Why is Russia arming the Syrian government?

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   SantaCruzposted 12 years ago

   Why is Russia arming the Syrian government?

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   junksellerposted 12 years ago

   For better or worse (I think worse) the world operates in a way in which nations act based upon their own best interests. Most countries like to keep their 'backyard' clean. We for instance don't like other nations meddling with Central America. Russia's backyard includes Iran and Syria, who they have relatively close ties with and sell significant amounts of military equipment to. Russia doesn't want a regime change and they probably don't really care about the Syrian people. We do want a regime change, but only because we want Syria to have weaker ties to Iran and Russia. We don't care about the Syrian people either. It's all about moving a line in the sand a few hundred miles (or at least someone making lots of money in the process of trying).

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      SantaCruzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for that. He sells junk but gives insight for free.

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      bilboburglerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "We don't care about the Syrian people either", who are "we"?  My time in Syria was very pleasant and I never smiled so much in my life, I had "grin-pain" by 9am.  I care.
      
      Syria is not a backyard.  Look at the map, it is part of the triangle.

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      junksellerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Backyard was a euphemism for the way powerful countries often treat their neighbors. By "we", I meant our government. I care about the Syrian people too and am sorry for what they are going through.

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      bilboburglerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I wanted to show you all the port.  If you go to 34.910675,35.865204 on google maps (turn on photos) you can see Russian ships in Tartus harbour.  They have had an aircraft carrier based here since nov 2011.

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      junksellerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, stopped at Tartus for 3 days or so then turned around and went right back home (in Severomorsk). Warships in the Tartus port look like the Syrian Navy to me.

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   Attikosposted 12 years ago

   Russia has a strong imperialist tradition. Putin champions that, and so with him in power Russian foreign policy is characterized by it. The Kremlin wants a strategic base in the Middle East because of its oil, and if it can convert Syria into a client state, there it will be.
   
   With the west in longterm cultural and economic decline, and its leading nation-states particularly the US badly mismanaged in tactical terms, some power is going to fill the vacuum that will be left in the region. The Chinese too are interested. Which would be the lesser of the evils, Moscow or Beijing? Is it in our interests that Putin win the race or that he lose it?

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      SantaCruzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your response, Attikos. Reading it, I had some visions for dystopic science fiction novels...
      
      When it seems that there's a choice between two evils, I look for a third option.

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   Zubair Ahmedposted 12 years ago

   Simply because the US and Allies are arming the terrorists who are causing instability in the country.
   
   There is nothing wrong in that country other than the the fact that US has helped deliver Al-Kaida into Syria t cause civil unrest and depose Assad as the US and Allies did in Lybia and look what is going on there now. 
   
   Refer to RT-TV news rather than the conventional news channels.
   
   Lets all pray that no matter who is behind all this, it ends soon in a peaceful way rather than escalate as many want it to.
   
   All the best

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      SantaCruzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you. I don't know RT-TV. Will check it out. I'd be listening to Amy Goodman about it probably but I've been working too much so I asked you all .

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   bilboburglerposted 12 years ago

   1) They have a history of selling arms to this their customer for many years, there is no change here so not due to US or Saudi actions
   2) They have a stronghold in a port on the Syrian Med coast, this is their only Med harbour now that Libya has lost the Loonie
   3) Russia has been a Paranoid state since they lost to the Mongols in 1282 (or there abouts) it goes with the territory
   
   I'd stick to aljazeera who try for the independant voice
   
   Russia TV (RT-TV) is following the Russian paranoid government dictat, very funny but boring after the third week of "we are strong but everyone else is stronger and hates us".

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      SantaCruzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, BilboB. A timeline/map would do me a lot of good. 2012, quite a year.

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      bilboburglerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Must be going mad, "Crescent" not "Triangle"

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   connorjposted 12 years ago

   During WW II why did the Soviet Union (Russia) sign a treaty with Hitler that resulted in dividing up Poland? Why did Russia do this and that throughout the last 50 or so years... It is not just backyard buffers; it is a significantly different ideology that will always result in friction or if I could say, great or significant viscosity. To these Communists, our world is a chess board and when they feel threatened they move...

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      bilboburglerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      While I accept that Russia is a long term strategy player, I don't think communism is anything to do with it.  The political system of each country allows access to power, the recently destroyed economic process is not relevant.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There really are no communists, not in practical terms. That system doesn't work. Socialism on the other hand is inherently driven to globalism, but Russia is a special case and was imperialistic long before the 1917 revolution.

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