Current Affairs Syria...

[Tubey]

I would normally agree with this and indeed is an argument I have used before. If we don’t react now however, then we are giving Assad and Russia a free ticket to use chemical weapons whenever they want. There has to be a price......

I said this in 2013:

https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/so-this-syria-thing.59719/page-18#post-2196475

Here's the thing though, I don't support a war against Syria. Nobody would. But there has to be a smacked arse for Assad as a consequence for using chemical weaponry. Cruise missiles, drone strikes etc. It actually doesn't matter if they're successful or not, it's solely the message it sends.

The term "red line" is a perfect metaphor. I couldn't care less if Assad went around gunning the rebels down, nothing to do with us, but in the longer term it's critical for the bigger nations to smack down any prospect of smaller nations going on a rampage with chemical weaponry and dirty nuclear bombs.

It remains true now.

Let's face it, it was Obama and his god-awful foreign policy decisions that has led to Syria/Russia being empowered to do what they are doing now. I really liked Obama, but he had weaknesses and foreign policy was clear as day a weakness of his.

 

[Agent Blue]

I doubt many MP’s are shareholders, but many have constituencies with Defence industries in their area........

You may very well have a point there about those constituencies.....https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/08/could-britain-have-sold-sarin-chemicals-assad-syria.

 

[tommytowne]

Relax people. Putin is that vain he will not put the staging of his World Cup in the summer in any sort of jeopardy.
Armageddon will be on hold until late July.

 

[magicjuan]

Things like this really show up who is who in the world and whether or not they are willing to act over a principle. There are lots of handwringers who basically say ‘do nothing’ for a variety of reasons. But to their credit, the USA, France and the U.K. take their responsibility seriously. We’ve already seen one lot of apologists denying that Russia poisoned people on the streets of the U.K. and we will almost certainly get the same people denying or making excuses for Russia over the dropping of chemical bombs in Syria. If we are serious about not allowing such weapons then it’s important to react. It’s just a shame that Russia is once again involved and that China retreats behind an abstention.......

The 'do something' is at the beginning. Instead of funding and arming sides stop the flow of cash and weaponry, but a major part of the economies of the west are dependant upon perpetual conflict so the political will isn't there. The moral will is frippery at its finest.

 

[peteblue]

I said this in 2013:

https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/so-this-syria-thing.59719/page-18#post-2196475



It remains true now.

Let's face it, it was Obama and his god-awful foreign policy decisions that has led to Syria/Russia being empowered to do what they are doing now. I really liked Obama, but he had weaknesses and foreign policy was clear as day a weakness of his.

Indeed. Obama set a red line then publicly ignored it. North Korea will also be watching with great interest to determine the resolve of the west......

 

[peteblue]

The 'do something' is at the beginning. Instead of funding and arming sides stop the flow of cash and weaponry, but a major part of the economies of the west are dependant upon perpetual conflict so the political will isn't there. The moral will is frippery at its finest.

.....and if Assad threw Russia out of its country, removed access to naval installations and bought all its weaponry from the West, I am pretty sure that the conflict would swiftly come to an end with Assad still in power (but told to get rid of the chemicals). Morality and Geopolitics make strange bedfellows.......

 

[MrPerfectNot]

Morality and Geopolitics make strange bedfellows.......

This.

 

[peteblue]

Hahaha....I see Russia is now accusing the U.K. of setting the whole thing up and pressurising the White Helments to do their evil bidding while Russia has only ever wanted to spread peace and love......

Where’s @hullefc when you need him......come on lads where’s all the ready made excuses for Russia, there’s only Corbyn and Abbott holding up their end at the moment......

 

[Jib in lad]

 

[Jib in lad]

 

[dholliday]

Well that tells you everything you need to know, really.

Where's @peteblue when you need him, come on lads where's all the ready-made excuses for the warmongers?

 

[Jib in lad]

Well that tells you everything you need to know, really.

Where's @peteblue when you need him, come on lads where's all the ready-made excuses for the warmongers?

They are baying for blood they want another war.

 

[Blues Harp]

We are always told by this goverment that "we can't afford this, we can't afford that, austerity etc etc". If they start bombing Syria who is going to pay for that? The magic money tree? so its ok to sell arms to Saudi who in turn bomb the hell out of Yemen, and bomb Syria but ignore your own citizens many of whom are living in poverty in this country, cut public services, dismantle the NHS.....slime ball tory scum and blue blair rats all of them.

 

[dholliday]

We are always told by this goverment that "we can't afford this, we can't afford that, austerity etc etc". If they start bombing Syria who is going to pay for that? The magic money tree? so its ok to sell arms to Saudi who in turn bomb the hell out of Yemen, and bomb Syria but ignore your own citizens many of whom are living in poverty in this country, cut public services, dismantle the NHS.....slime ball tory scum and blue blair rats all of them.

Sadly it's not something we can blame the Tories for. They're all at it, New Labour for example. My idealism's almost completely shot but I'm still keeping a little faith that a Corbyn-led Labour government wouldn't involve themselves in such evil.

 

[Walken]

That really is quite astonishing, perhaps out of context, but such actions only prompt more questions