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Assad win may be Syria's 'best option'
AFP via Yahoo! ^ | December 12, 2013 9:44 PM

Posted on 12/17/2013 11:24:58 PM PST by cunning_fish

Washington (AFP) - The sectarian bloodbath in Syria is such a threat to regional security that a victory for Bashar al-Assad's regime could be the best outcome to hope for, a former CIA chief said.

Washington condemned Assad's conduct of the conflict, threatened air strikes after he was accused of targeting civilians with chemical weapons and has demanded he step down.

The United States is also supplying millions of dollars in "non-lethal" aid to some of the rebel groups fighting Assad's rule.

But Michael Hayden, the retired US Air Force general who until 2009 was head of the Central Intelligence Agency, said a rebel win was not one of the three possible outcomes he foresees for the conflict...

"Option three is Assad wins," Hayden told the annual Jamestown Foundation conference of terror experts.

"And I must tell you at the moment, as ugly as it sounds, I'm kind of trending toward option three as the best out of three very, very ugly possible outcomes," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Syria
KEYWORDS: agitprop; alqaeda; assad; genocide; islam; michaelhayden; putinsbuttboys; syria; threatmatrix; waronterror

1 posted on 12/17/2013 11:24:58 PM PST by cunning_fish
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To: cunning_fish

Fine by me...


2 posted on 12/17/2013 11:33:32 PM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: cunning_fish

If Assad wins, the Saudis won’t get their oil pipeline to Europe. Their toady Obama will be spanked by his benefactors, and he will blame someone. Or draw another red line or something. Asshole.


3 posted on 12/17/2013 11:33:57 PM PST by Octar
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To: cunning_fish

Assad staying in power increases Iran’s hand. And it means less safety for Israel, of course.

Quite the dilemma to have no third option for Syria besides Assad or “al Qa’eda”, though. Thanks to the “dove-ification” of US foreign policy, the only possible third option has dissipated.


4 posted on 12/17/2013 11:38:17 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: cunning_fish

If Assad wins, that also means that Syria will have effectively become an Iranian proxy in the region. Still better than al-Qaeda in charge of Syria, I guess.


5 posted on 12/17/2013 11:38:49 PM PST by Corporate Democrat
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To: Octar

I suspect one cannot even blame Bush for the fiasco in Syria.


6 posted on 12/17/2013 11:43:02 PM PST by Maine Mariner
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To: cunning_fish; 1_Rain_Drop; 2111USMC; 2ndDivisionVet; Absolutely Nobama; acapesket; ...
It's the only way to halt the genocide.

This is a Threat Matrix list documenting threats within and without. Anyone wanting on or off please advise.


7 posted on 12/18/2013 1:06:15 AM PST by MestaMachine (My caps work. You gotta earn them.)
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To: cunning_fish

So much for the Obama reset of foreign relations, the ‘Arab Spring’, the NASA-Muslim initiative, the ‘bowing’ tour and ever so many other policy disasters. Never thought I’d be missing Abu Ghraib!


8 posted on 12/18/2013 4:03:44 AM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: cunning_fish

After successfully pimp slapping Obama and Kerry into
next year, why would they want to get rid of Assad?
He has proven to be a stronger leader than what the US
currently has.


9 posted on 12/18/2013 4:25:54 AM PST by Slambat
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To: cunning_fish

Non-lethal aid my azz.


10 posted on 12/18/2013 4:30:00 AM PST by Venturer (Half Staff the Flag of the US for Terrorists.)
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