What is your opinion of the news media?

by minimus 491 Replies latest social current

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  LoveUniHateExams

  you still haven't explained what the alliance with Russia would consist of - yes, I have. It was in answer to your earlier question: who would be Russia's allies in Syria? The allies would be the US, EU and other Western countries. Russia would bomb the terrorists in Syria; the West would bomb terrorists in Iraq.

  Russia intervene in Syria with a bombing campaign against the western-backed rebels - but the West, being allies of Russia, would abandon those rebels. The West has no legal right to be in Syria.

  let's stand aside and let Assad wipe out the last pro-western anti-Islamic forces - I said that some members of this extremely tiny minority can be persuaded to lay down their arms and accept Assad's rule. Those that insist on prolonging the war and causing instability by carrying on fighting can be wiped out with the depraved Islamists.

  putins response: trollollollolol - that would also be my response.
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  LoveUniHateExams

  I'm sure that if we step back and let Putin and Assad have their way, that peace and democracy will soon reign over the Middle East - facile nonsense.

  There are only two realistic options for Syria: Assad or Islamist hell-on-earth-and-threat-to-the-West in the form of ISIS.

  Take your pick.

  If we choose Assad, there will be some kind of stability but no democracy. But, maybe Assad could be persuaded by us to soften his regime, so that democracy can be slowly worked towards. And Assad is no threat to the West.

  If we pick ISIS, then there's zero hope for democracy, plus a regime that is a threat to the West and other countries.

  There are hardly any pro-West, secular fighting forces in Syria.

  Edit: forgot to mention the Kurds. I don't think they initially rose up against Assad, it was Arab Sunnis. I think the Kurds should have their independence, but I doubt Putin or Assad will see it that way.
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  bohm

  LUHE: Let's see how far we can agree. The west had one strategy in Syria, Russia had pre-existing strategic goals and pursued a strategy that opposed that of the US. Agree so far?

  Your basic claim is that the US was wrong and Russia knew best, therefore we should follow Russias strategy?

  in arriving at your views, have you read anything on this topic from official sources (thinktanks, academia, military)?
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  bohm

  There are hardly any pro-West, secular fighting forces in Syria.[12]

  [12] Novarosk trollfarm 17 (2015)
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  LoveUniHateExams

  The West had one strategy in Syria - the overthrow of Assad?

  Your basic claim is that the US was wrong and Russia knew best - well it knew better than the US did, yes.

  Are you claiming otherwise, that US involvement in Syria was right?

  in arriving at your views, have you read anything on this topic from official sources - not much. So?

  [12] Novarosk trollfarm 17 - what's this? I typed it into google and it came up 'no documents found'.
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  Spoletta

  Luhe. Good luck on softening Assad and easing into democracy as long as Russia is involved.
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  LoveUniHateExams

  Good luck on softening Assad and easing into democracy as long as Russia is involved - yes, I admit it's a bit of a long shot.

  But the Syrian secular forces aren't strong enough or numerous enough to rule Syria.

  It's Assad or the Islamists ...
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  Simon

  Let's assume not, though in terms of international law I don't think this is the kind of thing that should give you the right to stage an invasion/occupation of little green men/whatever we call it.

  So you just admitted that it would be a completely different scenario, not the same thing at all. So why bother with some theoretical highly unlikely non-pertinent waste of time ...
  
  
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  Simon

  The trouble with Syria is that it's unclear exactly who's side we should be on, who we should be fighting against and why.

  The enemy of your enemy's enemy's other enemy's is who exactly?

  Just because some people fight against Assad, doesn't make them nice people or worthy of our automatic backing.
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  bohm

  Simon: So you just admitted that it would be a completely different scenario

  Why did I just admit that?

  Crimea had a fairly large Russian population, Georgia did not.