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Comment by Scirra_Tom | Hacker News Reader

Simple right? Just destroy them. I'm sure Trump will be able to stablise the Middle East no problem. He's well versed in Middle Eastern politics and warfare and crucially he's got a level head and able to think decisions through properly which he's proven since becoming president.

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> I'm sure Trump will be able to stablise the Middle East no problem.

Well at least he'll stop arming them, that would be a good first step towards progress.

Oh? When did he sign that?

A few days ago (I think), maybe a week, when Mattis became the Sec of Defense.

Destroy the most radicalized, enforce Syrian law for the rest. There's nobody that can do the job better than the Syrian government (which is more "well versed" in local politics than any White House hack will ever be). That's the only way to minimize the body count.

Yeah, supporting an anti-American dictator with a very dubious human rights record couldn't possibly backfire at all.

Wasn't Syria one of ye old state sponsors of terrorism?

Do you think US' persistent attempts to depose him that have utterly wrecked his country maybe have anything to do with that? Moreover, do you think if the US helped him undo the damage that sentiment would change? IIRC, he did say that he would welcome our help.

Syria was on the state sponsors list when it was created in 1979. So, unless the al-Assads are prescient, probably not. More likely factors are the US support for Israel, Syrian support for Palestinians, particularly Hezbollah, and possibly leftovers of the cold war.

As for US attempts to depose him, as far as I know, those only started after his 2011 crackdown on Arab Spring protesters, which set of the civil war. Syrian behavior after hypothetical help from the US to crush the rebellion, that would probably depend on how long a leash the Russians have.

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