Posted on 02/25/2018 7:12:09 AM PST by Nextrush
"....what Russia and Iran and what Syria have done recently is a humanitarian disgrace. I will tell you that. We're there for one reason, we're there to get ISIS and get rid of ISIS and go home. We're not there for any other reason and we've largely accomplished our goal. But what those three counties have done to people over the last short period of time is a disgrace..."
President Donald J. Trump joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull 2/23/2018
Speaking late Friday in Washington, President Trump took aim at Syria's government and nations allied with it (Iran, Russia) for the conduct of the war against rebel forces in the "Ghouta pocket" on the east side of Damascus.
Groups sympathetic to the jihadist forces fighting the Syrian regime say there are hundreds dead and many more injured in the government offensive, aimed at pockets in the metropolitan area of the Syrian capital mostly occupied by Al-Qaeda type units along with some Islamic State elements.
President Trump also stated that the goal of the United States in Syria is to fight Islamic State and to "go home".
The United Nations Security Council was able to pass a unanimous resolution late Saturday (February 24th) calling for a 30-day cease fire in Syria, but at the insistence of Russia the cease fire excludes Al Qaeda, Islamic State and other groups designated as terrorists.
The US, France and other nations had called for the 30-day cease fire citing the situation in the Ghouta pocket to allow medical evacuations and deliveries of aid.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Russia of delaying the resolution and said: "In the last three days that it took us to adopt this resolution, how many mothers lost their kids to the bombing and shelling?"
Attacks continued after the cease fire resolution was approved. More shelling was reported in the Ghouta pocket with Iran saying it will continue to fight "terrorists" and there are reports of a ground attacks along with the shelling in the area.
Meanwhile, Peter Hitchens commented on the Syrian situation in a paragraph in his lengthy column this weekend.
"Just bear in mind as you read the latest propaganda from Syria--always beautifully composed pictures of wounded children in the arms of gentle, unarmed young men--that the "rebels" and "activists" in the suburbs of Damascus are the people we used to call Al-Qaeda. That is, they are the ones who blew up the Twin Towers. But Al Qaeda has now got some very good spin doctors, and they're trying to spin you. I urge you to resist."
Peter Hitchens column 2/25/2018
Video link to Trump comments below with link to Peter Hitchens column also.......
The one big disappointment I have about Trump
Being played by the Pentagon over Syria and Ukraine
Given the role we played and contimue to play in tearing that country apart, we have not one moral leg to stand upon regarding Syria
Not one
I’ve read and listened to President Trump’s comments and obviously there are different strings tugging at him from ‘behind the curtain’.
The war in Syria and Ukraine which I think are linked to it stand out.
The pro-Russia government in Ukraine being taken out was payback for Russia intervening in Syria.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar poured in the jihadists to take out Assad in Syria.
Iran came in to help Syria, giving Israel reason to start poking around with attacks now and then.
President Trump visited the Israelis and Saudis last year and has their $$$$$$ and or power and influence to respond to.
The POTUS made friends with the Saudis taking their $$$$$ for infrastructure in this country and weapons for them, he is moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem in May of this year we now hear.
Trump is withholding support from the Iran Nuclear Deal.
I’m concerned if this means we’re going to work more closely with Erdogan.
What is Erdogan’s game and who’s playing it with him?
The USA, Iran, Russia, Israel, NATO, EU, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the list goes on. Are some playing with him or all trying to kiss up to him?
He looks like a wild card or is he?
Erdogan is the ‘man of mystery’ to me.......
Has President Trump been blackmailed by McCain and Lindsey?
I know nothing of that. He is fed information from the likes of those, that’s for sure.
But Trump as to keep the Saudis who fueled the whole Syria war with jihadists and money happy and work with Israel that sees Assad rightly as an Iranian ally and their enemy whether Israel or its supporters want to openly admit it or not.
Israel has defined Iran as an “existential” threat, right up there where Trump puts North Korea or worse.
I don’t think he is being played by anyone - he inherited a series of messes and a fast exit would likely leave a vacuum that would make all of Obama’s efforts to harm us become more effective. His actions throughout the area have been designed to protect us and our allies while looking for solutions instead of being complicit in our lessening of our strategic influences - not good we have to be involved but also not smart to hand the area over to Russia and company.
Erdogans game seems to have shifted after the attempted Gullenista “ coup” in 2016 ( thank you once again to the Hillary Clinton foreign strategy mindhive)
Russia shared intelligence about the coup. Threatened but then “forgave” the Turks for downing their aircraft over Syria (after showing the Turks how they were played by the US) , http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/03/news/russia-turkey-gas-pipeline/index.html
and ultimately signed a very lucrative pipeline deal that bypasses strategic constraints on Russian gas exports via Ukraine
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-10/russia-turkey-agree-to-build-gas-pipeline-under-black-sea
Then Turkey announced a major Russian weapon system buy
http://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-agreed-to-buy-russias-s-400-missle-system-concerns-about-nato-2017-7
So Turkey has turned to Russia though Erdogan is stil trying to play East vs West - but in his position- who wouldn’t?
It's more likely it was Sessions who got blackmailed.
McCain definitely played a role in the development of the Steele dossier, but it was Sessions recussal from all things 'Russia' that got the Mueller 'special' investigation rolling.
Its thru Mueller that these deep state rats have leverage over Trump and, if the investigation isn't concluded by summer, will be the instrument with which they try to remove Trump from office.
The House will impeach Trump if the Dems win back the majority and the Senate (regardless of who is in control) will likely convict him if he doesn't play ball their way...which for now means letting the deep state control foreign policy.
The game that is playing Trump is the Expansionism game
To play this game, you must fill in the following blanks in a way that is acceptable to the USA and its “ allies”
” _____________ expansionism is bad.. A world or national threat which ___________ must counter”
Currently Acceptable terms for the first blank:
Iranian, Russian, Shia
Unacceptable terms:
US, Saudi, Israeli, Sunni, NATO
Ambiguous terms which may or may not be substituted:
Chinese, Turkish, Pakistani
Currently acceptable terms for the second blank:
US, NATO, Israel, Saudi Arabia
Unacceptable terms:
Russia, Iran
Ambiguous terms which may or may not be used:
China, Turkey
Now this is the 2018 edition of the Expansionist game , though some perennial terms have been “ acceptable” for many previous editions
If you can play the Expansionist game and correctly identify whose expansionism is “ good’ and whose is “ bad” - you might win a membership to the Council of Foreign Relations and - if you are a US president, you might win a reprieve from being removed in a judicially engineered coup
So choose... wisely
sometimes a bit of hegemony is necessary
Not thrilled with the situation or our part but it will take time to come up with a viable solution.
I understand and agree with most of what you say, but sometimes the right thing needs time to become the correct thing.
President Trump also stated that the goal of the United States in Syria is to fight Islamic State and to "go home". The United Nations Security Council was able to pass a unanimous resolution late Saturday (February 24th) calling for a 30-day cease fire in Syria, but at the insistence of Russia the cease fire excludes Al Qaeda, Islamic State and other groups designated as terrorists.
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