An illusory victory: Was “mission accomplished” in Syria?

An illusory victory: Was “mission accomplished” in Syria?
Dror Michman and Yael Mizrahi-Arnaud - Monday, April 23, 2018

The article should be read in its entirety rather than piecemeal in a truncated version (two paragraph limit to satisfy board rules).

The authors are Israeli researchers working in the United States. I tend to agree with their synopsis. The strike itself (nuts and bolts) was a tactical success, albeit a strategic disappointment.

Rogue Valley said:

An illusory victory: Was “mission accomplished” in Syria?
Dror Michman and Yael Mizrahi-Arnaud - Monday, April 23, 2018

The article should be read in its entirety rather than piecemeal in a truncated version (two paragraph limit to satisfy board rules).

The authors are Israeli researchers working in the United States. I tend to agree with their synopsis. The strike itself (nuts and bolts) was a tactical success, albeit a strategic disappointment.

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The mission those particular members of the US armed forces and our allies were on, was in fact accomplished. The overall strategy? Of course not. But, does that even matter? Those that understand what the phrase means, know better. Those that want to use the phrase as a political hammer to beat G.W. Bush about the political head don't' care what the truth is, because the truth is not conducive to their purpose of using the phrase and the banner that had the phrase on it. As for Trump? I'm not sure he actually understands the history or meaning of the phrase any more than many of those using it to bash him. However, I'm pretty sure that some military aid told him "mission accomplished" and he repeated it in a tweet because it sounded cool. Does that mean he was incorrect? No. But again, that doesn't matter in this political environment.

Mission accomplished is not the same as Political Strategy Accomplished, or War Won, anything at all other than the particular military mission that was undertaken was in fact accomplished. The article uses the wrong definition for the wrong phrase.

But, none of that matters today.

Rogue Valley said:

An illusory victory: Was “mission accomplished” in Syria?
Dror Michman and Yael Mizrahi-Arnaud - Monday, April 23, 2018

The article should be read in its entirety rather than piecemeal in a truncated version (two paragraph limit to satisfy board rules).

The authors are Israeli researchers working in the United States. I tend to agree with their synopsis. The strike itself (nuts and bolts) was a tactical success, albeit a strategic disappointment.

Click to expand...

What would our two Israeli researchers suggest? Oh yes, bomb the Iranians. Surprise!

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/orde...he-syrian-conflict-its-only-a-matter-of-time/

Considering that the Friday night attacks were based upon transparently fraudulent propaganda by the White Helmets, HELL YES the mission was accomplished. Raytheon sold 100 more Tomahawks.

Thoreau72 said:

Considering that the Friday night attacks were based upon transparently fraudulent propaganda by the White Helmets, HELL YES the mission was accomplished. Raytheon sold 100 more Tomahawks.

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You have EVIDENCE to support this assertion?

Fledermaus said:

You have EVIDENCE to support this assertion?

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Just... let him be, man. Some folks don't want to leave the bubble.


As for Mission and Syria. Beaudreaux pretty much covered the distinction; though I think it's worth getting past that to ask the broader question.

I would say that the Defeat ISIS campaign (defining ISIS as a physical caliphate in control of territory) was succeeding... up until the point where the Turks invaded Kurdish territory, and then POTUS decided to announce we were gonna take our ball and go home. I think those two things together hand us a big Strategic Loss, right there (assuming POTUS follows through on it, which agreeably, isn't guaranteed), and it's one we are probably gonna regret.

Fledermaus said:

You have EVIDENCE to support this assertion?

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Too much for you to grasp there Maus. OAN has covered it for "MSM", and for that matter so did NBC in a heavily spun piece last Sunday night.

And of course RT and other non MSM sources.

Thoreau72 said:

Too much for you to grasp there Maus. OAN has covered it for "MSM", and for that matter so did NBC in a heavily spun piece last Sunday night.

And of course RT and other non MSM sources.

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I looked up the OAN reference... A reporter claims no chemical track...

A reporter.

Exact quote. "Walking up to random people and asking them what they think happened"

Damn fine evidence.

So no. No evidence.

Beaudreaux said:

The mission those particular members of the US armed forces and our allies were on, was in fact accomplished. The overall strategy? Of course not.

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Pretty much exactly what I stated.