Is President Obama's opposition to Assad at all costs an effective way to deal with ISIS and al-Nusra front?

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 13:55:37 -0400

The USA has been supporting various rebel factions in Syria for some time. Iran and Russia support Assad staying in power. POTUS publicly opposes Assad and essentially deny any support of his regime. Since Russia has overtly been supporting Assad and supporting the naval base in Syria, they have been focused ostensibly on shoring the regime of Assad, establishing a defensive perimeter with offensive capabilities, and strengthening their naval supply and maintenance base at Tartus. Russian aircraft have come close to Turkey and crossed into their airspace. Since Turkey is part of NATO, NATO is rattling its sword. I don't expect that the vents will lead to a WWI-like confrontation; but, it is interesting to watch the situation with its interesting alliances unfold. The enemy of my enemy applies very well to this situation. What are your thoughts.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Oct 8 at 2015 2:00 PM

SCPO David Lockwood — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:00:10 -0400

Like the old saying goes. Be careful what you wish for!

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 8 at 2015 2:00 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:00:32 -0400

If we temporarily forgot about Assad and were able to get some of the rebel groups we support helping us on the ground to fight ISIS. Then perhaps corporately they could work to reduce the attractiveness of ISIS to foreign recruits while we fought ISIS from the air and ground [Syrian, Iraq, Kurd's etc.]. This approach may make supporting the actions against ISIS more attractive to teh regional powers that are being standoffish.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 2:01 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:01:19 -0400

Any strategy whatsoever would be better than our current "do virtually nothing, wait, and see".

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Oct 8 at 2015 2:02 PM

SSG Warren Swan — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:02:19 -0400

I say we sit back, let Russia sink in it's own quagmire, and wait to see where the chips fall. As long as we're not sending BOG, a dollar is just a dollar. A life doesn't have a dollar amount on it.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 2:10 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:10:55 -0400

I think you will start to see a tremendous shift in the Gulf States approach to Syria now. They have the most to fear from both Assad and ISIS/AQ/AN. Russian and Iranian support for the regime, and killing of Sunni opposition is as bad as it gets for them.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Oct 8 at 2015 2:22 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:22:31 -0400

LTC Stephen F. the middle east has been a volatile region since the beginning of recorded history. From the Romans to ISIL, and Everyone in between that is not a region of the world that lends itself to peace. That being said, when Assad is gone (whether from natural causes, military overthrow, or assassination) there will be something else to pop up. There are several small rebel factions in Syria. IF the regime in power falls, my guess would be that they would turn on each other fighting for power. There would also be people within Assad's government who would be in on that. We need to stay out of the internal politics of Syria. ISIL is a direct threat. They have recruited in America, and made threats against America and her citizens. They need to be dealt with in an aggressive manner. In that respect, Russia has it right. Fuck political correctness, get the damned job done, and bring our people home.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 8 at 2015 3:20 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 15:20:44 -0400

We are good at making failed states.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2015 4:11 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:11:13 -0400

No. Especially with Russia in the mix, we need to be realistic and work with them.