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U.S. Decided Not to Horse-Trade With Russia on Assad
WSJ ^ | 9-5-13 | By ADAM ENTOUS

Posted on 09/05/2013 7:39:15 PM PDT by tcrlaf

"Administration Calculated It Had Little to Gain in Offering Concessions to Putin, Whose Motivations Have Been Confounding"

President Barack Obama's 15 seconds of face time with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, while American and Russian warships patrolled the eastern Mediterranean, spoke to a deep chill that has created one of the biggest complications to the U.S.'s plan to strike Syria.

Mr. Obama used the opening day of a Group of 20 meeting in St. Petersburg to press his Syria agenda, speaking for an hour with Japan's prime minister. With Mr. Putin, the summit's host, he simply shook hands and smiled for cameras, with no further meeting plans scheduled.

Their tense standoff, in many ways, is the outgrowth of previously undisclosed calculations about the level of U.S. interest in the civil war in Syria. In early 2012, White House and State Department officials asked themselves what the U.S. might be willing to do to wean Russia from its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Curtail missile defenses in Europe? Pare plans to enlarge the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

Their conclusion: These initiatives weren't worth sacrificing for a deal on Syria, which was then lower on the foreign-policy priority list, say current and former officials who took part in the brainstorming exercise. Likewise, officials doubted such a gambit would work with a Russian leader whose motivations have confounded the U.S.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: aidingterrorists; alqaeda; brzenzski; nwo; obama; putin; syria
Either these reporters are blind, or so afraid of Liberal facist retribution that they can't state the obvious.

Putin's motives are very clear.

-Help protect a long-term Russian ally and trade partner.

-Help prevent the spread of radical Islam, which is no friend of Russia. If they are fighting in Syria, they aren't fighting in Russia or the 'Stans.

-Jab a stick in to the eye of the runaway narcissist the USA has for a President. (Restore some Russian prestige by standing up to the Bully Obama and America.)

1 posted on 09/05/2013 7:39:15 PM PDT by tcrlaf
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To: tcrlaf

If Hussein tried to “horse-trade” with Putin he would come back without his pants.


2 posted on 09/05/2013 7:42:12 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: tcrlaf

Yeah. It isn’t like 0bama has anything Putin needs;

And the crap that 0bama pulls with his own obsession to destroy America and turn the rest of the ‘western world’ into third-world hellholes gives Putin everything he would like, without ‘horse-trading’.


3 posted on 09/05/2013 7:44:38 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: BenLurkin

LOL!


4 posted on 09/05/2013 7:45:29 PM PDT by don-o (He will not share His glory and He will NOT be mocked! Blessed be the name of the Lord forever!)
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To: tcrlaf

I stand with Putin.


5 posted on 09/05/2013 7:57:43 PM PDT by Gator113
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To: tcrlaf

Up against the likes of Putin, little Barry is a rank amateur. I think little Barry knows it.


6 posted on 09/05/2013 8:07:25 PM PDT by jivin gene (Breakin' up is hard to do)
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To: BenLurkin

Barry would love to drop his pants for Putin.


7 posted on 09/05/2013 8:16:38 PM PDT by Palio di Siena
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To: BenLurkin
If Hussein tried to “horse-trade” with Putin he would come back without his pants.

Sounds like something bambi might like.

8 posted on 09/05/2013 8:17:06 PM PDT by Ceausescu (In my country we appreciate free speech, down to the last bullet.)
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To: tcrlaf

Agreed, but you’re missing a big one. Qatar has, for a number of years, desired an LNG pipeline to Europe which needs to pass through Syria. Assad will not allow this. Meanwhile Gazprom maintains a monopoly on the European LNG market. To clarify Putin’s interest here not only does this company provide 10% of Russia’s GDP the state also owns a controlling share of its stock.


9 posted on 09/05/2013 8:20:00 PM PDT by Roland (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
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To: tcrlaf

Having the media say good things about his efforts for Russian LGBTs is more important to him than the thousands dying in Syria. So he never made an effort to negotiate with Putin about Syria.

A bucket of spit can negotiate better than Obama anyway.


10 posted on 09/05/2013 8:26:49 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
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To: tcrlaf
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."


11 posted on 09/05/2013 8:33:33 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: tcrlaf

I think we have to have Putin curb his Syrian Dog. Make Putin own any future WMD attacks by either side.


12 posted on 09/05/2013 9:33:51 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (The Presidency is broken.)
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To: tcrlaf

What happened to Obama’s promised “flexibility”? Is Putin getting screwed like the typical American is?


13 posted on 09/05/2013 10:18:52 PM PDT by Spok
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To: BenLurkin

That would kind of difficult since he is already an empty suit.


14 posted on 09/05/2013 10:23:47 PM PDT by chiefqc
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