ATL Bear said:
BearFan33 said:
ATL Bear said:
BearFan33 said:
ATL Bear said:
FLBear5630 said:
nein51 said:
FLBear5630 said:
nein51 said:
Osodecentx said:
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Redbrickbear said:
Osodecentx said:
Trump's Revealing Choice of Which Foreign Leader Gets Denounced as a 'Dictator'
Because Trump likes to shine a light on things the Media-DC-Academia don't like to talk about
We all know Putin is a dictator (rigged elections and all)
But no one likes to point out that Zelensky is not holding elections and censoring all Media inside Ukraine
Trump's just running front for his boy Putin who's been wanting him gone for a long time. Let's not pretend he's worried about democracy in Ukraine. This is part of the bend over for Vlad that's been oozing out of this admin.
No, but I'm sure in time it's going to be much different than what has been floated publicly. We just need to give him time…
as President Trump has cozied up to Mr. Putin and moved to normalize relations with Russia, Republicans who once vowed to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty have stayed silent or moderated their tone.
Russia isn't the good guys. Neither is Ukraine but I have a hell of a lot of respect for Zelensky fighting for his country. I would prefer not to cozy up to either and I definitely don't like the way we are treating Putin right now.
I have serious doubts Russia stops at Ukraine. If they were anywhere near the power they were 40 years ago I would be 100% certain they won't stop. These days I just don't think they are really able to fight much longer/further.
The impending demographic collapse in Russia and China will reshape geopolitics and possibly within our lifetimes.
I am not sure we are seeing their "capabilities". It looks to me that this is similar to Germany in Spain, testing equipment, hardening troops and identifying leaders. One thing I think Russia is doing Germany didn't, is integrating their allies into the effort. They now have experience working with North Korea, Iran and China in actual combat situations. I have noticed a difference in the battle tactics and how they operate.
Sorry, based on the size and weapon systems that Russia has I find it hard to believe that they can't knock Ukraine out.
If they could they would have done so already. They just aren't the threat they used to be and this war has cost them dearly in personnel and materiel.
I hope you are right. As it sits, they are leaving the war with more territory and the most seasoned, well equipped Army in Europe. No one has the experience and battle hardiness the Russian's gained over the past 3 years.
With sweeteners discussed thus far as no sanctions, G7 membership, reduced military threats (No Ukraine NATO and troop pullbacks elsewhere), O&G investment from the U.S., new Ukrainian leadership, and sharing in Ukrainian mineral wealth (unconquered territory).
Don't forget Trump gets the pee pee tapes back.
Everything with Trump is a negotiation. Step back from the ledge and lets see what happens,
I keep being told that and instead of something tangible for Russia to commit to, I hear another round of flowers being ordered for Vlad.
There is a real bromance going on. Don't get in the way of it. I heard he invited Vlad for a threesome with Melania.
In all seriousness I think DJT knows exactly who he is dealing with. Look up the Battle of Khasham and see how Trump treated Russia.
We withdrew our troops from the region, and our partners flipped to Assad/Russia. That's supposed to engender confidence?
Of course it's not that simple or even accurate. I gave you an example where Trump killed up to 100 of Putin's henchmen and of course through a cloud of TDS you see nothing. The drawdown you mention was more complicated, temporary and related to ISIL wipeout which was a main goal.
In mid-January 2018, the
Trump administration indicated its intention to maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to accomplish US political objectives, including countering
Iranian influence and ousting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-guardianopenend-169][169][/url][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-washingtonpost31117-170][170][/url] However, on 19 December, President Trump unilaterally ordered the withdrawal of the 2,0002,500 US ground troops in Syria at the time, which was to be completed in 2019.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-NYT2018-12-19a-171][171][/url][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-Time2018-12-19a-172][172][/url][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-Guardian2018-12-20a-173][173][/url] With proliferating concerns over a potential power vacuum, the US announced on 22 February 2019 that instead of a total withdrawal, a
contingency force of around 400 US troops would remain
garrisoned in Syria indefinitely, and that their withdrawal would be gradual and conditions-based, returning to a policy of open-ended American military presence in the country.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-ahval41117-174][174][/url][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-cbs90009-175][175][/url]
In 2019, the coalition saw decisive results in its intervention against the Islamic State; the terror group
lost its last remaining territory in Syria during the
battle of Baghuz Fawqani[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-battleover-176][176][/url] and its leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a
US special forces raid in
Idlib in October 2019.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-politico61117-177][177][/url] The Trump administration ordered all US forces to withdraw from
Rojava in early October ahead of a
Turkish incursion into the region, a controversial move widely seen as a reneging of the US's alliance with the SDF in favor of
NATO ally
Turkey.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-bbc71117-178][178][/url] However, by November 2019, US troops instead repositioned to eastern Syria, reinforcing their presence in the
al-Hasakah and
Deir ez-Zor governorates, with the subordinate mission of securing SDF-controlled oil and gas infrastructure from the
IS insurgency and the Syrian government.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-ap81117-179][179][/url] On 23 November 2019, the head of
US Central Command stated there was no "end date" on the US's intervention in Syria.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-180][180][/url]
The
US Department of Defense stated that there were around 900 US soldiers operating in Syria as of February 2021.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-Feb2021Kurd24-49][49][/url][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-181][181][/url] On 19 December 2024, after the
fall of the Assad regime,
the Pentagon revealed that there were around 2,000 US troops in Syria, adding that the increase was temporary and occurred in recent months.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war#cite_note-182][182][/url]