February 8, 201213 yr Oh where, oh where have the neocons gone, or where or where can they be? Guess we have a large contingent of Ron Paul foreign policy types here and not so much George W. Bush followers. No freedom agenda eh? Anyways, yea, intervening around the world is a shared pursuit among democrats and republicans, don't pretend otherwise. I'd argue we have a national interest in Assad not slaughtering his own people but then again maybe that's just me. Plus he was an asshole to begin with and sponsored all kinda of bad guys in Lebanon/Israel/Palestine. Does that mean I think we should full up Iraq their ass and takeover the whole place? No way, it's not that vital of an interest, but we can certainly help them and if it came down to a Libya-type operation I'd be for that as well. There are many, many steps along the way before you start conducting airstrikes and it can start with trying to gather a coalition of other states who want the same things we do. Just sitting back and letting those trying to overthrow a violent dictator kinda sounds like ceding world leadership to me... Pre-9/11 Bush policy (edit to add: the Bush policy I voted for) was not post-9/11 Bush policy (edit to add: the Bush policy I voted against). Something about 3,000 US KIA on US soil changed his mind. I'm no fan of how far off course we got (Iraq), but 9/11 was a game changer for the decade. As soon as someone in Syria can raise an army with potential to topple Assad I think the US will invest more clandestine involvement. Edited February 8, 201213 yr by Homestar
February 18, 201213 yr Author https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-u-s-drones-flying-over-syria-to-monitor-crackdown-1.413606 The United States is flying unmanned reconnaissance planes over Syria to monitor the regime's escalating crackdown on dissent, U.S. defense officials told NBC television on Saturday.
February 19, 201213 yr Iran sails for Syria https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/18/world/meast/iran-warships/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
February 27, 201213 yr https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4194506,00.html Looks like we might be wading into this civil war too. I realize I'm "just" a Captain, but isn't a blockade an act of war? If so, what gives the President the authority to commit such an act. It is one thing to respond to the actions of another (i.e. self-defense or when an attack is imminent), but Syria doesn't threathen the US, at least not directly. This is a politicially neutral question and it applies to President Obama as much as it does to any other President (past or future).
February 27, 201213 yr Yes, let's model it after Kosovo, because that air campaign was so exceptional at stopping the brutality...
February 27, 201213 yr Yes, let's model it after Kosovo, because that air campaign was so exceptional at stopping the brutality... I am perpetually astonished that we don't get directly involved in some of these conflicts just because we try diplomatic means to absurd lengths first. Those countries that tsk-tsk our efforts and cluck their tongues should be ashamed when they live under the very freedom we provide. I have a feeling when we pull back the curtain on Iran, Syria, and North Korea, we will look back and ask ourselves, "Why didn't we try and stop them?" The death toll from those in North Korea alone already tops the number of people killed in the Holocaust.
February 27, 201213 yr I am perpetually astonished that we don't get directly involved in some of these conflicts just because we try diplomatic means to absurd lengths first. Those countries that tsk-tsk our efforts and cluck their tongues should be ashamed when they live under the very freedom we provide. I have a feeling when we pull back the curtain on Iran, Syria, and North Korea, we will look back and ask ourselves, "Why didn't we try and stop them?" The death toll from those in North Korea alone already tops the number of people killed in the Holocaust. My point was that the air campaign directly resulted in the acceleration of killing in Kosovo.
February 27, 201213 yr My point was that the air campaign directly resulted in the acceleration of killing in Kosovo. Noted. And then it ended the killing and brought down a brutal son of a bitch in Serbia. Also, that shit was a nightmare run by an administration that needed a fucking predator on station to confirm what the pilots were seeing. For some reason, we couldn't be trusted to make the observation ourselves that there are two tanks and eight APCs were moving through a village burning down every single house because and just schwack the fuckers. The perfect example of the 5000nm screwdriver trying to run the war from the oval office. That said, doing nothing would've been worse. Much worse. Edited February 27, 201213 yr by Rainman A-10
February 27, 201213 yr Noted. And then it ended the killing and brought down a brutal son of a bitch in Serbia. Also, that shit was a nightmare run by an administration that needed a fucking predator on station to confirm what the pilots were seeing. For some reason, we couldn't be trusted to make the observation ourselves that there are two tanks and eight APCs were moving through a village burning down every single house because and just schwack the fuckers. The perfect example of the 5000nm screwdriver trying to run the war from the oval office. That said, doing nothing would've been worse. Much worse. I wonder if we are going to run it via committee again. Getting approval from 14 separate governments for each assigned target was soooooooooooo easy and effective the first time... However, best quote ever from General Clark: "B-52s won this war" My point was that the air campaign directly resulted in the acceleration of killing in Kosovo. Yes, it did accelerate it, but that was in the short term. In the long-term, the killings stopped. Should we have not started fighting, the killings would have continued at a slower pace.
February 27, 201213 yr ... isn't a blockade an act of war? If so, what gives the President the authority to commit such an act. Yes it is. The War Powers Resolution requires the President to only notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30 day withdrawal period, without an authorization of the use of military force or a declaration of war. Edited February 27, 201213 yr by Vertigo
March 20, 201213 yr We just received a fairly lengthy intel brief on Syria recently. This was not part of it. This is bound to complicate LOTS of things: Saw that yesterday...things aren't getting better in the Middle East...
April 27, 201213 yr at least we don't have to worry about these North Korean clowns and their missiles... "a pair of German missile experts have gone public with evidence suggesting that new missiles that the North rolled out with much pomp at a parade just days later were mock-ups, and clumsy ones at that." https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/asia/new-north-korean-missile-is-called-into-question.html?hp
April 27, 201213 yr Author The War Powers Resolution requires the President to only notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30 day withdrawal period, without an authorization of the use of military force or a declaration of war. Actually, it's become more a "guideline" really.
May 2, 201213 yr https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Highlights-of-US-Afghanistan-agreement-3525476.php Summary: OEF extends to 2024.
May 2, 201213 yr https://www.seattlepi...ent-3525476.php Summary: OEF extends to 2024. Copy... Vietnamization. Expect to be evacuating the Embassy in 2016.
May 4, 201213 yr https://www.seattlepi...ent-3525476.php Summary: OEF extends to 2024. Former Air Force General: Stop Terrorists With More Airpower (and stop nation-building) Army Col. and Marine Lt. Col.: That will never work Edited May 4, 201213 yr by SurelySerious
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