Syria, Iran, Russia Slam Obama’s Strategy

[Purveyor]

Source: Daily Star (Lebanon)

Agencies

DAMASCUS: Syria and its allies criticized the Obama administration Thursday for excluding them from an international coalition to confront ISIS while a state-run Syrian daily warned that unauthorized U.S. airstrikes on Syrian territory may trigger the “first sparks of fire” in the region.

“Any action of any type without the approval of Syrian government is an aggression against Syria,” Ali Haidar, minister of national reconciliation affairs, told reporters in Damascus. “There must be cooperation with Syria and coordination with Syria and there must be a Syrian approval of any action, whether it is military or not.”

Foreign countries could use ISIS simply as a pretext for attacking Syria, Haidar told reporters ahead of a meeting with new international peace mediator Staffan de Mistura.

State-run Al-Thawra newspaper warned in a front-page editorial that Obama’s authorization of airstrikes in Syria might be “the first sparks of fire in the region.”



Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Sep-12/270440-syria-iran-russia-slam-obamas-strategy.ashx#axzz3D1nlfbyV

[femmocrat]

1. Well, I think that makes sense from their viewpoint.

We can't just assume Syria is going to accept American air strikes inside their borders or violation of their air space. I am sure the president is aware of the sensitivity and complexity of that very POV.

I don't think Russia and Iran have the same right to complain though.

[amandabeech]

2. Russia and Iran are Syria's allies.

We'd be complaining like crazy if Russia or Syria were threatening a bombing campaign inside the borders of one of our allies without that ally's consent.

[femmocrat]

5. Yes, I know that.

But Russia is doing that in Ukraine (even if they aren't admitting it.)

I wonder what happened to Iran's offer to help fight ISIS? Someone posed the question earlier today, what if we did nothing and let the region take care of it. I know it won't happen, and we will never accept aid from Iran.

[amandabeech]

6. Yes, Russia's doing it in Ukraine, and we're complaining like crazy and putting

economic sanctions on them.

According to NBC's Richard Engel speaking from Iraq last night on MSNBC after the President's address, the Iranian Army is really running the Iraqi Army. If you look around the net, you'll see more reports of just this.

The Iraqi Shia have been running the country. Maliki refused to deal with the Sunni Arabs or the Kurds, who are Sunni. He also had strong connections to Iran. The new guy is not much better.

The Iranians leading Iraqi Shia units are working with us now, but information is relayed through Iraqi channels. That may prove to be too cumbersome, and we will probably be dealing directly with some Iranian forces on the ground. It will happen, but it will be difficult to get the information.

[femmocrat]

7. That is very interesting.

I was unaware of Iran's involvement in Iraq and our "cooperation" (if that is the right word) with it.

Thanks for the information.

[amandabeech]

8. You're welcome.

I highly recommend Richard Engel's reporting. I wish that he had a direct line to the President.

There's an interesting article in the New Yorker from 4/28/2014 called "What We Left Behind." I can't get the link to work, but the article reviews Maliki and inability to deal with the Sunni and Kurds. It's long, but it has a lot of interesting info.

[7962]

3. If THAT crew is against it, Obama must be doing the right thing!

[Scootaloo]

11. What a stupid fucking way to assess right and wrong

[7962]

12. Why? I hear people say the exact same thing when the GOP is against something

Tell me, why would Russia & Iran be against what the president has proposed? Because it would likely help the rebels fighting Assad. The same rebels that ISIS has been attacking for not being a part of the Islamic state

[Scootaloo]

13. And it's fucking stupid then, too

Russia and Iran are opposed for a variety of reasons. Primarily hte fact that these three nations are allies - in fact Iran and Syria have a defense agreement, dating to 2006, and news is, Iran and Russia are formulating one at the moment.

Second, because Obama has just announced that Syria has no right to sovereignity and that we are committing our resources to overthrowing its government. Just bald and up-front like that. While yes it is hypocritical of Russia to complain about this, it's also hypocritical of us to make such a declaration while chiding Russia for Ukraine. Both nations are very wrong, and as i hope you know, two wrongs don't make a right.

Third, yes, because it will bolster the "rebels." Or as we would call them if we weren't dedicated to the obliteration of Arab states, "terrorist insurgents." These aren't nice guys. Drop the Reagan rhetoric of "freedom fighters" and "sons of liberty" and shit like that, it doesn't apply. All our support for them will do is create more chaos, prolong the civil war, and probably end up empowering al-Nusra to take up the power vacuum that will supposedly be left by IS. because the "Free Syria Army" is likely to lose support - what little they have left - if they march forth with American bombers hammering Syria in front of them. You do understand that we will not be "greeted as liberators" by now, don't you? They don't give a shit that the president is now a democrat and thus supposedly infallible.

"No one could have predicted this!" the next administration will say. Or hell, this administration if the shit flies fast enough to hit the fan in time.

The president's plan regarding Syria is as stupid in September 2014 as it was in September 2013.

[7962]

14. Pretty good analysis. I say just help em enough to let them kill each other

over an extended period of time. That will keep their focus off of Europe, which I believe is their next target, and the US.
Have to wonder how far this bunch would've gotten if Saddam was still in power? Although, most do belong to the same "tribe" as Saddam did, so who knows.

[YvonneCa]

4. Didn't the foreign minister...

...of Syria say today that he was in support?

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/syrias-deputy-foreign-minister-were-fighting-same-enemy-n201136

[amandabeech]

10. Yes, but in the article, the Foreign Minister says that Obama must contact Assad

and coordinate with him.

There are a lot of people who will be very, very upset if Obama does that because they want Assad out of there above all else.

[geek tragedy]

9. for public consumption. Obama can't afford to be seen holding hands with that crew in public, and

they sure as shit don't want to be seen as following US 'leadership'