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Young Freud posted:I've been thinking, with them throwing all this cash around in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, why hasn't the United Arab Emirates just build a man-made canal to get around the whole Hormuz Strait thing? I'm guessing getting the Western militaries to do their fighting is probably cheaper. Most of the money went into Dubai to set it up as a port, they could pretty much set up port in Fujairah on the Arabian sea to avoid Hormuz but the rest of the exporters are mostly hosed and they probably don't want to pay royalties for a land route through Oman or the UAE, plus sea shipping is cheaper.
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Dec 5, 2012 22:14
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Brown Moses posted:I sometimes worry that checking 400 Youtube channels from Syria every single day for nine months might have gotten me onto a watch list. I think at this point the question is what watch list are you not on. Have you tried to fly lately?
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Dec 5, 2012 22:24
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Things are getting really crazy in Cairo apparently, with clashes between the Brotherhood (who bused in their supporters from outside the city, according to twitter) and the protesters. Both sides are ramping up their rhetoric and neither looks ready to back down so I have no idea what the end game is here.
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Dec 5, 2012 22:26
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Party Plane Jones posted:We'd never have all 11 out at sea at one time, at most we'd have 6/7. The whole reason why there are that many carrier groups is when one goes into port for a major overhaul that lasts several years another comes out of drydock to take its place. Other navies don't have that luxury so you end up with weird situations that they have to account for (like the Royal Navy having carriers that they couldn't do anything with because they had retired the planes that flew off of them). We also have about as many (9) Marine Amphibious Assault Ships that are more or less equivalent to many other of the carriers in the rest of the world (~40k tonnes, I believe)
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Dec 5, 2012 22:59
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Brown Moses posted:This really fishy video video has been posted online supposedly showing an opposition member preparing poisonous gases and killing bunnies, claiming he'll do the same to Alawites. Can any chemistry experts take a look at the compounds and chemicals on display and provide any more info? Looking over that I don't see any potential for any great chemical production. My guess is the reaction he is performing is similar to the chlorine gas production you can get from mixing household bleach and ammonia.
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Dec 5, 2012 23:54
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Taerkar posted:We also have about as many (9) Marine Amphibious Assault Ships that are more or less equivalent to many other of the carriers in the rest of the world (~40k tonnes, I believe)  Wasp-class USS Battan, 40k tons and 800+ feet long  For comparison, the USS Nimitz tied up next to the HMS Ark Royal. The British carrier is just a bit shorter than a Wasp. The Charles de Gaulle (nuclear) and the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov (not nuclear) are pretty much the same tonnage, although the Kuznetsov is a good 1,000 feet long. The Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford carriers, by comparison, are/will be in excess of 100k tons and about 1,100 feet long. Even the upcoming British supercarriers will only be 65k tons.
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Dec 6, 2012 00:29
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Brown Moses posted:I sometimes worry that checking 400 Youtube channels from Syria every single day for nine months might have gotten me onto a watch list. On the plus side, the CIA probably follows you on twitter as a source, not a suspect. Now.
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Dec 6, 2012 00:31
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Syria loads chemical weapons into bombs; military awaits Assad's orderAdministrative officials posted:The military has loaded the precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into aerial bombs that could be dropped onto the Syrian people from dozens of fighter-bombers, the officials said.
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Dec 6, 2012 00:50
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Oh no, no no no 
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Dec 6, 2012 00:52
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NO e: VVVV I don't want to believe it/it's really bad news mitztronic fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 00:53
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What do you mean Mitztronic? No it's false, no it's speculation, no there isn't enough information?
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Dec 6, 2012 00:57
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What are the chances of these preparations being just a threat? Previous posts regarding chemical weapons being a trigger for foreign intervention have been persuasive but Assad's on weaker footing than ever before. v - yeah I hope this is a show of power for some bargaining and not the first step to the decimation or worse of Syria's population. Cirofren fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 00:58
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 please don't, the blood gates don't need to open that wide assad, just run like gently caress someone will take you in just so you won't do that.
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Dec 6, 2012 00:58
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If this is true, then there are some frantic calls going between Ankara, Washington, Jerusalem, and Amman tonight. I'm hoping that the reports are wrong.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:02
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So two days ago they were mixing the precursors according to a US "source" and then it turns out they weren't yesterday, but today they are for real? I'm guessing it's not easy to un-mix the precursor chemicals to these weapons if you decided to stand down at the last minute...
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Dec 6, 2012 01:08
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Oh, gently caress. He's really gonna do it. The Halabja massacre happened on the day I was born. Nothing's changed, assholes are the same as they were 25 years ago. 
