SYRIA thread

[Beskar]

It's true, Obama did say use of chemical weapons was a "red line" but nothing happened after they were apparently used.

That is not true. Obama was going to force the USA to war, against US opinion and against the opinion of its Allies in the UK (parliament had vote and said no). Russia came in and said "We will do a deal with Assad and get rid of all the chemical weapons.. that will make you happy, da?" and Obama agreed to it.

[Shaka_Khan]

This happened while Xi Jinping is in the US to meet Trump. This is clearly a message to China and North Korea.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

This happened while Xi Jinping is in the US to meet Trump. This is clearly a message to China and North Korea.

The message to NK was obvious.

The message to PRC a little less direct. Trump would certainly appreciate real Chinese pressure on NK to stop the crap. And China traditionally has taken a dim view of things happening in NK because of its proximity to the Middle Kingdom itself.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

That is not true. Obama was going to force the USA to war, against US opinion and against the opinion of its Allies in the UK (parliament had vote and said no). Russia came in and said "We will do a deal with Assad and get rid of all the chemical weapons.. that will make you happy, da?" and Obama agreed to it.

OK, I'll amend that to "did nothing in the end". As we can see, the Russians lied and let Assad keep some gas (surprise).

[Montmorency]

Russia condemns U.S. missile strike on Syria, suspends key air agreement

Russia on Friday condemned a U.S. missile strike against Syrian government forces as an attack on its ally and said it was suspending an agreement to minimize the risk of in-flight incidents between U.S. and Russian aircraft operating over Syria.

Even as Russian officials expressed hope that the strike against Syrian President Bashad al-Assad’s forces would not lead to an irreversible breakdown in U.S. relations with Moscow, the Kremlin’s decision to suspend the 2015 memorandum of understanding on the air operations immediately raised tensions in the skies over Syria.
[...]
Russia on Friday condemned a U.S. missile strike against Syrian government forces as an attack on its ally and said it was suspending an agreement to minimize the risk of in-flight incidents between U.S. and Russian aircraft operating over Syria.

Even as Russian officials expressed hope that the strike against Syrian President Bashad al-Assad’s forces would not lead to an irreversible breakdown in U.S. relations with Moscow, the Kremlin’s decision to suspend the 2015 memorandum of understanding on the air operations immediately raised tensions in the skies over Syria.
[...]
Two U.S. military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday morning that they were aware of Russia’s stated intention to suspend the channel, but it was not yet clear how losing it may affect air operations. The Pentagon was still assessing the situation, they said.
[...]
There have been no reports of Russian casualties in Friday’s strike, but Syrian officials claimed that civilians, including children, were killed in the attack.

In Moscow on Friday, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said Russia would help strengthen Syrian air defenses to “protect the most sensitive Syrian infrastructure facilities.”

Konashenkov said the attack destroyed a warehouse, classrooms, a cafeteria, six Mig-23 fighter jets that were being repaired and a radar station. The runway and other aircraft were not affected, he said.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

OK, I'll amend that to "did nothing in the end". As we can see, the Russians lied and let Assad keep some gas (surprise).

Or it could be a fresh batch

[Brenus]

Or it could be a fresh batch

Or it could be a happy (well sort of) lucky hit on the rebels stockpile...

Still waiting for the evidences, and we French have good reasons to doubt the CIA/MI5 ones! Remember WMD?

[Elmetiacos]

Or it could be a happy (well sort of) lucky hit on the rebels stockpile...

Still waiting for the evidences, and we French have good reasons to doubt the CIA/MI5 ones! Remember WMD?

One thing the chemical weapons experts agree on is that this is very unlikely as sarin will degrade if stored in a state where it could be released by a rupture to the case it has been stored in. Unless the rebels somehow have a working chemical weapons plant which works to produce a different formulation from that used by the Syrian government, there's now way this Russian suggestion is possible.

[Brenus]

[QUOTE=Elmetiacos;2053744485 Unless the rebels somehow have a working chemical weapons plant which works to produce a different formulation from that used by the Syrian government, there's now way this Russian suggestion is possible.[/QUOTE]
Can buy it, no?

[Elmetiacos]

Can buy it, no?

Realistically, no.

[Gilrandir]

Or it could be a happy (well sort of) lucky hit on the rebels stockpile...

Still waiting for the evidences, and we French have good reasons to doubt the CIA/MI5 ones! Remember WMD?

The airfield is still held by Assad, so only he (and Putin) knows the truth. Do you expect to get any reliable evidence from them (or Russians)?

[Crandar]

The owner of the airfield is called Syria, not Assad. Just like the owner of every public structure in your homeland is called Ukraine and not Poroshenko.

[Gilrandir]

The owner of the airfield is called Syria, not Assad. Just like the owner of every public structure in your homeland is called Ukraine and not Poroshenko.

I accept your correction. But in case of Syria there are different belligerents some of whom are as Syrian as Assad, and I used metonymy to be clear. So it was something like "Moscow claims" or "the White House believes".

[Brenus]

The airfield is still held by Assad, so only he (and Putin) knows the truth. Do you expect to get any reliable evidence from them (or Russians)?

Agree. However the US attacked telling the world the Syrian Air Forces use chemical weapons.
The Syrians are saying they hit a munitions depot and it exploded, so what was in this depot killed the civilians.
And History proved that CIA and other Western Allies can't be trusted either.

[Gilrandir]

Agree. However the US attacked telling the world the Syrian Air Forces use chemical weapons.
The Syrians are saying they hit a munitions depot and it exploded, so what was in this depot killed the civilians.
And History proved that CIA and other Western Allies can't be trusted either.

Since no side can be trusted what's the use of waiting for reliable evidence from any quarter?