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Linky
What Putin's Airstrikes Mean For Syria
The real reason for the strikes isn't to destroy ISIS.
Nick Robins-Early
World Reporter, The Huffington Post
Posted: 09/30/2015 07:32 PM EDT
Russia carried out a series of airstrikes within Syria on Wednesday, in a dramatic escalation of Moscow's involvement in the deadly Syrian civil war. While Russia claimed the strikes were targeting Islamic State militants, analysts and officials say Russia is in fact targeting rebel groups as part of a calculus that helps bolster the regime of its ally President Bashar Assad.
The strikes come after weeks of military build-up and a combative speech by Vladimir Putin at the UN in which the Russian leader vowed to increase his country's role in the fight against terrorism. Putin acquired unanimous parliamentary approval for military operations in Syria on Wednesday, and then rapidly mobilized jets already stationed in the country.
Contrary to Russian statements that Wednesday's strikes hit Islamic State targets, U.S. defense officials and NATO stated the areas hit were likely not under IS control and were actually territory held by rebels fighting the Assad regime.
The leader of the Western-backed opposition in Syria, Khaled Khoja, claimed the 36 casualties from the strikes were all civilians. "The area that was bombed today was free of ISIL," Khoja said during a press conference on Wednesday, using an alternative name for the group. "ISIL was defeated a year ago from these areas. It was free of ISIL, free of Nusra forces."
Geolocation expert Elliot Higgins also cast doubt on the site of the strikes, showing that the targeted area matched Google images of territory far from Islamic State control.
Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Russia MoD air strike video geolocated to a town miles away from ISIS https://twitter.com/RuslanLeviev/status/649282421851062272 …
2:04 PM - 30 Sep 2015
Rather than attempting to destroy Islamic State capabilities, analysts say, Russia showed with its air campaign that its real intent in Syria is to create a political situation that benefits Assad.
Russia has staunchly supported the Assad regime both before and during the Syrian civil war.
"They are framing it as a war against ISIS as a way to justify their increased military involvement," said Islamic State expert Will McCants of the Brookings Institution. "Primarily it has to do with Russian worry about the collapse of the Assad regime."
<span class='image-component__caption' itemprop="caption">Russian jets reportedly struck the area around Homs on Wednesday.</span> Homs Media Centre/ASSOCIATED PRESS Russian jets reportedly struck the area around Homs on Wednesday.
If the strikes continue to target the rebel groups that are enemies of the Islamic State, then IS may benefit from Russia's air campaign rather than be degraded by it. This is a strategy that Assad has utilized for some time.
"There’s no ISIS in the areas that they hit, so it suggests they’re doubling down on the Assad regime’s tactics, which is to avoid ISIS, principally as a means to make them the only combatant in the conflict opposite the Assad regime to undercut the rebels,” Aaron Stein, a fellow at the Atlantic Council Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, told The World Post.
Syria's government has almost exclusively targeted non-IS rebel groups in its airstrikes. Analysts say this is partly because these groups pose a more significant short-term threat to regime strongholds in areas of the country like Damascus, but also to give foreign powers no viable alternative to Assad holding power in Syria.
Russia's military engagement also plays into Islamic State propaganda that frames its fight as one against foreign crusaders that will ultimately bring about the apocalypse.
A Russian Orthodox Church statement on Wednesday that lauded the fight against terrorism as part of a "holy battle" also lent itself to Islamic State propaganda.
“They will see the gathering of Russian forces as a fulfillment of prophecies about the end times,” McCants explained. "Any rhetoric from the Russian side that suggests this is a religious war will only give more credence to that."
<span class='image-component__caption' itemprop="caption">Bashar Assad has been a longtime ally of the Russian government.</span> SANA/ASSOCIATED PRESS Bashar Assad has been a longtime ally of the Russian government.
Analysts say other beneficiaries from Russia's airstrikes are likely to be extremist groups such as the al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al Nusra, which may attract smaller groups to join them to increase their security and become more formidable.
"Some of the harder-line jihadist groups are going benefit from Russian involvement," McCants said. "I’ve seen two reports today of militant groups joining forces formally with Nusra, and we’ll probably see more of the same."
"The fear now with the Russian escalation, the Russian aggression, is that more troops might become radicalized and might be mobilized," Dr. Najib Ghadbian, the Syrian National Coalition representative to the U.S., said in a press conference on Wednesday.
