ba$eman posted:

On ISIS, Syria, Iraq, if the Russians did not make their move in Syria and offered Iraq a similar hand of assistance, feckless Obama and hapless Hillary would be sitting and waiting to see where the chips fall.

We will not win in Syria, we cannot.  Syria is a client state and strategic ally of Russia.  The Russians are dug in, they are not going anywhere and will throw back at us.  This is why Trump said he will cede Syria for Russia to handle ISIS and focus on eradicating them out of Iraq which we (US) will then control.

What will happen in Syria is this. First by the spring of next year the Kurds and anti-Assad rebels in northern and eastern Syria will wipe out ISIS with US special Ops and aerial bombardment. That would be after the official Iraqi army retake Mosul and drive ISIS out of Iraq.

The Russians and Assad will then be in a guerrilla war with anti-Assad/Kurdish rebels. This will be the full-out proxy war the US will not partake in until its priority ISIS is taken down. This war will drag on and will only be given priority when inhuman excesses take place when the US and allies will seek UN cover to take on Assad directly with or without Russian cover.

Stormborn posted:

The russians got nothing. Her political and private live seem to coincide. She will be the president with the enormous arsenal of the US intelligence agencies  to deploy against them so she is not afraid of them.

 

Obama is as arrogant as you define him not as he actually is. He was not boxed in but seem reluctant to use US ground troops. To his credit ISIS as all but lost all territory in Iraq and Syria. They are going to be stateless when Mosul and Raqua falls and that will be very soon. He seem to have done the impossible, weld a good deal of cooperation between its various factions for the first time. They are presently working together to take out ISIS in Mosul. Hillary will set up a safe zone.

Obama already detailed out some 5 thousand square miles where there will be a safe zone. Mrs C will bring it to fruition. R0ussia will lose its importance as that region reconstitutes itself.

Turkey has already demarcated a good swath of norther Syria that will be a safe zone. Their selfish interest obviously is to keep out Kurdish influence but will help the anti-Assad forces. ISIS is not active in this area so the US will not bother this NATO ally in this area.

With Hillary and facts on the ground indeed the Russians will behave differently. You see with ISIS presence elsewhere in Iraq and the GOP non-co-operation for Obama to get funding for more special Ops forces (according to an interview today with Joe Biden), the Russians are acting the way they are. But wait until attrition sets in and Syria is less on the top of their priority. I believe like Regan/tip O'Neil and Bill Clinton/Newt Gingrich, there will be a Hillary/Paul Ryan axis as the latter seeks to keep the Trumpists at bay. With that cooperation (the poor Blackman they tried to lynch for 8 years) watch out Assad and Putin.

Kari posted:

ba$eman posted:

On ISIS, Syria, Iraq, if the Russians did not make their move in Syria and offered Iraq a similar hand of assistance, feckless Obama and hapless Hillary would be sitting and waiting to see where the chips fall.

We will not win in Syria, we cannot.  Syria is a client state and strategic ally of Russia.  The Russians are dug in, they are not going anywhere and will throw back at us.  This is why Trump said he will cede Syria for Russia to handle ISIS and focus on eradicating them out of Iraq which we (US) will then control.

What will happen in Syria is this. First by the spring of next year the Kurds and anti-Assad rebels in northern and eastern Syria will wipe out ISIS with US special Ops and aerial bombardment. That would be after the official Iraqi army retake Mosul and drive ISIS out of Iraq.

The Russians and Assad will then be in a guerrilla war with anti-Assad/Kurdish rebels. This will be the full-out proxy war the US will not partake in until its priority ISIS is taken down. This war will drag on and will only be given priority when inhuman excesses take place when the US and allies will seek UN cover to take on Assad directly with or without Russian cover.

UN cover will not happen.  Both China and Russia are perm and veto members.  The US has to invoke NATO, but then you declaring war on Russia.  It ain't going to happen.  The Kurds will be limited as the Turks want it that way.  Germany already favoring the Russian solution as they will risk millions more flooding into Germany in an ISIS take over.

This war will expand before it contracts.  Russia ain't going anywhere!

The Republicans did not box Obama in. Because of their hatred for a black president, they thought their actions would box him in but all they managed to do is box themselves in with Trump. When this election is over, the Repubs will have to come to terms with the destruction to their party caused by the mischief over the past 7+ years. Meanwhile Obama is doing an excellent job suppressing his laughter.