Syria gas attack

[Tom Phan]

I don't think it is likely that Assad of Syria gassed his own people after he basically won the civil war and the United States was getting ready to pull out of Syria. I think President Trump is being misled and I sincerely hope World War 3 doesn't start over this.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I can't imagine World War 3 starting over something like this. War is extremely costly and a lot of times, not worth it. Sure, there are skirmishes and civil wars, but I don't know how feasible it is to have clusters of nations versus other clusters of nations. But maybe I'm just hopelessly naive.

In terms of diplomacy, Trump is faaaaar from competent at any of this. Didn't he gut or at least try to gut U.S.'s "soft" power in favor of more military weapons? This "tough talk" doesn't normally work well, not in U.S.-Russia relations.

 

[Tom Phan]

I can't imagine World War 3 starting over something like this. War is extremely costly and a lot of times, not worth it. Sure, there are skirmishes and civil wars, but I don't know how feasible it is to have clusters of nations versus other clusters of nations. But maybe I'm just hopelessly naive.

In terms of diplomacy, Trump is faaaaar from competent at any of this. Didn't he gut or at least try to gut U.S.'s "soft" power in favor of more military weapons? This "tough talk" doesn't normally work well, not in U.S.-Russia relations.

Thank you for the respond. My concern is that Trump tweeted that our relationship with Russia is worse now than at any time in history, including during the Cold War. During the Cold War in the early 1960s, people came close to the end of the world because of an even called the Cuban Missile Crisis which almost resulted in nuclear war that would've ended the world. My fear is that because Trump has been accused of Russia collusion (which may have been totally made up by the Clinton campaign) and is being investigated for presumably making a deal with Russia to help him win the election, Trump wants to prove that he doesn't have a good friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin so he wants to talk tough against Russian ally Syria. If Trump launches missiles at Syria and Russian troops die, I fear that could escalate into something tragic. But I hope you are right, that no serious war could emerge from this.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I'd take whatever Trump tweets with a large grain of salt. Not going to deny that our relations have been soured especially after the sanctions Trump has imposed. I was under the impression that Trump and Russia do have something going on between the two (Russia had quite a bit to gain for dividing the U.S. , but it seems like when you back an erratic incompetent dolt in an incompetent administration, you get erratic results that have shown of Trump praising Putin and not renewing sanctions months ago to now strict sanctions seriously affecting the Russian economy, tanking the ruble, and the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the U.S.). The "tough talk" worries me because it seems to be the same attitude from the Cold War the U.S. and Russia had with each other with building their military to the point of ridiculousness (but nothing to laugh at). Russian politicans have even stated that the sanctions on Moscow doesn't scare them, working on retaliation to the U.S., and of course use propaganda to insinuate how "evul" the West is. It doesn't help that both the U.S. and Russian politicians in power are corrupt as hell, with Russia being more corrupt.

 

[Ray Trace]

Russian politicans have even stated that the sanctions on Moscow doesn't scare them, working on retaliation to the U.S., and of course use propaganda to insinuate how "evul" the West is.

They're like this for years, scarily consistently. Being completely insecure, swaying their nuclear and military dick around in order to distract us from their crumbling economy and infrastructure, abysmal human rights record with all of the dismantling of non-state owned media and gay propaganda laws, gas-lighting events even if it's clearly obvious they have a role in it (Crimea invasion, anyone? they're even denying gas attacks in Syria for crying out loud and blaming it on the West!!!) etc. What will their retaliation towards our sanctions do towards us? Ban some imports? None of that will impact us economically, and they will lose in this fight.

I could go on a rant on how much the Russian government is a gigantic, stinky dumpster fire but that'll go off-topic I suppose.

My fear is that because Trump has been accused of Russia collusion (which may have been totally made up by the Clinton campaign) and is being investigated for presumably making a deal with Russia to help him win the election, Trump wants to prove that he doesn't have a good friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin so he wants to talk tough against Russian ally Syria.