In the immediate term, McCants said, Wednesday's strikes are a powerful propaganda tool and a way for the Russian leader to highlight what his supporters consider to be American dithering and cowardice.
The long-term results of Putin's increased involvement in Syria are murkier, though analysts say the conflict could be made longer and bloodier due to Russia's strikes.
Jessica Schulberg contributed reporting from the United Nations.
Linky 2
Carter: Russian strikes will ‘inflame’ Syrian war, likely targeted non-ISIS areas
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, visibly frustrated at Russia's air campaign over Syria, warned Wednesday that while he's taking "the Russians at their word" about their intentions in the country, he thinks the strikes will "backfire" and only serve to "inflame" the civil war.
Further, even as he indicated he might trust the Russians' statements, Carter challenged Moscow's claims that they're limiting strikes to Islamic State targets. Without going into specifics, Carter told reporters it appears Russian airstrikes Wednesday "were in areas where there probably ... were not ISIL forces."
Russia escalated the Syrian conflict early Wednesday by launching an aerial bombardment against opposition targets inside Syria. The Obama administration -- whose officials, including President Obama himself, met with their Russian counterparts in recent weeks to discuss Syria -- appeared to be caught off guard by the development.
Top administration officials on Wednesday delivered a nuanced message to Moscow in response. Earlier in the day, Secretary of State John Kerry told the United Nations Security Council the U.S. would not object to Russians hitting Islamic State or Al Qaeda targets but airstrikes just to strengthen the hand of Syrian President Bashar Assad would be worrisome.
Carter appeared to take a somewhat tougher tone, in saying it appears Russia already is hitting areas with no ISIS forces. He said the underlying problem is Russia is trying to both fight ISIS while supporting Assad, which he said would only escalate the civil war. This approach, he added, creates the potential for striking non-ISIS locations.
"The result of this kind of action will inevitably simply be to inflame the civil war in Syria," he said. "It's ill-advised to take this kind of action in support of Assad, only without pursuing a political transition."
More on this...
Russian warships launch airstrikes against ISIS in Syria
He said the approach is "doomed to failure" and "tantamount" to "pouring gasoline on the fire."
Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, appeared together at the UN late Wednesday to discuss their just-completed meeting, which Kerry described as "constructive."
"We agreed on the imperative to, as soon as possible, have a military to military deconflicting discussion," Kerry said.
He added the pair had also agreed it was "imperative to find a solution to this conflict to avoid escalating it."
Earlier, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the new Russian action "calls into question their strategy, because when President Putin and President Obama had the opportunity to meet at the U.N. earlier this week much of their discussion was focused on the need for a political transition inside Syria."
He also said "Russia will not succeed in imposing a military solution in Syria any more than the United States was successful in imposing a military solution on Iraq a decade ago."
Kerry said Russian operations must not support Assad or interfere with those of the U.S.-led coalition that is already attacking Islamic State targets. He called for an urgent start to military-to-military talks to prevent any kind of conflict between Russia and the coalition, suggesting they begin this week.
Both he and Carter also made clear that they would not accept Russia's appeal for U.S. warplanes to leave Syrian airspace during Russian missions.
"These strikes will continue," Kerry said.
Meanwhile, Russia's aerial bombardment against Syrian opposition targets raised bipartisan alarm on Capitol Hill -- with some echoing concerns that Russia's airstrikes will not distinguish between Islamic State targets and moderate opposition forces.
"These airstrikes are indiscriminate in nature," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said.
McCain delivered a blistering floor speech on the developments in Syria, blasting what he called the Obama administration's "leading from behind" approach.
He said the war has "now created a platform for a Russian autocrat to join with an Iranian theocrat to prop up a Syrian dictator."
A senior U.S. defense official said a Russian official in Baghdad informed U.S. Embassy personnel Wednesday morning that their military aircraft would fly "anti-ISIL missions" over Syria.
"He further requested that U.S. aircraft avoid Syrian airspace during these missions," the official said -- a request that apparently was rejected.
