U.S./Russia. Syria strikes

[ftpiercecracker1]

Can someone please explain the situation? 

 

Is all out war a real possibility or is it simply sensationalized news grasping at the latest shiny bit of drama trying to get the populace all worked up again?

 

 

I would like to hear opposing opinions if possible. 

 

I expect this to be kept civil gentlemen.

[DirtyComanche]

Is an escalated war likely?  No, absolutely not.

 

Could it happen?  Yes.

 

The reality is the world is an unstable place and all it takes is one errant action or one small maneuver that snowballs into a full scale escalation.

 

However, the US and Russia going fist to cuffs would result in no winners, and I do believe that both sides absolutely know that.  They're going to continue to play the proxy war game by lobbing various ordinance at countries nobody really wants to be in anyways, talk tough, beat the drum, call for sanctions, but eventually things will quiet back down.

[Jeep Driver]

Ancient history through contemporary history is what interests me. People, who they are, their lineages, what they do, why they do it, this I find fascinating. 

 

I am, or always have been, a news junkie. 

 

90% of what you have been taught, of what you are being told, is BS. 

 

For nearly a decade now I've been trying to sift through the BS to get to the truth. Nearly five years ago I cut the cable, I no longer allow these propagandists into my home, these liars. 

 

I remain informed but no longer am I indoctrinated. How you get to a point whereas you are able to discern the lies, the BS? it's a process one goes through. I used to come home and read and read and read, every news article I could on a particular event, now I'm much more selective, now that I see through the BS, and it all makes more sense to me. 

 

The short answer to your question- no. Damascus is the canary in the coal mine, however. Study it. 

 

 

What you should be more concerned with is what these idiots are doing to our economy. 

[Jeep Driver]

8 hours ago, DirtyComanche said:

Is an escalated war likely?  No, absolutely not.

 

Could it happen?  Yes.

 

The reality is the world is an unstable place and all it takes is one errant action or one small maneuver that snowballs into a full scale escalation.

 

However, the US and Russia going fist to cuffs would result in no winners, and I do believe that both sides absolutely know that.  They're going to continue to play the proxy war game by lobbing various ordinance at countries nobody really wants to be in anyways, talk tough, beat the drum, call for sanctions, but eventually things will quiet back down.

Yes they do, desperately. 

 

https://www.ft.com/content/352f4cac-6c7a-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0

 

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Russias-Grip-On-European-Gas-Markets-Is-Tightening.html

 

It's about oil and gas, money. 

 

You'll read articles that state the Russia wants to run gas/oil pipelines through Syria, you'll find articles that state they don't, you decide. But, you can be guaranteed it's about money and power, Russia is there for a reason. 

[cruiser54]

I LISTEN to no Lame-stream media. They're all owned by globalist libtards.

 

I READ news from alternative news sources only. 

[DirtyComanche]

1 hour ago, Jeep Driver said:

Yes they do, desperately. 

 

https://www.ft.com/content/352f4cac-6c7a-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0

 

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Russias-Grip-On-European-Gas-Markets-Is-Tightening.html

 

It's about oil and gas, money. 

 

You'll read articles that state the Russia wants to run gas/oil pipelines through Syria, you'll find articles that state they don't, you decide. But, you can be guaranteed it's about money and power, Russia is there for a reason. 

 

I meant on an individual level.  There is always an economic or political reason to occupy a territory.

[Incommando]

I am just tired of expending U.S. lives and tax dollars playing “world police.”  Let someone else do it for a few decades.  

 

As to expanding the conflict: I would not be surprised at a token cyber attack by Russia but I do not expect much past that. 

[mjeff87]

Joshua....do you want to play a game?

 

What's he doing?

 

"he's learning"

 

The best move....is not to play at all.

[Jeep Driver]

I watched the US briefing on the airstrikes on Saturday morning, first thing I noticed was that the targets were insignificant. 

I suspect the Putin got a heads up and gave his blessing. 

This airstrike was for Western idiot consumption. 

 

Assad is not the evil tyrant he is made out to be. 

And frankly, I have more trust in Putan than any of our own leadership, including Trump whom I voted for. 

