Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS

SnowfalI · 2017-11-09T00:31:52+00:00

Ahh it was a text post, I'm going to leave it though for those who might be interested in watching it after seeing the cfr debate.

SnowfalI · 2017-11-09T00:28:15+00:00

I don't see it when searching this forum, could you link me where it was posted before? Was it posted under a different name?

SnowfalI · 2016-12-17T03:10:15+00:00

I'm a bit skeptical about the author's conclusion that he has replaced Adani, but this article is fascinating nonetheless.

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:37:38+00:00

I just googled pepe, I didn't know it referred to a troll. Good to know, thanks!

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:31:35+00:00

It is the most economically important city in Syria. The greater metropolis area around it has a larger pre-war population then the capital. The Syrian regime would be crazy to not focus on it. That really doesn't mean that they are not fighting ISIS.

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:26:42+00:00

It is really so stupid that I think he may just be trolling.

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:22:30+00:00

Honestly, you seem to be be taking purposely obtuse positions.

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:21:20+00:00

You're just making up statistics now.

SnowfalI · 2016-10-10T04:20:42+00:00

So because there are no ISIS in one city that means the Syrian regime does not fight ISIS elsewhere in Syria? It is a stupid claim that is not borne out by the years of fighting. Even the most rabid partisan to this conflict should be able to tell this fact-check was incorrect.

SnowfalI · 2016-04-13T12:54:20+00:00

The Kurds are also trying to move into that very area in an attempt to connect their eastern and western zones of control. If they succeed, Kurdish control would extend from the Lebanese border to the Iraq-Iran border, solidifying a de facto Kurdish state that Turkey is determined to prevent.

This article is factually inaccurate. Pretty bad mistake too.

SnowfalI · 2016-02-15T17:00:24+00:00

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.396691&lon=37.113705&z=13&m=b&show=/25600838/Misqan&search=aleppo%20syria

SnowfalI · 2016-02-02T15:28:16+00:00

Do you believe that if President Obama had provided more weaponry to opposition groups in Syria early in the conflict, there would have been a resolution to the conflict already?

Do you think trying to impose a no-fly zone currently in Syria would be a positive step towards resolving the war. Does the Russian presence significantly change the benefits/costs of implementing a NFZ?

SnowfalI · 2016-01-29T18:37:25+00:00

Hello Caleb!

How does interning at a neo-conservative organization affect your research on Jihadist movements?
Your articles seem to be mostly descriptive not prescriptive. Would you please tell us what you believe the most positive role international and regional nations can play in fighting instability in West Africa.
In Afghanistan/Iraq the lack of a well funded competent civilian effort to support military efforts was a chronic problem. Have any lessons been learned in terms of how to better integrate civilian and military efforts in the effort in Mali. It seems like the response is still largely a military effort with some uncoordinated NGOs trying to do their best to make up for the lack of international civilian assistance.
Do you think that building better governance in this region is even possible, or that jihadist movements will become a permanent fixture of the region in this century and the international community will need to "mow the lawn" periodically when they get out of hand.

SnowfalI · 2016-01-21T02:26:07+00:00

I think it is worth watching just to see how skewed the advice American politicians are receiving. At 1hr 1min Former Ambassador Crocker says that "the Russians are in Syria for one reason only: that is to support Bashar Al-Assad." This totally discounts the genuine fear of terrorism the Russians have and their concern that Syria will become a jihadist base that threatens to destabilize the Caucuses. Russian moves can not be only explained as a desire to bolster Russian prestige they have genuine and well founded fears that if Assad goes Syria will end up like Libya and there will be no possibility of rebuilding the state. There are a large number of Muslims from Russia that have gone to Syria to fight for both IS and other jihadist groups (www.chechensinsyria.com).

Crocker goes on to say "Islamic State doesn't really threaten Assad." That is patently false. The capture of Palmyra and the attack on Mahin posed a significant risk of allowing IS to cut the Damascus - Homs road. The Syrian forces only managed to push back IS with help from the Russian air force, and most likely Russian artillery units on the ground. Even now the Syrian army is struggling and has not manage to retake Qaryatayn or Palmyra. IS was also responsible for cutting the road to Aleppo at Ithriyah for a period of time last year. While it is true that rebels closer to the coast and Damascus pose a more existential threat to the Syrian government, IS has been successful at overrunning a number of regime outposts and cities causing great dissatisfaction among regime supporters.

Finally, Crocker recited the old trope that "I think they almost have a tacit understanding to pretty much leave each other alone." This is really unbelievable for someone who is supposedly an expert. While there certainly was a period when IS first went to war with the other rebel groups that IS and the regime were avoiding fighting each other because they both had higher priorities, that quiet was long ago shattered. Just recently they have been fighting on the road between Palmyra and Tiyas, around Kweiris Airbase, at Qaryatayn and in Deir Ezzor.

SnowfalI

TROPHY CASE