Russia has formally offered a new round of “deconfliction” talks with the US on their respective wars against ISIS in Syria, aimed at preventing the risk of conflicts between the two nations’ warplanes as they both operate in the same area against the same forces.
Russia suggested the new talks should be broader than previous discussions, and that they were open to making deals to ensure that the two nations don’t have any “midair mishaps” or serious risk of confrontation.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter responded by condemning Russia, saying that their recent violation of Turkish airspace during an anti-ISIS sortie justified the US to “further strengthen our posture” against Russia, though he did suggest that the talks may well happen.
At the same time, US officials suggested they were only interest in very limited talks, and only with specific conditions, wanting more details from Russia before they really commit to the matter. They also say that Russia’s offer to coordinate against ISIS, an offer they’ve repeatedly made to the US for weeks, is “not genuine.”
Ash Carter and the State Department is all upset because a Russian jet accidentally flew into Turkey's airspace during bad weather?
Yet they blow off the fact that our military bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan! The hypocrisy is staggering.
A lovely piece of pretext politics! An innocent explanation is put forward for the Russian plane and then the US bombing is being "blown off". Obviously, the blogger who complained of hypocrisy on this site the other day struck a sore point and the accusation is now being turned around. A classic propaganda technique.
Syria has become the end of USG political and economic influence in Middle East and Washington knows it. Middle East been a headache for English and USG since 1950s, now when Russian trying to free the Syrian people from the Saudis barbarism, both head of NATO militarism and their puppets starting to say something for the sake of having said something. USG and Europe, so as the Turkish Erdogan regime needs to cooperate fully with Russia and save themselves from more embarrassment caused by their own falsified democracy toward nations in Middle East.
Don't bother. Instead, keep up the good work.
Empire USA — Illusions of good hiding intent to be enriched upon our misery
For our hero Putin, he has actions of mercy that instill trust, whereas paid actor Obama, he has brutal imperialism that demands trust.
Amused to see killing people described as "actions of mercy".
Hypocrite.
"…Russia’s offer…is “not genuine.”
That's because the US really doesn't want to coordinate with Russia – or anyone for that matter. Coordination would definitively reveal that the US is not interested in fighting ISIS. Why they would be afraid to fight ISIS is beyond me. After all, the US's record of failures makes them "exceptionally" qualified to lose to ISIS also – which is probably what they really concerned about. Image – world image – is what it's all about. You can't project SUPERIORITY if you always lose wars you start.
Essentially, the US is playing Putin at his own game: pretending to negotiate but actually stalling. That Putin's offer to "help" the US fight ISIS is patently untrue. What he wants to do is defend his precious naval base and, to that end, maintain Assad in power. The reason why he wants to "help" the US is to gain overflight rights over Turkey and avoid having to fly via the Caspian, Iran, Iraq and then arrive in Syria at the "wrong" end. By stalling him, the US is exposing just how useless the naval base is, thereby making Putin look ridiculous for wanting to defend it. In a war with NATO, it would be wiped out almost on the first day. There will undoubtedly be some co-ordination so as to prevent crashes but I don't see what interest the US has in going further, unless, of course, Putin is offering concessions in Ukraine, which I don't think he is.
You know nothing of Russian character, culture or history. The Russian people will never submit to being invaded and occupied by NATO. Russia will put 20% of its population under arms if necessary to defend itself. America will be crying as the bodies come home by the shipload. There will be no slapping a yellow ribbon on the minivan and heading for the mall. It will be a fight to the death that America and its NATO will loose just as Hitler and Napoleon did.
What counts most in warfare is commitment. Commitment defines the losses you are willing to sustain in order to win. Russian commitment will overcome the greatly overstated technological advantage to which you constantly refer. Ask the Vietnamese.
It would be a decision for Russia to seek this. Although I can respect the attempt at diplomacy.
If the US were going to do anything about Russia in Syria, it would have already happened. We peons have absolutely no idea what's been happening in secret diplomatic circles. We hear the public pronouncements, which are meant for purely domestic consumption both in the US and EU. They have no bearing on the actual policies being pursued.
Russia had many talks with several foreign countries in both the Middle East and Europe before they took action. We only know those talks took place, not what transpired. We do know there's a refugee crisis and the EU is bearing the brunt of it. I suspect that crisis gave the Russians an opening for serious diplomacy and that these Russian military actions are the result of that diplomacy.
But then, as I said, I don't really know, do I?