"While we would welcome a constructive role by Russia in this effort, today's demarche hardly seems indicative of that sort or role and will in no way alter our operations," the U.S. defense official said.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is making our state department, national security agency, and the administration (who just met with Putin yesterday) look like complete bumbling fools. Not aware or even on the same page as far as what happened, is happening, and seemingly without a plan as to what to do next. They couldn't seem more disconnected with this issue, despite 'red lines' four years ago and repeated speeches/comments of how Assad must go and now an 'ally' is bombing one of our other allies in the area which seems to be an effort to help Assad. Cluster... something or other. Leading from behind (idiotic thinking, imo), is this what it looks like, because if so then we truly have people in power with zero awareness of world affairs and how to lead, from behind or otherwise, if at all.
Statistics are like a bikini; what they show is interesting, but what they hide is vital.
Drive for show (1st round), Putt for dough (rest of draft).
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I don't see how this is making our state department, national security agency, and the administration (who just met with Putin yesterday) look like complete bumbling fools, but it sure looks like Russia, again, is not to be trusted. You can blame Russian aggression, but using this as a political attack seems to discredit any actual concern about this dangerous situation. The meeting between Russia and the US yesterday obviously displayed distrust. "SECRETARY KERRY: I think the critical thing is that all of the efforts need to be coordinated. This is not yet coordinated. I think we have concerns about how we’re going to go forward, but that’s precisely what we’re meeting on to talk about now. Our presidents will be meeting tomorrow. This is the beginning of a genuine effort to see if there is a way to de-conflict, but also to find a way forward that will be effective in keeping a united, secular Syria that can be at peace and stable again without foreign troops present, and that’s our hope." link John Kerry may talk funny, but I don't see anything saying indicating the state department is unaware or disconnected. You can hate on the administration, but this action has the world concerned about trusting Russia.
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And folks like you where shocked and screaming the sky is falling when Pearl Harbor was attached !
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Obama is planning his next golf outing as we speak...
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Obama is planning his next golf outing as we speak... Do you think the Syrian National Golf Club would give him a tee time?
#GMSTRONG
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"U.S. defense officials and NATO stated the areas hit were likely not under IS control and were actually territory held by rebels fighting the Assad regime."
Not likely? So really, they are saying they don't know for sure. And since things change day to day there, it is possible.
Isn't it 2 sides fighting out a civil war, and then ISIS coming in an mopping up weakened areas? Wouldn't it be better in the long run, to bolster one side of the civil war, who then could take on ISIS.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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I remember when President Obama mocked Mitt Romney in the 2012 debates for stating that he thought Russia represented our greatest national security threat. IIRC, he said something like "Governor Romney - the 80's are calling - they want their foreign policy back.". Very hip, very clever, very effective (politically), and very wrong.
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We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Funny - but to be fair, I remember feeling a little embarrassed for W when he said he looked into Putin's eyes and saw into his soul. What I thought when I looked in Putin's eyes ... stone killer. The guy is a former KGB assassin.
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Perfect illustration of 'Nero fiddling while Rome burns'.
WE DON'T NEED A QB BEFORE WE GET A LINE THAT CAN PROTECT HIM
my two cents...
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This is what I have been harping about for years now. A lack of leadership in America has lead to many vacuums that will be filled by others.
The Russians were kicked out of the Middle East back in 1972 and Russia has waited and watched for their chance to return. Obama handed them the opportunity by lacking the guts to stay on top of it.
Now Putin is on the ground and is here to stay. He will own Syria and is working on Russia's relations with Iran.
Putin must have been laughing to himself as he shook hands with Obama at the UN. He knows Obama's decision to support the wrong side in Egypt during the Arab Spring which would have destroyed Egypt if their Military had not taken over and his overall hands off policies in the Middle East were signs of weakness to be exploited.
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He drew a red line and said do not cross. What more do you want from our fearless leader?
#GMSTRONG
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He drew a red line and said do not cross. What more do you want from our fearless leader? Lmfao! Just wait until John Kerry steps in! Him and Obama will straighten all this out 
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I don't see how this is making our state department, national security agency, and the administration (who just met with Putin yesterday) look like complete bumbling fools, but it sure looks like Russia, again, is not to be trusted.
The meeting between Russia and the US yesterday obviously displayed distrust.
You can hate on the administration, but this action has the world concerned about trusting Russia.
