In 2012 U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton decided that she knew best what was good
for the people of Syria. She decided that President Assad "had to go".
In coordination with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar she launched a war to invade Syria
and overthrow the government. Huge military bases were set up in Jordan and Turkey for puppet
armies.
So far it has turned into an utter disaster. Over 300,000 people have been killed
by Clinton's policies. Assad remains in power. Hilary's ridiculous "Syrian Free Army"
is in chaos. Meanwhile, Islamic extremists backed by Hilary's allies have invaded Iraq.
Here is a good summary of what has happened.
History of America's Role in Syrian Violence: Before the U.S. got involved,
this was a war with casualties in the 1,000's. Yet now around 150,000 people have died and cultural
and archaeological treasures have been destroyed. The U.S. has inflamed a conflict that may have been
ended quickly by the Syrian government, had we not chosen to get involved. The other fact is that a
majority of Syrians (55%) support Assad. Is it right for the U.S. to oppose the will of the Syrian people?
Jeffrey Sachs discusses this more in an article below:
The Rebels backed by the United States are associated with terrorist activity: There
is a growing body of evidence that the opposition groups are a criminal environment populated by gangs,
kidnappers and killers. Other elements of the opposition are even openly allied with Al Qaeda according
to the New York Times. This has raised the prospect that a U.S. intervention in Syria could inadvertently
strengthen Islamic extremists and criminal activity. Read more about it in the article below:
History of America's Role in Syrian Violence: Even though we have not gotten directly
involved with military action yet, there is plenty of evidence that our decision to support the rebels
by supplying fighters and weapons has contributed to massive violence and prolonged bloodshed in
the Syrian civil war. Before the U.S. got involved, this was a war with casualties in the 1,000's.
Yet now around 150,000 people have died and much of the world's cultural and archaeological treasures
have been destroyed. The U.S. has inflamed a conflict that may have been ended quickly by the Syrian
government, had we not chosen to get involved. The other fact is that a majority of Syrians (55%)
support Assad. Is it right for the U.S. to oppose the will of the Syrian people? Jeffrey Sachs discusses
this more in an article below:
Saudi Arabia's Role in Syrian Violence: Saudi Arabia has had a role in sending weapons
to the rebel forces. The Saudi king Abdullah was the first Arab leader to condemn the Assad regime in
2011. While both countries share an Arab Nationalist and Islamic identity, the Syrian government of
Assad supports a secular regime and lifestyle while Saudi Arabia supports a conservative and religious
world view. The rebels supported by the Saudi Arabian government are religious extremists. In this fight,
America is supporting the side of religious extremism against a secular state.
Violence throughout the Middle East: It is likely that the results of this war will
spill out into other Middle Eastern countries in the region. We're talking about violence in Lebanon,
Jordan, Iraq and Israel. The article below gives further details for how this violence could spread.
Military Action in Syria Has Very Low Approval Ratings: It is fortunate that America
did not intervene directly in Syria. Such an action would have had very low approval ratings. As well
as lacking interest in the international community, there was very little support for this war at home
here in America - apparently only 9% of Americans approved of striking Syria (according to a Reuters/Ipsos
Poll)! America is tired of war. Obama was elected as the president that would get America out of Iraq
- not into another "Iraq" with a bloodier cost.
A violation of international law: The United Nations charter mandates that “all
members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any state.” There are two exceptions to this rule: (1) self-defense,
and (2) force authorized by the UN Security Council. Neither of these exceptions apply to the United
States' intentions in Syria. Any proposed bombing would have lacked legal justification.
The U.N. Security Council Needs to have the Final Say: If the United States plans
to invade any other countries in the future, The U.N. Security Council needs to have the final say.
The United States should not and cannot afford to rush into action without approval from the United
Nations. Such an action would be a direct violation of International Law.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE IN 2013
Back when the White House was making chemical weapons allegations against the Syrian Regime,
there was serious evidence that both the Syrian government and the rebels may have used chemical weapons.
Inconsistent Statements from Kerry and Obama Team: The Obama Administration's case
for attacking Syria was riddled with inconsistencies. The
case
Secretary of State John Kerry laid out on August 30th contained statements that were disputed by
the United Nations, conflicted with details of British and French intelligence and lacked transparency.
The Obama team dismissed the value of a U.N. inspection team's work by saying that the inspectors arrived
too late for the findings to be credible. Yet U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq countered this statement by
saying that such chemicals can be detected months after use. There are also drastically different numbers
on the death toll being thrown around. The United States has claimed over a thousand deaths while France
has stated that there were only 281 fatalities.
"... The origins of Daesh, known commonly as the Islamic State or ISIS, tie back directly to Obama and Clinton policy delusions and half measures of the Iraq and Syria conflicts. ..."