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Dec 6, 2012 01:19
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Assad's not even interested in surviving any more, much less winning; he's just gone pure evil and wants to kill everyone. Here's hoping the troops disobey their orders..
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Dec 6, 2012 01:26
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If he does deploy chemical weapons what then? Is that it, do we then have the, how should I say it, 'unspoken green light' to assassinate him? Because I sure loving hope that's how it works. If it actually happens then I hope he's dead by drone within eight hours.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:27
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Feranon posted:Oh, gently caress. He's really gonna do it. The Halabja massacre happened on the day I was born. Nothing's changed, assholes are the same as they were 25 years ago. Let's just hope that (assuming he does) Assad decides to use these weapons on his own country and no one else. 
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Dec 6, 2012 01:35
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How are u posted:If he does deploy chemical weapons what then? Is that it, do we then have the, how should I say it, 'unspoken green light' to assassinate him? Because I sure loving hope that's how it works. If it actually happens then I hope he's dead by drone within eight hours. Do the Americans even know where he is at this point? If Assad gasses anyone I hope we'll see an immediate decapitation strike in response, but I'm not sure it would be that easy.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:38
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Zeno-25 posted:So two days ago they were mixing the precursors according to a US "source" and then it turns out they weren't yesterday, but today they are for real? I'm guessing it's not easy to un-mix the precursor chemicals to these weapons if you decided to stand down at the last minute... Sarin can be premixed or deployed in situ. If they're premixing it probably means they're mixing a lot. It's got a shelf-life of a few weeks to a few months depending on purity.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:39
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Well, I guess we now know why they shut down the internet after all. Ace Oliveira fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 01:44
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Web media are circulating a report by DEBKA that the USS Eisenhower has arrived on station off the coast of Syria. http://rt.com/usa/news/us-eisenhower-syria-military-369/ quote:The USS Eisenhower, an American aircraft carrier that holds eight fighter bomber squadrons and 8,000 men, arrived at the Syrian coast yesterday in the midst of a heavy storm, indicating US preparation for a potential ground intervention.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:46
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Are there other sources confirming this, or is it still speculation? I just have a hard time believing Assad would really do this when he still has plenty of opportunity to gently caress off to some other country and live the rest of his life in wealth and comfort.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:47
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If he orders them to use Sarin on the people and someone on his inner circle doesn't kill him to stop it everything's hosed. Even Putin will wash his hands of the guy and back/abstain from the UN leveling any and all things that look like Assad's forces right? There's no reason to believe he or any other Assad-friendly country/leader (except maybe Iran) would still back him if he starts gassing?
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Dec 6, 2012 01:47
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Zeno-25 posted:Let's just hope that (assuming he does) Assad decides to use these weapons on his own country and no one else. This has been bouncing around in my head. I don't think he'd dare mess with Turkey/NATO, but do you think he'd pull a Saddam circa-'91 and redirect attention by firing at Israel? Sort of a use em' or lose em' final blaze of glory, to do what no other Arab leader has dared to do?
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Dec 6, 2012 01:49
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Rhesus Pieces posted:This has been bouncing around in my head. I don't think he'd dare mess with Turkey/NATO, but do you think he'd pull a Saddam circa-'91 and redirect attention by firing at Israel? Sort of a use em' or lose em' final blaze of glory, to do what no other Arab leader has dared to do? I think it's more likely he'd go after Turkey than Israel. (He won't do either though)
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Dec 6, 2012 01:50
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Evil Fluffy posted:Even Putin will wash his hands of the guy and back/abstain from the UN leveling any and all things that look like Assad's forces right? There's no reason to believe he or any other Assad-friendly country/leader (except maybe Iran) would still back him if he starts gassing? The Russians have already abandoned him. They aren't up for outright intervention but some guy on NPR last night was basically saying that the Russian "inner circle" had washed their hands of him and were just biding their time til he was finished, hoping to salvage whatever relationship that they could with Syria in Assad's wake.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:52
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Evil Fluffy posted:Even Putin will wash his hands of the guy and back/abstain from the UN leveling any and all things that look like Assad's forces right? I know this would never happen (ever, ever) but it would really restore my faith in humanity if Russia decides they've had enough and takes out Assad themselves. An "our client-state, our problem" kind of deal. If they did, Russia might have a small chance of keeping Tartus. Again, this absolutely will not happen, but it should. OwlBot 2000 fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 01:53
