The Syria Crisis

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by dragon1412

Is that so, not talking about Russian or America, purely from Syria perspective, i once heard that the people in Syria are actually Ok with Assad, that is, they agree that the guy have his issues and probably not the ideal leader or the best guy ever, but he could do fine enough for stability..... Of course this opinion is long way before the whole chemical attack things though.

It probably depends on the Syrian. No country is monolithic, and that goes double and more for one embroiled in civil war.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by monir

So just keep getting berated, toe stepped on, humiliated, and etc... because we don't want WWIII? Peace cannot be attained by one party alone. It didn't work in WWII where US was trying so hard to not get involved in WWII until Pearl Harbor. It's like trying to clap with one hand. Is that too complicated to understand?

So your answer to avoid war is to start war? That makes no sense. WWII isn't even a valid comparison, because it was already a war.

I am an American. My interest lies with my country. When my country does well, I do well. I most certainly won't have an opinion to please or displease anyone. It's my opinion based on my own understanding of the world around me.

A war with Russia would not do America any good. Most of America is already exhausted of war from all the crap in the Middle East. And that's not even getting into the threat of nuclear annihilation (and don't act like it isn't a threat, as either it'd be a war and we'd lose in traditional warfare or we'd push them so hard that they'd launch nukes because they lose either way).

[ganbaru]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, they didn't prove than Assad's forces was behind the chemical attack, the Pentagon just say than they have the proof. That's rather unconvincing ( especially after the invasion of Iraq) given than all side may have some chemical weapon. Heck, I wouldn't be that surprised if the attack (still not confirmed) did came from the Russian, they are likely to had used some since Putin came into power, (the Moscow theater fiasco, the second Chechen war and the assasination attempt of that ex-spy I the UK might be the most convincing case) and one thing than could be a coincidence or not, didn't the firsts report of chemicals attack started right after the rebel shot down a Russian helicopter ?

[Eisdrache]

Originally Posted by dragon1412

Is that so, not talking about Russian or America, purely from Syria perspective, i once heard that the people in Syria are actually Ok with Assad, that is, they agree that the guy have his issues and probably not the ideal leader or the best guy ever, but he could do fine enough for stability..... Of course this opinion is long way before the whole chemical attack things though.

You mean other than shooting his own countrymen or being a corrupt dictator? Just some issues at the top of the iceberg.

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, they didn't prove than Assad's forces was behind the chemical attack, the Pentagon just say than they have the proof. That's rather unconvincing ( especially after the invasion of Iraq) given than all side may have some chemical weapon. Heck, I wouldn't be that surprised if the attack (still not confirmed) did came from the Russian, they are likely to had used some since Putin came into power, (the Moscow theater fiasco, the second Chechen war and the assasination attempt of that ex-spy I the UK might be the most convincing case) and one thing than could be a coincidence or not, didn't the firsts report of chemicals attack started right after the rebel shot down a Russian helicopter ?

You're calling it unconvincing but in the same breath use another conspiracy theory that you can't back up with anything else other than it happening at around the same time. The Russian heli may or may not be connected to the chemical attacks, we don't and probably will never know and therefore it is useless to speculate about this. Either way given Assad's history of using sarin in combination with chlorine it seems more likely to have come from their side. In the end both sides probably knew it was happening and cooperated in some sort so trying to pin the blame on one of them alone is wasted effort at best.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Eisdrache

. In the end both sides probably knew it was happening and cooperated in some sort so trying to pin the blame on one of them alone is wasted effort at best.

I can't see how one side may have cooperated with another on that; trying to use the action of one side as a opportunity for their side would be more likely. As for ''pinnig the blame'', to do so before the report from the UN inspectors or others neutral party, would be unwise.

[AnimeFan188]

Russian IL-20 Surveillance Plane Went Down Off Syrian
Coast During Israeli Missile Barrage:

"Syrian air defense forces may have accidentally shot down a Russian Il-20 Coot
electronic intelligence aircraft during an attempt to respond to apparent Israeli air strikes
against targets in Syria's coastal Latakia governorate. Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of
Defense claims that a French frigate may have been responsible and the French have yet
to confirm or deny that they had anything to do with the loss of the aircraft.

On Sept. 17, 2018, CNN, citing an unnamed U.S. government official, reported that the
U.S. military believed Syrian surface-to-air missiles had brought down the Il-20. The
Russian Defense Ministry did confirm the aircraft had gone missing in the early hours of
Sept. 18, 2018, local time in Syria, but did not say who or what might have been
responsible for the crash."

See:

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...issile-barrage

[AnimeFan188]

Russia's Claim That Israeli F-16s Used Their Doomed Il-20
Spy Plane As Cover Doesn't Add Up:

"Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has threatened an unspecified response to
future Israeli air strikes in Syria, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has since
taken a less aggressive stance. Their statements follow an incident in which Syrian
surface-to-air missile operators accidentally shot down one of Russia's Il-20 Coot
electronic surveillance planes over the Mediterranean Sea. They were responding to
Israeli Air Force F-16s that fired stand-off weapons against targets in the country's
coastal Latakia governorate.

The Russians first reported the Il-20 had gone missing in the early hours local time in
Syria on Sept. 18, 2018. Russia subsequently confirmed that Syrian forces had
inadvertently brought down the plane with an SA-5 surface-to-air missile, but blamed
Israel, claiming that its jets had used the aircraft to hide their movements ahead of a
series of standoff strikes. Israel subsequently responded by expressing "sorrow" over
the incident, but insisting that the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad, as well Iran and
the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, were the ones truly responsible for the loss of
the Coot and the 14 personnel on board."

See:

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...-doesnt-add-up

[AnimeFan188]

After the announcement that the U.S. is pulling out of Syria, the Kurds want the French
to fill the vacuum:

"A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following
the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, warning that Kurdish fighters may have
to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Ilham Ahmed also suggested that the main Kurdish militia may no longer be able to hold
the hundreds of IS militants detained in its prisons in northeastern Syria in the case of a
Turkish attack, noting they might head to Turkey or farther abroad from there."

See:

https://apnews.com/d413ff8470794177944d67e949b346f7


========================


Though the pullout may not be the end of U.S. involvement there:

"The Pentagon is considering using small teams of Special Operations forces to strike
the Islamic State in Syria, one option for continuing an American military mission
there despite President Trump’s order to withdraw troops from the country.

The American commandos would be shifted to neighboring Iraq, where an estimated
5,000 United States forces are already deployed, and “surge” into Syria for specific
raids, according to two military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity."

See:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/u...raq-kurds.html