Russia Sending Attack Helicopters to Syria

I would say that there is virtually no chance of the US or the rest of Europe getting involved in Syria. They are not Libya, Assad and the Baath won't go down easily, and airplanes or drones by themselves are not gonna to resolve this. And- as we have already been told by the administration, in the future the US won't be doing "stability operations" anymore, so you know that we won't be doing anything to cause a "regime change" in Syria and without us being involved- nobody else will either. (Other than the Russians and the Iranians). Having served in Damascus for the UN - I feel reasonably confident in suggesting that their utility is slightly below zero- so I would say that the opponents of the Assad regime are in for a long, internal war in which they may get some covert assistance at most from the west.

We will be "Concerned" though:rolleyes:
 
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I would say that there is virtually no chance of the US or the rest of Europe getting involved in Syria. They are not Libya, Assad and the Baath won't go down easily, and airplanes or drones by themselves are not gonna to resolve this. And- as we have already been told by the administration, in the future the US won't be doing "stability operations" anymore, so you know that we won't be doing anything to cause a "regime change" in Syria and without us being involved- nobody else will either. (Other than the Russians and the Iranians). Having served in Damascus for the UN - I feel reasonably confident in suggesting that their utility is slightly below zero- so I would say that the opponents of the Assad regime are in for a long, internal war in which they may get some covert assistance at most from the west.

We will be "Concerned" though:rolleyes:

I'm not so confident as you are that the EU / NATO civilian leadership won't eventually succumb to the public pressure to "do something". They have a tendency to see the establishment of "no-fly zones" as a very easy and inexpensive (relatively, particularly in regards to financial and political commitment and risk towards the lives of the airmen they are willing to commit) option to try to stabilize a situation such as this. I'm also convinced the Russians did the actions they did (send helicopters) for that EXACT reason -- to prevent us from establishing a no-fly zone because we would be afraid to risk directly engaging their assets.

Never underestimate the stupidity of leaders under pressure to do "something", and their beleifs that the miltiary option is always easiest...
 
All the regime has to do is keep the atrocities to a slow enough pace that the public in the west tunes it out as "old news." If the Syrian government only murders a few dozen every day, the outcry in the US/EU won't be strong enough to force action.
 
As predicted- the UN basically brings little to the equation. Personally, based on my experience with them I am pretty certain that the only people who hold any hope for the UN to ever bring stability much less resolution to a conflict are people who have never seen them in action. As the violence escalates in Syria, the UN Military Observer force there has packed up and left- too dangerous.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world.../06/15/gJQA8vW7eV_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop
 
And now We Really Really Really Really Really Really Really Really Really Really Really mean it.
 
Hard to say what the outcome of this single incident will be though it's another instance of the West crowding Syria, possibly in an effort to provoke. The Turkish jet may in fact have intruded into Syrian coastal air space. I don't know whether Syria's souped-up air defense system should have been able to figure out that that it was an old American-built Turkish F-4, but they shouldn't have been so trigger-happy, even if one of their pilots did defect yesterday. The Syrians have apparently apologized.

I would imagine the USA will encourage Turkey to continue to closely monitor conditions in Syria. Now if the Syrians were to shoot down another jet, that could turn things nasty. The last time Turkey marched into Syria, they stayed for 500 or so years.

Many of the comments in the WAPO following the article were unusually insightful and rose above the customary snarky insults (guilty as charged).
 
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