Poll Reveals American Soldiers Do not want Strikes in Syria

As John Kerry of the United States and Sergei Lavrov of Russia battle for the soul of Syria diplomatically in Geneva while the two Presidents, Obama and Putin trade jabs with Obama's 9/11's speech and Putin's counter-voice in the New York Times, American soldiers have simply been showing their disapproval for any involvement and mission in Syria.

The irony of any disapproval though is that it would not stop any recalcitrant American President bent on war and directed by his war-hawks but it goes a long way to show the awkward madness of what democracy is in the United States.

The US service-members oppose military strikes in Syria by a three-to-one margin, according to a poll by Military Times. An online survey of more than 750 active-duty troops found 75 percent of respondents were not in favour of airstrikes against the Assad regime.

A slight percentage more said it is not in the US national interest to get involved in the country’s civil war. Military Times said money and a war-weary isolationist streak were top reasons for the soldiers’ disapproval. Despite this disapproval, Senator McCain still wants nothing other than military strikes. One definitely wonders what would be happening in the world by now as regards wars if he were the President.

Patriot Missiles Arrive in Turkey

Turkey's defence against the Assad regime has been bolstered with the arrival of the Patriot Missiles. In a bid to avoid direct confrontations with the the Syrian military as much as possible, Turkey called for the deployment of the missiles to guard her border with Syria.

The Turkish port of Iskenderun welcomed a German ship carrying patriot missile equipment as part of an effort to stop violence in Syria from spilling over its borders.

240 German troops had earlier touched down in Turkey to be deployed to the border with Syria, as part of a NATO mission. The Suecia Seaways vessel later arrived on Monday after the Netherlands-registered Louise Russ ship also carrying missile kits pulled into the area on Sunday night. 

The German batteries are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles, which will remain in Turkey for a year. Two Dutch and two US batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

In December, NATO announced its decision to position Patriot anti-missile systems near Turkey's southern border to defend against the threat of cross-border attacks and bringing the United States and its allies closer to the Civil War raging between Syrian opposition rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime.

Turkey, a NATO member, requested the missiles to boost its air defences. Violence has flared along the border in recent months, with Turkey firing artillery across the frontier to retaliate for Syrian shells hitting Turkish soil.

Iran and Russia have objected to the move saying Syria could just be a smokescreen to upturn the military balance and calculations in favour of NATO and the United States. They believe the missiles might be available more to spy on their weapons' systems than counter Assad's forces.