Will US Grasp Putin's Syria Lifeline?

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/32594-focus-will-us-grasp-putins-syria-lifeline

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thrown U.S. policymakers what amounts to a lifeline to pull them out of the quicksand that is the Syrian war, but Official Washington’s neocons and the mainstream U.S. news media are growling about Putin’s audacity and challenging his motives.

For instance, The New York Times’ lead editorial on Monday accused Putin of “dangerously building up Russia’s military presence” in Syria, even though Putin’s stated goal is to help crush the Sunni jihadists in the Islamic State and other extremist movements.

Instead, the Times harrumphs about Putin using his upcoming speech to the United Nations General Assembly “to make the case for an international coalition against the Islamic State, apparently ignoring the one already being led by the United States.”

The Times then reprises the bizarre neocon argument that the best way to solve the threat from the Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other jihadist forces is to eliminate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his military who have been the principal obstacles to an outright victory by the Sunni terrorist groups.

The dreamy Times/neocon prescription continues to be that “regime change” in Damascus would finally lead to the emergence of the mythical “moderate” rebels who would somehow prevail over the far more numerous and far better armed extremists. This perspective ignores the fact that after a $500 million training project for these “moderates,” the U.S. military says four or five fighters are now on the battlefield inside Syria. In other words, the members of this U.S.-trained brigade can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

But rather than rethink Official Washington’s goofy “group think” on Syria – or provide readers a fuller history of the Syrian conflict – the Times moves on to blame Putin for the mess.

[flamingdem]

1. At this point the US has got to take whatever

it can get since trying to bolster the "opposition" was a total disaster. Seems like Europe should sweeten any deal that might help stem the flow of refugees - or at least give them an excuse to shut the door after another million or so.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Will the Pootman rescue us from this clusterfuck?

Oh, this is funny. Not ha-ha funny. Tragic funny.

[delrem]

3. Any red-blooded US American would nuke anyone named "Pootman".

And US Americans own the ME. Red-blooded US Americans have been all over the ME, on the ground and in the skies, and in proxy "Kingdoms" too. Like the "Kingdom" of Saudi Arabia, named after the ruling family.

You've done yourselves proud.

[ellisonz]

4. The Russians aren't going to attack ISIS...

...they are going to attack Al Nusra (Al Qaeda) and the non-fanatic rebel groups too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Syrian_Civil_War_detailed_map

Assads barrel bombs will be joined by Russian airstrikes.

[delrem]

5. You're linking Al-Qaeda with "non-fanatic rebel groups" now.

I like that - it's a return to the good old days when bin Laden was a respected CIA asset.

I guess you're rooting for a favorite team to "win" in the Syrian/Iraqi/Libyan/Yemeni/Afghani/... war that the USA started?

[ellisonz]

8. Look at the map I posted.

The Russians are in Latakia province. ISIS is not advancing on Latakia. There are other rebel groups who are not ISIS or Al-Qaeda.

It's complicated:

Composition and organization[edit]
The Army of Conquest coalition was partially modeled upon the success of the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army,[14] and in turn newer coalitions, like the Battle of Victory, were modeled on the Army of Conquest.[15] Ahrar ash-Sham is the largest group in the Army of Conquest.[16] Other prominent Islamist factions in the operations room include the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria linked Sham Legion, however the operations room collaborates with more moderate Free Syrian Army factions such as Knights of Justice Brigade.[4] "It is forbidden to mention the name of any faction" when conducting operations between the coalition's members.[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Conquest

There are no winners here, just losers. It's a question of who loses more, not winners. Also, to my knowledge there's never been any evidence of direct CIA support for Bin Laden's group in Afghanistan and the Mujahadeen did drive the Soviets out.

[delrem]

10. Ah, a denier.

The re-writers of history are going full tilt boogie on this one - so you're not alone.

[pampango]

6. For the sake of the Syrian people it is time to admit that Assad has handled the opposition to his

rule more effectively than Ben Ali, Gaddafi and Mubarak did theirs. Assad has won. We all need to defeat ISIS and what it represents.

By pushing his country into civil war, something the others could not or would not do, he has won. Now the choice really is between secular dictator and jihadists. We should admit as much, support Assad as the best alternative to ISIS, bring the civil war to a close, allow him to remain as dictator indefinitely and hope the next generation of Syrians can do better.

We will have time to contemplate what to do the next time a dictator confronts popular protest but the Syrian people have suffered more than enough.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1208263

[Igel]

7. By the start of the conflict it was obvious it would head that way.

But most people just focused on the urban, educated, more secular protestors and assumed that since they were like us they had to be a majority.

People tended to forget the Kurds and the Sunni hinterland, both of whom were so prominent in Iraq.

Assad bad. Instability worse. Often when a population chooses stability over freedom it is a bad choice but the better choice. Sometimes when a population chooses stability over freedom it is just a bad choice and reflects social distrust or obsolete social facts and not the likelihood of instability. Hard to know the difference.

[eridani]

9. Agreed. However badly dictators suck, failed states are always worse n/t

[Maxinedaily]

11. Like all imperialist empires

the US's ego and pride will get in the way of reason and be the Achilles Heel that becomes the reason for it's demise. The US is digging a hole and is unaware that it may not be able to climb out of it.