a life. Read something. I mean something intelligent.
And NO, no one should be helping Assad and his "government". I can point you towards much better information re: what's really happening in Syria and how many - loose estimates - al Queda actually are there. Many rebels are actually more concerned about al Queda infiltrating THEIR fight, not wanting anything to do with them. Keep smoking....
Tired of you simpletons who have to inject political crap into everything. Troll.
together with 'Blackwater, private mercenaries'. What artist?
The Saudi's sent in troops to buff up their ally Bahrain against
political unrest, in part stirred up by Iranian provocateurs, not
due to support of U.S. interests. Yemen is an entirely different ball of wax.
This has been confirmed by the NATO top commander.
I laugh whenever Republicans claim they're for democracy. You all stood and crowed over how the war in Iraq was a noble effort and despite not finding any evidence against Sadaam it was OK to take him out because he was an evil dictator who murdered his own people... Al Assad is just as bad if not worse than Sadaam, and he's STILL murdering his people. Unlike in Iraq, however, those people actually have the courage to stand up against this dictatorship, risking their lives and their families' lives for the chance at freedom. For that fact alone, they know more about what it means to be a real American than you EVER will.
Putin loves Assad because he's just as bad, and Syria is his last strategic ally in the middle east. The fact that you wingnuts side with him shows that you're not for democracy at all - you just hate brown people and would gladly sell your souls and your country to the devil for that hatred.
US NATO Commander Admits Al-Qaeda Linked To Libyan Rebels
http://www.infowars.com/us-nato-commander-admits-al-qaeda-linked-to-libyan-rebels/
Al Qaeda Terror Group: We 'Benefit From' Libyan Weapons
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-terror-group-benefit-libya-weapons/story?id=14923795