• Only 28% of Americans under the age of 50 are very concerned about the Syrian conflict
    42 replies, posted
I'm going to be very honest here. I don't think I've ever heard about this conflict until I read this thread.
im concerned, just not very.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;40808154]I'm pretty ignorant on the subject, as it's not been a very hot topic in the states, but the few things I have heard of don't paint a pretty picture for either the government or the rebels. When it comes to a choice between two shady governments in a war torn third-world country that doesn't play any major part in global politics, most folks will just shrug and let the chips fall where they may. Syria's not the only country ravaged by power struggles. Besides, I thought the global consensus on America was that it should mind its own business a bit more often? Every time America gets involved in a conflict that isn't directly related to its going-ons, people start quoting Team America.[/QUOTE] it isn't that everyone wants to stop the usa getting involved in everything, it's that a lot of people want the usa to take reasonable actions and steps that don't end up fucking countries over. a lot of people want the usa to also apply it's justification of democracy or helping people evenly. it's hypocritical to oust someone who commits human rights violations in syria when we cooperate with a country like israel that commits human rights violations as well, for example. the usa and europe could have gotten involved in the syrian conflict when it first started. if they did, they should have sent troops and put diplomatic pressure on both sides to come to a ceasefire and plan for reforming the government. that would have been preferable to sending arms to syrian rebels(and russia selling arms to the government) because it would have given a chance to prevent all the death and atrocities committed now and throughout the civil war. it's unfortunately far too late for that now.
[QUOTE=Killuah;40810929] think about Israel being a major ally of the US.[/QUOTE] Ah yes, [i]will the nightmare ever end.[/i]
In the last century or so, the United States has had a chronic case of "caring" too much about conflicts on foreign soil. For once in this nations history, could we please just leave it the fuck alone and let the international agencies [b]founded[/b] for trying to solve these situations handle it?
[QUOTE=Killuah;40810929]If you US people think this does not influence you you should really read up about the area, where your ressources come from, where terrorist organizations get their money from and last but not least think about Israel being a major ally of the US.[/QUOTE] The most important resource the US gets from the region is oil, which we don't get much from either [url=http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=mcrimussy2&f=a]Syria[/url] or [url=http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_neti_dc_NUS-NLE_mbblpd_a.htm]Lebanon[/url]. In fact, we don't get as much oil from the Middle East as many would think [t]http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2013/01/oil-imports-by-region.png[/t]
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;40813138]The most important resource the US gets from the region is oil, which we don't get much from either [url=http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=mcrimussy2&f=a]Syria[/url] or [url=http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_neti_dc_NUS-NLE_mbblpd_a.htm]Lebanon[/url]. In fact, we don't get as much oil from the Middle East as many would think [t]http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2013/01/oil-imports-by-region.png[/t][/QUOTE] there are still geopolitical and economic reasons for controlling the oil flow in the middle east. many nato countries get a large chunk of their oil from the middle east, for example. to say that we only care about the middle east for oil is simplistic, but saying we don't care about the syrian/lebanese oil is not really true either.
I follow the news about it whenever I see it because I'm concerned for the outcome and am undecided about which side I should cheer on.
[QUOTE=Solomon;40813261]undecided about which side I should cheer on.[/QUOTE] How about the normal Syrians which ultimately suffer the greatest.
[QUOTE=Solomon;40813261]I follow the news about it whenever I see it because I'm concerned for the outcome and am undecided about which side I should cheer on.[/QUOTE] cheer for no one. whoever wins, the syrian people are probably going to lose.
This is by no means the US being terrible people. I read surprisingly little about it over here too.
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;40807417]The rebels don't have good PR. I don't know who they are, what they stand for, and how they plan to deal with the US and Israel, and Iran, if they win. I know they are against Assad, that's it. That's not enough to get me all hot and bothered though.[/QUOTE] Not everyone in the world has got to have an opinion on America. Some of us live elsewhere, y'know.
there's no real option for american involvement in the area unless this spills into Israel, we could have helped ten months ago if Russia and China hadn't stonewalled all relief efforts, now its turned into an Afghanistan II but without Russian troops
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