Reports that US and Russian airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria might have been coordinated were quickly and loudly denied by Pentagon officials this morning, as they insist no such cooperation is taking place at all. White House officials, however, suggested they are open to future such cooperation.
President Trump has talked up the idea of direct cooperation with Russia in fighting against ISIS since before the election, with signs that US backing of rebel factions was going to be eliminated in favor of focusing on the war against ISIS.
Russian officials claimed the extent of the “coordination” so far was very limited, only amounting to trading targeting information about the city of al-Bab, which Turkey is trying to conquer and which both Russia and the US are launching airstrikes against. The Pentagon insisted even this claim was Russian propaganda.
There are legal questions surrounding any direct cooperation with Russia in Syria, as the NDAA passed in 2014 actually forbade the Pentagon from working with Russia at all, because of the civil war in East Ukraine. It’s not clear the extent to which this rule will actually be enforced, however, with the Trump Administration very keen at improving ties with Russia and also eager to escalate attacks on ISIS.
No doubt Trump has tried to set the stage to be believed. But sadly, it’s much more realistic to suggest that this can be promoted as US propaganda which has the goal of placing the US on the high road in the hearts and minds of the people. If the peace talks fail then it must be made to appear that it was Russia/Iran/Syria who were responsible for the failure.
It’s totally unrealistic to think that what has taken the US years to establish in the ME, is going to be thrown away by a naive president. Much more likely that Trump has now been coached and briefed on the position he’s expected to take in support of US established plans in the ME.
A naïve President?- and you think Obama, Clinton, and other Republicans were savvy. I worked for years around troops and in war zones . Trump may be a natural- he is a lot smarter than the lazy, incompetent federal worker Clinton. And Obama was hand picked by those people that worked behind the scenes. You are clearly showing your anti Trump bias. What is your background?
What Trump will do is no different than what thousands do when they get a job- there are doctors that catch on while others are clueless; a lot of 2nd Lieutenants learn real quick and have a sixth sense when guiding platoons while others are bumblers and can’t even properly read a map.
I don’t pay attention to people who say that someone is naïve. If any group is naïve it is these people we have had in office for the past 16 years and especially the last 8. Almost all their moves, strategies were idiotic and just plain bad, and then people die, but Clinton and Obama never cared about stuff like that.
Clinton is historically ignorant, was lazy, and incompetent.