tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16816866.post4627384652142658295..comments2024-02-29T02:10:56.878-08:00Comments on J O S H U A P U N D I T: Israel Tips The Scales Against Assad In The Syrian WarFreedom Fighterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13649470110087808596noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16816866.post-8257330591917149152013-05-06T13:41:08.934-07:002013-05-06T13:41:08.934-07:00Syria has been in a state of war with Israel for d...Syria has been in a state of war with Israel for decades, so it cannot complain if Israel does what it calls 'an act of war'.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16816866.post-32959756188514172672013-05-06T11:55:20.822-07:002013-05-06T11:55:20.822-07:00"Is Assad seriously thinking of declaring war..."Is Assad seriously thinking of declaring war against Israel?" I'd say so. At least the thinking is that the Sunni/Al Qaeda factions and the Hezbollah/Iranian factions hate America and Israel more than they hate one another and that this hatred combined with a declaration of war against Israel would be sufficient to unite all factions against a common enemy and take the heat off of Assad and his government. <br /><br />With regards to both factions hating America and Israel more than they hate each other he is quite correct. Is this hatred sufficient at this time to unite the factions. I'd say more than likely yes but it may require time to tell. <br /><br />"The Israelis obviously have no preferred outcome in this fight. Assad's Syria is an ally of Hezbollah and Iran a conduit for Iranian weaponry, while the al-Qaeda dominated rebels are certainly no friend of Israel's either." If the words "Israelis" amd "Israel's" were removed from this sentence and replaced by "Americans" and "America's" the statement would be equally accurate. It does lead me to wonder had America and its leaders not so stupidly or malicously wandered into something they did not understand or have any business meddling in would this action by Israel have been necessary. <br /><br />While the raids possibly could have been done more surgically, successful war efforts should not be pretty, clean, or surgical. Engaging war in this manner only ensures the enemy survives longer and we spend more precious resources and it costs us more lives and probably ends up costing more lives on both sides because the war goes on longer than it otherwise would. <br /><br />As I recall from my studies when the US firebombed Tokyo during WWII, much of the city became a raging inferno and hundreds of thousands were killed. A simillar thing happened with Dresden in Nazi Germany. These soldiers and weapons depots that were attacked posed/pose a far greater threat to America than Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever did or ever could have. <br /><br />While Israel likely acted in its own interest, the destruction of these facilities, missles, and soldiers also serves our interest as well. If Mr. Obama encouraged Israel to do this, it may have been one of the few smart moves he's made. Had America tried to carry this out it is unlikely it would have been successful, as American pilots do not have the flying skills or the technological savy to penetrate Syrian air defenses and it is even less likely the Americans have good intel on where these weapons are/were. Also, direct American involvement risks getting the Russians involved which would be unhelpful to say the least. <br /><br />I'm not sure what the US could give Israel for its cooperation. Furthermore how would Israel ensure compliance. This is the problem America has with agreements made with foreign powers. How do you ensure enforcement? Since America faces ofen intense and hostile scrutiny, American compliance is assured. The other side does not face this kind of scrutiny. Unfortunately much of the media and government elite would love to see Israel harmed. As such, the Americans will not receive the hostile scrutiny we normally receive. <br /><br />How does Israel ensure Mr. Obama follows through on any promises he may have made? Hopefully the Israelis worked this out and have a mechanism in place to account for this. <br /><br />Finally, I find it hard to imagine how one or a few raids over a night or two could possibly make much of a difference to change the balance of power. I'd think it would take much more than that. If Israel had intel on where these weapons were, it would make sense to take them out. Given the situation, it would not be "if" but "when" that these weapons would have fallen into the hands of those who would have used them agains Israel or America. Again, can't help but wonder would any of this have been necessary had Mr. Obama and the US government not so stupidly or maliciously blundered into this situation. B.Posternoreply@blogger.com