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Amidst this confusion, it appears that Putin is taking a more assertive approach to combating terrorism, drawing upon the support of Iranian forces and Hezbollah. Reports indicate that hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to assist government forces alongside Russian air support. This military coalition represents a significant shift in alliances, with Iran and Hezbollah prepared to engage ground forces while Russian airstrikes provide cover. Critics of Putin's actions argue that he may be overextending Russia's military capabilities, but his stated strategy of limited engagement—focusing on airstrikes to support the Syrian army without committing ground troops—suggests a calculated approach aimed at achieving specific military objectives.
Putin's strategy seems to align with the Powell Doctrine, emphasizing the importance of having a clear exit strategy in military engagements. His comments indicate a commitment to supporting the Syrian army's fight against terrorism while avoiding deep entanglement in the conflict. The air campaign aims to degrade ISIS's operational capabilities by targeting key resources and infrastructure, thereby disrupting their supply lines and reducing their effectiveness on the battlefield. The expectation is that the combined efforts of Russian air support and ground forces from Iran and Hezbollah will lead to a swift and decisive victory over ISIS, contrasting sharply with the protracted engagements seen in U.S. military history.
As the situation evolves, there are implications for U.S. foreign policy and its role in the Middle East. The emergence of a strong Russian presence in Syria, coupled with the collaboration between Moscow, Tehran, and Hezbollah, signals a potential shift in the balance of power in the region. This development raises critical questions about the future of U.S. involvement and its ability to influence outcomes amid a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. If Putin succeeds in undermining ISIS and stabilizing the Assad regime, the repercussions for U.S. interests and its approach to regime change in the Middle East could be profound, challenging long-held assumptions about American hegemony and security guarantees in the region.
## I. Introduction
A. Overview of the U.S. approach to ISIS over the past year
B. Vladimir Putin's announcement of military action against ISIS
C. Context of the Syrian conflict and the scale of destruction
## II. Putin's Military Strategy
A. Immediate response to ISIS
1. Launch of Russian airstrikes on ISIS strongholds
2. Use of precision-guided munitions
B. Surprise to Western political and military establishments
1. Lack of preparedness from the U.S. government
2. Confusion among political thinkers and media
C. Implications of Russia's aggressive military action
1. Questions about U.S. leadership and strategy
2. Perception of U.S. leaders as ineffective
## III. The Coalition against ISIS
A. Support from Iranian and Hezbollah forces
1. Influx of Iranian troops into Syria
2. Planned ground offensive alongside Russian air support
B. Formation of a military alliance
1. Collaboration between Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah
2. Impact of U.S. regime change policies on regional dynamics
## IV. Criticism of Putin's Strategy
A. Skepticism regarding Russian involvement
1. Concerns about getting bogged down in conflict
2. Comparisons to U.S. military entanglements
B. Putin's adherence to military doctrine
1. Reference to the Powell Doctrine
2. Emphasis on exit strategies and limited engagement
## V. Putin’s Statements on Military Objectives
A. Clarification of Russian military goals
1. Support for the Syrian army against terrorism
2. Limitation of Russian involvement to airstrikes
3. Defined timeframe for military operations
B. Expected outcomes of airstrikes
1. Targeting of ISIS resources and infrastructure
2. Minimization of civilian casualties through precise intelligence
## VI. Anticipated Impact of Russian Operations
A. Effectiveness of the new anti-terror coalition
1. Expected rapid dismantling of ISIS capabilities
2. Comparison with prior U.S. efforts against ISIS
B. Statements from Russian officials on military duration
1. Predictions of a short-term operation
2. Coordination between airstrikes and ground offensives
## VII. Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy
A. Shift in global security responsibilities
1. Questions about U.S. role in Middle Eastern stability
2. Challenges to Washington's influence in the region
B. Consequences of failed U.S. policies
1. Collapse of funding for extremist groups
2. Loss of credibility in promoting regime change
## VIII. Conclusion
A. Putin's leadership in combating terrorism
1. Support for Syrian sovereignty and international law
2. Call for continued dialogue to ensure stability
B. Broader significance of the Russian military campaign
1. Reassessment of global power dynamics
2. Potential for a new era in international relations
## IX. Author's Background
A. Introduction of Mike Whitney
B. Mention of his work and contact information
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This outline summarizes the key points discussed in the article about the recent developments regarding the conflict in Syria, the military actions taken by Russia against ISIS, and the implications for U.S. foreign policy and global security. The structure highlights the strategic differences between the U.S. and Russia, the formation of new alliances, and the potential outcomes of the ongoing military operations in the region.
