Syria

I've just found this graphic that depicts the various relationships in Syria.

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... and Russia isn't even there at all.

Mind-boggling, isn't it!

Why no Russia?

Increbible assad still there, glad russia getting involved

Well spotted Pete. Just goes to show how poor so many graphical representations/statistics are. It may look pretty, but often totally miss the reality.
Russia have always been the big player. One of the few countries of the world that never really shook off the Soviet backing/domination.
Putin is no dummy. What a shame he's such a KGB authoritarian. No wonder he backs Assad. I watch Russia Today for an opposite eye on news events. Their geopolitical logic is no worse than the West's, and often superior.

pepsipete wrote:

Why no Russia?

One might also ask why the UK and France are excluded,not to mention the YPG, the main Kurdish group who have born much of the fighting?

Russia today a decent 'alternative' VIEW on the news

Elias wrote:

Russia today a decent 'alternative' VIEW on the news

I quite often read RT. I find it quite refreshing versus the usual lefty and biased marxist shit dished up by the BBC and SKy news.

You cannot leave Israel out in any middle east conflict.....their intelligence gathering is always on the money.

As much as I'm a fan of an alternative voice, Russia Today is nothing more than Pravda for the 21st-century. The 'Russian politics' section today is led by a story of how the head of the Orthodox church has given Putin his blessing. The 'op-edge' tells us about how Russia has the moral high ground in Syria because they were invited in by that nice Mr Assad. And the main news is simply a regurgitation of a press release from the Russian Defense Ministry.

I can never understand why people moan about the BBC - there can't be a newsgathering organisation anywhere that has to go to so much effort to make sure its output is balanced.

What a mess ffs!

the West needs to make up its mind who to support, Assad though unpleasant at least keeps ISIS or whatever they call themselves in check.

pepsipete wrote:

the West needs to make up its mind who to support,  Assad though unpleasant at least keeps ISIS or whatever they call themselves in check.

It's hard to verify figures for obvious reasons, but it seems as though Assad's forces are responsible for around 85% of casualties. ISIS are responsible for around 5%.

Assad barrel bombs his own people....who now are fleeing to the EU.

As for Assad keeping ISIL in check I see no evidence of that.

....and Russian targets in Syria seem to be the same as Assad's.....not attacking ISIL as Putin claims.

WW3....could be nearer than we think.....just needs USA & Russian aircraft to get it wrong....and knock each other out of the sky.....then the blame game begins....and then it kicks off.....tit for tat....personal honour at stake......then we will see migration/refugees go up ten-fold.

We haven't seen nothing yet......in the meanwhile Cameron keeps cutting our armed forces ability to defend ourselves....let alone get involved abroad......and Corbyn plays into our enemies hands by saying he would never press the button.....we are becoming an insignificant player in world politics.....a backwater of opinion.

Les Miserable wrote:

What a mess ffs!

Perhaps this from Private Eye will make things clearer.

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Seems the krauts maybe regretting the open door all welcome policy.

Interesting piece in the eye regarding Syria. The jist was that after Cameron being besieged with calls for help we aren't actually doing f all. We sent over a few ageing Tornadoes and bombed some oil wells appaza to deny daesh oil revenue. A septic general has since pointed out that you can't actually do much damage to an oil well by bombing it, there isn't much up top to damage and what there is can soon be replaced with a mobile rig. Since then the yanks announced which targets have been hit by who and it would appear we have bombed nothing since the first few days. It would seem there aren't enough targets to go round which begs the question why have we made ourselves much more of a target for daesh whilst achieving feck all by being dragged into another war. One would assume that it's nothing more than something for Cameron to get a hard on about.
Hope Jezza stands up in parliament and says I told you so.

Amsterdamage wrote:

Interesting piece in the eye regarding Syria. The jist was that after Cameron being besieged with calls for help we aren't actually doing f all. We sent over a few ageing Tornadoes and bombed some oil wells appaza to deny daesh oil revenue. A septic general has since pointed out that you can't actually do much damage to an oil well by bombing it, there isn't much up top to damage and what there is can soon be replaced with a mobile rig. Since then the yanks announced which targets have been hit by who and it would appear we have bombed nothing since the first few days. It would seem there aren't enough targets to go round which begs the question why have we made ourselves much more of a target for daesh whilst achieving feck all by being dragged into another war. One would assume that it's nothing more than something for Cameron to get a hard on about.
Hope Jezza stands up in parliament and says I told you so.

