General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama wants to spend $500 million aiding "good" Syrian rebels. Good policy or not?
I say not good policy.
In the first place, who are we to be overthrowing the governments of other countries?
In the second place, this is a very cynical exercise. The Syrian government has already strategically defeated the armed uprising against it. Assad isn't going anywhere. All our assistance will do is get more Syrians killed as a means of "pressuring" Assad to resign. Our policy appears to be to bleed Syria even further.
In the third place, we are already seeing the results of the instability we helped foster in Syria (the CIA has been secretly doing the same thing Obama now proposes to do publicly for several years now.) Now, we have very scary jihadis running rampant in Syria and Iraq.
In the fourth place, don't we have something better to do with $500 million?
I think US involvement in Syria should be limited to supplying humanitarian assistance.
I feel sorry for Obama. The Middle East is an inferno right now. But this is not the right path.
Autumn
(45,120 posts)and could use the help.
wildbilln864
(13,382 posts)Wwagsthedog
(1,533 posts)The Magistrate
(95,252 posts)Not today. Today Assad is our ally, as is Khomeine....
"States have neither enemies nor friends, only interests."
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)The only thing that has changed is that blowback from the Syrian intervention (by Saudis Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and us) now threatens the government in Iraq as well.
That said, we are truly in bizarro world now We are effectively allied with Assad, Maliki, and Iran against ISIS, while at the same time, we are attempting to overthrow Assad and believe Iran is the bogeyman.
Our policy in the region seems incoherent and self-contradictory. Again, I feel sorry for Obama. The whole region seems to be a seething cauldron right now. And all Obama wanted was to pivot to the Pacific.
The Magistrate
(95,252 posts)For a while, England was paying subsidies to both the Hashemite al'Husseini and ibn'Saud, while those two fought open battles with one another.
People who are not quick on their feet and able to change face on a second's notice have no business in the region.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)At least now there is a small amount of deniability.
Imagine if America had *officially* supplied arms to the rebels, who then turned around and invaded Iraq!
Of course, it's even more absurd to supply them with arms now.
The Magistrate
(95,252 posts)People here might have little understanding of the various rifts and divides, but the locals appreciate them keenly. Free Syrian Army types, and others, have been engaged in combat with the I.S.I.L. people for a couple of months at least.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)Factions hide their intentions.
Bigger factions take over smaller factions.
I understand it well enough.
The Magistrate
(95,252 posts)it is a matter of plain, well-known fact that the various factions opposing Assad could have a dandy civil war all on their own. It is not a sham put on to deceive or impress outsiders.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)ISIS have the best propaganda, organization and motivation.
KG
(28,752 posts)Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)The "good" rebels could find themselves forced into an alliance with the "bad" rebels if Assad still manages to gain the upper hand (and with Russian and Iranian backing, why wouldn't he) or the "bad" rebels may simply decide to overpower the "good" rebels and take all those shiny new toys.
leftstreet
(36,111 posts)I'm so confused
It was easy to follow along when you had yer Axis of Evil to be Smoked Out
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)I totally agree with everything you wrote.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)you have to be a really blind or adoring follower type to support some of this crap Obama has done.
IDemo
(16,926 posts)I have it on good word that the rebels will institute a Solar Panel on Every Rooftop initiative along with providing free college tuition for women.
TheKentuckian
(25,029 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)Might as well throw it all in the toilet.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)poverty or rebuild infrastructure.
former9thward
(32,066 posts)The $500 million will 1) go down a rat hole or 2) will eventually land in the hands of ISIS/Al Qaeda groups or 3) throw more gasoline on the Middle East fire or 4) some combination of the first three.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Whatever fireworks we shoot off ineffectively in Syria will have to be replenished by the US taxpayer, and the money goes to US defense contractors, who would take serious issue with you calling them a rat hole.
I argue semantically that they are rats, and not simply the dwelling place for vermin.
angrychair
(8,732 posts)always.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)The govt is not "good". IMO, if we pick a side, we're gonna get burned no matter which side we pick. Best to stay out of the fight.
spanone
(135,859 posts)CanonRay
(14,112 posts)I mean that seriously. Do we trust CIA intelligence to tell us which ones are the "good" ones. Do they wear a special color? What's the hand sign for the good ones? I'm not convinced we won't be giving weapons to ISIL, or Al Quaida, or some other jihadists.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)I believe him. Why would he lie?
"You are with me or you are with the terrorists." He learned from the master.
jamzrockz
(1,333 posts)Suicide bombings of civilian areas, executions of civilians and POW, alliances with Al Qaeda, "liberating" civilian areas that are opposed to them etc etc. These guys are bad bad guys and the US should have nothing to do with them. Btw I have video evidence that the FSA engage in suicide bombings.
Tetris_Iguana
(501 posts)But since the whole Middle East is now a global proxy war- why the heck not?
Not like our government would take the high road...
Mosby
(16,339 posts)jamzrockz
(1,333 posts)Did John McCain vet them for us? Regardless, I think this war has gone long enough and I am sure the majority of the Syria people want this stalemate to end. The rebels are not going to topple Assad so why not just give up and spare the Syria people more death and destruction?