For more than a year, the United States has been playing patty-cake with an army of homicidal maniacs who call themselves ISIS. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he’d had enough of Washington’s song-and-dance and was planning to bring a little Russian justice to the terrorist militias that had killed 225,000 Syrians and ripped the country to shreds. In language that could not be more explicit, Putin said to the General Assembly: “We can no longer tolerate the currents state of affairs in the world”. Less than 48 hours later, Russian bombers were raining down precision-guided munitions on terrorist strongholds across western Syria sending the jihadi vermin scrambling for cover.
That’s how you fight terrorism if you’re serious about it. Bravo, Putin.
Putin’s blitz caught the entire western political establishment flat-footed. Even now, three days into the air campaign, neither the administration nor the policy wonks at the many far-right think tanks in Washington have even settled on an approach, much less a strategy, to developments on the ground. What’s clear, is that Putin’s action has surprised everyone including the media which to-this-day hasn’t even settled on it’s talking points.
This is extraordinary. Ask yourself this, dear reader: How can our political and military leaders watch Moscow deploy its troops, warplanes and military hardware to a theater where the US is carrying out major operations and have absolutely no plan of how deal with those forces if they are sent into battle?
If you are convinced, as I am, that we are governed by numbskulls, you will certainly find confirmation of that fact in recent events.
But while the Obama administration is frantically searching for a strategy, Putin’s air-squadrons are unleashing holy hell on the sociopaths, the head-choppers and the other assorted vipers that comprise the Islamic State. And Mr. Putin is getting plenty of help too, particularly from the crack-troops in the Iranian Quds forces and from the ferocious militia that defeated the IDF in two separate conflicts, Hezbollah, the Army of God. Check this out from Reuters:
“Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria in the last 10 days and will soon join government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes, two Lebanese sources told Reuters….
“The (Russian) air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground advances by the Syrian army and its allies,” said one of the sources familiar with political and military developments in the conflict….
“The vanguard of Iranian ground forces began arriving in Syria: soldiers and officers specifically to participate in this battle. They are not advisors … we mean hundreds with equipment and weapons. They will be followed by more,” the second source said. Iraqis would also take part in the operation, the source said.”
(“Assad allies, including Iranians, prepare ground attack in Syria: sources“, Reuters)
A military alliance between Moscow, Tehran and Hezbollah?
You’re darn tootin’, and you can thank Barack Obama and his lunatic regime change plan for that development.
Many critics of Putin’s action have said that “He doesn’t know what he’s doing” or “He’ll get bogged down” or “It’ll be another Vietnam”.
Wrong. The fact is, Putin is more a devotee of the Powell Doctrine than any of the morons at the Pentagon. And he is particularly mindful of Rule Number 5 which states: “Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?”
Has Putin thought about that or has he merely blundered ahead impulsively like US leaders are so apt to do? Here’s what he said on September 30:
“We naturally have no intention of getting deeply entangled in this conflict. We will act strictly in accordance with our set mission. First, we will support the Syrian army only in its lawful fight against terrorist groups. Second, our support will be limited to airstrikes and will not involve ground operations. Third, our support will have a limited timeframe and will continue only while the Syrian army conducts its anti-terrorist offensive.”
