With the Syrian military continuing its offensive in Aleppo, the Obama Administration today announced that it holds Russia fully responsible for the fighting there, and said it was issuing an ultimatum demanding that Russia “immediately” end the offensive.
State Department officials ducked the question of what “immediately” was, and warned that the US would suspend all plans for potential coordinated strikes in Syria unless Russia complies with the demand. The US had already reneged on the promised coordinated strikes from the last ceasefire, so Russia likely wasn’t counting on this to ever happen at any rate.
A ceasefire two weeks ago was supposed to last for seven days, leading to joint US-Russia strikes on the Nusra Front in Aleppo. Five days in, the US attacked a Syrian Army base, and Syria withdrew from the ceasefire on the seventh day, attacking Nusra targets in Aleppo. Despite the ceasefire lasting seven days, however, the US made no move to start coordination with Russia, and instead repeatedly condemned them in the last couple of days.
Russian officials shrugged off the threat, with the Defense Ministry saying that Russia remains willing to work with the US whenever they are ready to do so. The State Department claimed to have discussed “non-diplomatic responses” to Russia in Syria, but declined to offer details on what that means, though they clear meant to imply that military options are on the table.
The US has struggled with its stance on the Nusra Front throughout the Syrian Civil War, with the CIA arming them in rather thinly veiled shipments to “moderates,” and the Pentagon attacking them as an al-Qaeda affiliate early in the US air war. In recent months, however, US officials have held out the prospect of joint attacks with Russia against Nusra repeatedly, while at the same time loudly condemning Russia and Syria for any unilateral moves against Nusra.
Our (US) Government agreed to get the so-called “moderate” rebels to separate themselves quickly from Al Nusra (Al Qaeda), and then to cooperate with Russia in air strikes against Al Nusra. As reported in all US media I have seen, there has been no such separation from Al Nusra by the “moderate” rebels — who have openly stated their admiration for and adherence to Al Nusra as their leader, in a joint effort (with the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States) to forcibly overthrow the Syrian government. Perhaps if our Government took some meaningful action to show the “moderate” rebels that there are negative consequences for allying themselves with the same (Al Qaeda) terrorists who killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11, some progress might be made in achieving peace in Syria. But of course that would require our Government to acknowledge that it is more important to eliminate terrorists who have actually attacked our homeland, than to achieve an avowed “regime change” in a nation which has never attacked or even threatened to attack our homeland — an acknowledgment which would make clear that our Government has been pursuing a stupid, counterproductive and disastrous policy as to Syria for the past five years. And our Government seems to prefer endless bloodshed (in another country) to admitting that it is wrong.
The US government seems to have collective amnesia regarding who supposedly brought down the WTC et. al. and thus, who they are supposed to be targeting in their worldwide war on terrorism…supposedly. I sometime believe that collectively they don’t care about the individuals who died though you would be hard pressed to get them to admit it – they were a means to and end. This is all about regime change and the enemy of my enemy is my friend seems to bear out, sadly.
What’s the old saying: “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”
It’s not amnesia, it’s more correctly just denial. It seems the average American just can’t accept that 19 terrorists did it with boxcutters. The truth to deny is that their huge expensive military couldn’t defend them and that’s very unsettling. Maybe try to think up another Saudi who had a part in it and make everybody feel a little better? It seems like the murder of a million Iraqis didn’t put their problems to bed!
John Kerry thinks that the most important thing he can be doing is working hard to save Al-Qaeda fighters trapped in Allepo.
They said 9-11 changed everything, but having the Secretary of State begging the world to save Al-Qaeda wasn’t quite the change I imagined.
Simple. It is the anti-Assad syndrome at work. He must not have any military success.
Keep it up, Russia. Defeat the greater Israel project.
Do you understand that you are promoting war with Russia cowboy? Because you should know that your own country isn’t going to allow it. Not with Trump ‘or’ Clinton. They’ve both told you already have’t they!
Message to John Kerry: Your word is mud.
United States had 5 years to help Syria by supporting the phantom moderate Muslims and has finally agreed to cooperate with Russia to eliminate the extremists .We spent 5 years and killed about 400,000 Syrians And there are more than twice as many extremists now . Our plan and Ideas evidently were not good . Russia has been in Syria off and on for only a few months . It would be much better if we stopped our efforts and let Russia try to stop the war for a while . We liberated Yugoslavia by destroying the whole country . We Liberated Iraq by destroying that country too , We liberated Libya it is much worse off today , It does not look like Syria or Egypt really want to be liberated . Why would United States believe anybody would want this kind of killing to go on in their country ? We need to mind our own business
The US has finally decided to cooperate with Russia?? No, no, no American, only Obama tried to cooperate with Russia. The US is upping the ante as we speak to levels that are about to surpass cold war levels. Don’t you pay attention to the news?
