Syria crisis: Russian air strikes against Assad enemies

An 'elephant in the room' question for consideration:

With the increasing demonization of Bashir al-Assad by the political and media talking heads, and which is approaching hysteria, the question is this - what possible reason is there for a leader of a country to slaughter his compatriots?

 

And pay attention that after the last terror attack at Ankara, in Turkey they are accusing the Islamic State ... this could persuade the Turkish government to involve more the Turkish Army in the Syrian mess. Imagine the situation: Turkish planes bombing with Russian planes bombing, with French planes bombing, with UK drones attacking ... the risk of "accident" would be really high, but overall the mess would become really difficult to manage.

 

According to the version presented by the Western politicians and their talking heads, ISIS stands alone as the only extremists group, while everybody else including organizations such as AL-Nusra which actively cooperate with ISIS are moderates and allies and qualify for the Western arms drops and the immunity from Russian air-strikes. The Western strategists all along had no issue with ISIS extending its influence. Their only vested interest and the main priority was expelling the influence of another foreign power in Syria by taking down Assad. After Assad fell, perhaps they would continue investing in a civil war by arming groups against the next top dog. But once Assad was gone, the remaining players who think alike would most likely come to political terms with one another, assert themselves diplomatically, while continuing to terrorize the Syrian civilians, but now doing so with international approval. The impact on the ordinary civilians is of a lesser concern to the Western strategists.

 

Why are not you worried about people when US killed millions of people? But when Russia came to clean up the mess you start blaming Russia that it tightens the conflict? USA is main reason for the war.

 

Russia obviously has a lot of problems inside (as every country) but its' intentions in Syria are all clear and understandable unlike US' actions.

 

If only "Washington sociopaths wanted it."

 

Turkey's involvement is dangerous, since as a NATO member they could create an incident that could lead to a war situation with Russia; totally unnecessarily. Although the US has wanted Turkey to get more involved for years, with Russia in the area there seems like there is way too much room for "accidents."

 

Do you get paid per post, per response, or just an hourly wage? Just wondering...

But I seriously doubt the US has killed millions of people in Syria. If you are going to make ridiculous accusations, go big or go home. Next time accuse the US of killing Billions of people.

 

What the percentage of people in US believe that we write on the forum for the money?

 

There are general elections coming in Turkey. The oppositions are accusing Erdogan to look for a tense strategy to regain votes ... this reminds in an incredibly way the Italian political context in the 70's when here they accused the Christian Democrat party [Erdogan's party is substantially a Muslim version of the historical Italian Christian Democrat party] to do the same.

In those years also in Italy bombs exploded in railway stations killing many innocent civilians [remember Bologna].

I guess that at Ankara they can understand me.

 

What...you don't think Russia is not interfering in the Ukraine or in Georgia? LOL!!!

COME ON!!!

AboveAlpha

 

What exactly are you saying when you posted this....."Yanukovich has never ordered to shoot protesters"....end quote.

Are you saying he was not ordered to shoot protesters or are you saying he never ordered protesters shot?

AboveAlpha

 

I am P!$$ED OFF at Putin!!!

I spent YEARS in the former Soviet Union providing U.S. Military Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Weapons Teams security and we are STILL IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW cleaning up Bio-weapons Labs with the help of the CDC.

This cost American Tax Payers over $300 Billion.

The DEAL was we buy all those old Soviet Weapons and destroy them environmentally safe....and in return Russia promised to NEVER AGAIN involve itself in the internal affairs of these former Soviet States.

Russia requested that we prevent any of these former Soviet States from joining NATO but we made it CLEAR that the U.S. was just a part of NATO and we could not speak for NATO as a whole.

Russia agreed to the terms and if we had not done this there would still be Nuclear Missiles pointed right at Moscow in Georgia and the Ukraine and Putin would NEVER have been able to do what he has done.

You DO NOT break a DEAL with the United States!!!

We did just about everything we could do to help Russia and we got SCREWED!!!

AboveAlpha

 

You yourself believe in that nonsense that you write?

 

I don't know what percentage of Americans think that Russians post online for money, but the fact that they do has been well covered in the media. Although other countries may have similar propaganda programs, I can't think of one that is as well known as Russia's, so I imagine the percentage is quite high.

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Well that terrorist attack came at a pretty convenient time then.

 

It's not nonsense.

I was there.

And YOU damn know well I am very familiar with Russia.

AboveAlpha

 

Then you must report to the CIA that the KGB agents attacked the virgin minds of US citizens.

 

The KGB was always very good with Human Assets as when the Soviet Union existed it was very difficult for the CIA to operate Human Assets in a closed society.

The FSB is also good with Human Assets.

However the CIA and NSA are extremely good in knowing what is going on Militarily as between U.S. Reconnaissance Satellites and Aircraft and the NSA's ability to record and document ever single electronic communication occurring on Earth they are well aware of what is going on.

AboveAlpha

 

What's going on with Israel and Russia?

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679528

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it was refusing to hold “de-confliction” talks with the Russian Defense Ministry to coordinate the two nations’ air-operations over Syria and would make do with just “technical details.” At the same time, de-confliction talks, of the kind the Americans rejected, between the Israel Defense Forces and their Russian counterparts, led by the deputy chiefs of staff of both militaries, were already wrapping up in Tel Aviv’s HaKirya headquarters.