Bingo. In other words, he’s going to bomb these jokers into oblivion and let Quds brigade and Hezbollah mop up afterwards. There will be no Russian boots-on-the-ground. The Russian airforce will get precise intelligence on ISIS locations from Syrian agents on the battlefield which will minimize civilian casualties and limit damage to critical infrastructure. It will also make mincemeat out of anyone on the receiving end of the bombardment. Does anyone seriously believe that ISIS and the disparate rabble of “moderate” throat-slitters that receive CIA funding are going to be able to withstand this impending onslaught?
No way. Putin’s going to cut through these guys like a tornado through a trailer park. Yes, ISIS has had some success against the bedraggled Iraqi and Syrian armies. But now they’re up-against the A Team where they are clearly out of their league. Rolling up these cutthroats is going to take a lot less time than anyone figured.
Russian bombers are already destroying ammo dumps, fuel depots, heavy military hardware, command posts, anything that enhances ISIS’s ability to wage war. The new anti-terror coalition is going to cut supply lines and hang the jihadis out to dry. And the whole operation is going to be wrapped up before Uncle Sam even get’s his boots laced. This is from Iran’s Press TV:
“A senior member of Russia’s parliament says an ongoing air campaign by Moscow against militants operating in Syria is going to intensify. Alexei Pushkov, who serves as the chairman of the Committee for International Affairs at the Russian State Duma, said Friday that Moscow will be intensifying its attacks against the militants in Syria while studying the risks associated with an extensive operation.
“There is always a risk of being bogged down, but in Moscow, we are talking about an operation of three to four months,” Alexei Pushkov said, Reuters reported.
Russia started to launch coordinated airstrikes on the positions of militants in Syria on Wednesday. The move came shortly after members of the Russian upper house of the parliament, the Federation Council, authorized the operations in Syria.” (Press TV)
There’s not going to be any pussyfooting around. Putin’s going to go straight for the jugular and then head for the exits.
Do you think they’ve figured this out at the White House yet? Do you think they understand that Iranian troops and Hezbollah are not going to distinguish between the “moderate” terrorists and the “extreme” terrorists; that they’re simply going to “kill them all and let God sort it out”. Do you think they realize that Washington’s Middle East policy just collapsed and that the funding of jihadis and dreams of regime change just ended for good? Do you think they grasp that Washington’s role as guarantor of global security has just been transferred to Vladimir Putin who has put himself and his country at risk to defend the fundamental principles of international law, national sovereignty and self determination? Here’s Putin again:
“We are supporting the government of Syria in the fight against a terrorist aggression. We are offering and will continue to offer it necessary military-technical assistance. We must continue a dialogue for the sake of reaching consensus. But it’s impossible to achieve real success as long as bloodshed continues and people don’t feel secure. We won’t achieve anything until we defeat terrorism in Syria.”
Putin is leading a coalition in the fight against terror. We should all be grateful for that.
MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at [email protected].
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PUTIN IS A HERO; OBAMA IS A ZERO.
Thanks for the excellent article, Sir. Well-written and so true. Putin is the real hero of this entire Syrian conflict, including Israel’s terrorist arm, the ISIS. As stated before, Israel and Jew-S-A have been supporting ISIS in order to weaken Syria for their Torah-based plan for a Greater Israel, from the Nile to the Euphrates. Putin did the right thing and intervened.
Generations will thank him as one of the biggest heroes of the Middle East and, nay, of the entire world, for blocking the expansion of the axis of evil, Israel-Jewrope-Jew-S-A into a Greater Levant. If they succeed in Syria, they would then attack other countries there and dump the populace on Jew-rope by lying that they are “refugees”.
The Israeli and US “strategy” should be to do the right thing–inform Russia of all the known location of ISIS militants and Israel and US must get out of the conflict and order their puppet, Angel Merkel, to return all the “refugees” back to their countries. That is the moral and ethical thing to do.
Good luck to the Russians. I think before they leave, they must help Iran and Syria with tremendous air power, drones and short range ballistic missiles loaded with nuclear weapons aimed at Israel to ensure that this Israeli terror does not repeat. Hezbollah might benefit from some Drones too to control Israeli aggression.
