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MihaiB's avatar

The Syrian government used gas attacks on Arabs, not Kurds. The Kurds of Syria and Iraq are on friendly relation with both Russia and US - it's Middle East so complicated. The Kurds needed US protection against Turkey, not Russia or Siria.

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Rick Drain's avatar

Sadam Hussein used gas on Iraqi Kurds.

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MihaiB's avatar

Yes, Saddam used many gas attacks on Iranians, Kurds and Shia Arabs. This has started US support for the Kurds.

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Johan de Nauclér's avatar

In Europe, we are more and more getting the feeling that this Russian-Ukrainian war is the American Suez...

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Stilicho's avatar

Actually the US allied with the PKK/PYD precisely because those were already an integral component of the Assad/Iran/Russia coalition and thus allowed the US the act in Syria without having to fight Assad and enforce its state red line about chemical weapons.

The same PKK/PYD who consistently fought under Russian air support along IRGC lands troops and among other things, played a pivotal role during the siege of Aleppo

Doing so, the US betrayed Turkey, a NATO member, and started to fight an war against indirect war against it. Which should sends the biggest warning to Kyiv about the non-existant reliability of the US as an ally.

It also put the US against the Iraqi Kurds of the KPD aka the Barzanis : the ones Kurds actor who have been the US allies since the 1990s and those who had been victims of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons. the PKK/PYD is highly aggressive against others Kurdish political actors and with total US complicity, it has worked to expend its own territory against the KDP dominated KRG too.

Quite the mess up you did there. Almost as big as those Ukrainians who bizarrely identified with Israelis occupiers rather the invaded Palestinians. Bigotry is a poor adviser in geopolitic.

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Elmo Roach's avatar

Not so complex. 1. Don’t trust the Americans. 2. If you want security get a Nuke.

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Tom Magnuson's avatar

Good historic summary of America's dealings with allies in war, and excellent analysis of what is needed for Ukraine to be secure.

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MihaiB's avatar

A force of 100 brigades is about 400k troops plus 300-400 support personnel. That's about 2% of 2022 Ukrainian population and is not sustainable.

Russia or US don't have such a land force. It will require a minimum of 3k tanks plus reserve vehicles.

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Johan de Nauclér's avatar

The main problem, geopolitically, that the Washington's military establishment needs constant chaos in a zone of chaos along a line from the Baltics in the north-west, via Ukraine and Georgia, down to Turkey-Syria-Iran-Israel-Syria-Iraq-Pakistan in the south-east.

Here the military, security, diplomatic and other conflicts are never solved. If this zone, after all, would get security and peace - the American "great power" is not needed in the region - it is redundant.

The "world's largest military power" with the "world's most superior military budget", however, wins no wars at all since they dropped the nuclear bombs over Japan (which by the way, according to then Japanese political protocols, was most afraid of the coming Soviet invasion - they already stood at the coast of northern island of Hokkaido, from the Kuriles). They are thrown out from Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Afghanistan by unshaved, heavy bearded and clayey guerilla warriors. Decade after decade, and abandon these failed regions´, failed by pure American fantasies. I am afraid the same now will be repeated with Ukraine.

The United States unfortunately today is trying to export an political and military model as effective as Commisarie Clouseau (once played by actor Peter Sellers). We must realize that the American planning and combined with permanent failed diplomacy, foreign policy, military expanding and the constant psychiatric political think tanks in Washington. It is a failed great power, whose future actually looks going the same way as the British empire - to large to rule two, three or four seas and oceans away. Imperial overstretch. I think it is that what we are seeing. An end which will bli very similar as the Soviet collapse with military and political support for everyone everywhere all round the world - it didn't work in the end,

When Americans pay their federal taxes - between 61 to 63% go for spending on military installations.....abroad (according to president Nixon's former political adviser, Dr. Dmitri Simes). It can't go on like this for the American society.

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Jan Mouchet's avatar

Great article!

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