After Trump Strikes Syria, Syrians Wonder ‘What’s Next?’ (16syria) (16syria)

Anyone with half a brain cell can tell this military attack by the USA was just a futile and expensive gesture by a nation that lacks the ability to deliver good outcomes in ME conflicts it inserts itself into. Unfortunately, we are subjected to an army of TV pundits all of whom fall over themselves to praise any and every aggressive military act. Are there no voices of sanity with access to the mass media?

Mission Accomplished ? ..,. Who is kidding who ? .... After the “Hit” comes the “Run” ... Then the next real War erupts between Israel and Iran/Syria/Hezbollah ... If the Russians get involved, here comes “ Armageddon” ...

Russia and Iran both say that the "chemical weapons research facility" we bombed was a facility creating cancer fighting drugs. The drugs aren't able to be shipped in because of US sanctions. They also claim that the UN chemical watchdog reported this month that there was no weapon manufacturing at that site. It looks like we just bombed a hospital facility. I'd love to see reporters confirm or deny this instead of just relaying what the Pentagon says the facility was.

The only 'plan' to help the Syrians will be a by-product of the successful aims of all the countries involved. This is all about flexing muscles. I would like to see an in-depth article of exactly what 'interests' the US, France, UK, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Russia and whatever other countries are involved have in that region. Obviously whatever they are after is seen by those in power as worth sacrificing people for (so much for our revulsion of human sacrifice) – over 4000,000 dead, a refugee crisis not seen since WWII, the future of millions in jeopardy, not to mention the daily suffering, starvation and trauma of millions of Syrians and a country devastated and destroyed in a region already inflamed across many borders by the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Western attack on few selected places was all sound and fury signifying nothing. Incessant call for removal of Assad shows lack of awareness of consequences of removing Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. Neither journalists nor Govt officials understand Middle East. This is the reason ME is so unstable even after the long involvement of USA. Syrian problem can be mitigated by Russia and USA working together. Trump understands it but the media and the congress generates so much noise in opposition to make it impossible. Meanwhile Syrian people continue to suffer.

Wild man Trump and his GOP equals need to stop being a world cop and sending bombs at Russias allies. Trump after the report from former FBI director should get Trump impeached with the obstruction of justice charge . Putin is threatening international chaos if the above mentioned morally corrupt leaders send anymore bombs anywhere. You are not Christian people to all the GOP supporters if you side with Trump . Pope Francis says talk at all costs for peace and stability of the world. If Trump sends more bombs then I blame him and his GOP supporters for our planets destruction and I am sure God will also.

The actual problem in Syria is the Assad government. How did the Trump attack to degrade Syrian chemical weapons capabilities contribute to getting rid of Assad? It didn't!

Until Russia and Putin agree that Assad must go, he will remain in power. And nobody will be able to do anything about it because the U.S., Great Britain and France are simply unwilling to challenge Russia with the military force that will be required to dispose of this mass murderer. Bombing a few chemical factories is just window dressing as long as Russia and Iran keep funding Assad.

We,need to stay out of Syria. I don't care how many of their citizens and terrorists they gas, it is their problem NOT OURS> It is not up to the US to be the Policeman of the world. Lots of rulers do unspeakable things to their citizens, but that does not mean that the US has a responsibility to interfere and try to punish these rulers. The world would be more peaceful if the US were not such an Internationale bully running around the world punishing leaders we don't like or trying to overthrow them. We need to stand down our military, close foreign bases (we have too many) and start spending the money at home. The only thing we do when we interfere in countries like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria is make the situation worse. Remember it was the US who created ISIS and AL Quaeda by our actions in the middle east. And it was the US who created the civil war in Libya and Iraq. Yes we needed to punish Afghanistan for 9/11 but we did not need to stay there for 17 years. Bomb them back to the stone age and move on. And while we are at it, Trump should fire Niki Hailey - I am sick of her screeching and condemning various countries at the UN. SHe is an embarrassment to the US.

Once again the American press is allowing itself and the public to be spoon fed a diet of information that simply does not scan. What started as a supposed operation to punish Assad for crossing the red line of 'use of chemical weapons' suddenly has devolved into an effort to 'set back Syria's chemical weapons program'. Couple of questions everyone should be asking: 1. Does Syria have an actual chemical weapons program? They've been at war for seven years, their military is decimated, Russia had to step in and bale them out, what 'Program' are we talking about? 2. How on earth would any rational human being think one could bomb/destroy a facility making such materials without a catastrophic risk of releasing vast quantities of the very agents you are trying to eliminate? Really? Wake up folks, we've seen this movie. Yes, Assad is bad, but the US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan has done nothing more than create more jihadists, and these recent strikes will do nothing to deter Assad or degrade his fictitious chemical weapons program. As we are seeing in Iraq today, however, they will incite more hatred of the US as an all to familiar plot line begins to unfold...

One country stands at the apex of mischief in the Middle East: United States. Because of our collusion with Israel, we have destroyed the Middle East. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen-who's next? Our weapons have reaped havoc on the entire area and left millions dead. Other participants are mere blowback from what we unleashed. Trump railed against his predecessors but now he has joined their pitiful performance.

Trump, embattled so greatly at home, will make sure he has several war fronts smoldering at all times. He will rotate claims of urgency toward them to deflect from his domestic failures and legal troubles. It will rarely be two at once because he wants to keep them as fresh as possible and not wear out their newsworthiness. Hot wars with Syria, N Korea, Iran. Trade wars with China and our NAFTA neighbors. Trump's a con man -- as with all his promises, he just wants the illusion of accomplishment (preventing/winning fake war), not the responsibility of really doing anything. And the GOP is fine with him and his limited skill of tearing things down.

