Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin seek Syria peace

[bemildred]

Source: BBC

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have urged an immediate end to violence in Syria.

In a joint statement following their first meeting since Mr Putin returned to the presidency, they said they shared a belief that Syrians should determine their own future.

The two countries have been at odds over how to resolve the crisis.

Russia and China have twice blocked US-backed UN draft resolutions critical of Syria.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18499777

[truthisfreedom]

1. That's going to irritate the hell out of the repukes. Rmoney is vehemently anti-Russian.

Rmoney's spirit of non-cooperation and hatred of all things Russian may resonate with his war-loving base, but it's not going to sit well with independents.

[longship]

7. Repug hatred of all things Soviet... Er, Russian goes back to their McCarthy era roots.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Republican's still see Russia as Kruschev banging his shoe at the UN, and Stalin, and, of course, "Tail gunner" Joe McCarthy. They will never give up this meme because they never give up any meme that has worked in the past. They are authoritarians and authoritarians do not admit that they are wrong.

They have no choice but to tow the line on a myriad of mutually exclusive memes. That's why their memes never change; they are only added to.

What Dems have to do is point out that this is a helluva bad way to govern a country.

[otherone]

2. Everybody getting along all nice and fine

..

[humbled_opinion]

3. The Russians cannot be trusted

They never have our best interests in mind. The best you can hope for is to trick them into going along a certain direction that is mutually beneficial. The Russians are backing Assad, and he is the problem, there is no common ground here. This surly has the potential to either help or hurt President Obama before the election lets hope it is the former.

[TBF]

5. What is this - 1950? nt

[humbled_opinion]

6. No it's reality....

Russia makes billions selling arms to the Syrian regime, you expect them to give that up to help people? (Pollyanna much?)

[TBF]

8. And why do you think the US is involved?

Peak oil much ...

[FrodosPet]

10. Syria is not an oil powerhouse.

It is not a huge producer or reservoir like Venezuela or Saudi Arabia or even Libya. So what gives?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/14/us-syria-oil-idUSTRE77D15V20110814

~snip~

Syria is a relatively small oil producer, accounting for just 0.5 percent of the global production in 2010, according the latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy.

It has 2.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, just 0.2 percent of the world total and comparable to the United Kingdom's 2.8 billion barrels.

~snip~

[TBF]

11. It has oil and natural gas - but also phosphate

Peak phosphate

Syria's possession of vast phosphate reserves will only become more significant over time. Use of phosphate rock by farmers to increase crop yields has increased 1,100 percent since the end of World War II. The supply of this resource, however, is diminishing inline with the growth in global population, which has tripled in the same time frame. Without adequate amounts of phosphate, world food production will be restricted and will no longer be able to keep pace with the growing number of people on the planet.

http://www.syria-today.com/index.php/september-a-october-2010/620-business-features/12171-the-other-natural-resource

Not to mention it is located between the Mediterranean and Iraq:




There's always a reason the US military is involved ... maybe a combination of factors in this case.

[msider]

4. New title to this thread should be

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin seek Piece of Syria

[lib2DaBone]

9. Eggs-actly. The U.S. wants an air base in Syria to stage an attack on Iran...

Russia is already in Syria. They get oil from Iran.. oil they can't afford to give up.

Russia is sending 2 divisions of their special forces to Syria to go against the U.S. Special forces.

PNAC ... Destabilize mideast country.. install thug friendly to the U.S..... steal oil... Wash, rinse, repeat.

[humbled_opinion]

12. Well now the Israelis

are saying that the Russians, Chinese, Syrians and Iranians are going to participate in a huge military exercise.... I don't know if it's true but this certainly is getting weird. Syria in the middle of a civil war looking for reasons to crush the rebellion once and for all.... The future is far from clear...