Syria

[StrangeSox]

In Syria, Russia Falls Victim to Its Own Success

Now, there is little Moscow can do to save face. It gathered an international coalition to dispose of Assad's chemical weapons, and made political hay out of their destruction, only to have Assad make Moscow's effort look either less than thorough, or gruesomely insincere. Either way, Russia doesn't look like much of a guarantor.

 

At the same time, though, it can't just allow Washington to unilaterally violate the ideas of national sovereignty it has spent years, treasure, and Russian blood defending in Syria. It can't allow Washington to so obviously disregard not just Putin's opinion, but the Russian military. And so Moscow has to condemn the American strikes strongly enough to retain its position as a defender of the UN Security Council and international law, strongly enough to maintain its stature as a global military power--but not so strongly that it appears to condone not just the gassing of children but, more importantly for Moscow, the violation of international law on chemical weapons, a law that it helped to enforce in 2013.

 

The problem for Moscow is that this was all painfully predictable. In helping Obama kick the chemical weapons can down the road, there was only so long Putin could continue to embolden Assad before Assad would go too far, at which point there would be no more forgiveness from the very international community Moscow had helped to galvanize.

 

And this is perhaps the ultimate lesson for Americans who fetishize Putin as the ultimate, perfect villain, who outfoxes the hemming, hawing United States at every turn in Syria. Putin is brilliant at finding quick maneuvers that advance his agenda in the moment. He too kicks the can down the road, repeatedly. But that road is not endless, and time doesn't always work in your favor. Or, put another way, when you become a guarantor, at some point the bill comes due.

[StrangeSox]

Seven Lessons From Trump's Syria Strike

The attack raises a series of questions about the president’s approach to America’s political processes and institutions.

But here’s one thing we already know: There can have been no proper interagency process before the strike, because none of the relevant agencies of government other than the Department of Defense is properly staffed to join such a process. You can’t have a deputies’ meeting without deputies.

 

Every decision presents risks and costs, and any responsible decision maker insists on a detailed itemization of those risks and those costs. That cannot have happened here. Trump has walked into a military confrontation that implicates regional and global security with only the haziest notion of what might go wrong. One friend of mine has warned: “If it were good foreign policy, Trump wouldn’t be doing it.”

 

[StrangeSox]

Minimal damage

 

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/status/850385429144711173

[GoSox05]

Minimal damage

 

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/status/850385429144711173

 

I wonder how much it costed us to damage a couple jets and set some grass on fire.

[caulfield12]

Minimal damage

 

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/status/850385429144711173

 

 

"The damage across the Syrian Al-Shayrat airfield is evident nonetheless. This base operated mainly vs. Da'ish in the Homs desert/Palmyra."

 

Basically, we're helping the terrorist groups by protecting them from air attack. But the international community is galvanized, well...sort of, just not enough to join with the US again.

[StrangeSox]

I wonder how much it costed us to damage a couple jets and set some grass on fire.

 

Over $100M given the average cost of a Tomahawk missile.

 

[Dick Allen]

Maybe Hillary is secretly in Trump's inner circle. Here are some comments she made yesterday afternoon:

 

"Assad had an air force and that air force is the cause of most of the civilian deaths as we’ve seen over the years and as we saw again in the last few days," said Clinton. "I really believe we should have and still should take out his airfields and prevent him from being able to use them to bomb innocent people and drop sarin gas on them."

 

Shocking today to see how many republicans agree with Hillary.

Edited April 7, 2017 by Dick Allen

[GoSox05]

@pdmcleod

 

Sen. Lindsey Graham says he supports putting 5,000-7,000 American troops in the ground in Syria to help take down Assad.

 

 

 

[bmags]

Over $100M given the average cost of a Tomahawk missile.

 

Is there any bulk pricing

[Dick Allen]

Is there any bulk pricing

Maybe Trump will make some great deals and get these prices down. Or maybe Syria will pay for them.

