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Why Soleimani Was Killed...

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  • #46
    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
    Alarmists Were Wrong about the Soleimani Strike

    I suppose the love affair between the leftists and this "beloved general" has gotten lost in all the impeachment hoopla?

    Tehran’s response to it shows that the current U.S. policy toward Iran is working.

    Two weeks ago, the United States seemed on the brink of starting another war in the Middle East after a drone strike killed Iran’s most notorious spymaster, Qasem Soleimani, as he departed an international airport in Baghdad. The shadowy general, in charge of the Iranian equivalent of the CIA, was one of the most effective operatives in the Middle East’s history. He built a sprawling army of proxy militias throughout the region and helped expand Tehran’s dominance in nearby countries.

    But the dust has now settled, and none of the doomsday scenarios that so many in the media warned about has come to pass. It is true that Iran launched a missile attack into U.S. bases in Iraq, but the attack was merely symbolic. As Iraqi officials revealed the following day, Iran had informed them of an imminent attack on U.S. bases, a message that the Iraqis promptly and predictably passed on to the Americans. No fatalities were recorded, but the Iranian regime still told its followers that dozens if not hundreds of Americans were killed as a result of the retaliation.

    Indeed, none of the doomsday scenarios were plausible to begin with. Iran has a narrow menu of options in terms of escalation against the U.S. It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region. The regime faces increasingly crippling sanctions imposed by Washington, and domestic unrest is building up with occasional street protests. Also, its allies in Iraq and Lebanon have been under unprecedented pressure from grassroots protests, persistent since October. In Syria, the currency is collapsing on historic levels as more than one third of the country remains outside the control of the Iranian-backed government. Iran is embroiled in domestic and regional crises, and many of the gains it made in recent years are still tenuous.

    In the panic that followed the news of Soleimani’s killing, that essential context was overlooked. Pundits and former officials warned of a showdown, between Iran and the U.S., that Tehran would not want. When the confrontation did not pan out, critics still maintained that this was mere luck. One journalist suggested that the war was averted because the mullahs in Iran exercised “more restraint” than the U.S. did.

    In reality, the alarmism was never warranted. ....
    I found this line interesting and ironic: "It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region." Wasn't the claim (before we found out it was an apparent lie or at least filled with inconsistent info) that he would use terrorist proxies to attack US forces?

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    • #47
      Originally posted by seanD View Post
      I found this line interesting and ironic: "It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region." Wasn't the claim (before we found out it was an apparent lie or at least filled with inconsistent info) that he would use terrorist proxies to attack US forces?
      That, too, and word today is that Iran is not ruling out coming back to the negotiating table. Of course, Iran wants it to be conditional on dropping sanctions, so...

      Trump says ‘no thanks’ to Iran's FM negotiation proposal
      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

      Comment


      • #48
        Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
        Yes, as I've pointed out numerous times, "lying" often seems to be the language of diplomacy.
        Not just diplomacy, they'll lie to you to start wars, and lie to stop wars, or for other 'necessary' purposes.
        Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

        Comment


        • #49
          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
          That, too, and word today is that Iran is not ruling out coming back to the negotiating table. Of course, Iran wants it to be conditional on dropping sanctions, so...

          Trump says ‘no thanks’ to Iran's FM negotiation proposal
          So the argument is that since their great mastermind got killed, the proxies are supposed to magically stand down even though they're more ticked off than they were before about us occupying the region, and that they also know they now have the Iraqi parliament on their side? Makes total sense

          Comment


          • #50
            Originally posted by seanD View Post
            They're demanding US withdrawal as we speak. Instead Trump threatened them with sanctions. I don't think he did it as an out, I think he did it because he was pressured by the senators like that article reported. That just makes more sense to me. And there's no more reason Trump will order a pullout in Iraq than in Afghanistan. He doesn't have the backbone to go up against the MIC and hawks in Washington that prostitute for them (even less now that they have that impeachment noose around his neck). And now, because tensions are heightened, US troops are even more vulnerable than before. But... no war lol.
            The hole in this theory is why would they allow Trump to be Lucy with the football again and deescalate?

