Barack Obama praises Putin for help clinching Iran deal

[bemildred]

Source: Telegraph.UK

Russian-American cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal could pave the way for an agreement on Syria, Barack Obama has said, despite the current confrontation between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

Mr Obama praised Vladimir Putin for his role in the agreement and said there could now be an “opening” for further detente in the worst crisis in American-Russian relations since the Cold War.

Speaking shortly after a historic agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme was signed in Vienna, Mr Obama said that there was now an opportunity for a "serious conversation" with Mr Putin about the fate of Bashar Assad, the embattled Syrian president.

He did not go into details, but analysts in Moscow and Washington have previously suggested diplomats may be working on a bargain that would see a managed change of regime in Damascus acceptable to both Moscow and Washington.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/11740700/Barack-Obama-praises-Putin-for-help-clinching-Iran-deal.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. Credit given (to Russia and it's diplomats), where credit is due. Another reason to love Obama.

Another reason to hate Obama.

Another reason to ignore the Two Armed Camp thinkers.

[Democat]

2. Finally right wingers will have to hate Putin

Obama praised him.

[lunasun]

10. LOL so true ....

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

16. Nah, not dark enough for their hatred.

[Herman4747]

3. i Still Have Tremendously Strong Doubts About Putin, But Maybe...

...he did good here.

[greenman3610]

5. an Iranian agreement makes good sense for Russia

[blm]

6. Lavrov and Kerry have a solid relationship with a wider worldview

of cooperation than most people, including 'journalists', have been able to understand.

It can't be too easy for Lavrov working for someone like Putin.

[MBS]

25. " " " " " n/t

[Igel]

11. It allows for some very large arms sales to Iran.

And the sale of some nuclear technology.

They've been pending a deal that further removes sanctions.

Russia needs the money.

And Iran obviously needs the weapons to fight its wars. And nuclear technology.

[Peace Patriot]

15. "...Iran...needs the weapons to fight its wars." What wars?

Iran has never shown territorial aggression (unlike Iraq, Israel and the U.S.); has never invaded anyone, nor threatened, to but did get invaded (by Iraq/Saddam Hussein, with U.S. complicity) and fought back, suffering devastating losses in that stalemate. Indeed, in the midst of the biggest threat to Iran, ever--the Bush Junta invasion of Iraq, right on their doorstep, with U.S. horror and chaos threatening to spread everywhere--Iran's leaders held back. Not to say they haven't been involved in various ways (if China bombed and invaded Mexico, would we get involved?) but their restraint amazed me, actually. Iran seems to me to be a peaceful country in a very treacherous world and in a highly, highly volatile region of the world.

So, I ask again, what wars?

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

17. You have'nt heard of ISIS?

[Peace Patriot]

36. ISIS isn't a country, and it has no...

...orderly civilization that it is defending against attack. It is a gang of psychotic thugs who behead prisoners for kicks and for the terrorizing impact in images worldwide, who are terrorizing numerous communities and regions, destroying orderly governments by brute force, killing everybody who isn't psychotic like they are, and a host of atrocities including ethnic cleansing and sexual slavery. They have no land that they don't control by exceptionally brutal means. They are like a plague that has rushed into the black hole of chaos created by the Bush Junta in Iraq, by the CIA (Obama?) in the destabilization of Syria and Libya, and in other tumultuous places. They are so bad that not even Al Qaeda can stand them (and broke off with them). They are so bad that unusual allies have formed to stop them.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Egypt, and Russia. Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIL. (my emphasis)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant

TAKE A LOOK at the list of cooperating countries at the wiki page! Iran is just one of many countries that are fighting ISIS militarily or in other ways.

So, Igel saying "Iran's warS"--and your seconding of that-- is quite wrong. Iran is just one part of a huge coalition fighting ISIS, that includes Russia and the U.S., virtually every NATO and EU country, Saudi Arabia and all Gulf states; BOTH sides in the Syrian civil war are fighting ISIS!

