Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner: Why it's not so crazy to think Russia would attack US forces in Syria
CNN is reporting that Russia is threatening to attack U.S. forces based in Al Tanf, eastern Syria, but don't call it fake news. A Russia-U.S. exchange of gunfire isn't as crazy as it might sound.
As reported last December, Russia retains a longstanding interest in forcibly dislodging U.S. forces from various bases in northern and eastern Syria. Of course, Russian President Vladimir Putin knows that to overtly target and attack American citizens in Syria would open his nation up to a world of trouble. At a minimum, it would mean significant new sanctions on the Russian economy from the U.S. and its global allies. But it might also lead to U.S. military retaliation of a kind that would cause havoc for Russia's military. While Russia's military is potent in proximity to its home territory, it is far less powerful in and around Syria. The Russian naval flotilla deployed off Syria's coast, for example, would be exceptionally vulnerable to any U.S. retaliatory strikes.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Would the Kremlin directly order its forces to attack U.S. positions in Syria? The answer is no.