Two weeks ago, the Kremlin expressed major concern about US-Russia relations, describing them as “maybe even worse” than they had been during the Cold War. Since that time, they’ve gotten dramatically worse, with US missile attacks on Syria fueling soaring acrimony.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis sought to downplay the situation, however, saying that he was certain the situation “will not spiral out of control,” a belief he appeared to rest on the idea that Russia wouldn’t dare retaliate against further US attacks against Syria, as they have threatened to.
“I’m confident the Russians will act in their own best interests,” Mattis insisted. Yet he also threatened further US strikes on Syria, and Russia has made clear in recent days that they would respond with force to any additional such US strikes.
The administration appears to be gambling heavily that the Russia talk of a “red line” in US attacks on the Syrian military is a bluff, but with US-Russia relations so bad that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is visiting Moscow and the Russian president won’t even see him, the nations are increasingly in uncharted waters with respect to one another.
Russia responded to last week’s attack by deploying additional warships to the Syrian coast, and has announced plans to bolster Syria’s air defense, as well as their own air defense forces deployed within Syria, in an attempt to deter future strikes.
I noticed that confidence with public statements of Martin Dempsey (a speech and Q&A at some Irish university). The confidence that the feedback of reality is powerful enough so that the new administration will quickly come to their senses. For ‘reality’ one can try to substitute other words(deep state being one of the favorite catchall words to describe power distributions ), but the thing that I found interesting was this trust in the inherent stability of the system. A confidence that you can try out anything , if it’s a bad idea you learn and adapt. I suspect his argument is valid. And not valid enough.
Mattis is right Russia will do what’s best for Russia and taking on the world is not in it’s best interests.Putin has had 2 terms as there president 2 terms as there prime minister and now is there president again and what do they have to show for it a resurgent NATO with forces on its doorsteps a weakened ruble that’s almost worthless in the world and is using his military to distract from the corruption and pain he’s causing his own people at home.He may have high approval ratings at home that’s if you’re the type to believe Syrian rebels gassed themselves and what they said about Ukraine the Russians didn’t shoot that passenger jet out of the sky with there missile and they aren’t arming those separatists they probably bought those modernized Russian missile systems and weapons on the black market all stuff they really say….As of right now the only people who believe them are North Korea Iran and Syria all countries where the people are truly free Hahaha….
So after being lied to by your government and media your entire life, you believe everything the US government says about Assad, without question?
Russia cannot afford to give in to US demands as it will be loosing face to its allies and the world at large. They will respond with all the dire consequences .
You are correct. Both sides have painted themselves into a corner. The US will find it difficult not to respond after future false flag attacks by the terrorists. Russia and/or Iran will react, simply because US aggression must be stopped somewhere.
Mattis’ tough talk (to paraphrase, he essentially said that Russia will back down if they know what’s good for them) is the talk of a bully, not diplomacy. I hope Putin’s decision to meet with Tillerson is an indication Tillerson told Lavrov in their preliminary meeting, “We screwed up and we don’t know how to get out of this. Please, help us like you did in 2013.” If not, things could get really ugly very fast if a few hundred sailors from either side end up at the bottom of the Mediterranean or the Persian Gulf.
He hopes and so do we all. He and other warmongers may not wake up one morning.