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Putin’s Syrian Dilemma: Back Israel or Iran?
Haaretz ^ | 19 Feb 2018 | Anshel Pfeffer

Posted on 02/22/2018 1:41:06 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose

With perfect timing, and taking advantage of the vacuum left by Obama’s decision not to get involved in Syria, Putin had put Russia back on the geopolitical map. He made a surprise visit to Damascus in December to declare: Mission accomplished. He should have learned from former U.S. President George W. Bush never to say that – because now everything is starting to fall apart for the Russians.

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


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: afrin; anshelpfeffer; assad; bush; erdogan; haaretz; hamas; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; isis; israel; kurdistan; lebanon; netanyahu; notourfight; putin; quagmire; receptayyiperdogan; russia; syria; turkey; vladtheimploder

1 posted on 02/22/2018 1:41:06 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: GoldenState_Rose

Russia has been backing Iran all along. Haaretz leans way to the left.


2 posted on 02/22/2018 1:43:07 PM PST by familyop (President Trump said that we're all important, so let's do something!)
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To: GoldenState_Rose

Iran. Remember it was Russia who educated the current leader of the PLA, recruited the former leader, and has armed the arab armies in the past.

The prophet Ezekiel seems to point at a Russian/Persian alliance also.


3 posted on 02/22/2018 1:48:35 PM PST by Yulee
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Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. (photo credit: SPUTNIK/MIKHAIL METZEL/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS)

Column One: Portents of quagmires in Syria

4 posted on 02/22/2018 1:55:45 PM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; Bockscar; BTerclinger; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Putin backs Putin, and no one else. Thanks GoldenState_Rose.

5 posted on 02/22/2018 1:56:36 PM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: SunkenCiv

Putin backs Iran, but tells the Israelis where Iran is hiding everything.


6 posted on 02/22/2018 2:09:15 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (What is a Blue City? First world cities run by third world politicians.)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
There's probably no basis for that claim, but it makes some sense -- Putin didn't shovel his troops into the open grave that is Syria until the Kerry/Obama surrender to Iran was signed. At that time the Iranians hit the exits with alacrity. They appear to be allies, but are merely cooperating as a matter of mutual convenience. Putin wants to keep some hold on Assad and wants Iran out, Iran regards Assad as an obstacle and their own puppet and wants the Russians gone after they've established themselves via proxies. Assad likes the help with the civil war he himself started and proceeded to **** up, but also wants Iran (which mostly consists of Hezbollah, Afghan, and Iraqi Shia proxies) and Russia out of what's left of his failed state.

7 posted on 02/22/2018 2:16:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: GoldenState_Rose

He backs Iran because it’s our enemy. We need to punish both.


8 posted on 02/22/2018 3:20:22 PM PST by TBP (Progressives lack compassion and tolerance. Their self-aggrandizement is all that matters.)
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To: TBP

“” “” He backs Iran because it’s our enemy.”” “”

That’s simplistic take.


9 posted on 02/22/2018 4:28:41 PM PST by NorseViking
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To: NorseViking
That’s a simplistic take.

An understatement.

Israel got a wake up call when its fighter jets were lured into an ambush in southern Syria.

With the SAA mopping things up in Ghouta there are very few rebel safe havens left.

Attention will eventually turn South toward the Golan and the Sunni orcs camped out on Israel's doorstep.

Without Israel controlling the airspace in southern Syria, Shia militia will make short work of the ISIS and Al Qaeda forces sheltered there.

So, does Israel risk losing the Golan by stepping in to prevent Syria from ending its civil war...the tough decision is with Netanyahu, not Putin.

10 posted on 02/22/2018 5:36:30 PM PST by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera)
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To: TBP; NorseViking; mac_truck

Every act of Putinist aggression — be it in Ukraine or the Middle East is ultimately about sticking it to America. Avenging the fall of his beloved Soviet Union.

And with his “Mission Accomplished” in Syria - Putin takes a page from the failed “Neocon-Bush/McCain” playbook all his supporters on this board like to mock.


11 posted on 02/22/2018 5:46:38 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: NorseViking

Occam’s Razor, FRiend: the simplest explanation that covers all the facts.

Russia is our enemy, Iran is our enemy. Anti-Americanism trumps all else.


