With ISIS all but defeated and other rebel forces mostly boiled down to just the Idlib Province and a few smaller enclaves, most people have been saying for months at this point that the Assad government has effectively “won” the Syrian War and will survive the conflict, albeit with some reforms needed at the end.
US officials, however, are insisting that Assad is wholly “not capable of winning” this war, citing massive damage to the national infrastructure, huge casualties the military has suffered, and his growing dependence on his allies.
This prediction of “not winning” is likely to be the centerpiece of future US justifications for keeping large numbers of ground troops in Syria over the express objections of the Syrian government.
But it may be a risky proposition, since it positions US forces as part of the forces aligned against the end of the Syrian war, and officials concede the US almost certainly isn’t going to commit enough troops to seriously try to take over Syria. As with so many other countries, US forces deployed there are being made a target by being positioned as an anti-stability force.
Neocon policies and mentality are back in full swing. Trump may be alowed to play with immigration. Just like Obama was allowed to play with health care, while Hillary ran foreign policy. There is really no more domestic policy, it is all
about foreign policy, and staying the course that enraged Nethanyahu demands. He is getting us roped into Syria by provoking and provoking. Attacks for attack sake. He dods not want Iranian bases. Sure, the world must listen to him! Iran helled beat ISIS, and Nethanyahu is mad!
The worst kind of madness is the madness of the soul. The one not recognizing reality and the morality. Staying in Iraq and Syria — not letting those states stand on their feet, it looks to the world like a desparate effort to keep conflict going.
Can you blame our military leaders from wanting to be in Syria – the Syrian war was successful; whereas, Iraq and Afghanistan are moldering failures. Who wants to be associated with a failure? Better to run onto the field after the final play and masquerade as one of the victorious.
What was successful? The US can no more ‘stay’ in Syria than it can ‘stay’ in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other place it has disrupted. And neither can American business or ordinary Americans. They’re all still war zones and no American walking about is safe.
Our government has graduated from domestic theft to global theft. It took the land of the French, Spaniards and native Americans until there was no more to take. Then it laid hold of international possessions of others in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the middle east. In the name of liberty and freedom it destroyed the legitimate governments of people all over the globe leaving disease, destruction and death wherever it went. Now it is easy to follow the trail of US neo-imperialist foreign policy. Just look for children maimed by cluster munitions or cholera caused by systematic destruction of water and sewer systems. There are no longer any boundaries for American adventurism. Any good or resource possessed or controlled by others is fair game and no tactic is off limits. Men, women and children are acceptable collateral damage in the war for profits. The price Americans will ultimately pay for allowing such wanton avarice, corruption and greed will be staggering. The only question is when.
Excellent and sad
“Being made a target.” Therefore they will be targeted.
Then what? Is that what we want? Are we using them as the Judas Goat, to sacrifice for an excuse to do something else?
It looks like it, because it makes no sense otherwise.
I suspect those making this decision want some of our people killed in a way that can be blamed on Iran, so they can attack Iran.
This is not about Syria. Syria never was mainly about Syria. Now it is just about getting some of our people killed.
To state the obvious and to confirm how sickening this is, Israel is the driver and always has been in us policy. Where is my barf bag?
Assad is not to be under estimated he has Russia, China, and Iran backing him. He is in complete control of his military which has become stronger in recent years. The USA simply want to occupy Syrian territories for the purpose of destabilizing Assad and doing Israel a favor in eliminating the Golan Heights as an issue.
You would think by now that the USA would be used to being on the wrong side and losing every war they insist on starting, but no. They must use the mighty weapons and finest fighting force the world has known to kill more and more people wherever they can, plus remove all the rights still remaining to US citizens in the Homeland. Really exceptional.
Who the heck are they trying to convince?
Who writes this crap for them, anyway? They can’t be *that* stupid…could they?
This reads like a ‘heads up’ to Assad, and Putin and the Ayetolleh . They’d best keep their own counsel – for the corollary is equally true – if Assad can’t win, nobody can.
There is no good will coming out of the USA.