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Title: Is Putin Our Ally in Syria?
Source:
VDare
URL Source: http://www.vdare.com/articles/is-putin-our-ally-in-syria
Published: Nov 16, 2015
Author: Pat Buchanan
Post Date: 2015-11-16 23:25:11 by nativist nationalist
Keywords: None
Views: 1029
Comments: 13
Among the presidential candidates of the Republican Party and their foreign policy leaders on Capitol Hill the cry is almost universal: Barack Obama has no strategy for winning the war on ISIS. This criticism, however, sounds strange coming from a party that controls Congress but has yet to devise its own strategy, or even to authorize the use of U.S. military force in Syria. Congress has punted. And compared to the cacophony from Republican ranks, Barack Obama sounds like Prince Bismarck. The President’s strategy is to contain, degrade and defeat ISIS. While no one has provided the troops to defeat ISIS, the U.S. is using Kurdish and Yazidi forces, backed by U.S. air power, to degrade it. And recent months have seen measured success. The Kurds have run ISIS out of Kobani, captured much of the Turkish-Syrian border, and moved to within 30 miles of Raqqa, the ISIS capital. Yazidis and Kurds last week recaptured Sinjar in Iraq and cut the highway between Mosul and Raqqa. The terrorist attacks in Paris, the downing of the Russian airliner in Sinai, the ISIS bomb that exploded in the Shiite sector of Beirut, are ISIS’s payback. But they could also be signs that the ISIS caliphate, imperiled in its base, is growing desperate and lashing out. Yet consider the Republican strategies being advanced. In Sunday’s Washington Post, Mitt Romney writes: “We must wage the war to defeat the enemy. … [Obama] must call in the best military minds from the United States and NATO … and finally construct a comprehensive strategy that integrates our effort with the Kurds, Turks, Saudis, Egyptians and Jordanians.” The Kurds excepted, Gov. Romney ignored all the forces that are actually fighting ISIS: Russians, Hezbollah, Iran, Bashar Assad, the Syrian army. Mitt urges instead an alliance of countries that have done next to nothing to defeat ISIS. The Turks are instead hitting the Kurds in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The Saudis are bombing the Houthis in Yemen, not ISIS in Raqqa. The Egyptians are preoccupied with their own homegrown terrorists. “Now is the time, not merely to contain the Islamic State,” says Mitt, “but to eradicate it once and for all.” But why did he not mention Russia, Iran, Assad and Hezbollah, all of which also wish to eradicate ISIS? We partnered with Stalin in WWII. Is Vladimir Putin an untouchable? Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham want U.S. ground troops sent into Syria and Iraq. But as Turkey has an army of 500,000 next door and Assad’s army would happily help wipe out ISIS, why not let Arab and Turkish boys do the fighting this time? “America must lead,” is Jeb Bush’s mantra, and he wants U.S. boots on the ground and a no-fly zone over Syria. “We should declare war,” says Bush. Why then does Bush not call up Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and dictate the war resolution he wants passed? And whom does Jeb propose to fight? Why declare a no-fly zone when ISIS has no air force? Does Bush plan to shoot down Syrian planes flying over Syria and Russian planes flying in support of Assad? Has Jeb, like his brother, not thought this through? If we declare a no-fly zone over Syria, or establish a “safe zone,” we risk war not only with Syria, but Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. None of these allies of Assad will meekly stand aside while we take military action to deny the Syrian regime and army the right to defend itself and survive in its war against ISIS, al-Nusra and other assorted jihadists and rebels. Having invested blood and treasure in Assad’s survival, and securing their own interests in Syria, they are not likely to submit to U.S. dictation. Are we prepared for a war against both sides in Syria? Who would fight Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Syria alongside us? Yet New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is ready to rumble. “Well, the first thing you do is you set up a no-fly zone in Syria, and you call Putin, and you say to him, ‘Listen, we’re enforcing a no-fly zone, and that means we’re enforcing it against everyone, and that includes you. So, don’t test me.'” And if Russia violated his no-fly zone? “Then you take him down,” said Christie, meaning we shoot down Russian jets. But what vital interest of ours has ever been so engaged in Syria as to justify a major war in the Middle East and a military clash with a Russia with a nuclear arsenal as large as our own? In any war it is usually wise to enlarge the roster of one’s allies and reduce the roster of enemies. If ISIS is the implacable enemy and must be annihilated, we should welcome all volunteers. As for those who decline to fight, but claim a veto over whom we may ally with, we should tell them to pound sand. If Putin wants to enlist in the war against ISIS, sign him up. 
