With just a week left in power, President Obama is said to be spoiling for one last big “showdown” with Russia at the UN Security Council. Diplomats, however, say the matter is all but dead, with both Britain and France resisting and trying to delay the vote beyond Obama’s term.
The resolution in question is a long-sought effort to impose sanctions on Syria for alleged chemical weapons use early in the Syrian Civil War, and the resolution would also criticize ISIS for its more recent chemical weapons use. The US has imposed unilateral sanctions instead, likely a recognition the UN vote isn’t happening.
The issue is two-fold, with the expectation that President-elect Donald Trump isn’t on the same page with Obama on the resolution a big reason US allies don’t want to push it through in Obama’s last days, fearing it would start relations with the new administration off on a bad footing. The bigger reason though is the January 23 Astana peace talks.
Russia and Turkey have set up the Astana talks as the first real shot at ending the Syrian Civil War in many months, and heavily sanctioning Syria just ahead of the talks would be very bad timing. Indeed, President Obama had previously delayed the same resolution so as not to damage efforts he was making to get the talks going.
Since this round of talks is not US-brokered, and the Obama Administration will be gone before it happens, there appears to be no aversion within the outgoing administration to hurting the process, and some sense that they might be fine doing so to spite Russia on their way out the door.
The blood soaked war criminal Barack Hussein Obama does not want the so called “civil war” (in reality an externally funded terrorist campaign) in Syria to end. If he had, all he had to do was cut off aid to the “moderate” headchopper cannibals in 2013 by which time everyone had finally admitted that the jihadis were the driving force behind the “insurgency”. Let’s hope Trump keeps his head (both literally and figuratively) and helps to end the terrorist war.
I agree but I can’t believe how the vast majority of people including the so -called intelligensia don’t care at all, not now and not before, I’m not trying to say that I think that they aren’t principed, just less independent or simply that they have ‘a life’ for me this is priorital even thought I can’t change much. Sometimes I think most things in life are a lie
There are careers at stake and jobs at stink tanks for the intelligensia to be dumb about Syria. And, a ton of money at the MIC’s disposal to keep the warmongerng at a fever pitch. Who said it is difficult to get someone to understand what they’re paid not too.
Another thing that should not go unnoticed is the fact that the chicken shits in suits will never have to personally experience the consequences of the wars they favor.
Before you say people don’t care, you might take notice that the pro-war Democrats have been defeated. The pro-war Democrats have lost both houses of Congress, and now the Presidency. The Democrats won by a fake claim to be ‘anti-war’. But now, Obama/Clinton’s aggressive pro-war, neocon strategy has resulting in a historically huge political collapse. They’ve gone from what seemed like an un-challengeable political majority and electoral college ‘lock’ in 2008 to a ‘surprise’ defeat at the hands of all of those Americans who aren’t supposed to ‘care’.
Personally Joe, I would love to be able to think that Americans are mostly antiwar. Unfortunately, I know that well over 80% of them are solidly prowar and filled with fear on what Russia is going to do. Or Iran for example. Who doubts that Trump has to follow through on his promise of killing the horrible deal Obama allowed to go through on Iran’s nukes they are busily making?
Trump said he would honor the horrible deal but he will scrap it if Iran cheats . Sound fair to me
That’s how you spin the facts to suit the situaiton eric. Eitehr way, Trump will be seen by his supporters as keeping his promise. He’ll just decide whether or not Iran is cheating.
But in fact your spin doesn’t do it for him because he’s on record saying he will tear up the agreement.
And the Tonkin Gulf was for real.
His middle name is a sure and reliable indication that he worked in collusion with America’s enemies. He may have even worked in collution with Putin to eliminate any future possiblity of a war with Syria and/or iran, which would thereby accomplish the comple US agenda in the ME.
How could Americans ever allowed themselves to accept a president with the middle name of ‘Hussein’?
Don I think I’am wasting my time commenting back to you . You are just to far off from reality to begin with
Obama has just reaffirmed my view that he’s a spiteful, little man.
The only person I’ve ever hated more is Hillary Clinton. I’m neither liberal or conservative, but the so called liberals are the most disgusting hypocrites I’ve ever seen for enthusiastically supporting this trash.
I was raised in a solid Democrat family. The combination of the Clintons, Gore and Obama have cured me of that affliction.
The last ballot was the first where I didn’t vote for a Democrat anywhere on the ballot. The local State Senator I’d liked has retired, and he was the last Democrat I could stomach voting for.
