US Government Predicts Russia's Military Action Will Increase Terrorism

Moscow will soon start paying the price for its escalating military intervention in Syria in the form of reprisal attacks and casualties, according to the United States.

This is a curious argument, precisely because it is being made by the US Government. When people such as Noam Chomsky make the point that terrorist attacks on the West are at least in part motivated by propping up brutal dictators and bombing people in the Middle East, they get dismissed as "West-hating terrorist sympathiers".

Ask any intelligence expert, and they'll give you precisely the same analysis: violence does cause more violence. So, it is not surprising that the United States are claiming that this will happen to Russia, but it, once again, highlights their double standards.

Similarly, when John Kerry stated that "you can't in the 21st Century behave in a 19th Century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped up pretext", referring to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, it was ironic precisely because of what the United States had done in Iraq 10 years earlier.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/russia-pay-price-syrian-airstrikes-ashton-carter-us-defence-secretary

Reply 1

Hippysnake

19

America: Do as I say, not as I do.

Reply 2

ChaoticButterfly

20

Focus on your enemies crimes. Ignore your own. The peoples of america and Russia spend all their time scrutinizing the other super power and don't actually look at what their country is doing. They all focus their rage at the other lot and ignore their governments actions. So the governemtns can do what they like. This is a standard propaganda technique. In cold war any dissident in Russia that dared to question Soviet imperialism would just be told to look at what america is doing (or put in prison, work camps etc, less free country). American dissidents questions helping murderous south american juntas, well we are fighting communism so it is fine.

This is actually more reprehensible for Americans. Russians live under a vastly more repressive regime. Americans can influence their government and have much greater freedoms. Basically if you live in a western democracy you have more moral responsibility for what your government does than the average Russian citizen does to his government.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

The Warsmith

18

Of course, what else will the US government predict?

I still can't see why the Russians are even bothering continuing with the air strikes.

Reply 4

viddy9

OP

16

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

This is actually more reprehensible for Americans. Russians live under a vastly more repressive regime. Americans can influence their government and have much greater freedoms. Basically if you live in a western democracy you have more moral responsibility for what your government does than the average Russian citizen does to his government.

True, although it doesn't help that the United States is barely a democracy anymore; it's more like an oligarchy. The bottom 50% of the population - perhaps even the bottom 70% - have virtually no say on policy issues.

As Professor Martin Gilens, who has conducted the gold standard of research on this issue, concludes in a major analysis of 1,779 policy issues: “analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide substantial support for theories of Economic-Elite Domination and for theories of Biased Pluralism, but not for theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism.”

Reply 5

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by viddy9

True, although it doesn't help that the United States is barely a democracy anymore; it's more like an oligarchy. The bottom 50% of the population - perhaps even the bottom 70% - have virtually no say on policy issues.

True. But that has been manufactured (Chomsky Manufacturing Consent theory ^.^)

All that bull**** exists inside the framework of a more free society than that what is in Russia.

Chomsky can publish all his books and give speeches (to a point, he got arrested in Vietnam war, Snowden is an example of actual state big stick repression(you can argue whether that is justified or not but it is the state throwing its weight around)). It's more everyone else's fault for not listening :/

But it's the dilemma of the people you are trying to help being caught up into the manipulative and repressive system you perceive being against you, cos you know, they are in that **** system. You just have to keep saying the same things over and over even if they hate you for it.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

Aj12

18

Original post by viddy9

Moscow will soon start paying the price for its escalating military intervention in Syria in the form of reprisal attacks and casualties, according to the United States.

This is a curious argument, precisely because it is being made by the US Government. When people such as Noam Chomsky make the point that terrorist attacks on the West are at least in part motivated by propping up brutal dictators and bombing people in the Middle East, they get dismissed as "West-hating terrorist sympathiers".

Ask any intelligence expert, and they'll give you precisely the same analysis: violence does cause more violence. So, it is not surprising that the United States are claiming that this will happen to Russia, but it, once again, highlights their double standards.

Similarly, when John Kerry stated that "you can't in the 21st Century behave in a 19th Century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped up pretext", referring to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, it was ironic precisely because of what the United States had done in Iraq 10 years earlier.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/russia-pay-price-syrian-airstrikes-ashton-carter-us-defence-secretary

I would't say it is hypocritical at all of Kerry to have said that. Whilst he did support the Iraq war once it became apparent that WMD's were not present he attacked GWB for lying to the country. The current occupier of the White House was also opposed to the invasion of Iraq and has consistently opposed it. You can't constantly blame each successive government for the mistakes of the previous one. At some point you have to draw a line.

As for the similarities I don't think a comparison between Iraq and Ukraine really holds much water. Iraq was fiercely debated at the time and ever since, completely destroying the records of the two main architects (Blair and Bush). Compare that to Russian involvement in the Ukraine that has lead to absolutely no internal debate and one of the main critics murdered in very odd circumstances, imagine if someone like Chomsky was shot in sight of the White House.

The US is completely correct to point out that Russian actions will lead to an uptick in terrorism against Russia. As for Chomsky being labelled a terrorist sympathizer that is unfortunately one of the pesky side effects of an active civil society. You also see far more constructive debate over many of his ideas.

US Government Predicts Russia's Military Action Will Increase Terrorism

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