Tehon
Gold Member
- Jun 19, 2015
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I suppose it depends on how you define success. I place a high priority on human rights. Western governments that have been hi jacked by corporate interests, especially oil and gas interests, have a long history of placing their own interests over those of the populations they destabilize. Again, Obama has shown to be no different than Bush in succumbing to the corporate interests. If decent people would wake up to the realities of Western destabilization policies we would stand a better chance of preventing refugee crisis. Here is a piece written by Robert Kennedy Jr. that is relevant to this discussion. Worth a perusal I believe.By the time the West got involved the moderate rebels were fast being outnumbered.The simple solution would have been to support Assad just as Russia (the good guys) proved.Lets be frank both the UK and USA bear some responsibility for this mess. ISIS originally started from the chaos within Iraq. The West continues to suck up to Saudi Arabia which is exporting its extreme version of Islam around the world. There are very few innocent parties here apart from the Syrian people.
I think its a bit rich of some GOP supporters to come in here trashing Obama whilst forgetting the role the two war criminals Bush and Blair played in this.
Europe and the USA were dealt a crap hand with what to do in Syria, there was no simple solution.
However some portraying Russia as the good guys here are seriously delusional!
Originally the uprising in Syria was made up of many students, professionals. How exactly would it have looked if the USA and UK had sided with Assad as he began slaughtering them. The moderate rebels were not helped, they had no chance against the Syrian army backed by Russia. The West because of the Iraq hangover was reluctant to get involved until it was too late, by this time Syria turned into a proxy war between different external factions.ISIS began to grow in Iraq, many of those initial recruits were Sunni's who had been in jails, they managed to get more recruits from Sunni communities who had been crapped on by the mainly Shia Iraqi government.
By the time the West got involved the moderate rebels were fast being outnumbered. Many within the GOP want to airbrush history and wash their hands of the stench of the disastrous Iraqi war.
I would argue that the West was involved since before the outset of the Arab Spring, as far back as 2006 even. But ignoring that, at a certain point the West has to stand up for humanity, but they never did, they were content letting things play out so long as they could oust Assad. The Russians filled the void and choked off ISIS supply routes along with the legitimate governing authority in Syria. That is why they are the good guys. Obama is just another tool, essentially no different than Bush. He is destroying the ME, just as Bush set out to do, his tactics may be different but the results are the same.
I think trying to find a policy for the Middle East that's guaranteed success is nigh on impossible. Its generally just variations of awfulness, its like whats the least worst solution! At least you guys in the USA aren't next door to it, Europe is left in an impossible situation here with the refugees. Of course we want to help,but theres only so much we can do. Seeing women and children drowning in the Med is awful, these people smugglers are scum, on top of that people are selling life jackets that don't even work. Theres always some filth looking to make money out of a tragic situation.
Syria: Another Pipeline War