Russia Surprises U.S. With Accord on Battling ISIS

[Purveyor]

By MICHAEL R. GORDONSEPT. 27, 2015

UNITED NATIONS — For the second time this month, Russia moved to expand its political and military influence in the Syria conflict and left the United States scrambling, this time by reaching an understanding, announced on Sunday, with Iraq, Syria and Iran to share intelligence about the Islamic State.

Like Russia’s earlier move to bolster the government of President Bashar al-Assad by deploying warplanes and tanks to a base near Latakia, Syria, the intelligence-sharing arrangement was sealed without notice to the United States. American officials knew that a group of Russian military officers were in Baghdad, but they were clearly surprised when the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command announced the intelligence sharing accord on Sunday.

It was another sign that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was moving ahead with a sharply different tack from that of the Obama administration in battling the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, by assembling a rival coalition that includes Iran and the Syrian government.

The effort, which Mr. Putin is expected to underscore in his speech at the United Nations on Monday, not only puts Moscow in a position to give military support to Mr. Assad, its longtime ally in the Middle East, but could also enable the Kremlin to influence the choice of a successor if Mr. Assad were to eventually leave power.

Russia’s moves are raising difficult questions for the Obama administration, which remains deeply conflicted about American military involvement in the Syria conflict. Ensuring that the Russian military and the United States-led coalition, which is carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State, “deconflict” and avoid running into each other is only part of the problem: The Obama administration and the Kremlin do not appear to agree even on the main reason for the conflict.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/28/world/middleeast/iraq-agrees-to-share-intelligence-on-isis-with-russia-syria-and-iran.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. America defends it's allies, and Russia defends theirs....and also battles a common enemy. Why the

complaints?

America was not appointed the world's police force and go to regime change nation by acclamation.

[Scootaloo]

2. Because our leaders are still living in an empire in their heads

And the idea of allowing another powerful nation any influence - even in their own neighborhood - is abhorrent and frightening.

The belief is that a geographically isolated nation in the Western Hemisphere should be a bigger player in the interior of the Eastern than the other nations that are there. It' a little crazy.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Might makes right. And with 150+ military bases, who is to argue with America? Other than Russia.

Obama attempting to throttle back American imperialism is valiant beyond mere braveness....but turning that bloated Titanic around is not something that can be done in two terms.

[Hortensis]

7. Nope. Interesting word, "surprised." We were "surprised" -- NOT --

by the many moves Russia has been making to expand influence in an area that has been afraid of "Russia" to its north much longer than it has of us. I assume this is yet another attempt to balance the influence of the powerful interests it's never been strong enough to get out of the region. And, of course, as always, to exploit the willingness of would-be exploiters to pay for most of it.

It'd be funny if in trying to out-power us Russia got pulled right into the kind of ruinously costly Viet Nam, or Afghanistan in their case, that we are trying to avoid. (As grandmother of 3 boys, thank you, President Obama.)

ITM, assuming Russia can afford the intervention needed without worrying about insurrection at home, or more likely a coup in the Kremlin, by all means let them pay for this, while we watch to see how or if the middle eastern countries will choose to cooperate and, of course, be appropriately "grateful" for Russia's big hand in the region.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. The only surprising thing here is that we still

haven't figured out that supporting Sunni jihadists is supporting ISIS. Our efforts to topple Assad funded and armed ISIS. We haven't toppled Assad. The alawite Syrians know that defeat means they will be massacred, so they will fight until the end. All we are doing, by insisting on that defeat, is guaranteeing that this conflict will continue.

Oh, and we are falling down the same pit in Yemen.

[randome]

5. Any evidence the Administration is 'scrambling'?

We shouldn't believe everything we read. I would think Putin stepping up and actually doing something constructive will be heralded as a good sign. Unless his involvement makes things worse, of course.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. Would you prefer "reeling"?

Our Syria policy has been a train wreck. Pootman to the rescue!