Obama warns Russia against helping arm Syrian government

What an idiotic statement by Obama. Syria is an independent sovereign country, Obama can't dictate who Assad wishes to work with. Obama has done nothing to end the civil war. In fact Obama (through clandestine support of a so-called "Free Syrian Army") has only made the civil war worse.

Finally, why should Putin even listen to Obama? What is Obama going to do? Hold his breath and roll on the ground whining until Putin caves?

Putin learned a long time ago to ignore spineless Obama's empty threats. Obama's administration has manufactured, armed and supported ISIS. President Assad has been giving refuge to Christians escaping genocide and Obama is against that. There is something seriously wrong with that. More power to Russia and Syria.

I woke up this morning and just couldn't stop laughing to the point where the back of my neck was aching! Obama warned Russia?!! I think Putin was laughing his *ss off equally as well. Too, too hilarious!

This is silly of Obama. The red line threat a couple years ago blew his credibility for any threat he would ever make. The mans priorities are way off target. No opposing nation could take anything Obama says seriously. Only obomodrones take him for his word.

I'm sure Russia and Putin are shaking in their boots at Obama's warning. What will he do if Russia tells him to go play with himself as they start delivering T-72 tanks and anti-aircraft missiles? We all know the answer, Obama will do nothing at all. He'll give a quick speech about his disappointment in Russia's actions, talk a lot of nonsense about the harm it will cause "folks in the region", then he will run off to the golf course for the rest of the day. Even Jimmy Carter had bigger balls than Obama.

The man is weak, there is no one in the ME, Russia or China that takes him seriously, he is EXACTLY the kind of president these foreign leaders want in an American president. As long as he's president and dovish, NONE of these crazy leaders will neither blink nor quake in their boots. He's not only shown and proven to be a joke, but a complete embarrassment.

The US wants to be in charge of playing various sides against each other so there is enough animosity that weapon sales will increase. How dare Russia enter the market.

Russia does sell lot of arms, many billions worth to Syria. Russia has never liked U.S. led humanitarian interventions, not just under Putin, but also under his predecessor like Yesltin and they have consistently condemned such missions as a cover for U.S. bid to use its power to reshape the world through a selective morality. Russia and China insists that humanitarian interventions should rightly be authorized by the U.N. Security Council. Russia is determined that Syria will not be Libya revived. The Syrian war is an opportunity to show that Russia does matter and must be taken seriously and accorded respect. Russians fears what will happen if Assad falls. Don't expect Russia to fold its cards and leave the table.

There's an even larger context. Russia has more Muslims (about 16 million) than any other European country, and their proportion in the Russian population will rise. Radical Islam has hardly made major inroads among Russia's Muslims, but that doesn't mean that demography doesn't influence Russian calculations in Syria.

What an idiotic statement by Obama. Syria is an independent sovereign country, Obama can't dictate who Assad wishes to work with. Obama has done nothing to end the civil war. In fact Obama (through clandestine support of a so-called "Free Syrian Army") has only made the civil war worse.

Ukrainian sovereignty is paramount. Syrian sovereignty is nothing.

Signed: USA

No worries! Hillary can press the reset button again. And magic happens so say the Clinton-sheep.

Obama warns Russia against helping arm Syrian government

Which causes Putin to laugh until his sides hurt.

I wonder how,much benefits did the Saudis,Bahrain...etc. has paid him.

The US wants to be in charge of playing various sides against each other so there is enough animosity that weapon sales will increase. How dare Russia enter the market.

And you are sure of this based on.....

No worries! Hillary can press the reset button again. And magic happens so say the Clinton-sheep.

I think at this point, we can all say that button is broken.

Could this be why the US government and Obama are so upset? "a recently declassified secret US intelligence report, written in August 2012," which show how the US "Created" ISIS As A "Tool" To Overthrow Syria's President Assad, then we have to think that Japan needs to boost embassy security ultimately because of the threat of the US.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/03/us-isis-syria-iraq

http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-291-Pgs.-287-293-JW-v-DOD-and-State-14-812-DOD-Release-2015-04-10-final-version11.pdf

a recent buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel in Syria

Impossible. My Russian sources have told me that Obama has banned all Russian military operations in Syria.

The US has no right to interfere in the relations between two sovereign nations. Syria has the right to defend itself. Russia has the right to support their allies.

The US has no right to interfere in the relations between two sovereign nations. Syria has the right to defend itself. Russia has the right to support their allies.