"... The FSA exerted zero control over the dozens of rival militias fighting each other and the Assad regime in Damascus. The Syrian Rebel groups were like dozens of hungry baby vultures in a nest all competing for resources, and the worst and meanest destroyed their counterparts using the aid given them by their misguided American benefactors. ..."
"... The Sunni Arab Gulf states piled on behind the U.S. government to help their Sunni brethren with more arms and cash. The result was a true race to the bottom of Syrian Rebel groups. ..."
"... The chaos sewn globally by ISIS today grew directly from the bad seeds planted by the Clinton/Obama failures in the basics of statecraft. ..."
"... Obama/Clinton continued to approach the Middle East with the same naivety that led the Bush Administration into Iraq in the first place. For all of the criticism that Obama levied on Bush, he continued to apply a deeply delusional Washington perspective to Middle Eastern politics and culture - ignoring all we should have learned in 13 years of Iraq conflict and warfare. ..."
The origins of Daesh, known commonly as the Islamic State or ISIS, tie back directly to Obama
and Clinton policy delusions and half measures of the Iraq and Syria conflicts.
With the recent release of an August 2012
classified intelligence memo to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton detailing the presence
of the organization that became ISIS among the Syrian oppositional forces supported by the West,
it's important to remember the history of exactly how the Islamic State arose from the ashes of a
failed Obama/Clinton foreign policy.
The Syrian "Arab Spring" agitations that began in March 2011, where majority Sunnis rebelled against
an Assad run Alawite Shia Ba'th Party, quickly dissolved into a multi sided proxy war. Clinton State
Department policy grew into helping these Sunni rebels under the banner of the "Free Syrian Army
(FSA)" with weapons, money and diplomatic support.
However, the reality is that the FSA existed only in the minds of the State Department leadership.
The FSA exerted zero control over the dozens of rival militias fighting each other and the Assad
regime in Damascus. The Syrian Rebel groups were like dozens of hungry baby vultures in a nest all
competing for resources, and the worst and meanest destroyed their counterparts using the aid given
them by their misguided American benefactors.
The Sunni Arab Gulf states piled on behind the U.S. government to help their Sunni brethren
with more arms and cash. The result was a true race to the bottom of Syrian Rebel groups. All
the while the Assad regime's traditional allies of Russia and Iran provided weapons, training, and
even thousands of fighters themselves to combat the U.S. supported Sunni rebels. The Obama/Clinton
team couldn't even do a proxy war correctly.
The chaos sewn globally by ISIS today grew directly from the bad seeds planted by the Clinton/Obama
failures in the basics of statecraft.
... ... ...
Obama/Clinton continued to approach the Middle East with the same naivety that led the Bush
Administration into Iraq in the first place. For all of the criticism that Obama levied on Bush,
he continued to apply a deeply delusional Washington perspective to Middle Eastern politics and culture
- ignoring all we should have learned in 13 years of Iraq conflict and warfare.
Erik Prince is a former Navy SEAL, founder of Blackwater, and currently a frontier market
investor and concerned parent.
The vice presidential debate was an irritating and boring event. One notable part was when Mike Pence
outlined his views of what the U.S. should do in Syria:
Asked how a Trump-Pence administration would stop the civil war carnage in Aleppo, Pence said
that he, at least, "truly believe(s) that what America ought to do right now is immediately establish
safe zones, so that families and children can work out of those areas," and "work with our partners…[to]
make that happen. Provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength." If Russia "continues
to be involved" in airstrikes along with the Syrian government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
he said, "the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike the
military forces of the Assad regime" and "prevent this crisis in Aleppo."
Trump has said very little about Syria's civil war–and advocated none of the measures Pence
outlined.
That last part is not really true. Trump has
endorsed creating safe zones in Syria on
more than one occasion . While I don't believe Trump has a clear idea of what establishing a
safe zone requires, he has had no problem voicing support for the idea several times. The fact that
Pence felt comfortable outlining a very aggressive Syria policy in tonight's debate suggests that
Trump doesn't really have a problem with what his running mate proposed. As I said when I was watching
the debate, Pence's answer on Syria was deranged. He more or less threatened to initiate hostilities
with Russia, and he seemed oblivious to the serious negative consequences this would have. He kept
invoking "American leadership" and "American strength," as if uttering these phrases was all that
mattered. Pence's advocacy for much more U.S. involvement in Syria could have been an easy target
for Kaine, but of course he and Clinton have no disagreements with the Republican ticket on this
issue. For all the quarreling between the two campaigns, both tickets apparently support U.S. escalation
in Syria. As bad as the moderator for the debate was, she did at least manage to get both candidates
to take positions on an issue that was completely ignored in the first presidential debate.
