The Last War

[Count Bobulescu]

Ships and manned aircraft being used, as opposed to last year when it was tomahawks only.

[Count Bobulescu]

Syrian State media reporting that their air defenses have engaged US, UK, and French targets.

[Count Bobulescu]

Pentagon briefing says operation is now complete. Three targets were chosen. 1: Syrian chemical weapons R&D + production facility near Damascus destroyed. 2+3 were storage facilities near Homs.

[Shaadi]

Pentagon briefing says operation is now complete. Three targets were chosen. 1: Syrian chemical weapons R&D + production facility near Damascus destroyed. 2+3 were storage facilities near Homs.

Proportionate enough to avoid starting WW3

[DCon]

https://m.facebook.com/RusEmbUSA/posts/772071403003252

[C. Flower]

Film of various bombed sites (no sign of any precautions that you would expect in a bombed-out chemical weapons establishment).

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/14/m...ntl/index.html

Syria and Russia are saying that many of the missiles were taken out by Syrian air defence and that Russian defence technology / weapons were used.

On the surface at least this is another big bang "wham bam, thank you, Theresa May" move from Trump. The progressive gradual increase on US and other ground bases is I think a bigger indication of long term intentions.

Completely illegal of course on the part of the US, France and the UK.

For the moment, Syria still stands.

[Count Bobulescu]

Film of various bombed sites (no sign of any precautions that you would expect in a bombed-out chemical weapons establishment).

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/14/m...ntl/index.html

Syria and Russia are saying that many of the missiles were taken out by Syrian air defence and that Russian defence technology / weapons were used.

On the surface at least this is another big bang "wham bam, thank you, Theresa May" move from Trump. The progressive gradual increase on US and other ground bases is I think a bigger indication of long term intentions.

Completely illegal of course on the part of the US, France and the UK.

For the moment, Syria still stands.

Which law did they violate? Who adjudicated that?

Mushashi claimed above, without citation, of course, that 10 Russian warships had left port and were prepared to counter attack against incoming. Not a peep out of them, or any of the Russian air defenses on the ground. More likely the ships skeedaddled trying to avoid a "Pearl Harbor".

Considerable speculation in the US, both before and after, about whether the US would use cyber offense to disable Russian defenses. No confirmation, but the circumstantials point to it.
US is recognized to have much better cyber offense, than defense, maybe the Russians are in the same boat, so to speak.

If the US was able to permit the Syrian air defenses to operate, while at the same time, isolating and neutralizing the Russian defenses, that will be a wake up call for Vlad.

[musashi]

Hi Musashi, absolutely great to have you back.

While I'm not filling the attic with beans yet I wouldn't dismiss the gist of the OP.

"Events" drive various actors into taking positions and actions which would have seemed to be beyond the Pale before a chain of events set off a chain-reaction.

• To an extent there is no Russia in these matters, there's a quiet and deep Russia-China axis united by their common desire to not let the US threaten either State's existence. China would probably be up for supporting Russia financially during any conflict, just to weaken the US threat to themselves.

• Also you have to throw the strategic alliances of the various allies on either side into the mix. Iran-Syria-Russia -China etc, BRICS etc. Israel-USA-Saudi-UK-Gulf States etc. NATO-EU Powers.

• Reckless Individuals and Ideologues on all sides. Trump and his Brain-Fart shooting from the hip combined with war-monger John Bolton being brought into the Trump Govt mean we could very easily see the US getting into highly provocative military actions including Invasions or Incursions.


• US policy for many years has been steered towards weakening Russia so that the US can advance into Central Asia and exploit its resources. Note the western attacks on Russia's southern port access and any potential access to southern ports with the use of proxies in Georgia, Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

While the all-powerful US has been moving its chess pieces, Russia and China and Iran have been thinking about how to defend themselves.

Trump and Bolton are crazy enough to start a war. The US is powerful enough militarily to win an all out war, but winning an all out Nuclear War would be a moot point.

An all out Conventional War between the US and many actors such as Russia and Iran would exhaust the US financially,so much so that China would quickly move to replace the USA as the global powerhouse Superpower. Shades of the USA watching the British Empire crumbling and pouncing on the opportunities that became available. Indeed Russia's boasting of outgunning the USA may be a poker players move played to make the US break itself financially in an Arms-race. Revenge for Reagan's pushing of the old Soviet Union down that path.

Questions... Does the powerful Israel lobby in the USA really want a nuked neighbour on their borders. Obviously no.

Can anyone control Saudi-Arabia's use of force and proxies in that region?

Hey Shaadi,
I don't believe Israel wants a nuclear exchange with any state. I believe they want to escalate this situation to a level where they can expend their ordinance on Syria and Iran and justify the vast amount of money currently flowing into their coffers.

Saudi Arabia can be reigned in by the US, UK and France (three primary benefactors) who all profit by selling Saudi Arabia weapons and military support.

[jmcc]

You might find https://eam.watch interesting, Musashi. Basically it logs all the Emergency Action Messages heard on shortwave and you can even hear these EAMs on a web software defined radio linked from the site.

Regards...jmcc

[Count Bobulescu]

You might find https://eam.watch interesting, Musashi. Basically it logs all the Emergency Action Messages heard on shortwave and you can even hear these EAMs on a web software defined radio linked from the site.

Regards...jmcc

I suspect Musashi is more of a numbers stations guy.......