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Brown Moses posted:This really fishy video video has been posted online supposedly showing an opposition member preparing poisonous gases and killing bunnies, claiming he'll do the same to Alawites. Can any chemistry experts take a look at the compounds and chemicals on display and provide any more info? Alot of those chemicals don't have much place in any (edit:super)serious explosives/chemical weapons. Looks like he looted/is in a general chemical storage area. Pretty much everything there you can find in a decent college chemlab. That being said you can still make nasty poo poo with stuff like that. And alot of those are used for IEDs. Also: Assad preparing Sarin bombs. Worst Idea Ever? Schizotek fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 01:56
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octoroon posted:The Russians have already abandoned him. They aren't up for outright intervention but some guy on NPR last night was basically saying that the Russian "inner circle" had washed their hands of him and were just biding their time til he was finished, hoping to salvage whatever relationship that they could with Syria in Assad's wake. If Russia really wants to salvage relations with the new Syria, their only option would be to take out Assad by themselves. Russian corporate interests were driven out of Libya after the revolution because Putin had supported Gaddafi for too long. Like OwlBot 2000 said, it's not going to happen but it should.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:56
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Russia doesn't have the capability to end him. I'm pretty sure we're the only ones that do.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:57
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Chamale posted:If Russia really wants to salvage relations with the new Syria, their only option would be to take out Assad by themselves. Russian corporate interests were driven out of Libya after the revolution because Putin had supported Gaddafi for too long. Like OwlBot 2000 said, it's not going to happen but it should. I think they are probably more concerned about the message they would be sending to their other client countries by appearing to not just abandon Assad but outright betray him. In any case they've already abandoned Assad in all but pretext. How are u posted:Russia doesn't have the capability to end him. I'm pretty sure we're the only ones that do. I doubt "ending him" is that easy. If he's really readying chemical weapons then he's probably already underground, and we have strong military and intelligence but we aren't wizards.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:59
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How are u posted:Russia doesn't have the capability to end him. I'm pretty sure we're the only ones that do. I'm pretty sure Russia has a lot more information about the Assad regime because of their support, so in theory they would definitely have the capability to kill Assad. It's not going to happen so I don't want to start a derail over it. What would be likely targets if Assad is using gas? Are there any rebel military bases or would he simply start gassing population centres?
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Dec 6, 2012 01:59
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Regarding reports of a US aircraft carrier off Syria- DEBKA is a terrible, terrible source that is hardly grounded in anything resembling reality, and 8,000 marines wouldn't be enough to secure more than a few neighborhoods in Homs much less affect regime change.
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Dec 6, 2012 02:00
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suboptimal posted:Regarding reports of a US aircraft carrier off Syria- DEBKA is a terrible, terrible source that is hardly grounded in anything resembling reality, and 8,000 marines wouldn't be enough to secure more than a few neighborhoods in Homs much less affect regime change. The DEBKA report is based off of the London Times report from yesterday, which is paywalled. It's also known that the three assault carriers of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group was already on station, in any case. They already are capable of creating a beachhead and taking on the Syrian military. The presence of the USS Eisenhower provides the heavily airpower that would be required for a No-Fly Zone and an overwhelming assault. Once the beachhead was established, Rangers would be flown in to secure the ground. We'll find out soon, in any case. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article3620699.ece http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article3620674.ece Kaal fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 02:08
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Regarding Chemlab video: Potassium Permanganate Potassium Nitrate Sodium Nitrite Potassium Chlorate Urea Magnesium Nitrate Acetone Hydrogen Peroxide Ammonia (Anhydrous and Hydroxide) I'm pretty sure every single one of these is used in IED explosives.
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Dec 6, 2012 02:10
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Schizotek posted:Regarding Chemlab video: Yup, the chemical salts (Potassium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite) are both key in primary explosives and the Peroxide is a good, cheap propellant. Nothing absurdly toxic there, definitely nothing that could be used to make Sarin or anything like that.
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Dec 6, 2012 02:14
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Am I the only person confused by the wording in this article?quote:The Syrian military is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people and is awaiting final orders from President Bashar Assad, U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday. The article claims simultaneously that unnamed U.S. officials say that the Syrian military has prepared chemical weapons and that unnamed U.S. officials are stressing there's no evidence that Syria's stockpile has been weaponized. Which one is it?
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Dec 6, 2012 02:20
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Kaal posted:The arrival of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of the 11 US Navy aircraft carriers that has the capacity to hold thousands of men, is now stationed at the coast of Syria, DEBKAfile reports. The aircraft carrier joined the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which holds about 2,500 Marines. That's pretty much an invasion fleet. I can only imagine what sort of assets other NATO members are assembling in the Mediterranean, preparing for a big multinational UN coalition operation or whatnot.
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Dec 6, 2012 02:21
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