RE: Russian Plane Crash
November 7, 2015 at 3:57 pm
(This post was last modified: November 7, 2015 at 3:59 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(November 7, 2015 at 3:23 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:(November 7, 2015 at 2:33 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Pretty ironic that we would say that to the Russkis after putting targets on our own backs. Why would the Russkis be any smarter than us? Maybe now they will bomb ISIS in addition to every one else opposed to Assad. We can use the help.
That's certainly our aim, to get them to target ISIS more.
Their ability to target ISIS isn't any better than ours, and their involvement will not make any major difference against ISIS. They also have little to gain in really rolling back the ISIS because such a move helps the US and has little in it geostrategically for Russia, especially since the US would do everything possible to prevent Russia from filling any resulting power vacume.
The major difference russia made and aimed to make was to prevent Assad from falling to fraction we idiotically tried to use to topple Assad. leaving Russia a dominant influence in Syria remains Russia's primary objective.
Our wishthinking scoffing aside, I see no reason to believe Russia is so easily diverted from pursuing their core interests by something so trivial as the death of a few hundred citizens.
But, instead of letting this event divert Russia from pursuing its true interests abroad, I am sure Putin is canny enough to use it instead to better pursue other agendas,such as really visciously cracking down on restive Islamic regions inside Russia.
