[user104658]

Realistically, Russia isn't going to enter into any sort of major conflict with the US over Assad / Syria. Putin isn't Kim Jong-Un... Syria simply isn't important enough to Russia to essentially commit national / global suicide, you don't blow your load over a political pawn. They won't be happy, though, and whilst not triggering it, it will edge further towards Cold War Mk.II.

Like I said before though there's very little point in talking about Obama / Clinton / Trump here. The President is not calling the shots on issues like these ffs, surely we're all old enough and wise enough to realise that? The fact that it's gone this way under Trump, after all of his rhetoric around Russian relations, is for me 100% proof of that. Puppets and talking heads, that's all we elect. They have sway over domestic political issues and the everyday running of the country... ... ... they are not the ones deciding when and where the world goes to war. Those people don't go on TV and twitter. You wouldn't know those people if you passed them in the street. And that's how they want it.

[MTVN]

Well clearly the President does have a say given that Obama refused to carry out strikes against the Syrian government for years yet they have now been targeted only weeks into Trump's presidency

[user104658]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Well clearly the President does have a say given that Obama refused to carry out strikes against the Syrian government for years yet they have now been targeted only weeks into Trump's presidency

Yes if you believe the narrative that it was actually Obama's decision, or Trump's decision. It is 100% my belief (and IMO fairly obvious) that these strikes would have occurred on the same day, at the same time, had Clinton been president.

[user104658]

If you believe that Trump suddenly did a 100% U-turn on the issue after seeing some youtube videos of children suffering the aftereffects of nerve gas, completely on his own with no one whispering in his ear... well... there's not much I can say. If that's the world you believe in now, that's the world you will always believe in .

[MTVN]

Yes because Trump is clearly an unstable and volatile personality who is prone to changing his mind constantly, it was always clear during his campaign that he was going to be very unpredictable. If you want further incentive you might say he was trying to rescue his opinion polls or appease the hawks in the Republican party in exchange for their support on other issues

There are numerous reasons why he has performed this u turn that make more sense than your theory which has little logic and no evidence to it

[Brother Leon]

Looking online and Trump has lost a lot of faith and support from his core fanbase. Bizarre to see his group turning on him and some Liberals actually praising him at the moment.

[Brother Leon]

I'll just leave this here

[user104658]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Yes because Trump is clearly an unstable and volatile personality who is prone to changing his mind constantly, it was always clear during his campaign that he was going to be very unpredictable. If you want further incentive you might say he was trying to rescue his opinion polls or appease the hawks in the Republican party in exchange for their support on other issues

There are numerous reasons why he has performed this u turn that make more sense than your theory which has little logic and no evidence to it

There's "little logic" in saying that it's unlikely that one elected individual has major control over global political events? Kay.

[Northern Monkey]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Hmh. This really does just confirm that it doesn't actually matter who wins these elections... Global events are like a tidal force, and will go the way they are going regardless.

Exactly what i was thinking.Once a path is set it doesn't matter which puppet is getting their strings pulled.

[Tom4784]

I hope we don't get involved, it's not our place to police the world and we're in a precarious period of change atm. I don't think we should do anything that risks putting us into a potential war unless there's a direct threat posed to us. I think we should carry on sending aid (I assume we are already) and do what we can for the citizens but I don't think the militaristic option is a good one for the moment.

[Northern Monkey]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

I hope we don't get involved, it's not our place to police the world and we're in a precarious period of change atm. I don't think we should do anything that risks putting us into a potential war unless there's a direct threat posed to us. I think we should carry on sending aid (I assume we are already) and do what we can for the citizens but I don't think the militaristic option is a good one for the moment.

I hope so too.The problem is that we're already in the area conducting missions in Syria and Iraq and we have an airbase within spitting distance in Cyprus.If **** gets real and Russia retaliates then its hard to see how we wouldn't get involved.There's already British,French,US,Syrian and Russian jets up there coming into contact quite often.Scary.

[user104658]

This cold war just got hot.

.. Hiiighway to tha daynger zone, neh-neh-err gonna take you riiight into... The daynger-zooooone.

[Northern Monkey]

Russian foreign minister was saying just after the airstrike there was a ground offensive against Syrian ground forces by Al Nusra and ISIS.They're saying "they hope it wasn't coordinated"

Also saying that Syrian air defences will be increased.