Iran has not made war! They were attacked by Iraq, in the Reagan era (and with the Reaganites' complicity), and fought back, and took great losses in a stalemate. That's it.

It's possibly true that they need weapons with which to fight ISIS. But Igel said "Iran's warS." What wars? They are NOT conducting "wars." And you seconded Igel. What "warS"?

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

41. Don't forget the war against The Great Devil America.

[cosmicone]

4. Damn that commie pinko muslim kenyan....

[Botany]

7. Putin is a no good son of a bitch and Obama knows that but if "playing nice" ....

.... w/him helps in getting peace then go for it President O.

Diplomacy it is the stuff for grown ups.

[Fred Sanders]

8. Lot of no good sons of bitches in the world Obama has to play nice with. Like Saudi, for one.

That is how the world turned for eons before 2009, and it is not going to stop on a dime.

There were 4 other major world powers that also went to the dance with evil Putin also, no explaining that.

[saidsimplesimon]

9. President Obama has earned that Nobel Prize.

The agreements with both Cuba and Iran are historic, imo. Historians of any merit will discuss the value of diplomacy based on this model of cooperation.

I'll leave it to the good people of Iran, Russia and China to comment on their leadership. I speak for myself. Today is a good day for the world.

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. +1

[Cha]

37. 'Zactly, Botany.

[Turbineguy]

12. Oh dear.....

next we'll get cozy with the Rooskies. Then the republicans will really be upset. But what about nucular combat?

They so want 10 to 20 million killed.... depending on the breaks.

[deurbano]

14. Or "Comrade Obama"?

[NuclearDem]

18. People who make excuses for Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and Georgia

and for his fascist behavior domestically are Putinistas.

World leaders and foreign ministers recognizing shared interests and working together towards nuclear nonproliferation are adults.

[nyabingi]

21. There was no "invasion" of Ukraine by Russia

and if you believe that then you are obviously not paying attention or just too trusting of the neo-con propaganda being peddled by almost every mainstream American news source (left and right).

[NuclearDem]

22. Except for Crimea. And Donbass.

But if you ignore those, then you're absolutely right, there was no invasion.

[nyabingi]

23. Russians were already based in Crimea (the "little green men")

and after seeing the neo-Nazis take over in Kiev, the Crimeans were glad those "little green men" were there. Plus they voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia (not at gun point) and celebrated the reunification in the streets. This pissed off the Americans and EU (who wanted to boot the Russians out of the Black Sea naval bases) and then the whole "Russia invaded" business started. Putin decided that we can have the fascists in western Ukraine, but we weren't getting Crimea.

I'm sure Russia has been assisting the ethnic Russian population in the east (whether they officially admit it or not), but the US is openly supporting our handpicked leaders in western Ukraine, so we really have no moral basis for criticizing Russia protecting their own national interests or ethnic Russians who are being targeted for destruction by rabid Hitler-loving right-wingers.

If Obama can admit publicly that Putin is a rational man who can be negotiated with to achieve shared objectives, then he can do the same in Syria and Ukraine (but won't for some reason).

[NuclearDem]

24. The Russians were confined to their bases.

They left their bases and invaded Ukrainian territory. It would be the same thing if the US Navy left Guantanamo and started occupying parts of Cuba.

It's pretty clear you've swallowed the Kremlin line whole. I have no interest in continuing this nonsense.

[nyabingi]

29. You're wrong and have obviously swallowed

the Pentagon, Bush/Cheney/Obama line whole. The "liberal" contingent are just as hawkish as the typical conservatives, as long as a Nobel Prize-winning Democrat is in charge. The same Democrats who supported the Iraq war because they believed all the lies peddled by warmongers and the media are the same ones who think Putin is the new Hitler. What a bunch of gullible sheep we Americans are!

My point of view will be proven to be correct and you can eat your words then.

