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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
45. Actually, it's the Russians who just sat on their hands for too long.
Wed Sep 30, 2015, 02:28 PM
Sep 2015

Syria had close ties to the Soviet Union, which viewed it an an antidote to U.S. ally Israel. Often, when Syrians went abroad to study, it was to the USSR, most often to Russia, as Moscow and then-Leningrad were centers of learning and culture then as now.

Of course, the last time the USSR/Russia got involved in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, it was a disaster that many credit with bringing about the fall of the USSR. Perhaps the delay can be attributed to "Afghanistan syndrome", like our "Vietnam syndrome".

I'm not sure I am unhappy about all of this. I think we should let the Russian's own it. stevenleser Sep 2015 #1
ISIS was created by the power vacuum induced by the catastrophic polly7 Sep 2015 #9
...! KoKo Sep 2015 #13
Yes they were. And? nt stevenleser Sep 2015 #16
And ........... polly7 Sep 2015 #17
No hypocrisy. Obama did not invade Iraq. We don't need another quagmire. stevenleser Sep 2015 #18
'The quagmire' was caused by the brutal destruction of a nation long on polly7 Sep 2015 #19
Your posts are a rapidly accelerating gish gallop of unfocused points and accusations. stevenleser Sep 2015 #22
And your posts are a rapidly accelerating attempt to polly7 Sep 2015 #27
LOL, good luck with that interpretation. nt stevenleser Sep 2015 #29
Yes, it's all a huge laugh. polly7 Sep 2015 #30
As always, trying to mischaracterize other folks posts laughing at your lack of logic stevenleser Sep 2015 #32
Nah ................ I don't really care about anyone laughing at me, polly7 Sep 2015 #34
that's good because LOL once again uhnope Sep 2015 #88
Just Gross. polly7 Sep 2015 #100
you didn't answer. Is Assad, like Gaddafi was, a good guy in your book uhnope Sep 2015 #102
I never said Gaddafi was a 'good guy'. Stop lying. polly7 Sep 2015 #103
oh jeez. a huge dump that was. Okay to play your game.... uhnope Sep 2015 #107
Didn't like that, too complicated? polly7 Sep 2015 #108
so you won't answer. LOL. Omission is a LIE also, did you know that? uhnope Sep 2015 #111
I don't answer to your ugly lies and innuendo. polly7 Sep 2015 #112
you were an apologist for Gaddafi and now for Assad. And for the homophobic fascist Putin uhnope Sep 2015 #113
You're disgusting. Period. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #115
Very graphic jamzrockz Sep 2015 #118
Thanks jamzrockz ... polly7 Sep 2015 #119
It's stunning how people refuse to admit Bush started this. It would be too hard to bettyellen Sep 2015 #37
WHO refused to admit Bush started this??? polly7 Sep 2015 #38
For some folks, when the truth doesn't suit their agenda, it's OK to just make stuff up. stevenleser Sep 2015 #39
Yes ........... exactly. polly7 Sep 2015 #42
I'm not the one who can't get right the group that started the Iraq war. You've changed it several stevenleser Sep 2015 #47
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. polly7 Sep 2015 #48
Yep! The "west" instead of Bush is willfully deceptive..... bettyellen Sep 2015 #49
Lmfao. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #50
Who mentioned any of that? polly7 Sep 2015 #52
You need to calm down. We've seen dozens of posts here laying this all at HRC and BO's feet with no bettyellen Sep 2015 #56
And you need to stop making shit up that wasn't mentioned. It's dishonest polly7 Sep 2015 #57
Just agreeing with Steve that this "the West" stuff is bullshit.... bettyellen Sep 2015 #58
Ok, Bush and PNAC represented the East. polly7 Sep 2015 #59
It's nice you're willing to be specific when pressed, thanks! bettyellen Sep 2015 #60
It's disappointing an adult would believe Bush represented the east, polly7 Sep 2015 #61
Not sure why you heard that one- a delusion I guess. bettyellen Sep 2015 #65
Are you hearing things? I'm not. polly7 Sep 2015 #67
Happy? angry? You flatter yourself. And babble on about the east as if someone bettyellen Sep 2015 #69
You're boring. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #71
You're usually mildly amusing. Not this time, but often! bettyellen Sep 2015 #77
Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch... betsuni Sep 2015 #104
Good for you. polly7 Sep 2015 #105
Clean your mirror. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #120
Agree with you. 840high Sep 2015 #41
Thank you. :) nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #43
Yeah, that was a stupid game of semantic nit-picking. Comrade Grumpy Sep 2015 #72
And getting stupider and stupider all the time. polly7 Sep 2015 #74
Much gallop today! bettyellen Sep 2015 #78
And without a point. Reread that persons posts and see if you can detect an overall stevenleser Sep 2015 #82
Awwies ............. polly7 Sep 2015 #106
The point is to derail towards some imaginary conversation they'd prefer to have. bettyellen Oct 2015 #125
Snooze. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #109
Russia is bombing the fuck out of opponents to the brutal dictator Assad uhnope Sep 2015 #87
"Russia is bombing the fuck out of opponents to the brutal dictator Assad" Jesus Malverde Sep 2015 #92
Russia is bombing the moderates uhnope Sep 2015 #95
Moderate terrorists Jesus Malverde Sep 2015 #96
you think it's funny that moderate opponents are being slaughtered and you call them terrorists? uhnope Sep 2015 #97
