Author: Paul Antonopoulos
Paul Antonopoulos is currently a Candidate for an MA Degree, writing his dissertation on the Saudi-Iranian Geopolitical Rivalry in the Syrian War and is an analyst for Al-Masdar News. You can follow him on twitter. Al-Masdar News is also on twitter.
A very highly placed Israeli officer told Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, only a short time after the start of Russia’s involvement in Syria, that “Syria can become Russia’s Vietnam.” This has obviously been grossly misjudged. Russia is yet to commit any ground troops, and, for the foreseeable future, most likely will not, unlike the American campaign in Viet Nam.
Russia has shown that an effective air campaign complimented by reliable ground forces such as the Syrian Arab Army can have a profound impact on defeating terrorist groups like ISIS. The Russian air-strikes have exposed the mythology that ISIS can only be defeated with the deployment of American ground forces in Syria as air power alone cannot do it alone. This begs the question: why does America not coordinate its air campaign with the so-called moderate rebels it arms and funds? Or perhaps they know, away from the public eye, that such moderate forces do not exist in Syria.
It would seem that Russia has learnt from the failures of the Viet Nam War and emphasises coordination with ground forces. Israeli Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, said in a press briefing: “It is impossible to defeat the Islamic State from the air; you need strong ground forces to accomplish that.” This is one thing America does not do with its Kurdish and ‘moderate rebel’ allies.
Ben Caspit of Al-Monitor claimed that “the increasing involvement of Russia and Iran, together with a massive Hezbollah presence, is not helping. Instead, they are only increasing the regional chaos.” Rather, he must question this statement; ISIS expanded under US-led coalition air-strikes, but has shrunk since the commencement of Russian strikes on September 30. The evidence shows that Russia has helped bring stability to the Syrian people as more and more towns are rescued from the clutches of ISIS and other terrorist groups.
Therefore, is it conceivable that Putin and Lavrov have embarrassed their American counterparts, Obama and Kerry? All evidence suggests that Putin and Lavrov are in a league of their own in understanding the Syrian War, ISIS, and the repercussions in the wider region—something the United States has failed to understand, as it did in its war against Viet Nam.
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Reblogged this on Piotr Bein's blog = blog Piotra Beina.
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Posted by grypa666 | Jan 4, 2016, 20:02The author seems to be largely unaware of the, by now, common knowledge that ISIS/Daesh was and is entirely the creation of the US, originating in Afghanistan with Al Qaida, Osama bin Laden, etc. to defeat the Soviet Union.
By deliberate design of such as Zbig and Kissinger the Afghan War was intended as the Soviet Union’s “Vietnam” … and it worked.
Paul Antonopoulos apparently does not know much about this history of entrapment (presumably he is too young) and so mistakenly believes that the RF has learned from the US defeat in Vietnam, whereas the fact is that the lesson comes from Afghanistan and the Cold War days when the Soviet Union stood alone, e.g. back then there was even conflict with China, whereas now China is an ally.
In addition – and supplying both indigenous and local ground support – the legitimate government in Syria is deeply allied, plus Iran, Hezbollah and increasing numbers of formerly wavering states, notably Iraq somewhat actively and others less so.
Add to that a VERY different global situation in which, far from being demonized, the RF and Vladimir Putin especially are being publically praised, even in the US and despite the Zionist/Wall Str./City of London controlled MSM.
I have no idea why Paul quotes Israeli sources, because Israel is part of the ‘coalition’ which created and supports ISIS, i.e. Washington, NATO, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some other Gulf states … formerly Jordan too, but President Putin recently made one of his most important announcements in Jordan with the King present.
Has Paul never wondered why Israel has not been attacked and why Israeli “advisors” have been caught with some of the terrorist groups?
The situation in NO way compares with the US entanglement in Vietnam, e.g. the US was never invited. On the contrary: the US took over from the VERY unwelcome French colonialists.
The only, very tenuous, connection between Vietnam and Syria is that Syria was once a French colony too … but that takes us back nearly 100 years to the Sykes-Picot agreement and the Balfour declaration which eventually enabled the establishment of the Zionist, apartheid state of Israel in 1948.
C. 1953 – from memory – Syria became an independent state and so it has remained (also as a Soviet and then Russian ally) for over 60 years, despite the last four years of attempted over-throw.
It was not feasible for Russia to do much when the US/NATO destroyed Yugoslavia, around the time, 1990s, when the US/Zionist PNAC was being formulated in Washington, because Russia was in poor shape.
Back around 2003 General Wesley-Clark told the World – well anyone paying attention and I am sure that included Vladimir Putin and his trusted team – that the US/Zionist/NATO plan was to destroy seven countries in five years, including Libya, Iran and Syria. Considering that the PNAC plan was consolidated around 1999, it should have been accomplished by 2004-5.
Trillions of dollars in debt later the plan has failed, though several countries have been destroyed and the Empire of Chaos has still not given up and, until recently, the Russian Federation could not do much in direct opposition in the wake of the traitorous Yeltsin and attempted “colour revolutions” in Chechnya, Georgia, the Ukraine, Russia itself and sundry other former members of the Soviet Union.