Finally coming to the realization that Russia can't be trusted is foolish and weak and is what has lead us to this point! Once again, while Putin plays Chess, our Leadership is struggling with Checkers.
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J/c... This is a super-simplistic article that only hits the high notes of what is happening, but here are The four reasons Russia won't give up SyriaIn a nutshell, Russia lost the Cold War, so like anyone who loses a fight, they haven't quite moved on from it, yet. It's their Hey Day, their Golden Years, and as such it is still very important to them and they still view the world very much in that light. Chalk it up as a juvenile mentality, but it really does apply. Additionally, the ties between Russia and Syria go back more than four decades. Politically and economically. Syria is Moscow's 7th largest client (and representing 10% of Russia's total global arm sales) for weapons sales. Moscow was one of three members of a United Nations Security Counsel vote that voted against a formal condemnation of Syria's al-Assad government for attacks on civilians in - you guessed it - the city of Homs back in February 2012. Russia also opposed any sanctions or intervention against Syria for those attacks. Lastly - Tartus. It's a port city in the Mediterranean that houses a Russian (formerly Soviet) base capable of servicing all of Russia's nuclear-armed warships. Basically, it's a nuclear Home Port on Europe's soft underbelly. They are NOT giving that up. In hindsight, anyone with even a passing, cursory familiarity with these things could have seen this coming. It's just surprising that it has taken this long to happen.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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And folks like you where shocked and screaming the sky is falling when Pearl Harbor was attached ! Russia is going to bomb Pearl Harbor because of the state department!?!? You know that part where I said Russia can't be trusted, the situation is dangerous and the world is concerned? What I meant to say is Russia can't be trusted, the situation is dangerous and the world is concerned. But you're right, Thanks Obama for bombing Pearl Harbor! 
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Finally coming to the realization that Russia can't be trusted is foolish and weak and is what has lead us to this point!
Once again, while Putin plays Chess, our Leadership is struggling with Checkers. It was Fox and the Tea Party that's been telling how great Putin is. 
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Russia is going to bomb Pearl Harbor because of the state department!?!? First the Germans, now the Russians? I'm getting too old for this stuff.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Finally coming to the realization that Russia can't be trusted is foolish and weak and is what has lead us to this point!
Once again, while Putin plays Chess, our Leadership is struggling with Checkers. It was Fox and the Tea Party that's been telling how great Putin is. Not how great.. how strong. Funny, one of my more liberal friends posted on FB an article about how Putin said that Obama was a strong leader.. and this person was taking shots at Fox and republicans because they say Obama is weak and Putin disagreed.. so suddenly (much like the Pope) the liberals found an ally in an unlikely place... then Putin shows just how strong Obama is, they meet, they talk, Obama wants his help to do things one way and within a week, he's doing exactly the opposite of what Obama wanted... Obviously the respect Putin has for Obama is tremendous.
yebat' Putin
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Yes, and another simple thing people don't consider is the fact that Russia's economy is hurting. Just watch the price of oil go up as Putin pushes things in the Middle East. Today it is up 3 percent which has already paid for all the expenses of his Syrian Campaign.
Like I said, Vlad likes to play Chess while we play checkers.
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Obviously the respect Putin has for Obama is tremendous. I agree with your sarcasm. Putin has little respect for a lot of world leaders. Which is why this situation is more serious than political poking. If Putin starts doing things that further divide the region and the world it's going to be ugly on a world scale.
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Like I said, Vlad likes to play Chess while we play checkers. Vlad is playing Risk, we are playing Life and complaining that blue and pink peg people are sexist. 
yebat' Putin
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Like I said, Vlad likes to play Chess while we play checkers. Vlad is playing Risk, we are playing Life and complaining that blue and pink peg people are sexist. Sure hope this all stays funny though. In my youthful fighting days I used to watch when I dropped the weak guy because he tends to overreact and come up with a blade or shooting. I worry our weak leadership will overreact to being slapped and come up doing something stupid.
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Obviously the respect Putin has for Obama is tremendous. I agree with your sarcasm. Putin has little respect for a lot of world leaders. Which is why this situation is more serious than political poking. If Putin starts doing things that further divide the region and the world it's going to be ugly on a world scale. Glad to see you have finally admitted it all depends on Putin and we, the weak, will be reacting to his lead. Shame on us!
