As U.S. Escalates Air War on ISIS, Allies Slip Away | World Defense

As U.S. Escalates Air War on ISIS, Allies Slip Away

Redheart

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/middleeast/as-us-escalates-air-war-on-isis-allies-slip-away.html?_r=0

As the United States prepares to intensify airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, the Arab allies who with great fanfare sent warplanes on the initial missions there a year ago have largely vanished from the campaign.

The Obama administration heralded the Arab air forces flying side by side with American fighter jets in the campaign’s early days as an important show of solidarity against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh. Top commanders like Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who oversees operations in Syria and Iraq, still laud the Arab countries’ contributions to the fight. But as the United States enters a critical phase of the war in Syria, ordering Special Operations troops to support rebel forces and sending two dozen attack planes to Turkey, the air campaign has evolved into a largely American effort.

Administration officials had sought to avoid the appearance of another American-dominated war, even as most leaders in the Persian Gulf seem more preoccupied with supporting rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Now, some of those officials note with resignation, the Arab partners have quietly left the United States to run the bulk of the air war in Syria — not the first time Washington has found allies wanting.
 

Corzhens

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This is what I am pointing out - why not a concerted attack? As what the title said, the US is escalating the air attacks but the Saudi forces are silently slipping away. It looks to me that Syria and Iraq, particularly the ISIS, is getting to be a punching bag. I have this wild idea that the war-torn area is being used as training ground for new soldiers. And why are the attacks one after the other? After the Saudi, here comes the US while the Russian troops are on the other corner.
 

Falcon29

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This is what I am pointing out - why not a concerted attack? As what the title said, the US is escalating the air attacks but the Saudi forces are silently slipping away. It looks to me that Syria and Iraq, particularly the ISIS, is getting to be a punching bag. I have this wild idea that the war-torn area is being used as training ground for new soldiers. And why are the attacks one after the other? After the Saudi, here comes the US while the Russian troops are on the other corner.

There are no Saudi forces in Syria or Iraq. In Iraq, US is supporting Kurdish and pro-government militias and offensives are being done at consistent pace. However the Kurds and government don't get along real well, Kurds want the northern part of the country and consider it to be sovereign Kurdish territory. They have their own provinces in the north and government in south still includes them in state budget even while they behave as if they're sovereign entity. In Syria ISIS is fighting regime, Kurdish militias and rebels in some cases. There are air strikes given to militias on ground, at the militias request usually. There are more players in Syria hence it's more complicated, they all have different objectives. And hence without ground forces air power won't topple ISIS, it will help militias though. US and Russia both don't want to get bogged down in Syria but both want to contain Sunni rebel groups/militias. That is US objective, Russia is to help regime secure important provinces. So difference between Russia and US actions in Syria is that US does it only to hurt Sunni groups, while Russia does it to hurt Sunni groups so in turn it will help government fight them.
 

Redheart

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Funny that all the U.S needed was the right motivation to actually start taking their "fight against ISIS" more seriously. Already more than $2.7 Billion has been spent fighting ISIS and not much has been achieved. Of course we've heard the rumors that ISIS has been weakened but how true are those news reports when just recently, they took Maheen?

More airstrikes will not change much. For ISIS and their allies to be defeated, new strategies are needed.
 

charris89

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Funny that all the U.S needed was the right motivation to actually start taking their "fight against ISIS" more seriously. Already more than $2.7 Billion has been spent fighting ISIS and not much has been achieved. Of course we've heard the rumors that ISIS has been weakened but how true are those news reports when just recently, they took Maheen?

More airstrikes will not change much. For ISIS and their allies to be defeated, new strategies are needed.


Amen to that. The strategy was a failure to being with. I've wondered a million times, why on earth would we train rebels Again to fight a war. Sure it worked in Afghanistan, however it also gave birth to the Taliban. Will we never learn from our mistakes? I can't wrap my mind around this. Airstrikes work brilliantly when you have boots on the ground. I understand the American people are reluctant to get involved in the Middle East, but what we're doing now is just wasting money. The only people who are getting hurt are the innocent civilians. Hopefully we can take our strategy back to the drawing board, and come up with something that works.
 

Redheart

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What the U.S is doing [and it's disgraceful] is making an attempt to "counter" Russia's growing influence. Grandstanding. It would be embarrassing if the Russians could do what the U.S has failed to.

The U.S had over a year to weaken ISIS making it easier for the rebels and Kurds to drive out ISIS from Syria. Apparently though the U.S's intention wasn't to end the conflict. They wanted Israel's neighbor(s) to keep fighting each other.

It appears like that's what they wanted all along . . .

West 'ignored Russian offer in 2012 to have Syria's Assad step aside' | World news | The Guardian
Russia proposed more than three years ago that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace deal, according to a senior negotiator involved in back-channel discussions at the time.

Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari said western powers failed to seize on the proposal. Since it was made, in 2012, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions uprooted, causing the world’s gravest refugee crisis since the second world war.
 

charris89

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What the U.S is doing [and it's disgraceful] is making an attempt to "counter" Russia's growing influence. Grandstanding. It would be embarrassing if the Russians could do what the U.S has failed to.

The U.S had over a year to weaken ISIS making it easier for the rebels and Kurds to drive out ISIS from Syria. Apparently though the U.S's intention wasn't to end the conflict. They wanted Israel's neighbor(s) to keep fighting each other.

It appears like that's what they wanted all along . . .

West 'ignored Russian offer in 2012 to have Syria's Assad step aside' | World news | The Guardian
Russia proposed more than three years ago that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace deal, according to a senior negotiator involved in back-channel discussions at the time.

Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari said western powers failed to seize on the proposal. Since it was made, in 2012, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions uprooted, causing the world’s gravest refugee crisis since the second world war.

Wow that is very disgraceful. I had no idea Russian had suggested a deal like that. I guess t made to much sense for America to take them up on it. It's appalling that we could have saved so many lives over there if we would have taken action sooner. I'm really disappointed in this administration. Wouldn't be the first time though. I'm not saying one man is at fault, but something obviously could've been done sooner. I'll have to read more about how the decision was made, before I begin judging people. I wouldn't surprised if America wanted to prolong the fighting. War is good for business and business has been good the past decade.
 

Redheart

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The West's hatred for Assad got in the way of their thinking. Had the peace deal gone through:

- There'd be no war in Syria.
- ISIS wouldn't be as big a threat as it is now.
- Europe wouldn't have the refugee crisis which threatens to tear the EU apart.

The occurrence of all these bad things could have been prevented.
 

silentwarfare

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What they're doing is a bad strategy. It's going to alienate most any ally the US had in this by pushing away common allies with other countries. What are they thinking? Hey Obama, this is not the way to win, bud! You're supposed to be stopping the war and helping to control the situation, not putting gasoline on a fire!
 

rz3300

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I really hate reading about how much money is going to efforts like this which just really seem to lead to nothing. I am not saying I hate the reporting but the fact itself. The truth is though is that I do not know what the alternative is, and I am not sure that anybody does. It is all political and dependent on the current political environment, and I would not be too shocked if things change in the near future.
 
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