Russian airstrikes in Syria

[The Qeiiam Star Cluster]

I'm sorry, being elected by electoral college is more dictatorial than receiving the post from your daddy?

Assad was elected via popular vote. Rigged or not, the practice itself was more democratic.

Bwahaha! Yeah, and how fair that was! No other candidates, no opposition etc. Atleast Urho wasn't the only candidate running and he did't win with North Korean numbers.

So no, rigged "popular" votes are not more democratic than vote via electoral college in a perfectly free and fair election.

[Costa Fierro]

It's funny that Turkey is getting its airspace violated for a change.

It isn't bad when they jets flying near funking Athens but if our planes(Greek) fly within our FIR near their own or neutral airspace they feel violated.

What's Greece going to do? Fire up the Corsairs and smoke the Turks to death?

[New Werpland]

I'm sorry, being elected by electoral college is more dictatorial than receiving the post from your daddy?

Assad was elected via popular vote. Rigged or not, the practice itself was more democratic.

It isn't quite democratic when it's rigged.

[San Verucia]

Deleted.

[Cedoria]

I believe Putin's objectives are these
1: Hold onto Assad as an ally
2: Respond to IS, to stop the threat of restive Muslim populations within Russia's own borders
3: Try to use the fight as a pretext to extend an olive branch to the West, hoping to get them to back off from confrontation in Ukraine.

Certainly I think that this could turn out well either way. If Russia has made a mistake, Putin has just effectively signed his own obituary, the West should sit back and let him make his error, without interrupting him, and that will hurt IS as well. If he gets it right, Russia will destroy IS, and weaken itself in the process, because it won't be easy to do.

I think we should just maintain a limited commitment, particularly trying to train the Iraqi forces, and let Russia take the leading combat role, the more they get involved, the more difficult it will be for them to extricate themselves, weakening them. Or they destroy IS, which is still a good outcome.

I just hope Western leaders are intelligent enough to let Russia take the brunt of the fighting, whilst they step back from it and try to promote a broader political settlement, the more fighting Russia does, the less we should do.


Realpolitik for the win.

[Costa Fierro]

Not to mention direct Russian involvement in the Middle East might have repercussions for stability in Dagestan. Give it a few months and Russia might start seeing an increase in violence.

[New Werpland]

I just hope Western leaders are intelligent enough to let Russia take the brunt of the fighting, whilst they step back from it and try to promote a broader political settlement, the more fighting Russia does, the less we should do.

It looks as if that is what will happen. http://www.dw.com/en/assad-regime-must-be-involved-in-syria-solution-merkel/a-18760013

[Cedoria]

I just hope Western leaders are intelligent enough to let Russia take the brunt of the fighting, whilst they step back from it and try to promote a broader political settlement, the more fighting Russia does, the less we should do.

It looks as if that is what will happen. http://www.dw.com/en/assad-regime-must-be-involved-in-syria-solution-merkel/a-18760013

Good, Assad, (bad as he is) should be a part of the process.

I'd rather a secular lunatic than a fundamentalist lunatic running the place. And frankly, the attempts at "democracy promotion" Western policies are carrying out have been a miserable failure elsewhere, and there's no reason why this would be any different.

Get some stability through a diplomatic agreement, let Putin blow the hell out of ISIL and then use this to focus on a solution to the Ukraine crisis to try and bring Russia on side in the growing Sino-American strategic competition, that would be my goals.

[Cedoria]

Not to mention direct Russian involvement in the Middle East might have repercussions for stability in Dagestan. Give it a few months and Russia might start seeing an increase in violence.

And if Putin starts seeing an increase in domestic instability, he would be more likely to pull back if the West is willing to help him ensure Russia remains stable. He'll stop threatening our interests, and a new political settlement on the status of Russia in world affairs should be another logical step.

I don't like Putin very much, but whilst he's there, we need to be trying our best to get him onside, and when he's not on side, interrupting him whilst he's making a fundamental strategic error is nothing short of strategic foolishness. If he's making a mistake, let him do it, and bear the consequences.

[Socialist Czechia]

It seems to me, that westerners also fails to see most obvious fact about Assad: that he fights for years. No putch, no assassination, government still holds together, somehow.
Hell, he fights and resists all the efforts to destroy him and his loyalists longer, than anyone could expected, when whole horror started.

Gaddafi and Mubarak fell immediately, but Assad resisted so called 'rebellion' and still resists, after years and after so many horriffic loses. If he's so bad, why large portion of population, elites etc. still follows him to the bitter end?

Westerners should think, that, perhaps, many of these people know, that all alternatives are much worse, so they will follow him to whatever end.

[New Werpland]

Gaddafi and Mubarak fell immediately, but Assad resisted so called 'rebellion' and still resists, after years and after so many horriffic loses. If he's so bad, why large portion of population, elites etc. still follows him to the bitter end?

