Syria

They're also funding and pulling the rebels strings. If/when they take over, expect the relationship to quickly become more official. Erdouan wants to get the refugees out of Turkey and check Iran in the area.

 

I saw a report where 1000-2000 Syrian troops fled to Iraq.

 

How can they be rebels when they’re not even Syrians ?

 

The latest. Assad’s Regime has maybe hours left in it. Then we can all make popcorn as the insurgents march on Tartus.

Damascus expected to fall, U.S. officials say, as Syrian insurgents claim to control Homs

 

I have heard from a very reliable source that Assad will be granted asylum in the United States and will be appointed by Trump as the next secretary of defense.

 

Interesting. Holds a doctorate. Experience running a large organization. Over 10 years dealing with war situations. Meets a couple of DEI goals. Who can we get to set up the interview?

 

Willing to gas people . . . Knows a bit about religious extremism . . . Does he hate democrats? I'm thinking he can head Trump's new cabinet position, the Department of Obtuse Defense Against Democrat Satanites, or DOODADS.

 

Whoa, brother. I think you failed to note the DEI this guy brings to the table. Don’t be a racist and/or Islamophobe. You speak of his corruption, incompetence, and brutality, but check your privilege. “Merit” is just, like, code for keeping a BIPOC person like Al-Assad down. Do you have an MD? Were you ever the head of a Republican Guard Division? He has more experience leading a nation than Obama, Trump, and Biden combined, man.

 

Uh oh.

Rooty-poo dominoes going backwards.

 

Back to the serious: it seems to be official now; Assad has fled Syria, and the Army has declared his regime is at an end.

Syrian army command tells officers that Assad's rule has ended, officer says | Reuters

 

I find this fascinating. I don’t know if this is a net bad or good. I heard a person who seemed to by knowledgeable on the matter compare the insurgent group to the Taliban.

On the plus side it weakens Iran and Russia.

On the negative side it expands the power of Islamists, and weakens two of the counter balances to Islamists - Iran and Russia.

Trying to figure out allegiances here is like 3 dimensional chess.

Turkey is our ally. The Kurds are also an ally especially against ISIS. Turkey and the Syrian Kurds are enemies.

Iran as a country is an enemy, although the population is more compatible with the US than most of the populations of our middle eastern allies. Iran is an enemy, but Iran and the US fought in parallel (along with Syrian Kurds) in demolishing ISIS. Iran at times provided support in Aghanistan against the Taliban.

Iraq, a country we basically created in its current form, presumably an ally, sometimes aligns with Iran and Assad.

In Yemen, groups we supported and allies fought against the Houthis. Al Queda, our enemy, also was fighting the Houthis.

The Taliban, whom we fought for 20 years, are basically working with us to fight the remnants of ISIS.

 

Hard to say in the long run. How much we and our allies help Syria form a viable state will have a lot to do with that. In the short run, it’s a good thing for the strategic weakening of Russia. Unquestionably.

 

These are all smaller messes than the Big Mess of Russia, the largest country on earth with one of the top 5-6 economies, devouring its neighbors. Clean up the Big Mess first and then clean up the smaller ones later.

Edit: I would also say that Iran is not exactly a counter-balance to Islamists or terrorism in general. They supply weapons to most of the terrorist factions in the middle east (Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.) that oppose the west and Israel. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

 

Trump's nominee for the post of DNI can vouch for Assad.
Tulsi Gabbard: ‘Assad is not the enemy of the United States’

 

What’s next for Syria?

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/syria-civil-war-12-08-2024/index.html

And where is Assad? Did his escape plan(e) crash and burn?

 

I am no fan of Assad but Islamic Militants don’t sound any better.

 

It’s crazy how we went from”We need to hold Afghanistan (for two decades) to keep the Taliban out of power!” to “Yay! Syria has fallen to Al Qaeda!”

 

America backed Al Qaeda and other Salafi Islamists that murder Christians and Jews in Syria and they won. For now.

What exactly does America stand for anymore?

What