"Washington is walking a temporary tightrope hoping to weaken al-Assad fatally while not appearing directly involved. Russia for its part is playing a life and death game for the future of its most effective geopolitical lever—its role as the leading natural gas supplier to the EU. This year Russia's state-owned Gazprom began delivery of Russian gas to northern Germany via Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea from a port near St. Petersburg. Strategically vital now for the future role of Russia as an EU gas supplier, is its ability to play a strategic role in exploiting the new-found gas reserves of its former Cold war client state, Syria."
It's really just Serbia The Sequel. Pipelines and leaders who side with Russia instead of Nato. I have been doing a lot of digging and some of Europe doesn't believe it was sarin, but chlorine gas. There may not even BE any chemical weapons.
I agree with you. Putin knows Obama is a coward, but a dangerous one.
I’m even wondering if this whole chemical weapons thing was concocted by us. Covertly the rebels release the weapons. It would make sense. Obama is given the perfect reason to go into Syria ie Assad gases innocent civilians.
Obama expects to get world support for going in, anI’m sure for a moment there Putin was wondering too what would happen if Syria were now against, the Brits, Germans, France, the US etc, but the Brits back off.
Putin starts to chuckle. He moves his ships in place, and probably tells Obama that he will support Syria, he must. Obama gets cold feet, and to Kerry’s surprise he wakes up the next morning and says he taking this to the Congress.
But they back off along with the American people. Putin now is even more emboldened, and clearly has the upper hand going into St Petersburg.
But Obama sill thinks he can pull something off that may turn the balance of power there. Take out Assad’s airstrips for example. That would be simple and easy to do, and have a large impact. “An unbelieveably small bombing.”
THen Kerry on the world stage blunders.
But Putin pulls a fast one and calls him out. “Hey we’ll take the weapons away from Assad and have them secured.”
This is getting funny as hell.
One of the things that America is bad at - disastrously bad, in fact - is seeing thousand-year old wars for what they are.
Syria was forcibly taken from Russia’s eternal enemy, the Turk, and Russia will protect her forever. Same with Serbia.
Understand the Ottoman Empire and its enemies, and you will understand much.
Understand the Hapsburg Empire, and you will understand the rest.
America says “Ottoman?? Hapsburg??? WTF????”