Question for Trump voters; what do you think of the Air Strikes?

I ask because Trump ran on an anti-war platform and the opposite seems to be happening. I'm not asking to troll people and genuinely interested in what you people think. Is interventionist foreign policy what you want?

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Northwest · M

1. The strikes did not put a dent into Assad's ability to use shady weapons. He's using Chlorine, which is produced everywhere. When he does use Chlorine, he simply but it at a grocery store, and add it to his barrel bombs.

2. The cost of conducting this raid, was $300M-$500M, when you add the cost of munitions, personnel, deployment costs, etc. About $600M if you add the FX costs of doing Trump's hair, face, and other coloring, for the 9PM EST TV appearance. The cost of the "facilities" hit, is a teensy, weensy fraction of that.

3. Of course the raid, as you and others point out, represents a reversal of dozens of tweets, he did, when he was a candidate and even before, attacking Obama for "thinking" about hitting Syria. So, another Trump bait and switch.

4. The raid is not about the raid. It's Western Europe, using Trump, to tell Putin that his blatant and aggressive moves in Europe, are not going to be tolerated. It's a chance for May to distance herself from the extreme right, aligning itself with Putin. It's a chance for France to sell more weapons to the Saudis. For the US, it's whatever the military-industrial complex makes of it, because Trump has no clue.

5. The Russians did not fire any missiles. Pragmatically, it makes little for them to fire $Ms of missiles, to prevent the destruction of a couple of $M worth of decaying buildings. Strategically, it gives them justification to deliver new missile defense systems to Syria, to replace the antiquated, 40 year-old Soviet era air defenses the Syrians are currently using.

6. The only positive thing, is that there seems to be an effort to stand up to Putin, and that Europe is leading. In that sense, I support the bloodless strike, but that last part is sheer luck (if it turns out to be bloodless).

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

A lot of hemming and hawing and taking pointless potshots for someone that supports the strike 🤔 @Northwest

Northwest · M

@jackjjackson Anything inaccurate in what I said, the serious parts that is?

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

I doubt Assad buys bleach in a grocery store to fill barrels.

Your hard and soft costs are question. France and Britain participated. I assume thr soft cost estimate was made to be funny.

I doubt you have a clue regarding Britian and France’s motivations other that what they have officially announced so you’ve take editorial liberty in making a guess to prove some sort of point you deem crucial.

For now I will rely on the Pentagon’s analysis of the results instead of yours.

You declared it a success and got that one correct.

@Northwest

Northwest · M

@jackjjackson [quote]I doubt Assad buys bleach in a grocery store to fill barrels. [/quote]

They have legal plants in Syria that produce Chlorine for commercial/residential use. I was not serious about buying it a grocery store, but the truth is not that exaggerated.

He's not filling barrels, he's using it strategically, by mixing it in with other explosives in barrel bombs. I read the local Arabic press.

[quote]Your hard and soft costs are question. France and Britain participated. I assume thr soft cost estimate was made to be funny. [/quote]

Yes, I added $100M for Trump's makeup. I did, however base my estimate on a French report, which took the published 2015 military breakdown of munitions, and deployment costs. I took that cost, divided it by 12, and multiplied it by 105. I read the local French news as well.

[quote]I doubt you have a clue regarding Britian and France’s motivations other that what they have officially announced so you’ve take editorial liberty in making a guess to prove some sort of point you deem crucial.[/quote]

I doubt you have a clue what I know. I read both the left leaning, and right leaning French press, and this has been the gist of their analysis. I am extrapolating for the UK. Macron, while caring about Syria, historically, Assad grandfather, was the driving power, behind wanting to detach the Alawite parts of Syria, and keeping it under the French mandate.

[quote]For now I will rely on the Pentagon’s analysis of the results instead of yours. [/quote]

What did the Pentagon say, that I disagreed with? If they said that Assad's ability to produce Sarin gas was crippled, I agree. That was taken care by Israel, years ago. They hit the same facilities. Note this is not what I discussed, so try to keep up.

[quote]You declared it a success and got that one correct. [/quote]

Not exactly what I said.

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

Oh I see. “You read it” @Northwest