Syria - what is to be done?

I've also just read, by Yuval Noah Harari, this: "Politics is a second-order chaotic system."

What he means by that is that it (the system in question) reacts to predictions about it and therefore can never be predicted accurately.

We can't predict what the Trump administration will do. As Hamid said, we'll just have to wait and see. It depends on too many unknowns.

This is such a complex issue with no end solution presenting itself. I'm reminded of the situation some thirty odd years ago in Beirut. At the time, it seemed equally intractable yet eventually a solution was found. Is there anything to be gleaned from that I wonder? I can't recall the details, but it seemed horrific and insoluble.

It seems democracy doesn't work for all

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/11/donald-trump-syria-bashar-al-assad-isis

I wonder when he will decide on stance six. Actually, he might have done already since this.

Johnson went down like a lead balloon in his suggestion of more sanctions. He has yet to achieve anything of any significance. We seem to have been entirely ignored.

Yes, he seems to be an embarrassment. Do you think that's what May intended?

No I think that they are so fixated on Brexit it that they are not making quality decisions on strategy for all sorts of other areas.

I also think that we will find ourselves sidelined more often once we leave Europe as we will be just speaking for us and not part of a huge club of countries.

Nothing to do with Johnson being 'an embarrassment', and all to do with Germany and other countries being scared that Russia will stop the gas pipeline!

Then he didn't think it through very well before he went did he?! You don't announce such a strategy if you think it will in all probability be rejected, or perhaps he isn't listening to the experts in the foreign office!!

Well- hush my mouth.

Yes, why not say what you think needs saying ( Johnson) even if you do know that some other countries will be too worried about the Russians threatening to turn off
'The tap' ( as they have done before)
Sanctions against Russia, and all countries standing united ( to even the threat to Russia of sanctions) woukd have been best, but Germany shows no backbone sometimes.

The point is none of the others at the meeting supported Johnson, not a single solitary country, zilch, zero. It isn't the way to conduct foreign policy and the foreign office know it, it is a pity Johnson doesn't .

They didn't support him because of two things, Brexit, and having no aforementioned backbone where Russia is concerned.

It's not Johnson himself, it what what he was saying, which would have been the same content even if delivered by somebody else.

So how does that work with Japan?

Well and America of course?

My point being that someone with better diplomatic skills would not have said what Johnson said.

Sorry WW, I may be wrong but I don't think you are any more able than the rest of us to tell us what the Foreign Office know. They will have been advising him, and I would guess he must have had at least some support. Maybe a great deal. In any event I don't see any reason why Johnson shouldn't try to convince the others to ramp up sanctions, even if the likelihood of success was always low. He may have had no takers this time but he has made his point and others may follow later if their own idea (cross your fingers and hope it all goes away) doesn't work. Having said that, if it was my decision I might well have tried that one first as well! Let's none of us pretend we really have any idea what to do for the best in this impossible situation.

Well,of course they didn't! As roses says they're far to afraid that Russia will turn off the pipeline and worse! I think BJ exposed their cowardice and indecisiveness, and showed them for the idiots/hypocrites that they are! The very young, the old the vulnerable? when compared to a pipeline and of course money (sanctions aren't good for making that!) Well, there is of course, no contest, why on earth did we think there would be. I could hardly bear to look at their grinning self satisfied faces in the group photograph. Funny how suffering can be something to grin about! Awful people that they are!

Boris had his own special sanction, didn't he?
They were really worried about him not going.

Sorry Jen - can you explain that one?

Boris sanctioned Russia by not going?

I wonder what the G7 people said to him when they first saw him.
"Hello, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't like meeting people."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/12/boris-johnson-brexit-tim-farron

Got it!
But no, I think they will have said "why didn't you go to Russia and suck up to Putin like us, instead of sucking up to Trump?".

Do you just see all this as fun durhamjen ?

I guess we all have to choose our superpower and stick with it. He has his (serious) issues, but I prefer ours.

So Corbyn's plan crashes and burns -draft UN resolution that Syria submit to an investigation is vetoed by Russia.

I shouldn't mock though. We all had to try. It's just he wouldn't accept that it had no chance whatsoever of success.