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Russia cannot win in Syria, must push for transition: Blinken
Reuters ^ | Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:59pm EDT | Leigh Thomas and Michel Rose

Posted on 10/28/2015 4:15:43 PM PDT by keat

Russia's intervention in Syria is "not going particularly well" and it should instead push for political transition in the country, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's deputy Antony Blinken told France 24 television.

Russia says it has destroyed more than 800 terrorist targets in Syria since it began its campaign of air strikes on Sept. 30, an intervention Moscow says is aimed at destroying extremist Islamic militants, but which Washington says is also targeting moderate rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"They cannot win in Syria, they can perhaps prevent Assad from losing, but they cannot win," Blinken said of Russia.

"Its actions on the ground in support of the regime are not going particularly well, they have made very little progress despite the onslaught of Russia airpower," he said after taking part in talks on Syria in Paris.

"Russia now has an incentive and more influence to move Assad and the regime towards a transition. There is a recognition on all sides that there is no military solution in Syria, that is a recognition that is now growing on the Russians."

Blinken also said that Russia "cannot afford to alienate virtually all of the Sunni Muslim world" and that it was clear that Shi'ite Iran would have to be part of the conversation on Syria's future in one way or another.

Asked in a separate interview on French radio RTL if Assad's departure was a prerequisite for any progress, he said: "Not a prerequisite, but the process that will be triggered must lead to Assad's departure."

"What we must do now is to define in more detail a transition process," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Russia; Syria; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: jihad; kgb; patricelumumbaschool; russia
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To: keat

You gotta love this pathetic trash talking from out homo-oriented State Department. Bad Vlad forms a mental image of our senile botox man John effin’ and laughs himself to sleep each night. I am serious, that our State Department is heavily loaded with lesbians and gays. Been this way for years. Heavily leftist-liberal too no matter who is President.
A President Trump has to broom out as many as possible or he will regret it.


21 posted on 10/28/2015 4:47:51 PM PDT by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
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To: moovova
Have Winkin’ and Nod issued an opinion?

They could not be reached as they are on a cruise in their pea green boat.

22 posted on 10/28/2015 4:48:54 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: moovova
Have Winkin’ and Nod issued an opinion?

They could not be reached as they are on a cruise in their pea green boat.

23 posted on 10/28/2015 4:49:56 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: keat

Does the idiot ever state what “winning” is? I can’t bring myself to read it. I think for Russia it means stabilizing Syria under Assad, diminishing the US, gaining influence, and helping raise oil prices.

I don’t see how The Russkies can lose.

The don’t have moral objectives or nation building or democracy in mind.


24 posted on 10/28/2015 4:53:59 PM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: keat

It’s just American government propaganda. Ignore it like Cold War-era Pravda... it has absolutely no credibility.


25 posted on 10/28/2015 4:55:26 PM PDT by ScottinVA (If you're not enraged...why?)
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To: Tau Food

I don’t know if that factors in to leftist thinking. They probably side with the hostage takers.


26 posted on 10/28/2015 5:00:59 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
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To: keat

All Putin has to do to “win” in Syria is break stuff and poop on the floor. That’s the usual Russian strategy as we saw in Ukraine. He doesn’t need a strategic victory but to merely keep Syria as a failed client state of Russia and Iran to achieve his goals.


27 posted on 10/28/2015 5:01:39 PM PDT by lodi90
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To: Tau Food

Agreed about the embassy takeover, but that was 35 years ago. How much misery has the Sunni sect spread since then? And also before then?
I just don’t get it, Shiites are a pain, but they seem to be no worse at all than Sunnis.

And no matter who has the oil, they have to sell it eventually or elect to be broke.


28 posted on 10/28/2015 5:02:54 PM PDT by DesertRhino ("I want those feeble minded asses overthrown,,,")
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To: keat
Tony Blinkin, one of Obama's advisers. Is he dumber than Kerry, or is he just aware of what it takes to get ahead in his field?


29 posted on 10/28/2015 5:03:17 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: keat

But you can’t conquer ground from the air. Somebody’s troops will have to be on the ground to eject the rebels.


30 posted on 10/28/2015 5:07:03 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (There's a right to gay marriage in the Constitution but there is no right of an unborn baby to life.)
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To: faithhopecharity
Putin may be smarter than we think. He could put a stronger foothold in the Mideast while creating alliances which has been a strategic goal for a very long time and then just watch Europe dissolve. What does he care? Europe will beg Putin to do something once the barbarians really get going. The United States is now a laughing stock and emasculated. This is nothing just wait. Those lines of invaders walk right in like the Nazi's did in Paris.And the golfer in chief keeps on golfing.
31 posted on 10/28/2015 5:09:34 PM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
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To: AU72

Didn’t the ship that Winken, Blinken and Nod sail in, sink?

