Comments for Informed Comment

Comment on Syria: Russians alarmed, Washington Befuddled, by White House threats by Moi

Moi — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 06:43:13 +0000

The Russians already have S-300 and S-400 missiles in place around Syria and this is sufficient to cover much of the country. More of them would be superfluous.

Then there is the point that the Russians haven’t used the existing missiles to stop egregious US and Israeli attacks against Assad’s forces. That is, the missiles are utterly useless without the political will to employ them.

Putin’s bluff has been well and truly called.

Comment on Back to Quagmire: Beware endless US Troop Escalations in Afghanistan by spyguy

spyguy — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 06:00:45 +0000

Half baked military engagement is ALWAYS a loser action.

If the locals are not willing to die for their side then there is nothing the USA can do to change the situation and should just accept the situation and leave.

All indications are the Taliban are more mentally into the fight than the Afghan army, so no matter how many “advisors” (actually mercenaries) the USA dumps into the country, the situation will not get any better.

If the USA wants to defeat the Taliban, they will have to put several hundred thousand USA troops on the ground to die in large numbers until all the population is dead or subjugated. The it will have to install a puppet government and protect the (fake) government with several hundred thousands troops forever at great expense to the USA taxpayers and cannon fodder “donor” families.

The USA can NOT do anything in Afghanistan that has not already been tried by the loser Brits (THREE TIMES) or the loser Soviets, or any of the losers that have attacked Afghanistan over the last several thousand years and went away defeated.

The USA has LOST in Afghanistan and we should just admit it and walk away from a losing action. There is NO WAY the USA can “win” in any sense of the word in Afghanistan.

Comment on Trump May Already Be Blundering into the Next Middle East War by spyguy

spyguy — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 05:42:33 +0000

Iran does NOT want war with the USA, BUT they will not be pushed around by the USA and Russia will be glad to help them if the USA attacks.

Iran will try to send diplomatic signals for the USA to back off, but trump is too stupid to understand and he has decimated the state department so there are few left that can even shout at him to stop, even though he will not listen.

Iran will probably NOT make an first strikes but will react very forcibly when attacked.

The real problem is trump has a “divine right king” mentality and he will do what he wants regardless what is actually best for the USA. Trump is all ego and no thought, similar to a certain German ruler that made lots of mistakes due to ego during the 1930s and 1940s.

Comment on Turkey abandons High Tech Future by Banning Teaching of Evolution by oxo

oxo — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 05:16:03 +0000

Truth can’t be surpressed, it is a pressure cooker waiting to explode. Even placing a ban on teaching evolution theory is a victory for Science. New generations are socially and politically aware, they are not as naive as the older generation. The future is theirs and Science shapes our future today.

Comment on Syria: Russians alarmed, Washington Befuddled, by White House threats by Duglarri

Duglarri — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 02:08:36 +0000

Dr. Cole, I think you are right to knock down all the Russian speculations, but I would suggest one thing that would contribute to the analysis: it seems apparent that it’s no use any more talking about “the United States” in terms of policy. The Russians are making a huge mistake when they try to identify what US policy actually is, because there isn’t one. There are many.

There are now at least five sources of policy: the White House, State, the Pentagon, the CIA, and the units in the field.

For example, it seems that the shoot-down of the Syrian aircraft a few weeks ago was not the first four, but was instead a decision by the local American commander in the area, without consultation. It was not “US policy”, but the policy of that commander, that was exercised in that instance.

It’s currently the policy of the Pentagon to work through the Kurds. But there’s every reason to believe that the CIA is still supplying assistance to Al Nusra.

And we’ve seen the still unresolved loggerheads between Pentagon and State on one side, and the White House on the other with respect to Qatar.

There is no “United States” any more with respect to foreign policy. There are competing servants of Trump, because that’s the way he runs his businesses. He puts his employees at each other’s throats, because that’s the way he likes it.

Not United at all.

Comment on Syria: Russians alarmed, Washington Befuddled, by White House threats by John L Hansen

John L Hansen — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 02:07:10 +0000

It’s a rewrite of the “Comey Tapes Saga” for Fox TV.

Comment on Syria: Russians alarmed, Washington Befuddled, by White House threats by Juan Cole

Juan Cole — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 01:04:43 +0000

After Libya went bad, the US position has been that Assad should go but that the Syrian government should not be overthrown. Under Trump it isn’t even clear that the position is any longer that Assad must go.

The idea that the US is trying to install al-Qaeda in Damascus is looney toons.

Comment on Trump’s Folly: Oil is a Worthless Commodity and Saudi’s Crown Prince Knows It by getoffmedz

getoffmedz — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:39:53 +0000

The Trump EPA budget “zeros” the EnergyStar Program because POTUS Petty Vindictive hates the program, 11 of 14 of Trump’s hotels fail to comply with the standard. On a scale of 1 to 100, a Park Avenue complex owned by Trump that was formerly the Mayflower Hotel rated 1 point.

Someone needs to tell Trump that the EnergyStar Program was not an Obama initiative but a Poppy Bush program.

link to usatoday.com