Winter is coming

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N. Korea an astonishingly non-zero probability of being reduced to ashes, on a mistake!

"..."My deep fear is that they will launch a live nuclear weapon on one of their missiles," Hanham said. "It would be hard for Japan, China, the US, to know that it was a test and not the real thing ... That would be extremely dangerous as that could trigger a war."..."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/09/asia/north-korea-next-missile-test-fears/index.html

 

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USS Kentucky

 

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Shame what the Syrians do.

http://webtv.un.org/watch/samantha-...edia-stakeout-17-september-2016/5130062236001

 

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Samantha Powers for President.

 

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Turkey’s Army Is Driving Deeper Into Syria as Latest Truce Frays

• Erdogan directs troops toward ISIS bastion 30 km from border
• Clashes also loom with Kurds; Russia remains long-term rival

Behind their dirt embankments on the frontier with Syria, Turkish soldiers take refuge from the scorching sun in the shade of pine trees. A pile of shells sits beside them on the road, ready for action.

The border they’re defending is effectively less of a border than it used to be, and the action is further away. That’s because Turkey’s army, since it crossed into Syria late last month to fight Islamic State and Kurdish militias, has driven the front line deep into the neighboring state. It now controls a 900 square-kilometer (350 square-mile) area inside Syria. And that’s just the start, judging by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on Monday.

The Turkish leader outlined plans for a “safe zone” in Syria the size of the Grand Canyon, where rebels can be sheltered and trained, and refugees resettled. It could be the biggest military intervention in Turkey’s recent history, with all the attendant risks: casualties in the short term, and in the longer run an open-ended engagement in a conflict zone where actual and potential enemies abound.

Erdogan’s vision would “require deployment of thousands of Turkish soldiers in Syria for several years,” said Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Foundation in Ankara.

Getting Riskier

So far, Turkey’s economy has avoided major impact from the Syrian war, though the cost of hosting about 3 million refugees has strained the budget. And while Turkey has been subjected to several attacks by jihadists with...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...iving-deeper-into-syria-as-latest-truce-frays

 

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The Dessert Rat

Good thing for Putin I am not John Kerry. I would deploy a squadron of tanks with food and medicine to Syria. I would make clear that I was in a tank to hand deliver the food and medicine. The tanks would be supported by a squadron of Raptors and Apaches.

I would make clear that if fired upon by Russia and/or Syria, I would put you down where you stand. On the other hand, If left alone in peace, the tanks would roll in, deliver medicine and food, and leave. Any Russian or Syrian representative would be welcome to join me in the tank.

 

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What a bunch of comedians.

Russia warns US not to attack Syrian regime

(CNN)Russia warned the United States about taking direct action against the Syrian regime, saying it would cause negative consequences across the Middle East, Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency reported Saturday.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continued in the besieged Syrian city Aleppo on Saturday, with one of the main hospitals bombed by Russian-backed Syrian forces...

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/01/middleeast/syria-aleppo-bombing/index.html