This is stunning news, and one of the boldest and daring foreign policy moves any nation has pulled off in a long time. It’s frankly quite inspiring. We’ll see how it all plays out. It certainly sounds like it has a high chance of totally succeeding and securing Assad’s place in power.
Imagine when this is all over…imagine being a young, noble, idealistic, naive young Syrian man, caught up in the synthesized fervor of the ‘Arab Spring,’ taking up your weapon to ‘liberate’ your nation from the ‘evil’ Assad…spending years fighting and bleeding here and there in the desert…
And now you come back, after this is over, to the city you were born. And realize it was all a setup. And you’ve helped totally destroy your country, your city, your neighborhood, your house, your health, your nation’s future…and you were just one of many thousands caught up what amounts to in a giant nasty psy-op.
This has been an extraordinarily ugly scenario in a long line of such from the machinations of the Zio-Eumerican Empire.
If what Mr Whitney here is true, Putin is a master chess player and has a high chance of scoring a stunning victory and being considered a world hero. Obama is meanwhile behind the bed crawling about looking for his underwear.
Where do the Kurds fit into this? I assume they’re considered to close to the US to be full partners, but will be some sort of silent participants…
Yes! Yeah, and it’s not enough. Listen. I work for the CIA. I’m not a spy. I just read books. We read everything that’s published in the world, and we– we feed the plots– dirty tricks, codes into a computer, and the computer checks against actual CIA plans and operations. I look for leaks, new ideas. We read adventures and novels and journals. I– I can-Who’d invent a job like that? I– Listen! People are trying to kill me!
The hell with plans. Plans just made the game more dangerous because nobody followed the damn rules. If they aren’t going to follow the rules, what in the hell makes you think they’ll follow the plans? With more bureaucrats and plans Russia believes it will win and it’s way behind in the game. It’s trying to catch up in Syria. The plan is to waste bombs and fuel to advance to the next phase which is world ruler pretend.
“The more that learn to read the less learn how to make a living. That’s one thing about a little education. It spoils you for actual work. The more you know the more you think somebody owes you a living.”
Daily Telegram #1597
The Putin Plan: Not worth readin’, while producing a hell of a lotta work. Government owes you a dying. Dig your own grave in Syria on land abandoned by common sense Syrians.
CSI: All progress isn’t made by men who rise early and work hard, it’s made by lazy men trying to find an easier way. Nobody owes you, so we got a thing that’s called Easy Livin’!
Video Link
Somewhere along the lonely road I had tried to find ya
Day after day on the windy road I had walked behind ya
Easy livin and I’ve been forgiven
Since you’ve taken your place in my heart
Waiting, watching
Wishing my whole life away
Dreaming, thinking
Ready for my happy day
And some easy livin’!
The Neocons of the Washington Post and New York Times are apoplectic over this. I wonder if they will come back to reality or continue their descent into madness?
Buying oil from ISIL
http://www.presstv.ir/Video/2015/07/03/418584/ISIL-Iraq-oil
Those two are the top of my do-not-read list, but Google news got nuttin’; casualties in Afghanistan, Oregon Shootings, the Pope, migrants, blah, etc. It’s like they don’t want to focus there, right now, until someone can get some talking-points circulating.
He really de-panced the lot of them, it would appear. We’ll have to wait for the Sunday talk-shows to tell us what to think.
there are Russian “boots in the ground” in Syria alright: base protection troops, w/o which ISIS or other Sunni terrorists would mount a successful suicide strike on the airfield(s) and Russian planes. And, though I like Mike Whitney’s economic essays, his military-political analysis is somewhat superficial. It won’t be sufficient for Russia and its Shi’a allies to wipe out Isramerica’s pet Sunni terrorists in eastern Syria alone; they’re going to have to clean out western Iraq as well, and that’ll take awhile. In the meantime, I fear the neo-conz in DC will convince Obama to do something really stupid and dangerous, like interfere with Russian air ops. Overall, the Isramerica-manufactured Middle East mess is worse than the Balkans c. 1912-13
I think it is a mistake to paint Putin as a hero. He is doing what he thinks is in his countries interest. Better to fight Chechens in Syria than in Russia is his goal.