[Cha]

38. Mahalo NuclearDem.. yeah, President Obama recognizes putin's agression in Ukraine, etc.. but isn't

going to not acknowledge his help with Iran.. that would be small minded. tiny.

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. Because we know we're not being trolled by President Obama. Putin's troll army? Not so much.

How to Defeat Putin’s Internet Trolls

By Hannah Gais 6/8/15 at 12:10 PM



Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to respond to questions put forward by Internet users before a televised answer session in Moscow's Kremlin July 6, 2006. A Kremlin youth group paid bloggers to post pro-Putin content and vote down anti-Putin YouTube videos. Itar-Tass/Presidential Press Service/Reuters

But the practice became even more critical to the Kremlin’s informational warfare strategy during the invasion of Ukraine in 2014. One firm, called the Internet Research Agency, garnered a great deal of mainstream media attention last year after a major document leak exposed the agency’s operations.

In June 2014, Buzzfeed reported that the Kremlin had poured millions into the agency so as to fund a veritable army of trolls to post pro-Putin commentary on English-language media sites. Commenters were also expected to balance several Twitter and Facebook accounts while posting over 50 comments on various news articles throughout the day.

A more recent account described a heavier workload: Over the period of two 12-hour shifts, one employee was expected to draft 15 posts and leave 150 to 200 comments.

“We don’t talk too much, because everyone is busy. You have to just sit there and type and type, endlessly,” one former Russian troll told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty a couple of months ago.

“We don’t talk, because we can see for ourselves what the others are writing, but in fact you don’t even have to really read it, because it’s all nonsense. The news gets written, someone else comments on it, but I think real people don’t bother reading any of it at all.”

http://www.newsweek.com/how-defeat-putins-internet-trolls-340739

Hope that answers your question. You should read the entire article, it's very interesting.

[nyabingi]

30. And this is coming from a publication that wouldn't

dare indulge in shameless propaganda itself, Newsweek? C'mon man lol.

I'm sure the Russians engage in propaganda as well, but don't act like our own government and media aren't doing the same. Our government officials have complained time and time again about the fact that our official propaganda hasn't been as effective at completely convincing Americans of the need to instigate a war with Russia, and they've decided to increase Western propaganda efforts.

If you want to believe that everyone who isn't repeating the Pentagon talking points is a paid Russian troll, then go ahead and believe what you will.

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. Nice try, but the original content came from Buzzfeed as reported by TYT.

TYT/Buzzfeed: "Russia's Online Troll Army Is Huge, Hilarious & Already Everywhere "

"Moscow is financing legions of pro-Russia Internet commenters. But how much do they matter?"

"Russia's campaign to shape international opinion around its invasion of Ukraine has extended to recruiting and training a new cadre of online trolls that have been deployed to spread the Kremlin's message on the comments section of top American websites.


What's sad is that some of them actually believed the propaganda right up until they didn't get paid.

[Cha]

39. Looks interesting.. mahalo Tarheel!

[NuclearDem]

19. Putin's still a vile piece of fascist KGB shit, but credit where credit is due.

[Cha]

40. Vile pofKGBfacistHomophobic shite.. but, yeah.. give him credit for this.

[nyabingi]

20. How about Obama and the rest of the Western powers

(and their Gulf allies) give up their desire for regime change in Syria and stop arming al-Nusra and ISIS (our proxy armies in the Middle East) in order to achieve that goal?

[bemildred]

28. That seems to be on the table now:

Obama says Iran, Russia, Turkey should be part of discussions on Syria

http://www.trust.org/item/20150715181846-ndka5/

[nyabingi]

31. That's good to hear. It will take all of them to stop the bloodshed.

[bemildred]

32. I don't want to get my hopes up.

But an end to all this bullshit foreign policy based on infantile delusions of grandeur would be a good thing for everybody.

[tanyev]

34. Ruh roh. I guess Fox News is already over their crush on Putin, then.

[Scurrilous]

35. Who'd have thunk it....

Putin and Obama BFFs. Soon they'll be riding bears together.