Edited April 7, 2017 by Dick Allen

[StrangeSox]

Is there any bulk pricing

 

Given that it's coming from a military contractor, the price probably goes up the more you buy because why the hell not

[StrangeSox]

AFP news agency ✔ @AFP

#BREAKING Jets carry out strikes from Syria base hit by US: monitor

1:32 PM - 7 Apr 2017

 

 

and without fail, a relevant Trump tweet

 

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump

Tens of millions of dollars in airstrikes had no impact because key leaders fled after hearing ON NEWS REPORTS the strikes were coming. DUMB

3:25 AM - 10 Oct 2014

Edited April 7, 2017 by StrangeSox

[Kyyle23]

Wait a second, trump is blaming the media for tipping off Syria, when he announced the attack to the media?

[StrangeSox]

check the date

 

edit: the joke is that he tipped off Russia (which was good and the correct thing to do) who tipped off Assad so we had about a 30% hit rate on a mostly empty airfield that's already back in operation

Edited April 7, 2017 by StrangeSox

[Kyyle23]

Oh lmao. Good god his twitter account is ridiculously prescient

[greg775]

check the date

 

edit: the joke is that he tipped off Russia (which was good and the correct thing to do) who tipped off Assad so we had about a 30% hit rate on a mostly empty airfield that's already back in operation

Do you want him to not tip off Russia, we kill 1,000 Russian troops and have a nuke war beginning? He had to warn them. No brainer. #peace Oops I saw you agreed with tipping off Russia, so my bad. My rip can be for those mocking Trump for the warning.

Edited April 7, 2017 by greg775

[StrangeSox]

Do you want him to not tip off Russia, we kill 1,000 Russian troops and have a nuke war beginning? He had to warn them. No brainer. #peace Oops I saw you agreed with tipping off Russia, so my bad. My rip can be for those mocking Trump for the warning.

 

check the date

 

edit: the joke is that he tipped off Russia (which was good and the correct thing to do) who tipped off Assad so we had about a 30% hit rate on a mostly empty airfield that's already back in operation

 

[Reddy]

This was simply an opportunity for Trump to toss water on the Russia investigation. He gave Putin, and thus Syria, a heads up so there wouldn't be significant casualties. This is a calculated move that has nothing to do with foreign policy or humanitarianism. This has everything to do with Trump's poll numbers and the Russia probe.

[Dick Allen]

It is weird he did pretty much what Hillary said had to be done only hours earlier, although it wasn't executed as well as hoped. I would think when firing missles at an air base, doing at least some damage to the runways would be a priority.

[caulfield12]

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/201...y-theory-214999

 

"President Not-Obama"

 

 

Obama continues to be dogged by critics of his tentative and professorial foreign policy...even from his own former staffers. Amazing something so symbolic can get almost everyone on board, but that's been true for generations of Americans.

 

Never thought Brian Williams would become such a missile attack fan boy.

 

 

 

 

[StrangeSox]

AP Top News

Official: Russia knew Syrian chemical attack was coming

 

The official said a drone operated by Russians was flying over a hospital as victims of the attack were rushing to get treatment. Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.

 

The senior official said the U.S. has no proof of Russian involvement in the actual chemical attack in northern Syria.

 

But the official said the presence of the surveillance drone over the hospital couldn't have been a coincidence, and that Russia must have known the chemical weapons attack was coming and that victims were seeking treatment.

[StrangeSox]

Huh didn't think they'd be so transparent about it

 

https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/851773802484781057

[Kyyle23]

Well, Sean Spicer has succeeded in making United look like less of an asshole. Didnt think that was possible, but here we are

 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/sea...emical-weapons/

[caulfield12]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/iva...raph/index.html

Nice to know Ivanka's now a military advisor as well

 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/politics/iva...ouse/index.html

 

"Ivanka is by his side in Washington. She is not involved in everything. I think she comes and goes with issues she deeply cares about but when you get to a certain level of power a lot of times, and you see this in business too, a lot of times people will say yes just because you happen to be the boss...I think it gives you a sounding board who is a little bit more unconventional than the 37 people that might happen to be standing round a table at that one time who just want to appease."

 

Totally fascinating, right?

 

What we learn from Eric Trump here is that: 1) Ivanka is the person in the White House who can tell her father "no" and 2) her installation as a formal adviser -- with a West Wing office -- might well be in reaction to the family's concerns that Trump wasn't getting the right sort of advice from "37 people that might be standing around a table at that one time who just want to appease."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StrangeSox]