Bruce Haigh continued:

Australia should not feel compelled to support the Obama administration's planned intervention, which many of America's close allies have refused. The British Parliament voted against support for such a course of action, and Obama could struggle to secure approval from his own Congress. French President Francois Hollande is seeking armed intervention but says France will not act alone.

Obama's moral authority against a leader who has allegedly used sarin gas is diminished when set against his administration's use of drones over the past six years in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, which have killed as many if not more civilians, including women and children, than the Syrian nerve gas attack.

Obama’s "solution" is bereft of imagination and subtlety. It is a frustrated, angry response from a tired and diminished superpower, intent on demonstrating that it still has the strength to determine international outcomes. On past performance a US attack on Syria, however much is claimed for weapons capable of delivering payloads with surgical precision, is likely to kill civilians.

If a punitive attack, which has been referred to as a shot across the bows, fails to deter the Assad regime from further nerve gas attacks on Syrian civilians, does the US then up the use of force and if so by how much? This is poor strategy, one fraught with danger and one which the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan appear already lost or not taken on board. It also carries the possibility of conflict spreading in the Middle East, with Israel looking for an excuse to attack Syrian ally Iran."

To Emperor Julian

By saying that the Americans are compulsive liars, you have just committed an act of racism.

LEGO by ignoring some facts you obviously don't want to believe as espoused by me and James O'Neill makes you ignorant.

Tit for Tat serves little purpose, the point of OLO is to put forward 'facts' and have people consider them in light of the article written.

You do not do this and therefore make yourself that little less relevant when replying to your statements.

Geoff

Interesting watching OLOers fight 1940s battles. There seems to be great difficulty sticking with a current issue at hand - which started in early 2011.

Seems that the more radical one's political beliefs the more one sees those who don't agree with you as communists, fascists, imperialists or just plain wrong.

Most people are middle ground with mixed views and that includes around 1.6 billion Muslims and 340 million Americans.

Returning to topic:

There appears to be majority public and parliamentary OPPOSITION to a US or coalition Western strike against Syria.

This is definitely known in the UK and highly likely at present in the US, France and, I would say, Australia. Politicians may attempt to swing those who can be swung in favour of a Western strike.

Interesting that Bruce Haigh has knowingly disregarded more than 2 years of efforts by the US, UK and French to persuade Russia and China (the other 2 permanent UN Security Council (P5) members) to agree to UN peace-keeping efforts in Syria

- or to agree to a ceasefire.

One would expect more from "former diplomat" Brucey.

For their own interests Russia and China have simply blocked peace efforts in Syria.

Pete

"For their own interests Russia and China have simply blocked peace efforts in Syria," says Pete the journalist. Shock. Horror.

Fancy them doing that! No other nation would do that, surely! They should take America's lead and remove all self-interest agendas from their must-do list.

If they don't, the U.S. might nuke them!

For their own good of course!

Ok, here is an old one for Pete and LEGO.

Suddenly we have a poor woman whom claims that her children have been stolen 'kidnapped if you will' and taken to Malaysia by her husband who has a problem with Western democracy and the way things work.

Reality, we have a former wife of a Malaysian prince, one who holds considerable sway within the then Malaysia government.

The then Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating, has just made a hash of relations with Malaysia by calling the leader a 'recalcitrant', this leader then threatens to sever ties with Australia in terms of foreign trade.

DFAT or the then foreign relations board go into overdrive and attempt to correct a political disaster"

Result, The Australian Federal Police basically 'kidnap' the children involved, the AFP transport the children to an Australian Naval Base (Cairns) and ensure they are escorted out of the country and transferred to a Malaysian naval vessel in international waters.......suddenly the Political problem re trade is negated, everyone seems happy and no-one is the wiser to what really happens.

Years later the mother, JG, releases a book, 'Once was a Princess' and everyone is satisfied with the story.

Sorry but there is too much to really tell in this tale, but this goes to the heart of foreign relations and what the public are really told.

LEGO and his mates accept the MSM and what they are told.

Story over. Unfortunately those of us in the know, understand the truth.

Nothing is simple and your blatant bias against the truth spells trouble for those of us who understand what really goes on.

Get aboard the alien ship to reality and understand what you read and what you are told are quite often the opposite of what really happens in foreign relations.

I could go on, but unfortunately I have signed documents that preclude me from saying too much that would counter the status-quo.

Geoff