If the Democrats continue to blame their loss on Russia and continue with more of the same-old-same-old, I suspect I’ll never vote Demcrat again. Or, this corrupt, top-heavy party could see the Democrat voters clean house of the pro-war neocons and the pro-1-per-centers bankers and become a party that represents its true base again. It could happen, but I’ve been watching this corrupt national leadership of the Democrats ignore and deceive and manipulate their base for so long that I don’t expect to live to see that day.
Well, I sure hope that Trump doesn’t reneg on any of his promises and let you down. You seem to be so solidly convinced that if he fails you could become self-destructive!
luv from Canada.
Yes, indeed he is in the eyes of Americans. Bush2/Cheney would have never allowed themselves to be manipulated into the position in which Obama has arrived. A situation in which US led war on Syria and/or Iran is almost impossible without the US stepping dangerously close to nuclear world war.
luv from Canada
I looks to me Trump ,Brexit , Russia , China , India ,Egypt and Syria all have a similar Muslim policy . where as Obama ,Hillary , Sauda Arabia , Pakistan , the EU all have a different policy .
Pakistan still seems to be at war with itself. The Pakistani spy agencies have long appeared to be pro-jihadi, but the Pakistani parliament has tended to be the opposite – they refused to side with Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict.
A possible gameplan eric, if in fact Trump has any plan, or his hawks have any plan, would be to attempt to drive a wedge between Russia and China by easing sanctions against Russia.
However, knowing what we know now on Russia’s successful maneuvering to become non-dependent on the West (the US mainly) would likely negate any US strength if possesses to accomplish that.
Even so, I would see that as a very successful US ploy if it could somehow be accomplished. Mainly because failing to accomplish that goal would possibly be the beginning of the end for US hegemony.
The Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama/Clinton neocons signed up with the oil money from Saudi Arabia and backed their insanity of a Sunni-Shiite world war.
This was proven to be a fabrication long ago. Award winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh exposed this with his 2 part essay
Whose Sarin? (Pt 1)
http://www.voltairenet.org/article182160.html
The Red Line And The Rat Line (PT2)
http://www.voltairenet.org/article183223.html
And, don’t forget, some MIT rocket scientists, analysed the debris from the rockets and concluded they could not possibly have come from government controlled territory. The story was that the rockets had been launched from some 8 to 10 km away, and the MIT rocket scientists concluded that they probably couldn’t have flown 2 or 3 km.
Everything within 2 or 3 km was controlled by Al-Qaida, and we were of course told that Al-Qaida was such good guys that they wouldn’t possibly have launched a chemical weapons attrocity in a bid to draw American directly into the war and thus cause the deaths of many American children.
The infamous Al-Qaeda terrorists who we were told did 9/11, yet “our friend” Israel backstabs the American people and the world by illegally aiding the same Al-qaeda (& ISIS) terrorists we were told did 9/11. With friends like them (who also extort over $3+ billion EVERY year from the US taxpayer slaves) who needs enemies
Wall Street Journal: Israel Caught Red-handed Aiding al-Qaeda in Syria
https://concisepolitics.com/2016/12/26/wall-street-journal-israel-caught-red-handed-aiding-al-qaeda-in-syria/
Why do they oppose this?
A big part is that they don’t believe the faked intelligence.
Another big part is they want a peace in Syria, and this is designed to keep the war going on a low boil for as long as possible — the sick US plan for nobody to win in Syria.
“keep the war going on a low boil for as long as possible”
I agree! In the eyes of Americans, an allout war which would accomplish the final overhthrow of the Assad regime and calling Russia on it’s hand in the whole process, would be far preferable. It’s just unfortunate that Obama’s meddling and collusion with Putin has made that virtually impossible. Nobody should fail to understand that is the reason Obama’s name will live in infamy!
Should the world excuse Obama on the basis of his plans not being the end result he intended?
Except, the ‘Americans’ just defeated the candidate that wanted that and elected the candidate that said these wars have been a mistake and that American should stop going around trying to do ‘regime change’ everywhere.
We’ll of course have to wait and see if Trump is just a big con-man like Obama was and won’t do what he promised. But, polls have been showing that ‘Americans’ have been opposed to these wars for the last decade, and when they were finally given a choice between an aggressive pro-war candidate in Hillary and a candidate in Trump who was saying that these wars have been a mistake then they made their choice clear.
It would seem that way from outward appearances wouldn’t it. Even though we have to wonder and worry about Trump’s commitment to breaking the deal with Iran. Is Trump aware that it’s not just an agreement between the US and Iran? That would seem to be beyond his capacity to reason it out, even though there’s a possibility of one of his military hawks having helped him to understand by now.