BUT Russia has been quietly recovering, especially (perhaps) with defensive military technology, which got unleashed a couple of days after President Putin’s speech to the UN, including the ominous words, “Don’t you realize what you have done.”
Shortly after the full-on defence of Syria and the Homeland commenced. Don’t forget that it is all essentially the defence of Russian integrity, though whomever also benefits is welcome (I am going on summating a lot of what Putin has openly said.)
The rulers of the Empire were stunned when precision missiles were fired from the Caspian and Strategic bombers went “the long way round” past Europe and over the Mediterranean.
ISIS has been on the run for three months now, with the SAA, Iranian forces and Hezbollah mopping up on the ground.
Also the Empire seems to have largely lost interest in the Ukraine and (here I ‘dream’ a bit) eventually Donbass and the whole Southern region, through Odessa, might gradually and naturally re-integrate with Russia, whilst Kiev and the Western parts degenerate to be a permanent drain on the EU, thanks to Victoria Nuland, Merkel & Co who fomented breaking every convention and law with the Maidan coup d’état.
Washington, Brussels, Tel Aviv, Ankara and the Saudi sponsors of ISIS have been exposed as thoroughly criminal by any standards of law, international or otherwise, even domestic US law and/or the much-vaunted, but never really enacted Constitution.
I and others FAR more informed than I am, compare the fall of the Roman Empire and the falling of the Washington Empire, deliberately spreading chaos for about 30 years, or, in any case, since the neo-cons took over the White House and Pentagon during the Clinton Administration, notably with the abolition of the Glass-Segal Act which gave the banks full rein. (I could go off into how financialism and the attempt to protect the petro-dollar is critical in the mess we find ourselves in today – including Russia whilst it keeps the present Central Bank – but I daresay that I have already gone too far for most people to digest.
I’ll end by quoting Paul and then commenting a bit more:
“Therefore, is it conceivable that Putin and Lavrov have embarrassed their American counterparts, Obama and Kerry? All evidence suggests that Putin and Lavrov are in a league of their own in understanding the Syrian War, ISIS, and the repercussions in the wider region—something the United States has failed to understand, as it did in its war against Viet Nam.”
I agree with him a lot, but I’ve tried to add some historical context and depth, which excludes Russia learning much from the US defeat in Vietnam, whereas a lot was learned from Afghanistan when the Soviet Union stood alone and did not have the highly sophisticated military capabilities which the RF has today, including the mostly secret “Perimeter Shield”, electronic capabilities the West knew nothing about and more. And now Russia does not stand alone.
I recently read a statement from the Kremlin Security Council which alluded to 95% readiness with quasi-unconventional defences and about 56% readiness with conventional forces – but catching up fast. Sorry I do not know the details – how could I – but anyone is welcome to go to the Presidential site and read what I have. Don’t read the Western MSM and beware of Israeli sources. Go to RT, Fort Russ, RI, Itar Tass, PressTV and numbers of other major “alternatives”.
Finally: No one knows how things will end up, especially if the crazies in Washington and/or Tel Aviv take the “Samson Option” of taking everyone down with nuclear war, but at present it seems that Russia and her (increasing numbers of) allies will prevail … not just against ISIS but the NWO machinations too.
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Posted by gerryhiles | Jan 4, 2016, 20:10Gerry,
Being of the right age, I can remember all the things you said. You forgot Gorby, who in my mind served as a tool of the destruction of the SU, the job was later continued by Yeltsin.
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Posted by Anonius | Jan 15, 2016, 17:28No I did not forget Gorby – nor his friends Reagan and Thatcher – I just did not include everything I am fairly certain of, because I was only writing a comment and I leave it to others to write a book … which virtually no one reads anyway, because of short attention span.
When I was a High School teacher a basic was “knowledge assumed” for the new intake of Yr 9s (this back in the 70s-80s) but many of the Yr 9s had little or no knowledge of simple arithmetic, literary skills, nor Australian real history.
In any case I do not feel obligated to join every dot, which others can do if interested.
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Posted by gerryhiles | Jan 17, 2016, 07:30Reblogged this on gerryhiles and commented:
I agree with a lot of the thesis, but disagree that Russia has learned from US defeat in Vietnam. Instead it has learned from the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, which the US intended to be the Soviet “Vietnam” and was. A lot has changed since then.
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Posted by gerryhiles | Jan 4, 2016, 21:15Reblogged this on Susanna Panevin.
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Posted by susannapanevin | Jan 4, 2016, 21:18Correct assessment that Syria is not Russia’s Viet Nam. When folks don’t know the history they can assume what they are told by the global news mob. In a sense RUSSIA WON THE VIET NAM WAR !! They supplied equipment. They supplied their famous ground to air missiles. With a little training the Veit Cong gurillas were able to shoot down 500 of the US air craft. So in contrast, one can compare the Viet Nam war to the Syrian war because Russia is supplying the high tech winning tools again.They just moved in the new S-400 ground to air missile and the US air craft stay home. Dr. Ronald Cutburth, engineering scientist, intelligence expert.
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Posted by drcutburth | Jan 5, 2016, 02:45