            Originally posted by seanD View Post
            So the argument is that since their great mastermind got killed, the proxies are supposed to magically stand down even though they're more ticked off than they were before about us occupying the region, and that they also know they now have the Iraqi parliament on their side? Makes total sense
            One Weird Trick to get Iran and Iraq united.
            Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
              The hole in this theory is why would they allow Trump to be Lucy with the football again and deescalate?
              Yeah, that I can't figure out. They were willing to attack Iran over a drone last year, but not attack Iran for firing on our bases and wounding US troops. That's what threw me. Like I said, we'll have to see what comes of this impeachment and what happens with Iran in between. If Trump is exonerated and there's still no incident with Iran, then the report was BS.

              Comment


              • #52
                Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
                Not just diplomacy, they'll lie to you to start wars, and lie to stop wars, or for other 'necessary' purposes.
                When you pick up a snake and get bit there's really nothing to be surprised at.
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #53
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                  Alarmists Were Wrong about the Soleimani Strike

                  I suppose the love affair between the leftists and this "beloved general" has gotten lost in all the impeachment hoopla?

                  Tehran’s response to it shows that the current U.S. policy toward Iran is working.

                  Two weeks ago, the United States seemed on the brink of starting another war in the Middle East after a drone strike killed Iran’s most notorious spymaster, Qasem Soleimani, as he departed an international airport in Baghdad. The shadowy general, in charge of the Iranian equivalent of the CIA, was one of the most effective operatives in the Middle East’s history. He built a sprawling army of proxy militias throughout the region and helped expand Tehran’s dominance in nearby countries.

                  But the dust has now settled, and none of the doomsday scenarios that so many in the media warned about has come to pass. It is true that Iran launched a missile attack into U.S. bases in Iraq, but the attack was merely symbolic. As Iraqi officials revealed the following day, Iran had informed them of an imminent attack on U.S. bases, a message that the Iraqis promptly and predictably passed on to the Americans. No fatalities were recorded, but the Iranian regime still told its followers that dozens if not hundreds of Americans were killed as a result of the retaliation.

                  Indeed, none of the doomsday scenarios were plausible to begin with. Iran has a narrow menu of options in terms of escalation against the U.S. It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region. The regime faces increasingly crippling sanctions imposed by Washington, and domestic unrest is building up with occasional street protests. Also, its allies in Iraq and Lebanon have been under unprecedented pressure from grassroots protests, persistent since October. In Syria, the currency is collapsing on historic levels as more than one third of the country remains outside the control of the Iranian-backed government. Iran is embroiled in domestic and regional crises, and many of the gains it made in recent years are still tenuous.

                  In the panic that followed the news of Soleimani’s killing, that essential context was overlooked. Pundits and former officials warned of a showdown, between Iran and the U.S., that Tehran would not want. When the confrontation did not pan out, critics still maintained that this was mere luck. One journalist suggested that the war was averted because the mullahs in Iran exercised “more restraint” than the U.S. did.

                  In reality, the alarmism was never warranted. ....

                  Doesn't sound much like a deescalation. Or maybe it's Trump playing 4-d chess

                  AP

                  Over the past eight months, the United States has poured more than 20,000 additional troops into the Middle East to counter the escalating threat from Iran that peaked with the recent missile attack on American forces in Iraq.

                  Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to bring troops home, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East on Thursday said the most recent forces to enter the region could be there for “quite a while.”

                  “You’re here because I requested that you come,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told sailors and Marines aboard the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, his voice booming over the ship’s loudspeaker. “I’m not sure how long you’re going to stay in the theater. We’ll work that out as we go ahead. Could be quite a while, could be less than that, just don’t know right now.”

                  The Bataan and two other U.S. warships moved into the Middle East on Jan. 11. By Thursday, they were in the north Red Sea, roughly 50 miles south of the Sinai Peninsula. They are the latest additions to America’s troop presence in the region. Since May, their numbers have grown from about 60,000 to more than 80,000.

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