 

Watch here, how the morons at Sky News cut off the British general as he was about to explain that Assad was set up.........and he was. And there is no doubt in my mind that it was the work of our own CIA.

 

 

 

[13 Legion]

 

1 hour ago, Jeep Driver said:

I watched the US briefing on the airstrikes on Saturday morning, first thing I noticed was that the targets were insignificant. 

I suspect the Putin got a heads up and gave his blessing. 

This airstrike was for Western idiot consumption. 

 

Assad is not the evil tyrant he is made out to And frankly, I have more trust in Putan than any of our own leadership, 

 

 

 

These statements you make are all based on your own personal OPINION.... No matter where or from whom you draw your news from, it is all agenda driven. Unless you are there, in a brief, flying sorties, or on the ground first hand with respect Jeep Driver, you know as much as the rest of us.

[Jeep Driver]

4 minutes ago, 13 Legion said:

 

These statements you make are all based on your own personal OPINION.... No matter where or from whom you draw your news from, it is all agenda driven. Unless you are there, in a brief, flying sorties, or on the ground first hand with respect Jeep Driver, you know as much as the rest of us.

I can assess what I see, you have a problem with that? Why?

 

 

 

 

 

[ftpiercecracker1]

23 minutes ago, 13 Legion said:

 

These statements you make are all based on your own personal OPINION.... No matter where or from whom you draw your news from, it is all agenda driven. Unless you are there, in a brief, flying sorties, or on the ground first hand with respect Jeep Driver, you know as much as the rest of us.

 

I've reviewed the replies in the thread thus far and the only post you (Legion) have submitted thus far has had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

 

It should go without saying that whatever someone posts here will be of their own opinion. Pointing such things out is not only redundant but unproductive. 

 

If you don't have something to say that will further the conversation please do not reply to this thread.

 

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, Jeep Driver said:

I can assess what I see, you have a problem with that? Why?

 

 

 

Driver, and Legion, if you have an issue with another poster(s) comment please use your personal messaging system to settle your differences and refrain from cluttering what should be a civil discussion with unnecessary school yard banter.

 

[13 Legion]

I apologize if I offended anyone sincerely. I’m old school so I do lack some PC. Not everyone gets a trophy. With that being said being a former Marine, ‘I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I will defend your right to say it’  So to answer your question... we’ve poured millions/ billions of dollars into countries that will turn around and spit in your face. That my friend is fact. Syria has become a proxy war, like Iraq, like Afghanistan, like Vietnam, like Korea. That’s why I strongly feel our politicians should have military service. Will Syria spin out of control? I don’t think so. I think we will have some type of military presence there and nothing more. 

[Jeep Driver]

13 minutes ago, ftpiercecracker1 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driver, if you have an issue with another poster(s) comment please use your personal messaging system to settle your differences and refrain from cluttering what should be a civil discussion with unnecessary banter.

 

Conversation flows...........I was leading him. 

 

So, I'll ask you this question- Why does the Western world want Bashar gone?

The Arab Spring failed.....set that aside. 

 

I looked into Assad several years ago and I'm not going to study him again......but, IIRC.....

 

He is officially secular, however, his wife is Sunni, so I'm going to assume that he is too (Asama is British, both are highly educated, both are Westernized). Bashar, as did his father before him, has a history of protecting the minority religions, minority Muslims as well as Christians and Jews. Pre civil war all were permitted to worship freely within Syria. 

 

Why does the West want him gone? How is it the West has made him out to be evil?

[Jeep Driver]

I'm not Christian and I do not support idolatry, that said....

 

Don't you find it odd that the president of Syria, a Sunni Muslim, allowed a statute of Jesus to be erected in his largely Muslim country?

 

http://orthochristian.com/65175.html

 

I won't post the image, see link. 

[Money_Pits]

al-assad was raised an alawite (shi'a)  muslim, his wife is (was? not sure how marriage affects their personal faith, ie did she have to convert) sunni.

 

Historically speaking, his father was the one who installed a predominantly alawite governing body, even though the majority of syria is sunni.

 

I have no opinions on the rest of this topic, just wanted to offer some corrections.