If Putin wants to fight ISIS, the US should encourage him.
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#1. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
He's the only thing remaining! Psychotic lunatics here at home, and as heads of other countries, have destroyed nearly everyone else.
Peace, tranquility, freedom from fear of a terrorist bomb going off in our childrens' schools. Russians have the same thing at stake here. Why would Russia not support merciless retailiation against ISIS in Syria? Do you think every foreign leader is insane? потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
Obama's strategy is to repeat that psychobabble until January 2017, declare success, and hand it off.
Wrong question! Are we Putin's ally in Syria? Wrong again. Putin is running enlisting.
The rat line that funneled jihadists into Iraq to fight against our troops went through Syria with Assads blessing . Assad is a puppet of the 12ers in Tehran ,who we have been at war with since 1979 . Hezbollah the terrorist organization that is supported by Syria and Iran is responsible for hundreds of dead Americans . (including 241 American Military Servicemen and 58 French Paratroopers in the 1983 barracks bombing . ) Russia is fighting there for their own interests . They claim they are after the Islamic state ,but that is at best secondary to their real goal of propping up a regime who's hands are dripping with US blood. The Islamic State's attack on the Russian airliner was folly . Russia's attacks on it was a pin prick compared to their attacks on other rebel groups that directly threaten Assad before the downing of the plane . Now Putin has to react strongly against them . Assisting the Kurds would be the course of action I would take. Even if Putin manages to drive ISIS from Syria ,he will not go after them in Iraq. It is in Iran's interest for the Islamic State to be there . They are terrorizing the Sunni population and are giving Iran a convenient excuse to expanding it's influence in the rest of Iraq. The terrorist attacks in Paris, the downing of the Russian airliner in Sinai, the ISIS bomb that exploded in the Shiite sector of Beirut, are ISIS’s payback. But they could also be signs that the ISIS caliphate, imperiled in its base, is growing desperate and lashing out. That is also my take on the Islamic state attacks outside their territory . Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
ping
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Which regime, Qaddafi or Assad? Don't you know that 9/11 bombers were Saudis?
Don't you know that 9/11 bombers were Saudis? 19 of them were ,the others were from the United Arab Emirates , Egypt and Lebanon....which is completely irrelevent facts. The mastermind of the attack was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed ,who is Pakistani . No one has ever shown me proof that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was involved in the attack. Bin Laden declared jihad on them before he did on America. He was in Afghanistan because he was expelled from the Kingdom in 1991 . He was later also expelled from Sudan. The regime Putin is propping up is Assad's . He trusted the emperor ;who lied to him when he told Putin that the no-fly zone would not be an attempt to take down Q ~daffy . I don't blame Putin .He is acting in Russia's national interests . I just don't see why we should help him keep Assad in power. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
ALLY?, wouldn't "his little bitch" better describe bam's relationship to Putin
19 of them were ,the others were from the United Arab Emirates , Egypt and Lebanon....which is completely irrelevent facts. It is VERY relevant. You tried to imply that Assad did it and so his "regime who's hands are dripping with US blood". Unless you accuse him of Pearl Harbor, perhaps?
Unless you accuse him of Pearl Harbor, perhaps? I did not imply any such thing . I was very clear that Assad allowed the funneling of jihadists into Iraq through his country to fight against our troops . I also accused Syria of being one of the principle backers of Hezbollah ,the terrorist organization that bombed the Marine Barracks in Beirut . Yes the Syrian regime's hands are dripping with US blood and none of that had anything to do with 9-11. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Reading from the old script again?
Is Putin Our Ally in Syria?
#2. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
But what vital interest of ours has ever been so engaged in Syria as to justify a major war in the Middle East and a military clash with a Russia with a nuclear arsenal as large as our own?
#3. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
The President’s strategy is to contain, degrade and defeat ISIS.
#4. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
Is Putin Our Ally in Syria?
If Putin wants to enlist in the war against ISIS, sign him up.
#5. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
#6. To: releghunter (#5)
#7. To: tomder55 (#5)
propping up a regime who's hands are dripping with US blood.
#8. To: A Pole (#7)
propping up a regime who's hands are dripping with US blood. Which regime, Qaddafi or Assad?
#9. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
#10. To: tomder55 (#8)
9/11 bombers were Saudis?
#11. To: nolu chan (#3)
#12. To: A Pole (#10)
It is VERY relevant. You tried to imply that Assad did it and so his "regime who's hands are dripping with US blood".
#13. To: tomder55 (#12)
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