What? ROFL

@bass4funk"What?ROTFL"

There are no reasons for laughing. YuriOtani is absolutely right. Besides, the US influence on Japanese politicians is harmul for normal, friendly relations between Japan and Russia.

usa gets too much credit!! for instance,(1) the deciding factor in winning ww2 was Russia- if not for Russia, Germany would have prevailed. Germany was owning UK, France and USA together. (2)USA had to drop a nuke on Japan to win! (3)Viet Cong whipped us soldiers who were heroin addicts! (4) us beat an overmatched Iraq army(its like Russia beating Georgia) (5) us were getting owned by Taliban. you notice US never declared victory and hurried to get out of Afghanistan. (6) US is smart not to put boots on the ground to fight Isis- Isis will whoop US soldiers without modern weaponry! USA=Decline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are no reasons for laughing.

I think there are plenty of reasons for laughing.

YuriOtani is absolutely right. Besides, the US influence on Japanese politicians is harmul

Oh, please. If that were even remotely true, I would be able to buy US bacon everywhere, but seriously.....

for normal friendly relations between Japan and Russia.

Really?? I must've missed something. I had NO idea, Russia was a strong Japanese ally!

The US wants to be in charge of playing various sides against each other so there is enough animosity that weapon sales will increase. How dare Russia enter the market.

@bass4funk

And you are sure of this based on.....

A history of US weapons sales to any group fighting against the flavour of the month enemy. But then it seems history is inconvenient for believers.

Russian troops are going into Syria no matter what Obama says; they will not allow the coast to fall to IS.

I wonder when Obama will warn Saudi Arabia to stop their support of IS?

A history of US weapons sales to any group fighting against the flavour of the month enemy. But then it seems history is inconvenient for believers.

Then you really should feel the same vitriol towards Russia as well.

“You cannot defeat Islamic State with air strikes only,” Lavrov said, a dig at Obama’s strategy.

Pathetic. A russian foreign minister criticizing a US president's sloppy handling of a conflict. Nice going obama administration.

What an idiotic statement by Obama.

Cause he is one.

The man is weak, there is no one in the ME, Russia or China that takes him seriously, he is EXACTLY the kind of president these foreign leaders want in an American president.

Thank you bass. Your statement is spot on the money. And now that the iranians just screwed him over, russia will do the same in Syria. Rofl- if anyone thinks Putin is worried about Obama's warnings.

I am often critical of President Putin but he must help his ally. Turkey a member of NATO is getting ready to invade both Iraq and Syria. Turkey will have to tangle with Russian forces in their invasions. I have heard the Russian story of events and find NATO's actions distributing.

Then you really should feel the same vitriol towards Russia as well.

My vitriol towards the Russian regime is getting close as their weapon sales soar. One difference is that Russia does not sell death and then say this is for the good of the world. Why can you not accept that your nation is a violent super-power that acts mostly in its own interests, especially those of the economic, political, and military elite?

You can see from the data below (from forbes.com) that the US is still the global leader in weapons sales and death, especially to the developing world. This said, Russia has been increasing its share in recent years, which must be very worrying for the US defense contractors and explains why Obama (their spokesperson until the next president takes that role) is anxious about Russia in Syria.

From 2008 to 2011, the U.S. made nearly $113 billion in such agreements, 54.5% of all these agreements (expressed in current dollars). Russia made $31.1 billion, 15% of these agreements. During this same period, collectively, the United States and Russia made 69.5% of all arms transfer agreements with developing nations, ($207.3 billion in current dollars) during this four-year period.

In 2011, the U.S. ranked first in arms transfer agreements with developing nations with over $56.3 billion or 78.7% of these agreements, an extraordinary increase in market share from 2010, when the U.S. held a 43.6% market share. In second place was Russia with $4.1 billion or 5.7% of such agreements.

Russia’s annual defense budget is the third largest in the world at around $80 billion. The U.S. is No. 1, with a 2013 budget of $612 billion.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/07/07/putin-touts-russias-foreign-arms-sales/

Who cares? The term is "short-timer." Putin in the new czar, a lifetime appointment.

“You cannot defeat Islamic State with air strikes only,” Lavrov said, a dig at Obama’s strategy. “It’s necessary to cooperate with ground troops and the Syrian army is the most efficient and powerful ground force to fight the IS.”

My Russian sources are telling me that Russia could defeat ISIS in a matter of days. It's nice to see Putin finally pitching in. This should all be cleared up by Tuesday.

The US doesn't want ISIS to be defeated.

Straight from the conspiracy theorist employee handbook. Even I don't believe that load of crock. Going to war costs money, sure some folks in the US corporate world make money (the real culprits behind practically everything imho), but the US gov doesn't have the time or funds to spy on everyone in the US, while also spying on the rest of the world, while also running wars, while also trying to stabilize the US economy, while also trying to employ everyone, etc.

