Trump deploys troops to Syria. Will this escalate?

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  • I see Trump has intervened. Assad is miffed and Putin will no doubt be equally put out. This could spark a large scale (and totally unnecessary) conflict, but Trump's reasons were correct in that the Middle East situation is causing an ongoing refugee problem that is now completely out of control. People are being unhoused, so to speak, mostly because no one can get rid of IS effectively and dictators won't budge. It's a no-win situation all round, ultimately.

  • His reasons were correct but past experience tells us these things are not as simple as we want them to be.

    At least we don't need any more proof that Trump is just another Republican politician.

  • What is important is putting an end to the horror that has unfolded in the Middle East. Not for the sake of anyone but the people of the Middle East, first and foremost. They deserve to live in peace and freedom and the leaders worldwide who can help to make this possible will go down not as politicians but as intelligently compassionate human beings who, for once, tried to see beyond what was profitable or expedient. Where, for once, their enemy's enemy is their friend was not considered a good enough excuse to indulge in a killing spree not made any holier by being in opposition to their gods (because you think yours is better) or their petty squabbles, or your own greed and aspirations.

    That is the most difficult thing to achieve. It's easy to bomb or invade someone because you want their oil, or you hate their religion, or their refugees are getting on your nerves. It is another thing to care about what is happening so you can see past all the junk and get to the devastation occurring in the lives of individuals who have become the victims of what is happening, often simply because they wanted change, they desired liberty, they sought identity, they desired peace and freedom to make their own decisions and accomplish their own dreams.

    When some bearded faith freak comes along and asks you to kill for your God you really have to ask yourself whether this is a cunning plot to make of you the enemy of your God.

    When someone comes along and tells you you must go to war against someone you don't know who hasn't done anything to you because he is "an infidel" and must be converted because your God demands this, you have to ask yourself if you aren't being made a fall guy for an atrocity that has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with sheer madness, and unquestionable evil.

    None of this should lead to global conflict or protracted war between powers outside of the Middle Eastern troubles. These troubles should not be used as a good excuse to gain more territory or resources, or simply to detour the people's attention from internal strife within the so-called allies.

    Humans have managed to create two unspeakably terrible global conflicts. Let's see if they can manage to avert a third one. Let's make sure we don't sit around supporting it. Because when it comes, no one will like it, and when it finally goes, there will be a lot of dead folk lying around who aren't going to get up again because war isn't a computer game, it's deadly real and it destroys everything our ancestors built.

    War is the most ungracious finger anyone can stick up to those who went before us and it is the most poisonous legacy anyone can bequeath to their children.

  • I'm a bit of an isolationist and don't think the West should get involved in the Middle East at all usually. But this case is an exception. Using poison gas is a war crime. Assad has done it before, he was warned before and no action was taken. Unless someone does get him to understand that there is a price to pay he will do it again and we cannot just stand by and watch people being slaughtered.

    Trump's call for humanitarian nations to join in stopping these attacks is justified. If the rebels or government forces or whoever want to kill each other, fine, let them get on with it but I don't want to see indiscriminate killing of civilians and children and certainly not by gassing.

    In my opinion, Trump is 100% right in taking action.

  • Yes. They will criticise him, of course, as some people are never satisfied, but it is time something was done and he said he would do it and it looks like he is going to. It has also thrown cold water on all the opinion flying about regarding his relationship with Putin.

    Apparently over half of the UK agrees with this intervention.

  • American strike on Syria

    Blimey, I'm away for a few hours and all hell breaks loose....!

    America has carried out a airstrike on a Syrian airfeld and Russia has warned that we are one step away from confornatation with Russia.

    Some reaction from some of the world's media, for the foreign language sites you'll need to stick them through the translator:

    CNN:

    The United States launched a military strike Thursday on a Syrian government airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/po...ary/index.html

    BBC:

    The US has carried out a missile strike against a Syrian air base in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town.

    http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/...5_1618247.html

    France's Le Monde:

    http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/...5_1618247.html

    Germany's ZDF:

    http://www.heute.de/hoffnung-von-syr...-46932004.html

    Russia Today (you can guess their take on it and take a look of their map which shows who condemned the attacck...):

    https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...rumps-impulses

    The Guardian comment:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...rumps-impulses
    ====

    Good!

    A message has been sent. If that message is not understood, another will be sent.

    I don't particularly like Trump, but this was proportionate and correct thing to do. What say you?

  • I'd expect everyone to be concerned with possible chaos as an end result. That's what usually happens. Sometimes it seems the only positive effect of these actions is that it makes Western politicians feel like they're doing something.

  • I can't see Russia backing down. Having Assad in power, Syria is a perfect buffer state between Russia and the West. Same with Iran and the mullahs. From the Russian point of view the West has been advancing almost by stealth through the Baltic and the Balkans to almost but up against their Western frontier. Ukraine was the last straw to Putin and he signalled it by taking back the Crimea and backing the rebels in the Eastern part of Ukraine. If the West keeps arming the Syrian rebels, then Russia will keep arming Assads regime and it continues as a war by proxy. We should be very careful that a war by proxy doesn't become a real one with everybody as loosers.

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