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Posted on 05/14/2025 1:22:30 PM PDT by RandFan
Donald Trump has said his administration is now exploring the possibility of normalising relations with Syria - his comments coming shortly after he met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces ended the decades-long dictatorship of the Assad family.
The extraordinary encounter, unthinkable just months ago, was short but significant.
"I think he has got the potential," Trump remarked after his meeting in Riyadh, 37 minutes long, with the former Syrian fighter formerly linked to Al-Qaeda.
The $10m US bounty on his head was only lifted in December.
Video footage of their conversation in a lavish Saudi royal palace showed some initial awkwardness as they spoke through a translator.
A beaming Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, sat next to them. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined them by telephone.
Trump acknowledged it was these two leaders who had convinced him to also lift the US's punishing Syria sanctions.
His sudden announcement on Tuesday night at a major US-Saudi investment forum in Riyadh won him a standing ovation. It was a volte-face after his many previous posts on social media that the US had "no interest in Syria".
"Tough guy, very strong past," is how Trump later described Sharaa to journalists travelling with his high-powered American delegation on his first official four-day tour.
It was a very Trump gloss about Sharaa's old links to al-Qaeda. His Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until he severed ties in 2016. HTS is still designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US and UK.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
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Trump has lifted ALL Sanctions on Syria. It's confirmed and the first time in 46 years!
Trump realizes that Syria’s corpse can’t be left for just the Turks and Russians.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
https://youtu.be/_L2fazw5Y9k?t=50
“Dad, it’s ISIS”
Now it’s “America, it’s ISIS”.
We used to laugh at gullible girls running away with ISIS. Now it’s our leaders, bankers and businessmen in love with ISIS. This guy was mass murdering Christians 4 months ago.
But if it makes our Saudi and globalist masters happy, it must be worthwhile!
A shameful day in American history that will do nothing good for normal American citizens.
I think Trump’s end game here is to neutralize Iran by taking out their chief supporters one by one, Syria, Saudi Arabia and others bring them to the Abraham Accords..will it work, only time will tell
“”Tough guy, very strong past,” is how Trump later described Sharaa”
That’s one way of describing a Saudi born ISIS head-chopper who murders Christians and shot at Americans in the wars.
In 10 or 15 years when America looks like the UK or France with far more moslems than today, they will curse this bloody greedy “deal”.
When we opened business relations with China, they flooded into our society and schools. Same is happening and will accelerate with Arabs of all stripes coming to America.
This is a dark day.
I trust Trump on this. Let’s see if they stop the rockets and attacks.
Sanctions erode the middle class. If you want Rule of Law and a stable civil society, sanctions are not the way to go. If you want instability, extremism, entrenched warlords, corruption, black markets and civil war, then sanctions can be great (although they don’t always work as anticipated).
Que Sharaa, Sharaa,
What Syria will be, will be,
Damascus will plainly see
Que Sharaa, Sharaa, what will be, will be.
Play with a turd, get crap on your fingers.
America will be overrun with Saudis, Syrians, and probably Gazans. DC cares deeply about global games with Houthis, Iran, Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Qatar, Ukraine, etc.
But they are thrown into soul searching existential shock about ending taxes for US retirees, ending the massive domestic spying, deporting the 20 million recent illegals, (maybe 150k have been deported) or anything helpful to the US middle class.
When you get to be President of the United States, you’ll get to call all of the shots that you think will facilitate a favorable outcome for the United States of America, with specific regard to bringing Iran to heel, and hopefully avoiding a massive, dragged-out military engagement, in order to accomplish critical diplomatic goals.
ingratiate /ĭn-grā′shē-āt″/
transitive verb
To bring (oneself, for example) into the favor or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort.
“She quickly sought to ingratiate herself with the new administration.”
To introduce or commend to the favor of another; to bring into favor; to insinuate; — used reflexively, and followed by with before the person whose favor is sought.
Similar: insinuate
To recommend; to render easy or agreeable; — followed by to.
Similar: recommend
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik
20 years in IRAQ. ))) ))) ))) POOF!
20 years in AFGHANISTAN. ))) ))) ))) POOF!
HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of lives lost, including THOUSANDS of AMERICAN lives. ))) ))) ))) POOF!
TRILLIONS of dollars down the drain. ))) ))) ))) POOF!
The United STATES of AMERICA’s REPUTATION. ))) ))) ))) POOF!
Thanks,
MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX,
DEMOCRATS,
REPUBLICANS,
and DEEP STATE BLOB.
<><><>
Gem of the Day: If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.
<> <> <>
Thank you, President Trump, for blowing up this common adage, in your use of diplomacy on par with a neutron bomb, and for the massive, long overdue RED PILLING.
<> <> <>
To no one in particular, tracking down a transcript of the President’s speech in Saudi Arabia and posting it here for elucidation and posterity would be in order and much appreciated. I’ll make an effort right now. Later.
Spamming threads, so you don’t have to.
LOL— pretty damn witty of a diddy. 👍🏼
The pipeline comes back into play again. (The Saudis and Qataris wanted a pipeline through Syria to transport their natural gas to the Mediterranean and on into Europe via Turkey. Assad, at Russia’s request, wouldn’t permit it’s construction. Russia didn’t want the competition.)
I can see why the Saudis and Turkey are elated.
Once an extremist who fought US troops in Iraq, Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa now preaches pluralism and tolerance.
Here are the “highlights” posted by the White House:
President Donald J. Trump just wrapped up a major address in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he outlined an optimistic vision for the future of the Middle East and his approach to achieving a more stable region and peaceful world.
Here are the top moments:
“Exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive out the forces of terrorism and extremism … and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East.”
“Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together — not bombing each other out of existence.”
“This great transformation has not come from Western interventionists … giving you lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. No, the gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation-builders,’ ‘neo-cons,’ or ‘liberal non-profits,’ like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad, so many other cities. Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves … developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions, and charting your own destinies.”
“In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built — and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves.”
“After so many decades of conflict, finally it is within our grasp to reach the future that generations before us could only dream about — a land of peace, safety, harmony, opportunity, innovation, and achievement right here in the Middle East.”
“I am here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future.”
“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound.”
“My preference will always be for peace and partnership, whenever those outcomes can be achieved. Always.”
“In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins … I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgement — my job [is] to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.”
“Following repeated attacks on American ships and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. As a result, the Houthis agreed to stop … We hit them hard, we got what we came for — and then we got out.”
“My administration stands ready to help Lebanon create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors.”
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.”
“If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all of humanity will soon be amazed at what they will see right here in this geographic center of the world … and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths.”
Hee. I’m hearing Doris Day’s voice for some reason. I wonder why that is? :)
Aside: Ever notice what great posture the old movie stars had? What happened to that?
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