Overall, Kaine's performance was shaky and didn't seem all that impressive to anyone that didn't
know much about him. Despite arguably having better foreign policy experience than Pence, he did
a worse job of demonstrating his readiness to be president if needed. His constant interruptions
of Pence were jarring and off-putting, and created the impression of being an overly loyal terrier
trying to defend his master. Pence's repeated failure to come to Trump's defense in response to Kaine's
many jabs presumably hurt Trump, but it also made Pence seem much less agitated and rattled. Neither
VP nominee significantly harmed his running mate, but Pence did a better job of making the case for
his party's ticket.
" it also made Pence seem much less agitated and rattled"
I agree. Kaine's nervousness, grimacing, and non-stop interruptions were annoying and a bit
flaky. Pence seemed more composed and stable, even if some of what he said was a lot of nonsense
straight out of the Interventionist Handbook.
Temperamentally, Pence is the guy you'd want a heartbeat away from taking that 3:00AM call
… Kaine looked like he'd still be awake, jabbering into a dictaphone while vacuuming the Oval
Office for the fifth time.
As far as Syria, and the middle east in general, this is sort of why I glossed over the statements
that Hillary is a hawk: because I don't see any doves (that don't have far too many other problems
to support). Trump started out sounding like he was but as time went on it sounded more and more
like the regular republican "more money to the military. World Police! WIN!" talk.
So at this point it sounds like both are going to keep us in the middle east. Though it seems
Trump may mess with the Iran deal (though it might be less attacking it as it is just poking at
the administration any chance you get).
As far as the debate, Pence wanted a debate about policy while Kaine wanted a debate about
Trump. if this was a presidential debate Pence probably would've been in a better standing.
But I think Kaine wasn't even fighting him. He wasn't after policy. Beyond stating his points
and a token defense his primary purpose was one thing, to say "remember, you aren't voting for
Pence, but for Trump." He's picturing the public saying "Oh, Pence seems pretty coo..oh yeah,
but he's with Trump..ewww."
It pretty much sums up the entire deal with the republican side of the campaign. Take Trump
out of it and you have a strong platform and an actual attempt at trying to extend somewhat past
the old GOP mindset while evoking that Need For Change that pushed democrats back in '08. It's
an actual strong case.
The issue is that it's all on the hopes of Trump. And THAT is the hard sell. I don't even see
many supporters defending him. It's like Pence: they bypass him and either focus on the dream
or the enemy.
Which leads to something interesting: If the roles were reversed: same platform, same general
message, but Pence as President and Trump as VP, would it be hard for folks not two-feet in the
Democratic ticket to vote R? Would there be a questioin as to who would win?
I have a feeling that many would say : " I don't know. But I would have liked that campaign…I
would have liked that campaign very much.
If you'd told me that one of the two gentlemen debating last night was a Virginian and asked me
who it was, I would have said Pence, solely because of his demeanor.
Pence's thoughts on Syria were dumb (and dangerous), but I find it hard to hold that against
run-of-the-mill politicians these days because they're getting such rotten information and advice
from establishment "experts" and mainstream pundits. The country needs a changing of the guard
when it comes to "experts".
Kaine struck me as a third stringer trying to compensate for his own weaknesses by poking a
stick in the other fellow's spokes. And no better on Syria, that's certain.
The way the question was phrased, evoking endangered children and the classic what should America
'do'….doesn't really allow a candidate to say 'nothing – we have no vital interests in Syria'.
If Pence is pushing that same "get tough with Russia and Assad" idea he's taking the opposite
tack than Trump. Either they aren't communicating, the campaign figured that they could get away
with completely altering their position from one debate to the next, or Pence doesn't really care
what Trump thinks and is an unreformed GOP hawk.
Isn't the joke here Pence had a great debate running for President? In reality, it is very likely
Pence does all the real work and all Donald really wants is the national audience to take the
credit. So it was a goo debate for Pence that has minimal effect on the polls because the headliners
personality are dominant this cycle.
Tim Kaine was overly-aggressive and appeared to be not ready for Prime time.
"The fact that Pence felt comfortable outlining a very aggressive Syria policy in tonight's debate
suggests that Trump doesn't really have a problem with what his running mate proposed. As I said
when I was watching the debate, Pence's answer on Syria was deranged. He more or less threatened
to initiate hostilities with Russia, and he seemed oblivious to the serious negative consequences
this would have. He kept invoking"
I didn't watch the debate. This morning, when I was asked about it - I didn't think it would
be a contest. Gov. Pence, should have no issues.
But if I had watched and heard the above comments. I might have had conniptions. I am not going
to say more at the moment. I would sound like I am abandoning my candidate. I like Gov. Pence,
but that response is rife with campaign and policy self inflicting damages - good grief.
Pence is a fine Christian man and I'm glad he did well last night. However, his hawkishness was
disturbing. Somebody who is pro life should be wary of policies that lead to wars and thousands
dying.