You may as well start searching for Illuminati, since they're the ones that run EVERYTHING <,< sarcasm

The US can accomplish anything that they put their minds on. I thought spying for the US was mere child's play, with the calibration of Google's location access and Microsoft's Konnect the world becomes ever so small and easier to keep an eye on by the us governments, Apple's iPhone/tablet's have also contributed.

On a serious note, I feel the US and Russia are being childish about this, they are both acting like siblings trying to get at one another indirectly, lives are at risk, it's plain wrong to trifle with lives. Grow some balls and settle thing in an civilised manna at a UN meeting only than can we really focus on bringing about peace and prosperity to these regions.

On a serious note, I feel the US and Russia are being childish about this, they are both acting like siblings trying to get at one another indirectly, lives are at risk, it's plain wrong to trifle with lives. Grow some balls and settle thing in an civilised manna at a UN meeting only than can we really focus on bringing about peace and prosperity to these regions.

Do you mean hakko ichiu ,,,?Four corners of the world under one roof ,,, same thinking of a sinking old empire ,, I thought that this thinking has ended early

The US doesn't want ISIS to be defeated.

Correction: Obama doesn't want ISIS to be defeated. Especially if it means Assad remaining in power. Obama has demonstrated time and again that removing Assad is a greater priority to him than stopping ISIS.

USSR! USSR! USSR!

Wait....is that right?

Call me crazy but I'm guessing Obama is saying "Crown me" and Putin is saying "check mate"

http://www.mintpressnews.com/migrant-crisis-syria-war-fueled-by-competing-gas-pipelines/209294/

'nuff said!

Some of you need a serious education in history. Is it not interesting that Russia, who some of you are praising for winning the war against Germany in WWII, decided to capture a weakened Japan's northern islands only after the USA dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? That took a lot of bravery! (sarcasm) So Russia violated the Neutrality Pact made in April of 1941 between Russia and Japan, and still unjustly controls the southern Kuril Islands which were always Japanese territory. So I would be very careful about trusting Russia's true intentions in the Syrian conflict of today, based upon their past history and actions.

I think Obama is saying what he has to say. But note that he is not doing anything. Does anyone think it is because he CAN'T do anything?

And Putin is doing what he has to do. Does anyone think he has a better option?

If you look at the game that way and claim to know chess, it is pretty obvious that Putin is constrained and reacting. Is he making new commitments that are risky? Or is he protecting old commitments that have already soured? Obama is aloof, unconstrained, considering numerous options, and acting flexibly. Iran is coming into play again, which can't be a good thing for Syria, or Russia..

And Ukraine? Winter is coming again and Europe has plenty of cheap fuel. Sanctions on Russia are tightening, not loosening.

I don't see a problem here. I think Putin is deathly afraid of what is coming down the pike. He tried to call Obama twice during the Supreme Court week of wonders. I think Obama did not take the calls.

I doubt this would even be on Putin's radar. The U.S. these days is pretty much an international laughing stock. Their own people make fun of their president, and the current front runners for the two main parties are Trump and Clinton. Their whole political system is corrupt. This is a shame as the problems in Syria need a strong international response. Who is going to step up and actually address the problem?

Stuart Hayward, thanks for the excellent links!

Bass, According to acclaimed journalist Seymour Hersch, the Obama Administration were indeed on the verge of making the same mistake Bush made when he invaded Iraq, based on incorrect intelligence about WMD's. Indeed it was the US Military (Joint Chiefs of Staff), who dissuaded Obama from launching a massive attack on Syrian forces after they had allegedly crossed "The Red Line" and used sarin gas. Of course once it was ascertained it was indeed likely the opposition who had released the gas, the US Government Press Secretary killed the story...

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n08/seymour-m-hersh/the-red-line-and-the-rat-line

And just a couple of days ago, hours after Obama's warnings to Russia, there was a mustard gas attack in Syria that CNN immediately reported as "likely carried out by the Syrian Regime", based solely on "witnesses seeing a Syrian Army helicopter flying nearby". However, even the US Government is now admitting it was likely IS that manufactured and released it. Again, yesterday's freedom fighters are now the bad guys. At least Russia is consistent in supporting it's allies.

"Russia isn’t trying to conceal the presence of its servicemen who are involved in a “military-technical cooperation with a legitimate government.” - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

And with all of Assad's VX and nerve gas laying around one missile goes wrong and tens of thousands go at one clip. Maybe Russia could work with the West, but Putin sees this as another opportunity to make the world less safe, more prone to terrorism and achieve very little for anyone else.

Until Putin deigns to speak with the West his moves are obviously self-serving. Putin is quite the disappointment.