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Glad to see you have finally admitted it all depends on Putin and we, the weak, will be reacting to his lead.
Shame on us! How would you handle the situation?
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A decent leader would not have this situation to handle. Should have been handled years ago so it didn't get to this point.
Rule #1 Never leave a vacuum unless you KNOW and Like those who will fill it.
Last edited by 40YEARSWAITING; 10/01/15 01:48 PM.
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j/c I think we should go in and topple the Assad government. Destabilize the area and leave it in the hands of the people. We should be funding it all. You know, like we did in Iraq? ..... Oh wait, maybe not!  We saw what happened to Russia when they went into Afghanistan. We saw the cost of us going into Iraq. Now people are trying to say the way to lead is to duplicate past mistakes? Sometimes leading is simply not doing what doesn't work rather than duplicating it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
#gmstrong
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j/c I think we should go in and topple the Assad government. Destabilize the area and leave it in the hands of the people. We should be funding it all. You know, like we did in Iraq? ..... Oh wait, maybe not!Can't topple what Putin now owns. We saw what happened to Russia when they went into Afghanistan. We saw the cost of us going into Iraq. We saw what happened when Russia left Afgan and left a Vacuum.
Taliban, Al Qaeda, 9/11.Now people are trying to say the way to lead is to duplicate past mistakes? Obama withdrew all American troops from Iraq and left a Vacuum. He called ISIS a JV team. We tried to support the people of Syria against Assad and failed, leaving a vacuum.Sometimes leading is simply not doing what doesn't work rather than duplicating it. Being a World leader requires you to pay attention to the World, supporting your allies, and not leaving vacuums to be filled by the bad guys.
Putin knows this. He patiently waited while we did nothing. Putin is now bombing the people we supported and we are impotent. That is not leadership on our part.
Last edited by 40YEARSWAITING; 10/01/15 02:35 PM.
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Glad to see you have finally admitted it all depends on Putin and we, the weak, will be reacting to his lead.
Shame on us! How would you handle the situation? Leverage. Exploit it in all scenarios around the periphery, and in every place you can exude it with Russia. What Obama never understood is that Russia doesn't care about appeasement...especially Putin. The whole "Reset" thing was an absolute joke. Russia/Putin doesn't understand appeasement. Who in its history has Russia ever "appeased"? Russia understands leverage, bottom line. They will push the line to see how far they can go. You have to react with strength and frankness.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
#gmstrong
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j/c I think we should go in and topple the Assad government. Destabilize the area and leave it in the hands of the people. We should be funding it all. You know, like we did in Iraq? ..... Oh wait, maybe not! We saw what happened to Russia when they went into Afghanistan. We saw the cost of us going into Iraq. Now people are trying to say the way to lead is to duplicate past mistakes? Sometimes leading is simply not doing what doesn't work rather than duplicating it. I've thought about that as well. We've already seen what boots on the ground in the Middle East can do to a country money-wise. Let them find enough rope to hang themselves.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
#gmstrong
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They will push the line to see how far they can go. You have to react with strength and frankness. Putin has already done this in Ukraine. He saw our reaction as we sent blankets and medical supplies.
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I've thought about that as well. We've already seen what boots on the ground in the Middle East can do to a country money-wise. Let them find enough rope to hang themselves.
IMHO, Putin will not do as they did in Afgan, he will prop up Assad, eliminate Assad's enemies that are currently threatening him in close, and finally arm Assad's troops to the teeth. Putin's good buddy will take it from there. Assad is a strong leader and will only increase his power once Russia digs him out of the hole. I see the future of the middle east to be one where Syria and Iran control the show, backed by their good pals the Russians.
