What happened to America? What happened to Syria is the real question for anyone interested.

America does not have to save foreigners from themselves, particularly when those foreigners are of no threat to the Free World, which America has traditionally protected. Actually, in this case, America is doing the right thing. Sensible foreign policy dictates that you help your friends and protect what is important to your own country, and ignore the feral countries who have no place in your scheme of things. Countries like Syria are useless to anyone and anything. If the West had kept its nose out of the rest of the barbaric, dysfunctional Middle East, we would not now be in the multicultural mess we are in. Let them punch it out for themselves.

Hard to disagree with any of this and deplore the machiavellian machinations of baby butcher Putin.

One can only hope someone in the leadership of the free world grows a backbone!

And if a few Russian fighters were brought down by NATO missiles, Putin's cavalier actions might be moderated by a reality check attitude adjustment?

And further enhance by a cruise missile fired in Assad's bedroom window while he slept! A bonus would be, if that occurred while his brother was his guest! Or Mr Putin?

Imagine how many lives and treasure could've been saved? If the west had grown a set of balls and been able to deliver that RIGHTEOUS option to Mr Hitler and his inner sanctum, before he annexed Austria!
Alan B.

The author is 100% deluded and incorrect. Paul Craig Roberts tells it how it really is:

Russia caught Washington off guard in September 2015 when the Russian Air Force was sent to bomb ISIS positions in Syria, thus enabling the Syrian Army to regain the initiative. Russia had the war against ISIS won, but pulled out unexpectedly before the job was done. This allowed the US or its agents to resupply ISIS, which renewed the attack.

So Russia had to return to Syria. In the interval Washington had inserted itself. Now the Russian air attacks on ISIS are more complicated, as is the sky over Syria. Russia notifies Washington of its planned attacks on ISIS, and Washington warns ISIS and perhaps Turkey which shot down a Russian plane. Nevertheless, the Syrian Army gained ground.

But each time victory was stymied by “peace talks” or a “cease fire,” during which the US supported forces would regroup. Consequently, a war that Russia and Syria could have already won continues, and with a new element. Now Washington has directly attacked the Syrian army.

This is what has happened: Prior to the current “cease fire,” the Russians could attack the US-supported jihadists, but the US could not attack Syrian forces directly, only through its jihadist proxies. The US has used the “cease fire” to create a precedent for US direct attacks on the Syrian Army.

The Russians, who almost had the war won, have shifted their focus to “peace talks” and “cease fires” that the US has used to introduce Washington’s direct participation into the conflict.

Washington’s interest is to remove Assad and put Syria into the chaos that rules in Libya and Iraq. Russia’s interest is to stabalize Syria as a bulwark against the spread of jihadism."

The Obama regime controlled by neocon's are responsible for these deaths not Russia or Syria. The US and their allies, including Australia are fighting in Syria illegally.

Go figure

I'm going to have to agree with Geoff on this one. If the Us stopped arming the ISIS the civil war would have been over along time ago.
We all have to remember that this all started with US arming religious fighters in Afghanistan in the 80's. That and their unconditional support for Saudi's as long as they keep the oil flowing.

https://theintercept.com/2016/08/15/doctors-without-borders-hospital-bombing-in-yemen-earns-rare-saudi-rebuke-at-state-department/

Additionally; By M.K. Bhadrakumar

"The specter of ‘total victory’ for Assad haunts Washington.

Theoretically, Obama can order missile attacks on the victorious Syrian government forces. But that will be like pouring oil on fire. Russian Defense Ministry warned Pentagon that any US military intervention to remove Assad would result in “terrible tectonic shifts."

The advisor on foreign affairs to Iran’s Supreme Leader warned Washington any direct US intervention would be a “suicidal action” and will only turn out to be “their third military defeat in the region after Afghanistan and Iraq, and it will be a stronger defeat”.

However, if Obama decides against the war option, three other reasons can also be attributed. One, Washington’s equations with Ankara and Riyadh are hugely uncertain at the moment and both regional allies are key partners in Syria.

The US-Turkish ties remain volatile not only due to the attempted coup in July but also because of the US’ tie-up with Kurds and growing Turkish suspicions regarding its intentions in Syria.

On the other hand, Riyadh is mulling over the best way of drinking from the chalice of poison that the US Congress prepared for King Salman in the form of the ‘sue-the-Saudis-for-the-9/11’ bill.

Two, President Recep Erdogan is unlikely to gamble another confrontation with Russia when Turkey’s legitimate interests in Syria can be secured by working in tandem with President Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table.

In fact, Putin is visiting Ankara shortly. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also visited Turkey last week.

Above all, Turkeys intelligence apparatus inside Aleppo would have reported the fall of the ancient city is a fait accompli.

Third, most important, Obama is unlikely to lead his country into the vicious war zone without any clear-cut objective to realize when the curtain is coming down on his presidency. In the current state of play, Assad stands between the West and the deluge.

But what rankles is that Russian victory in Syria marks the end of western hegemony over the Middle East, and historians are bound to single it out as the defining foreign-policy legacy of Obama’s presidency."

Very true ttbn

Basically Abbott was right. Syria is "baddies vs baddies"

- with no Peace Prizes Possible.

Neither America nor its perpetual Deputy Sheriff Australia are to blame for what people do to each other half a world away from both countries.

If 2,000+ year old tribalism still rules what Middle Easterners do to each other that isn't the fault of Western countries that have formed very peaceful modern states, in comparison.

Europe's last equivalent to Syria and Iraq (throw in Afghanistan) was probably http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War ie. 1618 and 1648.