Who wins and loses with Assad gone?

Join me and @michael as we react to Syria, especially Russias response or not and consider what happens next.

[alexhubble]

Regarding Mearsheimer, I heard him on the Lex friedman show describe Putin as a strategic genius. For launching the invasion. Anyone describing that as strategic genius... well, they're entitled to their view. But they're wrong.

[MEtoo]

I'm watching this a second time. Thank you very much. 🙏👍🎄🌨️❄️☃️🕊️🎁🔔🎀 Happy holidays.

[yanivreif]

It seems you guys bring different view points and some disagreements which the discussion much more interesting.

Good stuff🙏

[Jon]

I only caught part of this conversation, so maybe I didn't get a full picture, but Michael's framing of the situation in Syria struck me as very problematic.

He implied that the fall of Assad is the end of Syria's sovereignty. But Assad's regime lost control of large swathes of the country years ago, and he depended on foreign backers to retain his remaining territory. Was that sovereignty?

He also implied that the Syrian people would be the losers from this. But haven't they been the losers for many years already? Weren't they the losers from the Assad regime's violence? Michael seemed to skirt around the fact that hundreds of thousands of Syrians have already been killed (most by Assad's forces and his backers, apparently) and millions are already refugees.

[benwarnock]

This conversation was great, good banter and importantly disagreement

[kevincharest]

The poor people(the unaffiliated people)of Syria 🇸🇾, had no chance of becoming the winner of this conflict. No matter who won this conflict they knew that they would have no say on what happens to their future. They will be oppressed for the foreseeable future.
It truly is sad that so many innocent people have such a bleak future ahead of them. It only leads to all the children being raised under terrible conditions, which ends up with many of them turning to becoming terrorists themselves.
So sad

[mnoot]

Pyotr, Who is Michael? There's no link, description nor bio offered. I'd really like to subscribe to him!!

Thanks for bringing him on as a guest. Very stimulating discussion!

[veronicamaine]

Well BRICs isn’t a security alliance while NATO isn’t an economic one. So I don’t think it’s an either or equation. I know it would be weird to be in BRICS and NATO but Turkey has always been the odd one out.

[Pooter-ityg]

This has clearly been sponsored by Turkey and for Ankara all that matters is scotching any notions of an independent Kurdistan - other than that, Erdogan doesn't really care who or what is in Damascus. For sectarian complexities this region makes the Balkans look simple.

[yourstruly]

The same thing that happened without Saddam

[irongron]

When it comes to us in Ukraine Michael is wrong on all counts, he stated Russia is "advancing at a significant rate" in the east, that's complete and utter nonsense, is a few hundreds metres a month with the loss of 2, 000 soldiers "significant" ? Far from it. They've been 5km outside my home town of Pokrovsk for a couple of months almost. They've ground to a halt. HIs first "hypothetical" on us here was just preposterous. I think your counter to him was far more accurate and I thank you for pushing back. Michael came across as a typical opinionated New Yorker re:Ukraine - i.e. no clue. HIS snide remarks about Tim Snyder were very infantile and crass. But I would expect no less from a someone who thinks Mearsheimer is a "realist" and agrees with him 80%. Mearshiemer is an a-historical unrealist. He's been wrong about everything regarding Ukraine and NATO. Far more insightful men like James Sherr OBE state the same as I just have. I'll leave it at that. Zelensky does not get "blank cheques", it's the value of military equipment we recieve it's not "new, money", Michael is clueless about how the aid to us works & he is a an arrogant ultra-cynical NYC wanker, parroting Trump BS about "blank cheques", sorry to say.

[goatwatch]

I think you misspelled it. Era is not the correct spelling for the pronunciation. It’s spelled ERROR. It’s the end of an error*. Fixed

[pyros]

This guy you’ve got on is a very poor commentator, a condescending prat churning out the usual stuff.

[ulfsoderberg]

In Idlib there are 5000 Uigur fighters

[toddfulton]

If the Syrians vote for Sharia, isn't that democracy? So much talk about "democracy" when I think what they actually care about are individual rights. "People power" isn't always a good thing. It depends on the population in question and what their values are. I think this is why America supports Israel and Ukraine. A similar degree of respect for individual rights exists in both countries, and both are defending themselves against populations that have 0 regard for individual rights.

[ulfsoderberg]

The elections in Libya was canseld when pulls showed that Gaddafis son Saif al Islam would win.

[Lucio]

With all due respect Pyotr, I don't like your guest, not one bit.

Bro gives the most American take on "russland versteher" imaginable, wouldn't expect much more from someone translating/validating russian media psy-ops, and their shady talking points, in front of western audiences and doing that for living.

Russian way of thinking is nothing else but a brainrott, that is very clearly contagious.

Imagine the brain damage such long-term exposure to russian propaganda does to a person, and to anyone thinking that he just translates it without being influenced himself, you are more clueless than POC voters voting for Trump


"Realists" are third column for Authoritarianism, Imperialism, lack of any kind of humanist approach to both politics, and ordinary/social lives of general public.

[RBurns]

What we call "democracy" is just America and its This is why "Democracies" which aren't US vassals aren't considered democracies and don't side with America(India, South Africa, Brazil, Pakistan, etc). Democracy is a tool for empire. It is an excuse for subversion, intervention, regime-change, war, etc(see neocons). Democracy is always and everywhere rule by money(merchants/capitalists). Which has been true going all the way back to Ancient Greece.

[petermilne]

Benefactor? How about beneficiary? Pytor, you are inarticulate. Plus you have an appalling memory for names.