US vs Russia

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Where was the moral indignation or the attempts to help when the Syrian government was engaged in its “Circle of Hell” destruction of Aleppo or the “double-tap” bombing of hospitals in Homs? In the early days of the war I helped to organize a march through Dublin to raise awareness of the huge numbers of children being killed in Syria but not enough people marched….. If the world acted back then home for many Syrians would not feel like the mouth of a shark.

[_Robert_Participant]

If the world acted back then…

What did you have in mind? The US was already tired of two messed-up wars.  It didn’t start out as a proxy war either, it was part of that so called “Arab Spring” movement, a true civil war. Helping rebels overthrow governments has not been going well for the US lately. Perhaps the EU should have stepped in then? It’s their backyard. Yeah, right, LOL.

Now the rebels are not exactly a unified group of good guys and they fight amongst themselves as much as they fight Bashar El Assad, including elements of Al Qaeda and Islamic State.

 

 

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by  _Robert_.

[DavisModerator]

Regardless of the motivations for dropping those bombs, or how low all three leaders (Trump, May, Macron) and achievement-less they are right now…I consider it a next gain if (IF!) some chemical weapons factory was blown up. If it were against a terrorist target…I would be worried. But Assad’s is a cold calculating target who won’t respond by having people drive cars into Europeans on the street.

But the ultimate benefit to come out of this…is calling Putin out on his bluff. He is desperate to have world respect and seen as influential on the world stage and messing very violently and with horrid toxic effects (Ukraine, Georgia, Tajikistan, Moldovia) and aiding very nasty world players (Syria, Iran, Congo). His bluff was called out with a decisive snap of the fingers. And he has most certainly lost a LOT of what tiny tiny tiny amount of respect western countries may have had for him…and the little more respect undeveloped countries (especially ones Putin gives money to) had for him. His game is hardly over and may come back with a vengence. But this man, at the helm of a horridly sexist, homophobic, anti-atheists, cosmically corrupt, newspaper-shutting-down, racist and increasingly dangerous country, it is gratifying to see his toxic trouble making asshatery blown down for once.

 

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by  Davis.

[_Robert_Participant]

Davis, you certainly have Putin’s number. I would think after 100’s of years of asshole leadership, Russians would have had enough. I really don’t understand why they put up with it.

[Old AccountParticipant]

I don’t know what to think about this. As far as the current Russian and current US (right wing) coddling up to each other, I keep thinking about the scene at the end of Orwell’s Animal Farm, where Napoleon has a dinner party and the the animals looking through the window can’t tell the difference between the pigs and the farmers.

 

As for Syria, I feel very bad about what the Syrian people are going through.  They are victims no matter who is dropping bombs and shooting and gassing.

[StregaModerator]

I read (probably on Twitter) that Macron the French had warned Russia in advance of the blitz over the weekend.  I was trying to find supporting information for this, and came up with the FT article here http://www.ft.com/content/ab5c6d60-3f15-11e8-b7e0-52972418fec4

 

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by  Strega.

[DavisModerator]

_Robert_ wrote:

Davis, you certainly have Putin’s number. I would think after 100’s of years of asshole leadership, Russians would have had enough. I really don’t understand why they put up with it.

Totally. First they had the mongol invasion. Then most Russians suffered the misery of serfdom for centuries. Then a violent revolution. Then a violent civil war. Then decades of oppressive rule (including decades of Stalin’s terror). And when democracy came…did they go the route of the other members of the soviet Union (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania)? Install unquestionable human rights, economic stability, careful nationalization, creating good will relations with neighbours? No. Leaders (including Putin) took the prime resources Russia had (built on the tears and sweat of millions of opressed Russians for decades) and sold it all off to their friends for pennies. Did Russians get to enjoy, even a little, the fruits of their suffering? No. It was sold and economic crisis after crisis has followed. And as Putin muzzles the press and free speech more and more, curtails human rights and diverts public funds to military stupidity…Russians jump for joy.

Russians are utterly addicted to oppressive suffering.

[David BootsParticipant]

Interesting take here. 

And here.

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