News broke this week that Russia, aka Putin’s goon squad, is building up a military base to support the Assad regime in Syria. Now, having been raised a good 80’s kid, there is no doubt in my mind that the Soviets, ahem, I mean Russians are the bad guys. That being said, so is the Islamic State and to support the Assad regime, Russia must very well take military action against the Islamic State. So here we all are, dreaming of the days of Red Dawn where the world was much simpler. All I want to do in life is scream, “Wolverines”, while attacking the Soviets and my life would be complete, but no, the post Cold War world says otherwise. As a result, here I am unsure what to think about the Russians and Syria and who better to help me sort it out than you.
ISIS
ISIS is absolutely just the worst. Raping children, destroying world heritage, and slaughtering the masses, there is no one on earth who deserves death more than these individuals. So why should the world care who brings it to them? Vladimir Putin is no friend of the United States, but make no mistake about it, if my enemy is his enemy, I feel good about it.
For all the reasons we malign the USSR, ahem, I mean Russia, that makes them quite the formidable foe on the battlefield. The rules of engagement under which Russia operates is likely to make ISIS suffer and who can argue against that. Ladies and gentlemen of the internet, I would ask you if the cruelest armies in the history of mankind from Genghis Khan to Erwin Rommel were to rise against ISIS, would you care if the job was getting done? Fair question, but not one for me to decide. It is yours.
The Soviet End Game
I mean Russia, but the Cold War is not easily programmed out of the brain. What does Putin want with this move? Does he desire to embarrass America by propping up the Assad regime? Does he desire to set up a permanent base a short distance from Israel? Or does he simply desire to take on the ISIS threat and save the world for evil. Try not to LOL at that last suggestion. Whatever it may be, we must at least acknowledge that it is Putin pulling the strings and what Putin wants concerning Russia, Putin gets.
Where does this end? America spent the better part of the 20th century combatting the aims of Russia and to be quite honest, today doesn’t seem that different. Much like World War 2, will an ally in one fight quickly turn into a foe tomorrow? Would we be ok with the Russians in Syria so long as ISIS is gone? There are long-standing political implications to each, but what remains true is that the Middle East has become ground zero for American and Russian conflict today. Do you let Russia slaughter ISIS if it means a permanent presence in Syria? Or would you rather ISIS tarry on a little longer. In either case, does America even have a choice? The debate is in your hands America, and we anxiously await your thoughts.
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