You don't think we were already at the top of their hitlist?

Lily livers such as yourself and Jezza are rightly seen as weaklings by islamic extremists and would be beheaded foreshore. Do you really think yourself and Jezza would be shown any more mercy than a British soldier? #wakeup

Les Miserable wrote:

Amsterdamage wrote:

Interesting piece in the eye regarding Syria. The jist was that after Cameron being besieged with calls for help we aren't actually doing f all. We sent over a few ageing Tornadoes and bombed some oil wells appaza to deny daesh oil revenue. A septic general has since pointed out that you can't actually do much damage to an oil well by bombing it, there isn't much up top to damage and what there is can soon be replaced with a mobile rig. Since then the yanks announced which targets have been hit by who and it would appear we have bombed nothing since the first few days. It would seem there aren't enough targets to go round which begs the question why have we made ourselves much more of a target for daesh whilst achieving feck all by being dragged into another war. One would assume that it's nothing more than something for Cameron to get a hard on about.
Hope Jezza stands up in parliament and says I told you so.

 You don't think we were already at the top of their hitlist?

Lily livers such as yourself and Jezza are rightly seen as weaklings by islamic extremists and would be beheaded foreshore. Do you really think yourself and Jezza would be shown any more mercy than a British soldier?      #wakeup

Course I don't you muppet but as I would say to anyone come and have a go if you think you're hard enough. My point is why get involved in a conflict we aren't needed in? What would you say we have achieved in the middle east since 911?
Cue comments on sexuality and mental illness.

Amsterdamage wrote:

Les Miserable wrote:

Amsterdamage wrote:

Interesting piece in the eye regarding Syria. The jist was that after Cameron being besieged with calls for help we aren't actually doing f all. We sent over a few ageing Tornadoes and bombed some oil wells appaza to deny daesh oil revenue. A septic general has since pointed out that you can't actually do much damage to an oil well by bombing it, there isn't much up top to damage and what there is can soon be replaced with a mobile rig. Since then the yanks announced which targets have been hit by who and it would appear we have bombed nothing since the first few days. It would seem there aren't enough targets to go round which begs the question why have we made ourselves much more of a target for daesh whilst achieving feck all by being dragged into another war. One would assume that it's nothing more than something for Cameron to get a hard on about.
Hope Jezza stands up in parliament and says I told you so.

 You don't think we were already at the top of their hitlist?

Lily livers such as yourself and Jezza are rightly seen as weaklings by islamic extremists and would be beheaded foreshore. Do you really think yourself and Jezza would be shown any more mercy than a British soldier?      #wakeup

Course I don't you muppet but as I would say to anyone come and have a go if you think you're hard enough.  My point is why get involved in a conflict we aren't needed in? What would you say we have achieved in the middle east since 911?
Cue comments on sexuality and mental illness.

Maybe you're the answer mage, a one man army foreshore. You could even stop off in Cyprus on the way over and knock Tring out.

So I repeat what do you think we are achieving over there?

In the grand scheme of things probably very little although tbf I was responding to your earlier claim that we had made ourselves a bigger target for IS, I disagree, as I said we're already at the top of the hitlist. They like soft targets too as we are seeing in places like Jakarta and Burkina Faso, Corbyn's britain would be softer than a lactating tit.

Only because he would be taking over a country that for centuries has stomped around the world thinking it knows best. I travelled with my now wife and when you read the history of most of the places we visited one thing stands out - Britain were involved and we fecked it up.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, history is in the past. Can't beat a bit of self loathing, what did the Romans ever do for us

That would be fine Les Mis if we learned our lessons, however we still crack on as if we've been appointed as the World's police. The Tories and Blair love it. It's our special relationships and democracy see....bollocks.

Zackly, and to answer your point Les Corby is a pacifist, he's anti war whoever said he wouldn't defend our shores? (trident aside and I'm with him on that score as well). Do really think under Corby we would sack the police, army, secret services and border security? Course we wouldn't and I wouldn't want to but we need a mind shift from being a world police force (or Uncles SAMs bitch) to having a defence force, for defence, deck all this fighting "rag heads" as they are affectionately known.