Russian credibility on the line in Syria

[mota bhai 2,675]

The New York Times is out with an article this morning discussing how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s silence about the imminent U.S. military strikes against Syria illustrate that he’s resigned himself to them. That isn’t to suggest that he doesn’t still oppose America’s military intervention in the country, only that he understands that, short of initiating a nuclear exchange that would eliminate Russia as a national entity, he cannot do anything to prevent it.

...

Putin has worked tirelessly to create the impression that Russia has re-emerged as a great power on the world stage, something of a co-equal of the U.S. He has done this mainly be publicly defying Washington on high-profile issues that were of limited strategic importance to the U.S., such as the Syrian civil war or the Edward Snowden case.

...

But this façade can only be maintained for so long, as Czarist Russia and the Soviet Union both found out to their dismay. For all the attention soft power has received in recent years, ultimately great powers are built first and foremost on hard power assets like military power and wealth. These are tangible, concrete resources that cannot be faked; one cannot pretend to have a powerful military for long, because at some point they’ll be called to the test and their weakness exposed.

...

Russian credibility is certainly on the line in Syria. Russia has made it a point of trying to protect the Assad regime from international sanction since the civil war began over two years ago. The U.S. has complained about Moscow’s actions in Syria, but largely done little in response. This helped perpetuate the myth that Russia could be a great power protectorate again.

Now the U.S. is gearing up to take action against Assad and has paid almost no heed to Russia’s position at all. This is the ultimate mark of a lack of credibility. The fact that the U.S. doesn’t feel at all compelled to consider Russia’s position before intervening, and that Russia can do little to stop or impede Washington from proceeding, underscores Moscow’s weakness. Such a development would have been unthinkable during the Arab-Israeli conflicts during the Cold War, for instance, when Russia could still claim the great power mantle.

http://thediplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2013/08/30/putins-russia-the-pretend-great-power/

[Danno 1,228]

One has to read and laugh at such junior reasoning proposed in that.

Putin is a #######-4-tat guy and when we destabilize a country in which Russia has a Naval port they will return the favor.

Name for me the country in which we have a naval base and how we would react to another countries attack.

Russia can and will use their U.N. veto power to block some meaningful action we will wish to take. They may also launch a similar attack on an area that we have a presence in, using the same justification.

Already Obama has fumbled a meaningful reduction in Nukes..... and what did he gain in exchange?

We are goading Putin and others to form a balancing of world power to counteract our international meddling.

We are playing checkers as Putin plays chess.

[mota bhai 2,675]

Putin is a #######-4-tat guy and when we destabilize a country in which Russia has a Naval port they will return the favor.

Outside of the UN veto (which you did mention), there's not a damn thing Putin will do. Obama will drop a few bombs on Syria - he'll avoid the Russian naval port of course - and all Russia will do is make a strong statement condemning the aggression.

You can stop cheerleading the Putin regime now. No one's buying it.

[Danno 1,228]

Outside of the UN veto (which you did mention), there's not a damn thing Putin will do. Obama will drop a few bombs on Syria - he'll avoid the Russian naval port of course - and all Russia will do is make a strong statement condemning the aggression.

You can stop cheerleading the Putin regime now. No one's buying it.

Actually, there is nothing to buy...... only things to observe.

You threw out the UN thing like it is almost nothing when in fact Russia has used that quite effectively to stymy us time and time again.

I have been listening to folks like you for more than 13 years predicting a new USSR was coming and one has to ask..... "how much longer is he going to wait to get the party started?"

The guy is well into his 60's which according to Russian life expectancy he should be dead already.

But you are right he will not do anything dramatic, thats not what chess players do.

[mota bhai 2,675]

You threw out the UN thing like it is almost nothing when in fact Russia has used that quite effectively to stymy us time and time again.

I have been listening to folks like you for more than 13 years predicting a new USSR was coming...

Re: the UN. It is nothing. When the US really wants to do something, it does it. Despite Russia and the UN.

I have predicted a new USSR? No, not really. This is just more blah blah blah.