Reuters Breaking: U.S., Russia agree deal on Syria chemical weapons

[sofa king]

57. Consider that the threat WAS the diplomacy.

The United States does not and really never has had decent diplomatic relations with the Syrians. I rather doubt President Obama could just pick up the phone and call President Assad even before the civil unrest erupted. The Syrians have never trusted us, as they shouldn't, because we were never their friends.

But President Obama can force a move from someone else. By beating the war drum, President Obama effectively guaranteed that the Russians, who have a HUGE interest in Syria and a powerful half-century relationship with Ba'athists who control Syria, would have to act.

The Russians have a critically important naval facility there, as well as parts and supply contracts worth billions, because the Syrian Army relies heavily on its Soviet-built mechanized forces and weapons. If their money or their docks are threatened, Vladimir Putin will pick up the phone and will tell Assad exactly what the hell he wants, which apparently is exactly what he did, with immediate effect.

There is further evidence that the US and the Russians colluded in these moves. The rather inexplicable pissing match between Presidents Obama and Putin this summer might better be explained now as an effort to publicly distance the two nations, so that the Russians would have a better chance of "persuading" Assad to drop the chemical weapons like a hot brick.

Whether he likes it or not, the President does have a responsibility to enforce previous U.S. diplomatic doctrines, including responding to the use of banned weapons (our own disgusting hypocrisy excluded) with "overwhelming force." The US and the Russians working together, by accident or design, meets that requirement in a novel and peaceful way.