I wonder just how receptive to contrary opinions of Trump that were expressed while on the stump, will be put on the back burner until his supporters forget about them? Or, how important is war with Iran to the American people? How convinced are the people that Iran is eventually going to nuke the US?
Depending on which numbers you fly with, it looks like about 14% of the American people think the deal with Iran should be saved. Can Trump bring this number down once he is ready to rip up the deal as he’s promised?
http://www.gallup.com/poll/189272/after-nuclear-deal-views-iran-remain-dismal.aspx
There’s little doubt that Obama is to blame. The justifications for war on Syria had been put firmly in place in the same manner that they were placed for the Iraq war. Obama could have easily and quite legitimately (visually) allowed the preparations to proceed to their planned conclusion of a US invasion and the dismantling of the Assad regime.
On September 28, Russia was far from prepared to stand in the way. And so once the UNSC resolution against Assad maintaining chem/bio weapons was passed, the last possibility of the US planned war on Syria was lost. Likely indefinitely, or indeed forever. The ‘red line’ would never be crossed by Assad.
For that reason, Obama’s name will live in infamy, although that’s only half of the reason. Along with that irreparable damage, Obama also allowed the US to become a part of the multilateral agreement with Iran, which Iran seems determined to honour. Now the situation is one in which all the other countries party to the agreement will have to be party to breaking the agreement on the basis of Iran not abiding by the terms of the agreement. Russia is going to be very proactive in making damn sure that Iran doesn’t set itself up for allowing the US a foot back in the door with claims of Iran not being faithful to the terms of the agreement. Thereby essentially tying the hands of successive US (Nato) preparations for war.
History can be written on speculation that is based on a myriad of theories but thos theories can never replace the facts on the ground. And we can only see the outcome in Syria as what it actually is, due to the meddling of Obama.
Maybe a modern day Lawrence of Arabia whose meddling in the ME didn’t fail bur was seen to fruition! Can the damage that has been done by Obama hold indefinitely? It’s quite likely it will!
The modern Democratic Party believes in Death, Destruction, Torture and Murder. Obama just wants even more blood on his hands in his final days before he leaves office.
When the American people were finally given a chance to vote between the Dubya/Obama/Clinton war-loving neocons and a candidate who even kinda-sorta proposes a different idea, the Democrats lost. The Democrats can’t admit that their switch from campaigning as a fake anti-war party to campaiging as an aggressive pro-war party promising more and bigger wars (likely nuclear) is a reason for their ‘surprise’ defeat. Even though polls have been showing for years that a majority of Americans have been wishing for over a decade that someone would say that these wars have been a big mistake that the policy of endless war and constant regime change around the world must end.
So, Obama, like a petulant teenager, wants to make sure that thousands of people die and suffer before he finally gets out of town and takes his promotiong to sitting on pro-war corporate boards and playing gold while discussion how to make sure thousands more have to die.
Is it now a established fact now that Assad’s Syrian Army committed this gas attack? This attack Russia thinks was done by the forces the United States was assisting . That would be false sanctions for a false flag attack . I don’t think United States should try to get by with any more of these tricks . We come out of Iraq , Egypt and Libya looking very stupid ,Now we are going to come out of Syria looking like a whipped rapid dog .
That’s exactly where your problem is { Appear to you }
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/iran-nuclear-deal_us_587b9931e4b09281d0eb61c8
Read the link if you’re interested but it basically says that Iran is going to refuse to make any changes to the nuclear agreement.
And of course, one of Trump’s campaign promises was that he was going to tear up the agreement and re-negotiate it. If that promise is the same as all his other promises and can’t be believed, then the world is safe. But if Trump was serious, and that’s very doubtful, then this impasse could result in war with Iran.
If Trump was serious then the determining factor is obviously going to be getting all the other signatories to agree to re-negotiate. The European countries could yield to the US/Nato but there’s little possibility of Russia doing so.
Fwiw, I think we are very fortunate that Trump isn’t going to follow through with much on which he campaigned. Perhaps Raimondo thought the same all along and that’s the explanation for why he was cheerleading for Trump so avidly. (not voting for him, whatever) (or maybe cheerleading against hillary, whatever)
And if it’s so that Raimondo knew all along that Trump wouldn’t fulfill any of his promises, then that could be seen as a possible vincication of his position on Trump. In other words, a totally useless figurehead who depends on his cabinet choices to run his country. How could that be wrong when he’s chosen hawks like Flynn, Maddis, etc?