After all, Blinken works for “Swiftboat Kerry”, and we sank Kerry’s boat in 2004 (re Swiftboat Veterans for the Truth About John Kerry). Unfortunately, Kerry is like the Flying Dutchman, still around, betraying America, one decade after another.

Will the last American Patriot in the State Department go to that proverbial “tunnel” and turn that f*cking “Blinken” light out?


32 posted on 10/28/2015 5:21:03 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: DesertRhino
Can anyone explain why we treasure the Sunnis, and hate the Shiites?

We have had many opportunities to come to terms with the Iranians over the years. The State Department will never do it though because the Iranians seized our embassy. They'll make peace with people who bomb American planes and kill American civilians, and they'll make peace with people who have killed American soldiers and sailors, but the State Department will never make peace with Iran.

33 posted on 10/28/2015 5:22:06 PM PDT by SeeSharp
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To: DesertRhino

I agree with you, but I really don’t think that what may appear to be a preference has nothing to do with philosophy. There are very few non-Muslim Americans who could tell you about the philosophical differences between Sunnis and Shiites. A very large percentage of Shiites live in Iran and we’ve had a lot of trouble getting along with Iran. Kings of Saudi Arabia don’t call us Satan like Iran’s ayatollahs. We seem to be able to do business with Saudi Arabia. Like Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “A page of history is worth a volume of logic.” Someday, things may be different.


34 posted on 10/28/2015 5:23:36 PM PDT by Tau Food (Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.)
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To: keat
“cannot afford to alienate virtually all of the Sunni Muslim world”

I'm comfortably certain that they alienated themselves long ago, and intentionally so. They're not exactly the most gregarious and collegial bunch, Mr Kerry.

35 posted on 10/28/2015 5:25:11 PM PDT by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: keat

“They cannot win in Syria, they can perhaps prevent Assad from losing, but they cannot win,” Blinken said of Russia.

Guess that’s why his is only a “deputy” .... wasn’t dumb enough to be a boss!


36 posted on 10/28/2015 5:35:10 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (The main Democratic presidential candidates .. two old communist revolutionaries pining for the 60s.)
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To: keat
Russia's intervention in Syria is "not going particularly well" and it should instead push for political transition in the country, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's deputy Antony Blinken told France 24 television.

Antony Blinken sounds like Baghdad Bob. Does he know what he is talking about?

It seems to me that there are many "Baghdad Bobs" in the Obama Administration.

37 posted on 10/28/2015 5:38:38 PM PDT by olezip
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To: keat
Russia's intervention in Syria is "not going particularly well" and it should instead push for political transition in the country, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's deputy Antony Blinken told France 24 television

Really?

Well here's my forecast of the Eurasian political future. Putin is leading Russia to step up and seize the hopes of many to fight against Radical Islam. Egypt has warmed to the Russians and cooled to the USA. Israel, the same. The Mideast is realigning. Sunni powers are attracted to the US. Secular states are drifting to the Russians. That's the Mideast.

Europe has bigger changes coming. NATO is the present anchor of US power in Europe. We now have Turkey taking aggression against Kurds in Syria. NATO is supposed to come to the rescue of an aggressor? Well, NATO did criminally attack Serbia. They waged war on a nation that did not attack a NATO member. Let's see how long the citizens of Europe cheer NATO fighting on behalf of Muslims while it's elite swamp them with angry young Muslim men. Russia will have a great opportunity to supply a black market of arms to Europeans who will come to see the value arms as they get their throats cut. Putin will see an opportunity to sow discord in European nations who are NATO members. In the next decade, look for Europeans to drift to the Russian sphere of politics.

Where does this leave America. Hopefully, we can sever the cost of defending Europeans and Arabs. Let the Russians carry the cost. We have enough problems of our own to resolve.

38 posted on 10/28/2015 5:59:01 PM PDT by LoneRangerMassachusetts (behind enemy lines)
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To: keat

Russia doesn’t have to “win” in Syria. Just keep the objective of maintaining and even significantly bolster Assad in Syria.


39 posted on 10/28/2015 6:03:03 PM PDT by Fhios
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To: shanover

Yes, and it is not only Obama that’s reponsible for all this danger to USA and Europe, we can’t overlook the massive sell-out of most of Europe by its nations’ ruling elites
(just like how the damage is being inflicted on USA)


40 posted on 10/28/2015 6:11:54 PM PDT by faithhopecharity (Brilliant, funny, and incisive Tagline coming to this space soon.....)
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