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Originally Posted by Raellus
So the West should send in ground troops as well? Forget political will, there's very little popular support for that sort of thing in the West. The West has been in Afghanistan for 14 years, with no positive endgame in sight. Aside from supporting the troops, there is very little desire among the American public for another long, drawn out counter-insurgency in the Middle East. Is sending ground forces into yet another majority Muslim country going to help the West win "The War on Terror"? How's that strategy been working out for us? It's all fine and good to talk about going in there with our full firepower and kicking ass, but it's too simplistic and short-sighted. It's another quagmire just waiting for a major power to get stuck in.
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This regime of terror has publically murdered how many innocent Western journalists and aid workers (actually filmed their beheading)? Has burned a Jordanian air man in a cage live on film. Has thrown how many homosexuals off buildings and filmed it? Has brutalised, murdered, raped and enslaved how many thousands of Syrian Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslim? And then they brag about it! Saddam Hussein and the Taleban did not even do this. I think every decent person in the world would like to see them shot, blown to atoms, or crushed under the tracks of a tank. They are worse than the Nazis, far worse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raellus
I agree with your strategic assessment here (although I think that the Tartus' important in terms of Russian national/military prestige is understated). I'd kind of like to see the West cede responsibility for fighting ISIS to the Russians. Yeah, the Assad regime will survive, but Russia will become the primary target of the jihadists. Let them spend 14 years trying to clean up Syria, with every international Islamist terror/insurgent sending its best and brightest there to fight the Russian invaders.
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The Russian airbase at Latakia is far more important to them. The Russians are not sending ground troops to fight ISIL in Syria, just enough to secure their toehold in Syria plus some Spetznaz to scare ISIL away. And Russia has been a target for Jihadists for years and their well used to them, they have practically wiped Chechnya off the face of the Earth.