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Drawing from the past in Syria

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    KT McFarland weighs in

  • Duration 4:36
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Already now in Syria government forces are launching a massive ground assault on the rebel held areas in the city of a -- of the biggest city.

In Syria and the battle for control getting more intense by the hour.

And the military police reports and looking very heavy casualties.

And Syrian activists put the number of people killed of the last seventeen months we've been talking about this story.

As 21021000.

Dead.

But this isn't the first time we witnessed this kind of large scale massacre in Syria and facts.

In the early 1980s as many as 40000.

People were reportedly killed by president -- sides father that's in the city of Hamas.

And 1982 we don't have a lot of pictures.

From this time we were allowed in to take those pictures.

But this has really stood as one of the largest massacres in history and Syria.

And like today.

The United States did not get -- -- directly involves when this happened in 1918 K to make Ron was deputy assistant secretary of state.

At that time she's -- Fox News national security analyst and we -- sept eighteen because.

Just for some context is not the first time that we've seen it.

The government of Syria kill its own people -- our bit is it what what can we drop from the past to see about how we should.

Act now -- couple things going on here.

One Syria at the time I'm in the rain during the Reagan administration really very little relationship with Syria in the sense would never military supply relationship.

With and they were Russia's clients we didn't have a lot of ability to influence events before they happen.

Now after they happened that was part of a bigger picture.

The same picture we're seeing today interestingly Syria in the middle of a civil war that was Lebanon in the middle of -- civil war.

The Lebanese civil war threatened to break out into Syria to ensure data -- in the region right now the Syrian civil war threatens to do the same.

But to break out to Iraq to Jordan eleven -- -- 1980 to go right it didn't but it did because a Lebanese civil war we send in troops.

We have Marines at the airport -- analysis.

Really in retrospect.

The first suicide bomber their first car bomb that -- but it went into the -- marine barracks.

In the Beirut a year later in the -- after this -- massacre and killed American Marines now what did Reagan do is in response.

Interestingly although we think it has this really strong tough pro defense -- park president.

He did not double down and send an American ground forces.

He understood that he had to keep his sights on the bigger game which has to take down the Soviet Union so that's why I think what we auditors have our site on the bigger game and that's which -- Iran.

So what can we.

Okay here's the thing how -- Reagan when the so the called warcraft -- How did how did he get to the point where Iran stayed quiet for two for a decade after Reagan.

Economic warfare Reagan understood that you have the most powerful military in the world you don't necessarily have to use it because everybody's afraid of picking a fight with you.

And the Iranians right now they're not afraid of picking if someone argued that that's what we're doing with the sanctions economic war first cyber warfare where it's finally out different things except for direct -- -- Well and we are we are definitely in a shadow war with Iran right now with the assassinations with cyber warfare.

-- with the sanctions that we're not doing it in half because it hasn't had the -- -- I would you know look we imposing sanctions we've been imposing sanctions -- -- what happens.

Iran works around and we say we're gonna impose sanctions six months from now Betty you get six months to have a look around is that my husband now Iran really that Smart though are they that much better -- -- as far as.

Politically maneuvering around whatever sanctions and attention inside that we're workers -- were doing right.

This are building their nuclear weapons were still talking about -- -- go to the negotiating table that was a smarter game here.

Heavy -- is created the game of chess and are awfully good at it.

I think that we really want to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program that we really want to stop Iran from aiding Syria if we really want to stop Iran from having a regional war.

-- currency is thirty followed by 50%.

-- -- fall by half a percent heavy sanctions step down on the sanctions give every country exemptions do what -- quickly do it now and then what you do is every gene change Reagan's style.

Not regime change where we send in the Marines regime change where the Iranian people themselves say we've had enough go back out into the streets like they weren't too.

1009 they have regime change let's see what happens over the next seventeen months is managed to -- last that long.

-- -- wolf what can tell us they had until that time right -- thank you so much greater adherence.

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