[Eagle]

It appears to me that both the U.S. (and its allies) and Russia are using the Syrian conflict as a way to testing new weapons developments against the other side's new weapons by uring their surrogates in Syria. This allows both sides to evaluate how they'd do in a war, without having to go to war directly in order to find out.

[Jeep Driver]

58 minutes ago, Money_Pits said:

al-assad was raised an alawite (shi'a)  muslim, his wife is (was? not sure how marriage affects their personal faith, ie did she have to convert) sunni.

 

Historically speaking, his father was the one who installed a predominantly alawite governing body, even though the majority of syria is sunni.

 

I have no opinions on the rest of this topic, just wanted to offer some corrections.

You may find this interesting, now I remember why I could never find a straight answer-

 

 

 

https://www.quora.com/Is-Bashar-al-Assad-a-Shia-Muslim

Quote

 

Updated Apr 14, 2018 · Author has 200 answers and 85k answer views

Originally Answered: Is Bashar Al-Assad a Muslim?

As a Syrian person coming from Shia background, I assure you that the right answer is absolutely NOT.

Some people here unfortunately rush to answer without having the slightest clue about Islamist sects in history. Their answer is entirely based on the political and arm-based alliance between Iran and Syrian regime. They mistakingly deem the regime as representative of Alawites and Iran as representative of Shia. Both of them are very far from it!

Some people also rephrase Wikipedia’s answers. WRONG! Those who write in Wikipedia aren’t necessarily credible.

Alawites are a subset of the mystical sects emerged in the region upon the dominance of Islamic Caliphate who were suppressing any other school of thoughts rather than the one adapted by the Caliphate himself.

This started right from the 7th century upon Umayyad Caliphate until the beginning of 20th century, with a relative ease between 8th and 11th century (the so-called Golden Era of Islam).

Alwaites believe that their religion didn’t start with Mohammed, but Adam and Eve were Alawites. For them Islam is a transitional phase of God’s message. This phase is embodied in in the triangle of AMS ع م س which is an abbreviation for Ali, Mohammed and Salman.

They believe that Ali is the embodiment of God between humans. This means Ali and God are one entity but with just different appearances. This is while Mohammed is merely a messenger of this God (Ali), and Salman is the “secret keeper” of the entire religion, aka the main teacher.

The above believe system is considered blasphemy by Shia, Sunnis and most other Islamist sects.

Thus Alawites are not Shia, nor they are Muslims at all in the view of Muslims in general.

However, going back to politic now:

Alawites are not so much adherent to their believe system. They live a secular life and most of them have a leftist/communist political view. When the Islamic revolution won in Iran in 1979 and the Syrian dictator Hafiz Assad had his military coup done 9 years earlier in 1970, both sides found in each other an ally against the vast majority of the people and the governments in the Middle East, which were mainly non-leftists moderate Sunni Muslims, and were inclined to align with the West (NATO) more than the Soviet Union.

The dictator Hafez Assad (father of the actual dictator) accepted an Iranian penetration of his own community for the sake of benefiting from the vast support a huge and rich country like Iran would give against his own people and neighbouring countries in case of any uprising.

During decades of hard-work, the Iranian succeed in destabilising the already-weak religious base among the Alawites community. The later guardedly accepted an adaptation of Iranian believe system to form a special cult that would be forcefully accepted by the religion institutions in Iran. Forcefully because even the religion institutions in Iran are split about accepting Alawites at all.

This is how Alawites started buying the concept of Ali’s being just a holy person, not the God. And they started letting go for the Idea of Salman’s being the key teacher of the religion of the entire humanity. And finally they started buying the believe of 12 offsprings of Fatima (Mohammed daughter) as Imams (leaders) of the religion.

The best description of the above transformation is that Alawites are becoming Shia by force from their political leaders, Assad family. And the already-loosely religious community went along with the conversion. All they want is the support they can get from Shia in the Middle East. In different words: they don’t care about their religion anymore.

I must mention though that the real Alawite scholars still reject the Shia believe system, but they are badly suppressed by the Syrian regime due its dire need to Shia’s support in his war against the vast majority of his people.