Russia's Syrian Air Base Has U.S. Scrambling for a Plan

[Purveyor]

SEPT 10, 2015 4:29 PM EDT
By Josh Rogin

The Barack Obama administration and the U.S. intelligence community have concluded that Russia is set to start flying combat missions from a new air base inside Syria, but there’s disagreement inside the U.S. government on what to do about it.

Thursday at the White House, top officials were scheduled to meet at the National Security Council Deputies Committee level to discuss how to respond to the growing buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel in Latakia, a city on the Syrian coast controlled by the Bashar al-Assad regime. Obama has called on his national security officials to come up with a plan as soon as possible, as intelligence reports pour in about the Russian plans to set up an air base there. The options are to try to confront Russia inside Syria or, as some in the White House are advocating, cooperate with Russia there on the fight against the Islamic State.

The State Department had already begun pushing back against the Russian moves, for example by asking Bulgaria and Greece to deny overflight permissions to Syria-bound Russian transport planes. But state made those moves on its own, and when the president found out, he was upset with the department for failing to go through the inter-agency process, two officials said. The president wants his national security team to come up with a consensus on the way forward as early as next week.

For some in the White House, the priority is to enlist more countries to fight against the Islamic State, and they fear making the relationship with Russia any more heated. They are seriously considering accepting the Russian buildup as a fait accompli, and then working with Moscow to coordinate U.S. and Russian strikes in Northern Syria, where the U.S.-led coalition operates every day.

For many in the Obama administration, especially those who work on Syria, the idea of acquiescing to Russian participation in the fighting is akin to admitting that the drive to oust Assad has failed. Plus, they fear Russia will attack Syrian opposition groups that are fighting against Assad, using the war against the Islamic State as a cover.

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http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-10/russia-s-syrian-air-base-has-u-s-scrambling-for-a-plan

[leveymg]

1. The courageous thing would be to admit that Russia and the US have a common enemy:

Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and proceed accordingly to cut off most of ISIS funding from those sources.

Will we be honest and courageous or continue to play the neocon game of deflection?

[6chars]

2. Why aren't we welcoming this?

Letting Russia go there to keep the peace will keep America from having to risk soldiers lives.