05-22-2016, 05:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-22-2016, 05:55 PM by Eric the Green.)
(05-10-2016, 11:54 PM)MillsT_98 Wrote: In Who are you voting in 2016, Kinser and I were talking about the situation in the Middle East, and I decided to post it to this thread so it doesn't completely go off-topic. How will we solve the situation with Syria and ISIS? If we fight the Assad regime in Syria and ally with the rebels (for lack of a better word), then ISIS might take over, and might be a threat to the US and the rest of the Middle East. However, if we fight ISIS instead, then Syrian government might win, leaving us between a rock and a hard place. What would the best course of action be? How would any of this play out militarily? And would any of this lead to World War III?
Hillary has it about right, I think. There can be no peace in Syria until Assad is toppled in one way or another. The Islamic State can be defeated in Iraq gradually, but in Syria they are likely to retain a foothold as long as Assad is in power, because until he goes civil war and anarchy continues.
The IS can't take over if Assad falls. The rebels are not the IS. The rebels would be stronger against the IS if they came to power, than Assad is now, because they would have the backing of the people and their allies in The West and The Gulf. Assad is propped up solely by Russia and Iran. If they can be convinced to let him go, he falls. He has no internal support to amount to anything. Only the rebels can create a Syrian state that can unite and drive out the Islamic State.
The USA is not at present "fighting" Assad directly, and has no plans to do so; nor would Hillary. It's a question of support, and putting diplomatic pressure on the Russians, and the pressures on the Russians themselves who don't want to stay in a quagmire.