The deal is, Trump did pretty much everything to the Russian government's benefit. He split the country up with his bigoted rhetoric and isolated us from our allies by making a huge clown of himself with the Paris Accords, the Trans-Atlantic Partnership, and his general unprofessional tone. I still don't believe the election meddling from Russia hasn't been enough to sway the election by a huge shot, but the fact that Mueller is conducting an investigation that's yielding some fruit and that most things up until this point has been mostly favoring the Russian government doesn't mean that there was no dirty money laundering from Russian elites over this.

It mean much if Trump 180's on one or two policies such as wanting to rejoin the Trans-Atlantic Partnership again or, sigh, this tweet

"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

the fact is, he had supported the Russian government with most of his policies, whether he knows or not, and he hurt pretty much everyone else, including Americans and Russians (because both of us could frankly do without either administrations ruining everything for everyone)

 

[Tom Phan]

Russian politicans have even stated that the sanctions on Moscow doesn't scare them, working on retaliation to the U.S., and of course use propaganda to insinuate how "evul" the West is.

They're like this for years, scarily consistently. Being completely insecure, swaying their nuclear and military dick around in order to distract us from their crumbling economy and infrastructure, abysmal human rights record with all of the dismantling of non-state owned media and gay propaganda laws, gas-lighting events even if it's clearly obvious they have a role in it (Crimea invasion, anyone? they're even denying gas attacks in Syria for crying out loud and blaming it on the West!!!) etc. What will their retaliation towards our sanctions do towards us? Ban some imports? None of that will impact us economically, and they will lose in this fight.

I could go on a rant on how much the Russian government is a gigantic, stinky dumpster fire but that'll go off-topic I suppose.

My fear is that because Trump has been accused of Russia collusion (which may have been totally made up by the Clinton campaign) and is being investigated for presumably making a deal with Russia to help him win the election, Trump wants to prove that he doesn't have a good friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin so he wants to talk tough against Russian ally Syria.

The deal is, Trump did pretty much everything to the Russian government's benefit. He split the country up with his bigoted rhetoric and isolated us from our allies by making a huge clown of himself with the Paris Accords, the Trans-Atlantic Partnership, and his general unprofessional tone. I still don't believe the election meddling from Russia hasn't been enough to sway the election by a huge shot, but the fact that Mueller is conducting an investigation that's yielding some fruit and that most things up until this point has been mostly favoring the Russian government doesn't mean that there was no dirty money laundering from Russian elites over this.

It mean much if Trump 180's on one or two policies such as wanting to rejoin the Trans-Atlantic Partnership again or, sigh, this tweet

"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

the fact is, he had supported the Russian government with most of his policies, whether he knows or not, and he hurt pretty much everyone else, including Americans and Russians (because both of us could frankly do without either administrations ruining everything for everyone)

Do you consider Donald Trump to be a racist?

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

Can't say if he's a racist, but he panders to racists and at best (least racist) would be his complacency and that's already not good. His base has a substantial amount of blatant racists. He's okay with that. He defended the removal of the Confederate general statues, which are created within a racist context (to intimidate blacks back in the Civil Rights struggle). Charlottesville was the most blatant showcase of the kind people who support him. Literal Neo-Nazis chanting "Black Lives Splatter" and "Heil Hitler", waving known Nazi symbols. David Duke, KKK, and Richard Spencer are literally there. Trump took too long condemning the attacks and then trying to denounce "both sides" when one sides blatantly worse than the other (the white supremacists). He runs on an anti-immigrant platform that's entirely based on racism and xenophobia. The only consistent demographic that voted for him were whites (everything else including income and living conditions varied; Trump's rise cannot be adequately explained by "economic anxiety" when minorities in the same class mostly did not vote for him).

He's either a massive enabler or a racist. Either way, a very unsavory character.

 

[Ray Trace]

I would say "of course he's a racist", because he has alt-right support and he refuses to condemn Neo-Nazi groups. He had Neo-Nazis running around in his office too before they ended up resigning like ....whatever-this-douchebag's-name-is-he-led-for-trash-can-paper-breitbart