There are no moderates only zealots fighting Assad, Jesus Malverde Sep 2015 #98
The Russians are next in line for a failed unconventional war. Rex Sep 2015 #84
Yep, let 'em have it with our compliments stevenleser Sep 2015 #86
Russia is bombing anti-Assad forces but not ISL denbot Sep 2015 #2
^^^ moondust Sep 2015 #11
^^^ ellisonz Sep 2015 #62
based on our actions and who is funding ISIS GreatGazoo Sep 2015 #3
...! KoKo Sep 2015 #12
So we underestimated Assad or Puzzledtraveller Sep 2015 #91
see post #8 for a more complete picture of ISIS GreatGazoo Sep 2015 #99
Hands were tied. Xolodno Sep 2015 #4
Or, with luck, those radicals will go back to KSA ozone_man Sep 2015 #7
We did a lot more than just train the rebels - we flew bombing missions just like Russia and karynnj Sep 2015 #5
...! KoKo Sep 2015 #14
Russia has had troops in Syria since 1971 and they just added to them GreatGazoo Sep 2015 #21
Even before the first shot was fired in Daraa on 3/18/11, the opposition was armed leveymg Sep 2015 #64
Thank you for dissecting the convenient narrative of all this all began. Comrade Grumpy Sep 2015 #114
Thank you, leveymg. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #116
Putin isn't doing this to "fight ISIS" Blue_Tires Sep 2015 #6
it may not be Putin's top reason but fighting ISIS is part of the mix GreatGazoo Sep 2015 #20
The Uses of ISIS polly7 Sep 2015 #8
...! KoKo Sep 2015 #15
Thank you KoKo! nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #40
Seems about right. ozone_man Sep 2015 #51
Thank you ozone_man. :) nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #53
+1 GreatGazoo Sep 2015 #85
Thanks for the article GreatGazoo! nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #101
this is not america's affair... best to take this opportunity to stay far away... KG Sep 2015 #10
if Russia wants to run the Afghanistan/Vietnam/Iraq playbook in hopes geek tragedy Sep 2015 #23
Exactly what I was saying upthread. Have at it Vladimir Vladimirovich. stevenleser Sep 2015 #24
please proceed, president for life nt geek tragedy Sep 2015 #25
Yes, take it with our blessing. What will be interesting going forward is... stevenleser Sep 2015 #28
they've already excused Assad's abuses, they still insist he's innocent geek tragedy Sep 2015 #31
Yep. I really expect very little good or honesty from that crowd. stevenleser Sep 2015 #46
Russia appears to be doing exactly the same thing we are in Syria. Comrade Grumpy Sep 2015 #55
Russia is there to shore up Assad. There's little sign they're going after ISIS as opposed geek tragedy Sep 2015 #66
I don't particularly care which jihadists they're bombing. Comrade Grumpy Sep 2015 #73
Agree with you 100%. nt. polly7 Sep 2015 #75
Assad is their last remaining asset in the region. geek tragedy Sep 2015 #76
To be fair, it's difficult to have an open and democratic society killbotfactory Sep 2015 #110
The Ba'ath regime in Syria has been around for decades geek tragedy Sep 2015 #117
This war has nothing to do with human rights. killbotfactory Oct 2015 #122
Thank you. nt. polly7 Oct 2015 #123
I do not share your eagerness to make excuses geek tragedy Oct 2015 #124
I make no excuses for the actions of Bush or Cheney. nt killbotfactory Oct 2015 #127
No, you only make excuses for Assad and Putin. nt geek tragedy Oct 2015 #128
I opposed the Iraq War, too. I guess that makes me a Saddam apologist. killbotfactory Oct 2015 #129
I opposed the Iraq war, and I don't lick the boots of Assad and Putin. geek tragedy Oct 2015 #130
The option here is secular dictatorship vs. radical Islamic caliphate. killbotfactory Oct 2015 #131
That's the current choice because that's how Assad engineered it. geek tragedy Oct 2015 #132
most governments will try to maintain power when faced with violent revolution. killbotfactory Oct 2015 #133
Assad used violence against peaceful protestors. geek tragedy Oct 2015 #134
Better Russia than us. I am very concerned about the innocents still_one Sep 2015 #26
If Russia can handle it, so be it. romanic Sep 2015 #33
I'm with you Puzzledtraveller Sep 2015 #93
At one point Proud Liberal Dem Sep 2015 #35
Not only Congress, but the American people as well. Some of us have "selective" memories, or.... Tarheel_Dem Sep 2015 #80
Let it be Pooty Pott's problem treestar Sep 2015 #36
They are. 840high Sep 2015 #44
Actually, it's the Russians who just sat on their hands for too long. KamaAina Sep 2015 #45
you wrote underthematrix Sep 2015 #54
You got my quote correct then made a weird left turn into no man's land GummyBearz Sep 2015 #63
Message auto-removed Name removed Sep 2015 #68
Russia won't hit ISIS directly davidn3600 Sep 2015 #70
I have a couple of posts with my thoughts fadedrose Sep 2015 #79
One despicable dictator covering the ass of another. Who coulda guessed? Tarheel_Dem Sep 2015 #81
It is strange watching a dictator clean up an unruly mess made by the Bush administration. Rex Sep 2015 #83
Our current admin stoked the flames too. Puzzledtraveller Sep 2015 #90
We need to figure out why the hell we are still in Afghanistan. Rex Oct 2015 #121
Russia indeed has more of an interest in seeing Isis squashed. Puzzledtraveller Sep 2015 #89
The monster was created by our friends. Jesus Malverde Sep 2015 #94
Since it turned out that whacking Saddam and Gaddhafi Jake Stern Oct 2015 #126
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