Trump acts against Syria- 49 Tomahawk Missiles strike air force base.

[pauldun170]

That's about what the goal was. Next time closer to home.

FYI: It was a really nice pool table

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

FYI: It was a really nice pool table

Damn, maybe a big real slate one.

 

[alien42]

Kill thousands with conventional bombs and no one bats an eye.
Use chemical weapons and kill dozens and every shits a brick.

more likely humane death ftw?

 

[theeedude]

You don't seem to understand how this works, at all. The prime target would be one or both of the runways. Any other damage is incidental.

So we blew $80M destroying some pavement? Brilliant strategy.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

So we blew $80M destroying some pavement? Brilliant strategy.

Yep you haven't a clue about how any of this is supposed to work. At some level I suppose your ignorance is to be envied.

 

[emperus]

Yep you haven't a clue about how any of this is supposed to work. At some level I suppose your ignorance is to be envied.

How is it supposed to work? What is the long term plan? Why the immediate change (literally overnight) in strategy on Syria?

 

[theeedude]

Yep you haven't a clue about how any of this is supposed to work. At some level I suppose your ignorance is to be envied.

It's working fine if you are a Raytheon or General Dynamics shareholder, I guess. But Trump is cutting stuff at home to blow up pavement in Syria.

 

[alien42]

How is it supposed to work? What is the long term plan? Why the immediate change (literally overnight) in strategy on Syria?

sounds like the White House expects this strike to end Assad's use of chemical weapons.

if it doesn't, it's anyone's guess what Trump's next whim will be.

 

[emperus]

sounds like the White House expects this strike to end Assad's use of chemical weapons.

if it doesn't, it's anyone's guess what Trump's next whim will be.

I hate to say this, but it sounds like an attempt to change the current Trump narrative.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

How is it supposed to work? What is the long term plan? Why the immediate change (literally overnight) in strategy on Syria?

Good questions and I'll do my best.

Let's back up a bit. Trump announced that Assad was safe from removal from the US. Trump had no interest in his removal, but focused more on ISIS. Almost immediately after Assad gasses civilians, which generates universal outrage. So Trump has a binary choice, act or not. Oddly enough he and Hillary agree on action and the type to take against Syria and that is go after airfields.

Remember, no one, not even Trump wants a ground war in the region, but a message must be sent. That message is "If you do not cease your gassing civilians these missiles can fly right through you window, Mr. Assad". Russia for its part understands this language and you can bet Assad as well and the latter will not be well liked by Russia for this unneeded action on the part of Syria. They too will put pressure on Assad. That's how it's supposed to work.

The long term plan is probably containment. If Assad quiets down then not much may happen, but if not or if Trump is really ticked off then there is the possibility of undermining Assad by various means up to and including military action depending on how future events go.

My bet as to the change is that it was all hypothetical to Trump when Obama was in office, but this happened on his watch after signaling to Assad that he wasn't a target. I also suspect that Trump may have truly have been moved by the gas attacks, especially on children. It is a god awful thing after all and while Trump may be reprehensible I don't automatically think he's devoid of emotion when confronted with the results of a gassing. Assad played the snake and Trump sent a message that he will crush the serpent's head if need be.

 

[alien42]

Trump notified the Russians, who then probably told Assad to fly their working planes to Latakia and roll out some old junk for Americans to waste $80M in Tomahawks on.

the line of communication to prevent conflict was set up in late 2015 - https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/...-to-regulate-all-flights-over-syria.html?_r=0

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

It's working fine if you are a Raytheon or General Dynamics shareholder, I guess. But Trump is cutting stuff at home to blow up pavement in Syria.

This is also Hillary's plan. I assume you think the same of her, and of all the military options I can come up with this is action has the lowest risk of most all. You don't understand this has nothing to do with money, at all. This is a language being spoken by three parties involved in the conversation.

 

[lopri]

I applaud the decision made by the president. It is the first thing Trump did I can get behind 100%. Only a monster can unleash chemical weapons to his own people.

 

[Azuma Hazuki]

This is probably the least-worst decision to make here. I don't envy him. But it's what happens from here on that's worrying, and Drumpf being Drumpf, he is inevitably gonna fuck it up.

 

[Victorian Gray]

I hate to say this, but it sounds like an attempt to change the current Trump narrative.

