Alt.Mustardland

Difficult to say at this time just what I feel about this.

Certainly, the gas attack a couple of days ago must be regarded as a war crime. Assad, like his father before him thinks nothing about killing his own people.

Was the US right in attacking the air base that launched thre strikes earlier this week?

Like you seem to be, I'd say I'm very much in two minds. Yes, Assad does need to be given a very strong message that using poison gas (and pretending that he didn't ... which I don't believe) cannot be tolerated. But Trump's agenda is opaque, he's not doing anything for the good of anyone other than himself. Even more worrying, I don't think he's mentally capable of understanding the difference between nuclear and conventional weapons, and would be quite capable of ordering the use of a tactical nuke ("just a small one") because "think of all the money and time it would save".

Absolutely right. I'm afraid that Trump is being seen in some quarters as an inept clown. He is capable of using a nuclear weapon in any part of the Middle East or against North Korea. In the latter case, he is facing another madman. Dim Sum Foo Yong (Or whatever his name is) is just as capable of using a nuclear weapon.

Syria represents a real problem for the West as a whole. There are so many rebel groups who fight against each other, as well as the Assad regime. Deposing Assad may simply create a vacuum and, while the various groups fight it out, Daesh could step in. Assad is an evil dictator but, should we be looking to keeping him on the straight and narrow, or creating regime change. Neither may turn out to be the palatable option.

As far as I can tell, there are plenty of lies being told. American researchers on the ground found out that Assad is actually pretty popular in Syria. He didn't want to join in with international debt and his finance system was working, is still working. There is free healthcare, free education and when they interviewed him he said that after this is over, the people are certainly within their rights to vote him out.

Stepping back from the arguments, they began to discover that things weren't at all the way the Western mainstream media were telling it. Daesh/ISIL/ISIS, have been being funded by the CIA. People returning from their cohorts are really disgusted by their originators, and there is enough doubt to make me think twice about what is really going on. There is a pipeline being built, and one faction wants it to cross Syria one way, and another that doesn't want it near Syria. I'm hazy about which, TBH so don't quote me.

All my life Western states have been making hysterical accusations about the USSR and Russia. While yes, Stalin was as ruthless and scary as Hitler, my doubts began with Krushchev. He wasn't quite frightening enough. I wasn't even nervous about the Cuba crisis. Something about it didn't quite ring true, and ever since, I have come to trust the US less and less. From a general dislike of Disney and all things schmaltz, I have gradually noted how much more like bullies they are politically. Their attempts to force the EU to buy their tarnished goods, have foundered on a growing mistrust from members of the public demonstrating in their millions. I have met a few Americans that I liked, but corporately, and politically they stink. Just my opinion. But it's all about money, and ensuring the flow of it into the pockets of George Soros and his friends. The Federal Reserve is just a money laundering organisation and the US are in such a very big fix that I can't see how they can get out of it.