Posted on 09/25/2015 6:04:15 AM PDT by JPX2011
When I started at the White House in March 2013, I was among those who advocated increased assistance, including military assistance, to the Syrian opposition. Secretary of State John Kerry led the diplomatic effort to rally and unify our key partners, who all pledged to support the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) as the legitimate representatives of Syrian people and to channel military support to the Supreme Military Council (SMC), then led by General Salim Idriss. It was not long, however, before it was apparent—at least to me—that this approach would not work. The SOC was weak and out of touch and the SMC unable to control extremists or bring disparate factions into line. The pledges of our partners to help only moderate opposition forces were never upheld, notwithstanding extensive efforts to get them to do so.
The lack of success of these efforts led President Obama in May 2014 to step up our efforts by proposing a new program that would include a $5 billion Counter Terrorism Partnership Fund to strengthen Syria’s neighbors and $500 million for a train and equip program under the Department of Defense. Under the direction of experienced and capable military leaders such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, Central Command head General Lloyd Austin and Special Operations Commander General Michael Nagata, that program has had little impact—not due to the lack of resources, poor execution or will, but because of the enormity of the task and an absence of acceptable and capable recruits.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I don’t understand why zer0 doesn’t provide military support to the godless commie PKK kurds in eastern/northern Syria unless his is really a muzzie bro.
Obama totally screwed the pooch and lost everything. But is still pretending that he’s smarter than the guys who just ate his lunch.
I don’t understand why zer0 doesn’t provide military support to the godless commie PKK Kurds in eastern/northern Syria unless he is really a muzzie bro.
[I was among those who advocated increased assistance, including military assistance, to the Syrian opposition]
Look at Europe on the evening news. This is Obama’s making via his “Arab Spring” stuff.
He owns it.
No need to rethink, it will be a Russian fiefdom shortly.
I have despised Assad since shortly after he took power, and my views on him have not changed. However, the idea of removing him from power was shockingly stupid - the casual observer could see that all viable alternatives were worse, and informed observers could see just how much worse they might be. Events have proven me to be correct, and Obama is still too stupid or too evil to back down and allow Syria to restore stability.
No...it is time to document the idiot in the white hut and his enablers and how not to run a country...let alone conduct foreign policy.
You know, fooling around and trying to overthrow the government of another country is pretty serious business.
That’s actually an act of war. People die. Stuff gets destroyed. Money gets spent on fighting.
Why are we at war with Syria?
I understand that Assad is no angel, but why, specifically, are we at war with Syria?
And why did we go to war with Libya? What was the specific reason we destroyed the government of Libya and had Qadaffi killed?
What are our national interests in these wars?
The thing is, once you start a war with another country and you start killing their people and destroying their stuff and forcing them to defend themselves,
They get mad at you.
They want revenge. Their friends want revenge. Everyone in the country that is attacking becomes a fair target. Our stuff becomes a fair target. We have to spend more money.
That’s OK if it’s necessary.
But Libya and Syria?
Why did the Democrats feel the need to start wars with them specifically?
Well, I've read this thing three times now. And it suffers from the same failure of first principles as Obama's policy. Namely that the removal of Assad is the primary foreign policy objective. And because of Obama's narcissism they haven't moved off from that objective in four years. Looking at it objectively it might have been realistic back in 2011 possibly even 2012 but events have changed so much on the ground with the rise if ISIS that to stubbornly hold to this position is insanity.
As for the Kurds, well they don't factor into the equation for removing Assad so US assistance is minimal. I'm sure Erdogan in Turkey has also played a part in pimp-slapping Obama to make sure that's the case.
I’d remove Erdogan before Assad.
It will be a Russian Fiefdom, and Assad will block the construction of the Mideast Oil pipeline from the gulf states to Europe, thus allowing for the Russians to build one through Ukraine for the same customers.
This war is about oil sales - Russian sales vs. Gulf States.
We have been on the payroll of the Gulf States since WWII.
We don’t discuss the defense treaties we have with the Saudis. We should.
It would shed light on much going on in the Mideast.
We are at war because Syria is a Russian puppet, with a naval base for them in the Med.
Russians want a pipeline through Ukraine to sell oil and gas to European markets, but their competition would be an oil and gas pipeline from the Gulf states through Syria to the same European customers.
Syria is denying the construction of the pipeline through Syria with Assad’s backing in return for Russian support of the Regime.
The wars in Ukraine and Syria are about oil, IMHO.
Isn’t it usually about money?
And a sharp strengthening of the Russia-ChiCom-Iran-Syria axis is a “wonderful” thing for the US, Israel, and our NATO allies. /S
This as Russia builds a 2nd major military base on the border with the Ukraine.
Given the indisputable fact that our federal government can’t do ANYTHING right EVER is most likely the best reason for it to just stay the hell out of all the worlds little wars!
To push two pipelines through Syria
To take 144 tons of Gold off Libya (and to stop a gold-backed currency).
Oil and Gold.
Those are great questions and they need to be asked.
The media certainly isn’t going to cover this.
In the end, ISIS is taking over these countries, so what was the purpose. Was that the purpose? Really makes you wonder.
Since when is it up to us to decide who is the legitimate representative of the Syrian people? Or of any other people, for that matter?
Russians will make order in Syria—even if its at the point of a sword.
from the FRchives:Partisan Media Shills Alert!
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