Bingo!

 

[emperus]

Good questions and I'll do my best.

Let's back up a bit. Trump announced that Assad was safe from removal from the US. Trump had no interest in his removal, but focused more on ISIS. Almost immediately after Assad gasses civilians, which generates universal outrage. So Trump has a binary choice, act or not. Oddly enough he and Hillary agree on action and the type to take against Syria and that is go after airfields.

Remember, no one, not even Trump wants a ground war in the region, but a message must be sent. That message is "If you do not cease your gassing civilians these missiles can fly right through you window, Mr. Assad". Russia for its part understands this language and you can bet Assad as well and the latter will not be well liked by Russia for this unneeded action on the part of Syria. They too will put pressure on Assad. That's how it's supposed to work.

The long term plan is probably containment. If Assad quiets down then not much may happen, but if not or if Trump is really ticked off then there is the possibility of undermining Assad by various means up to and including military action depending on how future events go.

My bet as to the change is that it was all hypothetical to Trump when Obama was in office, but this happened on his watch after signaling to Assad that he wasn't a target. I also suspect that Trump may have truly have been moved by the gas attacks, especially on children. It is a god awful thing after all and while Trump may be reprehensible I don't automatically think he's devoid of emotion when confronted with the results of a gassing. Assad played the snake and Trump sent a message that he will crush the serpent's head if need be.

This isn't the first time Assad had launched chemical attacks on children. And even immediately after the attack, the administration's position still didn't change. I don't trust the motivation behind this new policy change.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

This isn't the first time Assad had launched chemical attacks on children. And even immediately after the attack, the administration's position still didn't change. I don't trust the motivation behind this new policy change.

Remember this is on Trump's watch. What happened in 2013 didn't have any direct connection with him and he just went around being a dick. Well he's still a dick, but he's the Dick in Charge. As far as position it's not surprising that we didn't know because it was a pet peeve of Trump's (and me too) that the prior administration opened it's mouth regarding what may or may not do. That was completely illogical except for rare exceptions. If you want a more cynical possibility perhaps Trump wanted to prove he was not like Obama and take decisive action.

But in any case I stand by my analysis.

 

[Sunburn74]

Remember, no one, not even Trump wants a ground war in the region, but a message must be sent. That message is "If you do not cease your gassing civilians these missiles can fly right through you window, Mr. Assad".

Just keep indiscriminately carpet bombing them and sending the survivors to death camps.

 

[IronWing]

If it turns out that the U.S. bombed an empty airfield as suggested here, then it sounds more like an expression of impotent rage than a warning of dire consequences. Sending a message that failed to hurt Assad was wasted breath.

 

[Chiropteran]

Oh look, now you love trump tweets!

 

[alien42]

Oh look, now you love trump tweets!

it isn't about what people think about Trump's tweets.

it's about Trump's actual tweet's, you know, words straight from his brain.

i would say accept the hypocrisy, but i'm sure you don't recognize your own.

 

[Humpy]

That message is "If you do not cease your gassing civilians these missiles can fly right through you window, Mr. Assad".

Seems too simple. Assad had to have known this message before hand, he knows we have missiles that can strike anywhere.

Assuming Assad is responsible for the chemical weapons, and it was done to gauge American response, it seems it would be a test of more than the binary choice of will trump pull the trigger or not. The test may have been if trump would crush unoccupied concrete or would he crush the serpents head. In that sense this strike could be seen by Assad as good news. His worst will only bring a token response making him free to carry on with anything he wants as long as he stays below where the bar now sets.

 

[Ajay]

If it turns out that the U.S. bombed an empty airfield as suggested here, then it sounds more like an expression of impotent rage than a warning of dire consequences. Sending a message that failed to hurt Assad was wasted breath.

If NBC has it right - it wasn't the airstrips, but surrounding buildings. Didn't hear anything about aircraft yet.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Oh look, now you love trump tweets!

It went right over your head...

 

[woolfe9998]

CNN reporting that there were Russian personnel on the base when the chemical attack was launched. Did Putin know about this beforehand? Was it their idea to do this to test Trump and the US?

It was strange move on the part of Assad. No real military value in the attack. He turned a situation where the new US administration was willing to let him reign to being on our shit list.