Because he receives aid?

[Zathganastan]

Gaddafi and Mubarak fell immediately, but Assad resisted so called 'rebellion' and still resists, after years and after so many horriffic loses. If he's so bad, why large portion of population, elites etc. still follows him to the bitter end?

Because they're all very well aware of the fact that bad things are going to happen to them for supporting Assad should he lose.

[The balkens]

Gaddafi and Mubarak fell immediately, but Assad resisted so called 'rebellion' and still resists, after years and after so many horriffic loses. If he's so bad, why large portion of population, elites etc. still follows him to the bitter end?

Because he receives aid?

Stronk Arabic Nationalism. *nods*

[Rio Cana]

Gaddafi and Mubarak fell immediately, but Assad resisted so called 'rebellion' and still resists, after years and after so many horriffic loses. If he's so bad, why large portion of population, elites etc. still follows him to the bitter end?

Because he receives aid?

Mubarak was said to be a military dictator. Today, the military are back in power. Seems they never really left. And Mubarak has been set free. The US never really stopped arming his nation. France has even just sold that ship that the Russians wanted to buy but because of Crimea were forbidden to purchase. Mubarak became a problem for the military and businessmen. If Mubarak had crushed the protestors early on he might still be there but discontent and prolonged strikes caused large economic losses which affected the pockets of the military and government people who supported him. So they got rid of him for the sake of profit.

Read this - http://libcom.org/news/why-mubarak-fell ... z-18022011


Gaddafi fell since he was out of it. Sources say he suffered from megalomania . And this megalomania is what brought him down. It also caused problems in Africa.
Read this - http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... ica/71861/

The Syrian leader is not like the above former leaders. Seems he plays the game of politics much better. But chances are he would no longer be there if not for his so called allies supplying his with weapons and troops. Of course, the problems with be propped up by foreign help is that you risk being turned into a puppet . A puppet of your allies.

[West Aurelia]

I heard that Russian Electronic Jamming equipment has been spotted, what would they need that for against ISIS and Syrian Opposition groups?

Same reason that Russia has deployed Su-30s and the US has deployed F-22s - no one is taking any chances.

[Galactic Assembly of Free Planets]

I heard that Russian Electronic Jamming equipment has been spotted, what would they need that for against ISIS and Syrian Opposition groups?

Same reason that Russia has deployed Su-30s and the US has deployed F-22s - no one is taking any chances.

Nobody's taking chances with ISIS or each other?

[West Aurelia]

Same reason that Russia has deployed Su-30s and the US has deployed F-22s - no one is taking any chances.

Nobody's taking chances with ISIS or each other?

Each other. None of the rebel groups have any aerial capacity.

[Galactic Assembly of Free Planets]

Nobody's taking chances with ISIS or each other?

Each other. None of the rebel groups have any aerial capacity.

Okay...
so are they planning to engage each other, or deter attacks on their cronies in the area by the opposing force?

[The balkens]

Each other. None of the rebel groups have any aerial capacity.

Okay...
so are they planning to engage each other, or deter attacks on their cronies in the area by the opposing force?

The F-22 will win anyway.

[West Aurelia]

Each other. None of the rebel groups have any aerial capacity.

Okay...
so are they planning to engage each other, or deter attacks on their cronies in the area by the opposing force?

It's so that they can defend their strike aircraft in the event of a confrontation.

[The balkens]

Okay...
so are they planning to engage each other, or deter attacks on their cronies in the area by the opposing force?

It's so that they can defend their strike aircraft in the event of a confrontation.

The F-22 will still win.

[Uxupox]

It's so that they can defend their strike aircraft in the event of a confrontation.

The F-22 will still win.

We don't know that. Yes the F-22's capabilities are beyond the SU-30 but we haven't seen them in combat against each other. In a combat flight the pilot skill can be the most important factor in a death and life situation.

[The United Colonies of Earth]

Okay...
so are they planning to engage each other, or deter attacks on their cronies in the area by the opposing force?

The F-22 will win anyway.

Hopefully. But as Uxupox says, it's up to pilot skill too, in part.

[The balkens]

The F-22 will still win.

We don't know that. Yes the F-22's capabilities are beyond the SU-30 but we haven't seen them in combat against each other. In a combat flight the pilot skill can be the most important factor in a death and life situation.

The F-22 engagement is 50 Nautical miles, far enough room to wipe out an enemy formation.

[Uxupox]

We don't know that. Yes the F-22's capabilities are beyond the SU-30 but we haven't seen them in combat against each other. In a combat flight the pilot skill can be the most important factor in a death and life situation.

The F-22 engagement is 50 Nautical miles, far enough room to wipe out an enemy formation.

Well there goes the SU-30.