After years of promising that there would be no American boots on the ground in Syria, President Obama announced that a limited number of special forces troops would be sent to Syria to assist in the fight against the Islamic State. The intent is to send up to 50 advisors to assist and train moderate Syrian rebel groups to fight ISIS. This hasn’t gone so well in the past. I can’t imagine why we would expect a different outcome this time…and I really don’t think we do.
The difference this time is the Russians are now involved in the various battles around Syria. Although their announced intent is the same as the US…defeat ISIS…it is apparent from their actions that they are there to prop up Syrian President Assad…and are attacking the very same groups that we are training and supporting as well as ISIS.
So is the president playing his very own version of brinksmanship here? This scares me to say…but is he hoping that deploying American troops with certain Syrian groups…would take attacking the Syrian groups off the table for Russian attacks lest they harm an American?
Or is the president really starting down the road to another Viet Nam…starting with bombing…then advisors…and eventually troops in force? At this point I don’t think it’s beyond his reach.
And the Russians are concerned:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this increased the need for co-operation between the US and Russia.
Mr Lavrov said the US had decided on its move “unilaterally and without any reference to the Syrian leadership”.
He added: “I am convinced that neither the United States nor Russia of course want any kind of slide into a so-called proxy war. But to me it is obvious that this situation makes the task of co-operation between the militaries even more relevant.”
And the scarier thing is Senator McCain agrees with them:
Senator John McCain said on Sunday the US was now engaged in a proxy war with Russia in Syria, as a result of “an abdication of American leadership” on the part of the Obama White House.
As I have said earlier…it is time to meet with the Russians and work to defeat ISIS…and take Assad off of the table for now…agree to negotiate the point afterwards. But that seems less and less likely as the president continues to assert himself militarily.
Or better yet, get the American military out of the middle east and let them settle their differences on their own…HELL NO WE WON’T GO!
The points not mentioned have to do with Putin and Russia. Two of the reasons Russia is taking this aggressive move in Syria has to do with the Russian economy and getting Putin placed in a different narrative within his country. It was once stated about American presidents that when domestic woes set in foreign trips and affairs looked much more compelling. Same true for Putin.
Then there is the matter of Ukraine and his intentions there and world reaction to his past actions and what further events will play out.
Third, as you mentioned is helping to prop up Assad. A man that has caused a mass exodus from his nation. His use of chemical weapons and barrel bombs that has created hundreds of thousands of deaths means that there is no way that the people who live there will allow him to be not a considered factor. Nor should they. If the tables were reversed would we be accepting of this person remaining in power.
I also want to point out that the decision was not–in any way–an easy one for Obama to make. I am sure you do not think so, either. But I want to underscore the long and thoughtful process that played out. What this means is that the next president will have much to deal with in this region and is another reason why we must work to elect a seasoned and credible leader.
Sorry if I took too long here but this topic is most important.
Surprised you still give any credence to Obombya as the chemical weapons can as easily be linked to CIA operatives supporting AQ/IS as with any other explanation.
Victoria Nuland and an initial $5B to neo-nazi terrorist factions in the Ukraine to ultimately secure US financial investments in gas and agriculture in the region have a lot to do with that whole situation. Don’t forget to examine US anti-BRICS motivations in your reading, please.
Ed.there is one other bad player and a different form of government in this remake of the Vietnam and Iraq expeditions which makes our intervention a whole new ball game..
Iran is an Islamic theocracy in which the President is secondary to the Supreme (Religious)
Leader.
I am an Obama guy, but I think he blew this call with a treaty that allows four innocent Americans to continue to be held hostage. Is there a message here; an eventual nuclear war? No, not American involvement, but Israel vs Iran.
I hope and pray not.
Appreciate the insights but the “American involvement,” card is the marked deck of foreign policy. There is no exempting us, the capital US (of A) from blame or responsibility on any of this.
Russia’s military has made many upgrades in the last decade. The Ukraine and Syria are a testing platform and opportunity to show off the technological advances and capabilities to the world. Propping up an old friend or going after an old enemy are added bonuses for Putin.
As for Obama’s decision to send special forces into Syria I am divided. I believe we should’ve went in early on. It has been proven that Syria launched cyber attacks against US assets and corporate America. Both were acts of war. Combine Syria with the rise of Isis and it’s hard for me to say stay out. Sometimes we have to take a stand. I do not like it but I’m afraid it may be necessary. It does seem eerily familiar to Vietnam.
We’ve been in for quite some time, maybe you just didn’t hear about it. CIA supporting various rebel factions with “advisers,” arms, cash, etc., against Assad.
Let me be more specific. I meant full in, boots on the ground kick some ass full in. Like war man. Get it. Commit or stay out of the game. When you draw a line in the sand should be ready to defend it. This will go down as Obamas Vietnam.
AFAIK, Syria (and Ukraine) are the plutocrats in Russia and the West fighting over natural gas (CH4). In addition Syria has control of a pipeline at stake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq-Syria_pipeline . AFAIK, Putin and Obama are putting their respective military’s to work for the elites and increasing the risk of WWIII.
If I had time, I’d read Moon of Alabama http://www.moonofalabama.org . I’ve heard it’s got the best reporting on this.
Wisconsin with its dairy herd should be exploiting this. With dairy cows comes lots of manure. Untreated it leaks methane (CH4), a lethal greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. If we collected that manure and put it into anaerobic digesters and refined it (no different than what we pull out of the ground) , it can be injected into the natural gas pipelines. Later, that same manure could be a renewable source of hydrogen. Instead, we’re fighting over control of the fossil fuels that are cooking the planet.