12 posted on 02/22/2018 8:48:28 PM PST by TBP (Progressives lack compassion and tolerance. Their self-aggrandizement is all that matters.)
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To: GoldenState_Rose

“” “” And with his “Mission Accomplished” in Syria - Putin takes a page from the failed “Neocon-Bush/McCain” playbook all his supporters on this board like to mock.”” “”

Wow! I am officially shocked to hear it from you:)


13 posted on 02/22/2018 8:55:19 PM PST by NorseViking
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To: mac_truck

“” “” So, does Israel risk losing the Golan by stepping in to prevent Syria from ending its civil war...the tough decision is with Netanyahu, not Putin.”” “”

No Golans at stake. The problem is basically Israel’s stand on foreign policy and the way it is explained to the people inside the country.

As a country which is a historical recipient of a huge amount of aid from US it believes it has to follow US stated foreign policy goals blindly. Just like Germany Israel has the whole propaganda industry geared to dupe populace into belief in everything said by any US Secretary of State as being good for Israel. Usually it is good for US but there were Obama regime with all their infamous mischief and you can see the problem now.
In 2011 ISIS were good for Obama and Israel’s government lied to their people that ISIS(although it was called some other name) is good for Israel and you can see the whole pattern. That combines with certain Israel’s historical blunders regarding their Arab politics.
Right now Obama regime has gone but Bibi stays holding the bag and he still has to follow old lies and think his ways out of it. No sharp turns from old policies are possible because the people are brainwashed into old policy and the change would ruin credibility big time.
The issue is somehow aggravated by the fact that all the problems are very close to Israel.


14 posted on 02/22/2018 9:32:20 PM PST by NorseViking
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To: NorseViking

Your song:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BLH1x_SGAL4


15 posted on 02/22/2018 10:59:33 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: GoldenState_Rose

What it has to do with the Middle East?


16 posted on 02/22/2018 11:36:17 PM PST by NorseViking
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To: NorseViking

Everything. Putin and his supporters belong “back in the USSR.” His entire orientation to the Middle East is shaped by his Soviet sensibilities and KGB training.

I have posted before on how instrumental KGB operatives and Soviet expatriates were in further stoking anti-Semitic hysteria and a pro-USSR orientation of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

As the article above states: “everything is about to fall apart” for Putin.

Because Soviet habits breed Soviet collapses.


17 posted on 02/22/2018 11:47:56 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: GoldenState_Rose

I might lack information you have for the same conclusion but have you ever been to the Middle East?
How do you see the balance of powers and overall working (and realistic) political setup there?


18 posted on 02/22/2018 11:52:46 PM PST by NorseViking
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To: GoldenState_Rose
And with his “Mission Accomplished” in Syria - Putin takes a page from the failed “Neocon-Bush/McCain” playbook all his supporters on this board like to mock.

Lol...why are you assigning left wing tropes to the American right wing?

What country are you a citizen of again?

19 posted on 02/23/2018 6:30:28 AM PST by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera)
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To: familyop; SunkenCiv

The Russians are blaming the Iranians:

The way that Russia might be seeing it, Iran crossed several “red lines” by deceiving Moscow’s decommissioned servicemen into undertaking a de-facto “suicide mission” in order to provoke an interstate conflict with the US and “Israel”, all the while attempting to “poach” Russia’s Syrian partner out from its “sphere of influence” in order to “exploit” it as Tehran’s “cat’s paw” for carrying out this operation. Moreover, Iran’s implied intent of “hacking” the upcoming Russian elections through what may have been its secret attempt to influence the vote by engineering this scandalous scenario won’t be forgotten by President Putin, no matter how much his Foreign Ministry shrewdly deflects blame for the “Wagner” reports to “anti-government militants” in order to thrown Tehran “off the trail” of what it’s truly thinking on this matter.

http://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/02/15/wagner-syria-iranian-tail-trying-wag-russian-american-dog/

Comment: This author, in a Russian deza magazine, is saying that Wagner PMC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group was again tricked by Iran. If that is the case Russia has a very big problem. On the other hand if Wagner PMC did this with the blessing of the Russians, that normally is the case, it is as well a big problem for Russia.

We will read much more about this later.

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3632066/posts?page=81#81


20 posted on 02/23/2018 9:29:56 AM PST by AdmSmith (GCTGATATGTCTATGATTACTCAT)
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