[Brother Leon]

Originally Posted by Northern Monkey

Russian foreign minister was saying just after the airstrike there was a ground offensive against Syrian ground forces by Al Nusra and ISIS.They're saying "they hope it wasn't coordinated"

Also saying that Syrian air defences will be increased.

Wasn't coordinated, but anyone can see this coming. The happiest about this are IS,Nusra and Al Qaeda... just as they were all on the backfoot and losing hope, they get this present.

[Tozzie]

Assad can't continue the atrocities he has been carrying out, someone had to step in.

[UserSince2005]

Thank god someone has finally stood up to the butcher assad.

Trump is a true man, unlike pussy boy obama.

clear and sharp message to the syrians and russians, stop your ****e or more strikes occur.

[Brother Leon]

Interesting "rebel" groups supporting Trump..

Spoiler:

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

Interesting "rebel" groups supporting Trump..

Spoiler:

Does it matter if it helps stop them gassing children?

[Brother Leon]

Originally Posted by jaxie

Does it matter if it helps stop them gassing children?

No, but this strike isn't going to magically prevent any of that. That airbase was predominantly used to fight off Isis and to prevent Israel from invading their airspace constantly. That is what will be effected..not the use of chemical attacks.

Besides, What about the Children killed by USA air strikes on a Mosque just 10 days ago? Or the several innocent kids killed by Obama drones? Or Yemeni children being kill d by Western Allie Saudi Arabia? Who's going to police all that seeing as suddenly America can't stand for any of this? It's going to cause more trouble than help.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

Wasn't coordinated, but anyone can see this coming. The happiest about this are IS,Nusra and Al Qaeda... just as they were all on the backfoot and losing hope, they get this present.

That's the problem really. More likely to be opportunistic than coordinated, but the elephant in the room remains, remove Assad and those waiting to step into the power vacuum aren't any better. Hussein was abhorrent just like Assad, he butchered innocent people in similar ways... But removing him only made matters worse for the civilian population. From living in fear in a functional nation to living in fear in a bombed out shell. Mess.

[Alf]

The only winners here are ISIS.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

No, but this strike isn't going to magically prevent any of that. That airbase was predominantly used to fight off Isis and to prevent Israel from invading their airspace constantly. That is what will be effected..not the use of chemical attacks.

Besides, What about the Children killed by USA air strikes on a Mosque just 10 days ago? Or the several innocent kids killed by Obama drones? Or Yemeni children being kill d by Western Allie Saudi Arabia? Who's going to police all that seeing as suddenly America can't stand for any of this? It's going to cause more trouble than help.

[UserSince2005]

People on this forum are sick.

Watch thevideo of the kids dying.

horrible

people on here seem to want them dead, by the choice of turning a blind eye

sick.

[user104658]

The middle east has been used as a tug of war chewtoy by the US and Russia for half a century or more, is the simple fact. All of this is just confirmation that the existence of ISIS has taught them nothing.

People blame Islam or say that the people involved in terrorist attacks are simply monsters but step back for a second. We see these videos every day at the moment, of families and children who are not "other", they look like they could be your next door neighbour, and they're lying there killed by gas or bombs, parents wailing over them... I find myself having to be brutally honest and say... If that was my children lying dead on the ground, I am as certain as I can be that I would become a "monster" too. Does that make me a "sympathiser"? I don't know. I do know that if I wasn't dead too, I wouldn't be human any more.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by UserSince2005

People on this forum are sick.

Watch thevideo of the kids dying.

horrible

people on here seem to want them dead, by the choice of turning a blind eye

sick.

Crock of **** right there bud.

It's not about turning a blind eye. In fact, at this point I don't know WHAT the answer is, but in hindsight it's pretty obvious who is ultimately responsible for the various horrendous situations that middle eastern countries are in today. What is the answer for those children? Probably getting them the hell out of there and into safer countries. But Ohhh no, we don't want THAT either, do we. We don't want them dead but, yuck, we don't want them turning up on our doorsteps either.

Their situation as it stands? There is no way to help. If we leave Assad to do as he wants, they are ****ed by Assad himself . If we bomb the country back to the stone age to remove Assad, they are ****ed by a destroyed infrastructure and the inevitable rise of brutal extremists who will exploit the willing and kill the unwilling.

There is no winning, here.