Do you think a nuclear war with Russia will be necessary, all because of what Obama has done? Do you think Russia and/or China will back down and allow the US to consolidate power in Syria and Iran too?
John Kerry’s threat to stop cooperating with Russia – if Russia did nor accept the U.S. diktat – sounds like the late U.S. president Lyndon Jonson’s
empty bravado to North Vietnam during the Vietnam war – when Johnson had realized the U.S. couldn’t win the war: “If the North Vietnamese and the VietCong refuse to make peace with us, we will beat them in the battlefield! The U.S. has practically lost the mercenary war in Syria, and Kerry’s bravado is as empty as Lyndon Johnson’s! Any further slaughter by the U.S. and Saudi mercenaries in Syria now will serve only time to give the U.S. a face-saving way out -like in Vietnam,
It is time for the U.S. to get out of its mercenary war in Syria –
pushed by Saudi Arabia to establish a Sunni anti-Iranian regime there,
and stop the carnage. Yes, the U.S. is not involved in Syria to
establish a democracy there, as it claims hypocritically, but to oust
Russia from Middle East, and
from an anchor port in Syria for the
Russian Navy. Enough slaughter of Syrians for 5 years for U.S.
hegemonial Middle East objectives. I feel that Russia should go
full-scale military action into Syria, and declare that it intends to provide Bashar Assad all it needs to destroy all mercenaries there and
end the war. We have seen the U.S. phony claims fir democracy in
Libya – with the U.S. mercenary Khalifa Hiftar still occupying East
Libya and sabotages the legitimate government in Tripoli, and we have
seen the Saudi scorched earth bombing campaign in Yemen that has killed
10.000 civilians, and flattened out all Houthi villages. Enough U.S.
and Saudi slaughter in both Syria and Yemen for control of Middle
East geopolitical real estate. I have downloaded and watched about 15
Syrian battles videos from UTUBE, and I am appalled by the brutality of
U.S. and Saudi mercenaries and their shouts of “Allah Akhbar” for
killing and destroying anything in their sight. It is just an inhuman slaughter, and the U.S. is on the wrong side. What is Obama waiting for? To let the next president withdraw from Syria, and save his war history from the blot
of a naive and foolish U.S. war there?
Nikos Retsos, retired professor
Kerry’s bravado is empty because Obama’s bravado is empty. No allout war with Syria because Obama has empowered Russia and now Russia is legitimate in Syria in the eyes of the part of the world that’s not in favour of more US led wars. In fact, it’s now such a dangerous situation because of the MAD factor.
Make no mistake, Trump wouldn’t put up with that!
Nikos, I couldn’t agree with you more .. And I like your analogy on both John “Lurch” Kerry and LBJ regarding the current war in Syria and the Vietnam war decades earlier. You nailed it perfectly. Lurch’s empty bravado toward Russia’s an excellent analogy to that of the late POTUS, LBJ.
Indeed, the 36th President had realized the US couldn’t win that war: “If the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong refuse to make peace with us, we’ll beat them in the battlefied!” .. pure nonsense. The US has practically lost the mercenary war in Syria .. and as you said, Lurch’s bravado’s just as empty as was LBJ’s. Any further slaughter by the US and Saudi mercenaries in Syria now will serve only time to hand the US a face saving way out – just like in Vietnam.
I totally agree with you that it’s time for the US to get out of its mercenary war in Syria – pushed by Saudi Arabia to establish a Sunni anti-Iranian regime there, and end the carnage, Indeed, the US isn’t involved in Syria to establish a democracy there – as it claims hypocritically – but to oust Russia from the Mideast, and from an anchor port in Syria for the Russian Navy.
Syria’s already a democracy under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian people love Assad so much that in the last Presidential election, they re-elected him in a landslide. As you said, Nikos, The US and its Saudi mercenaries don’t want a democracy in Syria – where people of all faiths are treated equally – but, instead, a theocracy wherein only Salafist Islam is to be allowed.
We could feel the US propaganda build up even on CBC news. It was pretty obvious that a big demonization campaign was going to be used for justification for something against Russia. (Putin)
This is the sort of situation in which we could have Trump calling the shots and not Obama. Anybody doubt that Trump won’t take any nonsense and will make America great again by showing Russia he means business?
Actually, I have quite a bit of doubt. The man has extensively talked about minding our own business and being partners with Russia, so I doubt that would ever happen. Hillary Clinton, on the other other hand, is a maniac you should be afraid of.
The State Department always talks like they are the Department of War.