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Yes 40, it's all Obama's fault that we didn't just stay in Iraq forever. It's not the fault of the people who invaded Iraq in the first place and toppled Saddam in the first place. It's not the former administrations fault that 2 trillion was spent trying to fix their mess. It's Obama's fault. When you put boots on the ground in the middle east, you always create a vacuum. You always create a mess. Lt Russia create the mess this time. _________________________________________________________________ Donald Trump supports Russian efforts to tackle Isis in Syria Leading Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday said he supported Russian efforts to fight Isis militants in the Middle East, including Syria. Asked whether he backed those like Russia who supported Syrian President Bashar al Assad, or those who see him as the source of Syria's current crisis, Mr Trump told NBC: “I side with the group that says if Russia wants to go and fight ISIS, you should let them as opposed to saying were jealous we don't want you to do that.” Reuters reported that the 69-year-old Mr Trump, who is leading public opinion polls among those seeking the Republican Party's bid to win the White House in the 2016 election, said the United States should support those who want to destroy the militant group that has taken over large parts of Syria, as well as neighbouring Iraq. Republicans have criticised Democratic US President Barack Obama's foreign policy in Syria, which has been mired in civil war for four years and has seen an influx of Islamic State militants. Asked about whether Mr Assad was the source of the country's ills, Mr Trump said it was not clear and questioned who would replace him if he were ousted. "The people that want to come in and replace Assad, nobody knows who they are and they could end up being worse," he said. "We're constantly going out and siding with people and they turn out to be worse than the people who were there before." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people...a-a6671941.htmlLike I said, some people learn from mistakes, and some don't.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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The Donald's big mistake here is that Russian has no interest in fighting or even dealing with ISIS/ISIL. That is all lip service while they direct their attacks to prop up al-Assad.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 75,267
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 75,267 |
I think it will be a combination of both since it's also ISIS/ISAL which opposes Assad.
The funny thing is, as we've learned in the past, that it seems no matter which side we take or support, even if it's those fighting Assad, it always seems to bite us in the back side later. Bin Laden is a shining example.
I believe that's why the White House has been so careful not to get into this conflict. If we take the responsibility of unseating Assad, who comes into power next? Who takes the place of Assad? Will we again take on the responsibility of making some attempt to install a democracy and have a decade or longer presence to fill the void only to fail when we eventually leave?
It's a very sticky situation to try to take sides over there and end up in worse shape than we started.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
#gmstrong
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,195
Dawg Talker
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Dawg Talker
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,195 |
The Donald's big mistake here is that Russian has no interest in fighting or even dealing with ISIS/ISIL. That is all lip service while they direct their attacks to prop up al-Assad.
Yea, I think supporting Assad is their goal. It will be interesting to see if they do anything to stop isis. If not, then a whole lot of countries will have to make some serious decisions.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 28,206
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 28,206 |
The Donald's big mistake here is that Russian has no interest in fighting or even dealing with ISIS/ISIL. That is all lip service while they direct their attacks to prop up al-Assad.
Yea, I think supporting Assad is their goal. It will be interesting to see if they do anything to stop isis. If not, then a whole lot of countries will have to make some serious decisions. I'd say that it is 100% certain and guaranteed that their goal is to support Assad. I don't think there is even one bit of ambiguity there despite what they tell the world media.... that's just talk. And I don't see anyone doing anything to stop it.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Joined: Dec 2014
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Legend
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Legend
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 25,823 |
Its Putin's show for us to stand back and watch now.
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 765
All Pro
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All Pro
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 765 |
Putin is trying to build a military industrial complex to build his country's economy. It's a terrible idea, but I can't blame him. It does generate a revenue bubble.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,538
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,538 |
I've thought about that as well. We've already seen what boots on the ground in the Middle East can do to a country money-wise. Let them find enough rope to hang themselves.
IMHO, Putin will not do as they did in Afgan, he will prop up Assad, eliminate Assad's enemies that are currently threatening him in close, and finally arm Assad's troops to the teeth. Putin's good buddy will take it from there. Assad is a strong leader and will only increase his power once Russia digs him out of the hole. I see the future of the middle east to be one where Syria and Iran control the show, backed by their good pals the Russians. We should know all too well that trying to prop up (Shah) or topple (Saddam) both create a lot of costs, headaches, and usually end up backfiring. He may be doing his best to fight the rebels in the interim because they're the easier target than ISIS, and they present less of a threat to the Russian homeland, but ISIS is an extreme Sunni group who occupies territory in Syria over which Assad (Shiite) asserts U.N. and historically recognized sovereignty. Even if the rebels are quashed, ISIS and Assad will come to blows eventually, which will leave Russia in a bad spot. I think it's just beginning for them. They and Iran, IMHO, both are not aware of the costs headed their way.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
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DawgTalkers.net
Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Russia Airstrikes in Syria, not
helping fight against ISIS, seem
to help Assad.
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