That's the tragedy of Syria in which intervening against Assad would've meant intervening on al-Qaeda/Daesh's side. Oooh, GREAT IDEA.
The tragedy of Syria in which there were no substantive democratic or just secular anti-Assad forces we could support.
The tragedy of Syria in which there were no substantive democratic or just secular anti-Assad forces we could support.
https://twitter.com/Ziya_Meral/status/1500136248643571715
The tragedy of Syria with no aims, no exit strategy, and where Assad's defeat would've left a terrifying power vacuum filled in all likelihood by terrorists bent on all our destruction.
It is quite extraordinary how after Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, people think the US President can just wave a magic wand.
Quite extraordinary how people think winning a war and bringing peace is like buying a damn Mars bar.
The actual source of our weakness? Iraq.
Quite extraordinary how people think winning a war and bringing peace is like buying a damn Mars bar.
The actual source of our weakness? Iraq.
Where we devastated our moral authority, showed there are no consequences for breaking international law, wrecked the place, and got horrendous numbers of our own young men killed.
FOR NOTHING.
Obama was elected to end that. Biden was elected to do the same in Afghanistan too.
FOR NOTHING.
Obama was elected to end that. Biden was elected to do the same in Afghanistan too.
Western publics do not tolerate their young people being killed FOR NOTHING.
The difference between ourselves and Putin's Russia is that the latter couldn't give a damn about however many Russians die in conflict. And DELIBERATELY TARGET CIVILIANS.
The difference between ourselves and Putin's Russia is that the latter couldn't give a damn about however many Russians die in conflict. And DELIBERATELY TARGET CIVILIANS.
There isn't anything else we could've done which wouldn't have made things even worse. As also applies now - unless people think nuclear war is a good idea.
Obama is a realist: who feels bad about it. That makes him smart, not weak. He messed one thing up and one alone.
Obama is a realist: who feels bad about it. That makes him smart, not weak. He messed one thing up and one alone.
Namely: he really, really, REALLY took his eye off the ball re: what Russia was doing in his own country.
He never took that threat seriously. Despite what had happened in Britain only months earlier.
He never took that threat seriously. Despite what had happened in Britain only months earlier.
Sometimes - a lot of the time - in international relations, there are no good options. Just a series of awful ones.
Obama took the least bad one on Syria. And for the record, never forgave Cameron and Sarkozy for dragging him into Libya against his better judgement.
Obama took the least bad one on Syria. And for the record, never forgave Cameron and Sarkozy for dragging him into Libya against his better judgement.
Now, in a war as just as it's possible to conceive, we don't have a whole range of fragmented theocratic nutters who hate democracy and hate our guts.
We have the entire population of Ukraine: who are democrats. And fighting fascist aggressors. So we'll do everything we can.
We have the entire population of Ukraine: who are democrats. And fighting fascist aggressors. So we'll do everything we can.
Everything we can... without making it worse.
A lesson which apparently, some people on here are absolutely incapable of heeding. None of whom ever send their children into battle.
A lesson which apparently, some people on here are absolutely incapable of heeding. None of whom ever send their children into battle.
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