My god man, I thought I was nuts but you take the cake. Your comment makes me wonder whether you truly ARE batshit crazy or are just a Hasbara troll that is trying to discredit an excellent article by mixing in half-truths in your post and trying to paint any support for Putin as being anti-semetic. I wonder.
I’d like to apologize to Tom_R (R=Rational) for my earlier post. I thought that Tom took the cake for looniest of the tunes but CLEARLY Red Oktober has decided to step up the game and take it to a WHOLE other level in attempting to obfuscate the issues. I see that the plan is to make people believe that you agree with the author to try to make people think that they’re crazy if they agree also. Fail.
The Kurds have welcomed the Russian airstrikes in Syria and asked for weapons and further support from Russia – see this:-
U.S. Kurdish allies welcome Russian airstrikes in Syria http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article37394991.html
In a further major blow to the US, the US installed Iraqi President Abadi has issued a formal request to Moscow, for the Russians to start bombing ISIS in Iraq – see this:-
http://uk.businessinsider.com/russia-says-it-might-conduct-airstrikes-in-iraq-2015-10?r=US&IR=T
Moscow news sources say the formal Iraqi request has been issued (this one is in Russian) http://lenta.ru/news/2015/10/04/iraq_isil/
Finally, finally some hope that the madness stroked by the West in Syria will be snuffed out.
From the East, hope. From the West only more rivers of blood.
It’s not anti-Semitic to tell the truth about who is behind the destruction and genocide of the Semitic Middle East.
I think it’s a mistake to blame it on a religion instead of the real culprit which is a political ideology. All Jewish people are NOT Zionists and so if you don’t make that distinction then any argument that you make following such a statement is immediately false because your basis is flawed. Would you say that the huge population of Jewish people that live in Iran are behind the destruction and genocide in the Middle East? I know that Iran isn’t a part of the ME and so I guess I should have said any Jewish People living outside of Israel in the ME but I hope that you get my point. How are you going to fix any problems if you don’t first properly and concisely identify the cause?
It’s also a mistake to think Jewishness is about religion. Many Jewish people aren’t even religious, many are atheist, etc.
And many Zionists aren’t even Jewish. Evangelicals, etc.
Does anybody have any verifiable intel (i.e. not Gordon Duff, etc.) about the Israeli attempted incursion into Syrian airspace, repelled by Russians?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=53f_1443836190
EXCLUSIVE-Strategika 51: Six Russian fighter jets type Multirole Sukhoi SU – 30 SM have intercepted 4 Israeli McDonnell Douglas F-15’s fighter bombers attempting to infiltrate the Syrian coast.The Israeli F 15 warplanes have been flying over Syrian airspace for months and in particular the coast of Latakia, which is now the bridgehead of the Russian forces in Syria.
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=53f_1443836190#3f1UgpMKeK2yv7Us.99
But the Evangelicals are stupid.
I can’t tell whether you’re joking or not, but the fact that it’s even a question in my mind of whether or not you’re being serious says all that needs to be said about that comical statement. I do hope your joking though ’cause I gotta admit that you made me laugh.
“I can’t tell whether you’re joking or not, but the fact that it’s even a question in my mind of whether or not you’re being serious says all that needs to be said about that comical statement.”
People who believe what Evangelicals believe are stupid. The fact that they are willing to die for Israeli Jews doesn’t improve my opinion of them.
“I can’t tell whether you’re joking or not, but the fact that it’s even a question in my mind of whether or not you’re being serious says all that needs to be said about that comical statement.”
People who believe what Evangelicals believe are stupid. The fact that they are willing to die for Israeli Jews doesn’t improve my opinion of them.
Well I’m not religious so I’d probably agree with you in that I feel that people who believe ANY religion aren’t exactly playing with a full deck. Hate to quote an idiot like Marx but I think he was spot on when he said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”
I agree with your comment.
Well at least Marx was right about one thing.