The Trump lead surgical strike on 3 targets in Syria were so precise we may never know what those buildings contained, if anything. I would like to see the price tag for this show of force.

Actually, there will be significant "repercussions." As the US and its allies continue to pile on sanctions, and continue to use false-flag pretexts to gin-up anti-Russian propaganda and poke it in the eye by attacking Syria, a tipping-point will be reached. Make no mistake, this attack on Syria is meant to humiliate and goad Russia into open conflict, a long-held desire of the neo-cons resurgent in figures like Bolton. Putin is likely to bolster his forces and role in Syria, and aggressively assist Assad in defeating the anti-Damascus, foreign-backed forces. The question is how far the US is willing to go to protract the Syrian civil war by actively backing the anti-Assad forces.

There’s no need to be in Syria. I’m tired of the Military Industrial Complex leading and killing innocents from both the US and in foreign lands. The Middle East has been a quagmire since at least the 1980’s and intensified after 2003. I’m 21 and I’m fed up with this political and military climate. I’m absolutely fed up with the incompetent leadership the US has and the status quo. If anything, this motivates to vote straight blue in November.

This article fails to name the Army of Islam opposition group which is a terrorist jihadi organization with ties to al Qaeda. If in power, much of the opposition to Assad would impose Sharia law on Syria and massacre Christians. Willfully omitting these facts is a grave disservice. Then there is this: “….Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar... the first two are bogged down in a war in Yemen…” That’s it? After editorializing on the horrors of Assad, the horrors the Saudis and UAE have perpetrated in Yemen are passed by? These are not worthy of detailed reporting and condemnation? When Saudi war crimes are whitewashed what is the moral value and credibility of judgments against Assad?

The strikes cost us a couple hundred million in materials, maintenance and manpower. Imagine how many refugees we could have helped instead of some pointless, largly ineffective strikes. And now we are mired in Syria that much longer.

The strikes were for the news cycle in this country. We should just back out of the ME entirely as it remains a puzzle we cannot solve while draining our treasury and lives. Let the ME solve their troubles without our interference.

Theatre of the ridicules. The Allied attack was staged to not harm the Russians and their allies. A big explosion that Trump Administration claims was direct hit on Syrian chemical weapons depot. All of which phony. False flag attack gets blown up by the western news media into yet another villainous attack by Assad. The chorus of politicians, R and D, flapping their gums in dumb righteous anger. We have a perfect storm. Yellow journalism blocking any real news reporting on the civil war in Syria. Granted Assad has conducted his forces with no mercy for those who oppose him. The anti Assad forces are mainly outsiders who are worse than Assad in their murderous sectarian campaign. Syrian civilians caught in the middle. Assad has reclaimed populous center of the country. But outside powers are poised to fight each other. Israel no doubt will use its influence in the US Congress to finally get their US war with Iran. These are salad days for the NYTs they can make it up as they go along.

Given that around 500,000 people have lost their lives in the Syrian civil war (maybe half civilians) it is unlikely that peace and stability will come with Assad at the helm. With only around 2,000 deaths attributed to poison gas warfare, the recent bombing of supposed chemical weapons facilities is not about to change anything. The Gulf nations will probably contribute towards a low level insurgency program, the Kurds will make great efforts to hold on to their hard won portion of the country and the Israelis will certainly keep up their air war targeting Iran and Hezbollah fortifications. The Turks are an open question. Finally, I don’t anticipate that the US will walk away and will probably contribute in some manner. The Shia Crescent is not yet a done deal. Russia now owns this expensive maelstrom and is left to figure out how to lessen the pressure by replacing Assad and keep their foothold in the eastern Med.

“At this point, no one seems to have a realistic plan to broker a lasting peace between those forces that would bring Syria together again in a stable enough way to allow millions of refugees to return home and for rebuilding to begin. Many discount the idea that Mr. Assad can play a meaningful role in that process.” Interesting that you did not say who the “many” are. Do you mean the Saudis, big supporters of global terrorism who would like to see Syria taken over so they can attack Iran, and also run a pipeline. Last I checked Assad won an election of the people where both Muslims and Christians can live, women can vote and bans Sharia Law, unlike $audi Arabia our good friend$. I know the Military Industrial Complex is in control now and they have to blow stuff up to justify spending over 10 times more than Russia on our military. But the US is feeling like the end of the Roman Empire about now. Radical thought, perhaps we should just get out of the overseas wars and spend the money on rebuilding our crumbling country. Or if we are going to invade anyone why not the Saudis, you know where most 9-11 hijackers came from and who are top financiers for terrorists. Oh yea we are selling them billions in arms, so they can cluster bomb place like Yemen, facing the worlds worst famine, where millions could die. https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/09/middleeast/yemen-famine-saudi-arabia/inde...

"After Trump Strikes Syria, Syrians Wonder ‘What’s Next?’" Syrians aren't the only ones asking this question. The rest of the world is asking it as well, primarily folks in the U.S. who foot the bill in blood and treasure as conflicts escalate into lengthy wars. President Trump, what is the end game, the exit strategy, in Syria?

Whether Assad is deposed or not, warring factions will continue to fight to the death. Sunnis would not return to Syria even if Assad were to be deposed because Iran would still be there and because,-even more importantly-, there is nothing to return to.

Where is the UN?

In order to stop the massacre of the Syrian people we must cut off the head of the serpent that is causing this dilemma, Assad., anything else including this latest raid on chemical facilities in Syria is a Waste of Tax Payer’s money.

Can you imagine the good ,all this money spent on blowing up concrete,might have done? Am I a cynic to think profiteering by armament dealers and governments is all that's really going on here?