Israel’s willingness to hold these talks reflects of course the recognition that after many years of operating nearly freely in Syrian airspace, things have changed with the arrival of a modern and well-equipped air force. But it also reflects the Russians’ desire not to have any confrontation with Israel in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, during their Sept. 21 meeting in Moscow.Credit: AP

The fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested, and received, a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, immediately when the Russian deployment to Syria began, should not come as a surprise. Despite Israel’s strategic ties with the United States, both sides have maintained a discreet and intimate security relationship which is much closer than meets the eye. Israel received from Putin in 2008 advance warning of Russia’s plans to attack Georgia, in a personal meeting he had with former president Shimon Peres at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. This enabled Israel to call back in time private defense contractors and advisers who were working at the time with the Georgian army.

Israel has also in recent years sold surveillance drones to the Russians, despite Russia at the same time supplying some of Israel’s enemies with arms.

In the past, Israeli officials used to explain the desire to stay on Putin’s good side, despite his growing animosity towards the West and the erosion of civil rights in Russia, as part of its concern for the safety of hundreds of thousands of Jews still living in Russia. But there doesn’t seem to be any true basis for such fears, at least not under Putin. He is interested in the ties just as much as Israel.

To this day there are various explanations as to how Putin actually feels about Jews. His many supporters among the Jewish community in Russia insist that he is philosemitic, due to the friendships he had with Jewish classmates back in his childhood in St. Petersburg and the influence of Jewish teachers who perceived his potential. Putin’s critics ask why then are the Kremlin-funded propaganda channels filled with Holocaust deniers and anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists, masquerading as respectable commentators? But even those critics agree that Putin has a high regard for Jews and regrets the emigration of many thousands of Jewish scientists and researchers following the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Russian warship attacks Syria.
A Russian warship fires cruise missile at Syria on October 7. Russia, which released the footage, claimed it was targeting Islamic State positions. Credit: AFP


Some think that Putin actually sees the Jews as being too powerful but this regard also extends to his assessment of the Jewish state and particularly Israel’s military capabilities. Throughout his rule, he has made sure each year to meet with Israeli leaders, putting store by face-to-face engagement over diplomatic channels.

In the meetings with prime ministers Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Netanyahu, Putin promised Russia would not surprise Israel by supplying the Iranians with the advanced S-300 air-defense system, which would make an Israeli air strike more difficult, a promise that despite contradictory statements, he has so far kept. In a meeting with Olmert, a few months after the end of the Second Lebanon War, Israeli officers presented Putin with shrapnel from advanced Russian anti-tank missiles which had been used by Hezbollah. Not everyone in Israel’s defense establishment believes the Russian promise that the missiles were supplied to Hezbollah by the Syrian Army without the Russian’s knowledge.

What is without doubt is that in the decade before the Syrian civil war, there was a significant reduction in Syrian arms purchases from Russia (most deals during this period were for the refurbishment of old Soviet-era aircraft of the Syrian Air Force), and a shift to acquiring weapons from Iran and North Korea. The Russians were not aware of Syria building a secret nuclear reactor, which was destroyed from the air in 2007, according to foreign sources by Israel. The Russians returned in force to Syria only after the civil war broke out.

Both sides mainly kept silent over the other's actions. When the Russians upgraded Syria’s coastal cruise missiles in Tartous Port, and when the listening-base operated by GRU (Russian military intelligence) on the Syrian side of the Golan, monitoring Israeli military communications, Israel kept mum. And when Russian-supplied missiles and other advanced systems were bombed in Syria, according to foreign sources by the Israeli Air Force, only limp statements of concern were heard from Moscow.

Netanyahu knew what Putin needed to hear from him in their meeting last month – a promise that Israel isn’t seeking to actively topple Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. While the Obama administration and its NATO allies are still struggling to grasp what Putin is trying to achieve in Syria, it seems that the Israeli and Russian leaders understand each other’s interests pretty well. It may not be a formal military alliance but in the current situation in the Middle East, it’s quite a lot.

 

This is all about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu giving Hardline Republican's something to hold over the Democrats in the Presidential Election.

My doing this Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels he is increasing the chance that a more Hardline Conservative that is Pro-Israeli will become President.

Israel knows where it's bread is buttered.

AboveAlpha

 

Report filed!

 

Bibi is a real piece of work.. He's been advocating to rid Syria of Assad for years and now he's changed his tune and he's sucking up to Russia. Putin has got to see thru that.

 

Putin is just enjoying this to get under the skin of Obama.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama do not see eye to eye but in reality it's not like Israel is going to abandon their money making machine in over $20 Billion a year in U.S. Aid.

This also plays very well for Putin at home.

But as I have said....Putin has made a mistake.

There was absolutely no reason for Putin to get involved in Syria and it will come back to bite him and Russia in the A$$!

AboveAlpha

 

I see that the level of your knowledge is weak. FSB is an analogue of FBI.
US fears even the shadow of the USSR. Do you understand that modern Russia is stronger than USSR?

 

The FSB works very much like the KGB but unlike the CIA which cannot operate inside the U.S...the FSB can.

Russia is nowhere near as powerful as the Soviet Union once was.

The United States not only has the most powerful Military on the face of the Earth but also is an Economic Superpower.

Russia has a smaller Economy than just one U.S. State that being California with a $2.2 Trillion Economy compared to Russia's $1.98 Trillion Economy.

The two nations cannot be compared.

AboveAlpha