As somebody who wants our borders secured, I don't feel I have a choice on Nov. 8. I will be
praying, though, that Trump doesn't delegate the FP heavy lifting to his vice president as Bush
43 did to his.
"Safe Zones" sound all well and good, but the only way to guarantee a safe zone is to have US
troops on the ground in Syria. You cannot enforce a safe zone from the air.
So, it sounds like both parties are willing to commit US ground troops to Syria and risk a
possible confrontation with Russian troops who are already there.
This is more Neocon nonsense being foisted on the American people by politicians who do not
really understand the ramifications of their actions.
Jesus. Very disappointed in Pence's answer on Syria. War against russia would cost thousands of
american lives. We need to stay out of Syria plain and simple. Pence's statememt also goes completely
against "we need to beat ISIS" rant that trump goes on every two sentences. To beat ISIS we would
have to be on the same side as Syria/Russia. This whole election is cluster….How the heck did
we end up with these two choices?
LHM: exactly. I'd just add that war with Russia conventionally would probably costs hundreds of
thousands of us soldier lives and could cripple our military for subsequent actual DEFENSE against
the country that actually will have the means to threaten the very existence or freedom of the
USA:
China, with an economy vastly bigger and more diversified than Russia's, a population eight
times as numerous as Russia's, and for that matter a far, far larger diaspora to influence politics,
culture, and economics in the formerly white western countries (USA, Canada (especially "British"
Columbia), and Australia, in particular).
Also, as pointed out in columns on Unz and elsewhere, conventional war could escalate to nuclear
exchange more easily than many people think. God help us.
How many safe zones do we need in Syria, we already have 3. 1. Govt held areas (unless we bomb them).
2. Kurdish territory (unless Turkey bombs them). 3. The Turkish zone in N. Syria.
In fact weren't we begging Turkey to establish a zone just for this purpose?
Of course, what we really want is an Assad free zone that covers all of Syria and filled with
Al Qaeda groups that we pretend are moderates.
Trump needs to state clearly that he is not in agreement with Pence position on Russia & Syria.
To beat ISIS we need to be on the same side as Russia. If Pence is a fine Christian, how can he
be so carless to be on side of ISIS in Syria like Obama is, and have hand in destroying Syria
the cradle of Christianity.
"Jesus. Very disappointed in Pence's answer on Syria. War against russia would cost thousands
of american lives. We need to stay out of Syria plain and simple. Pence's statememt also goes
completely against "we need to beat ISIS" rant that trump goes on every two sentences. To beat
ISIS we would have to be on the same side as Syria/Russia."
it's the problem with being involved with the entire middle east without a firm desire of exactly
what we want from there. We started out fighting Sunni threats, then took out the big Sunni country
that we earlier set up to hold back the big Shi'a country we felt was a threat. So when said Shi'a
country gained power we stood against them. And..well, that sort of ended up with us fighting
both sides at the same time depending on the location.
It's much more complicated than that, which is why jumping in there without really understanding
the region was a bad idea.
" This whole election is cluster….How the heck did we end up with these two choices?"
My belief.
Democratic voters are used to 'playing it safe' instead of going for more Left choices since
"liberal" triggers a BIG backlash in this country. Thus why you get candidates like Clinton instead
of candidates like Sanders and why you keep getting things like Obamacare's quasi-private insurance
instead of single-payer.
Republican voters are sick of the GOP and wanted someone, anyone, who wasn't a democrat but
wasn't holding the GOP platform. Remember how, other than Trump, the other Republican candidates
were all trying to "Out Right" each other? Trump was the only one that did more than outright
ignore them.
So in a way, the GOP caused it all by putting so much hate against the Left that the Left always
plays it safe and caring so little about their base that they eloped to the first man that told
them they were pretty and deserved better.
Clinton was the 'safe pick'. Trump smiled. And here we are.
It actuslly sounds less stupid when you see it that way. It's less that we're all idiots and
more just a set of unfortunate events caused by a political scene that looked a lot like a youtube
comment section.
I tend to discount Pence's comments on Syria in the debate. If Trump manages to win, he rather
than Pence will be calling the shots on foreign policy. And to the extent that Trump has any coherent
ideas on foreign policy, how could he come down hard on the mistake of invading Iraq and support
getting deeply involved in Syria?
In fact, Trump may have welcomed Pence's statement on Syria, since it may have attracted the
votes of some establishment and neocon types without binding him to any particular policy if he
becomes president.
"In fact, Trump may have welcomed Pence's statement on Syria, since it may have attracted the
votes of some establishment and neocon types without binding him to any particular policy if he
becomes president."
Altogether too close to the Bush-Cheney parallel for comfort. The last thing we want is for
the neocons to come creeping back in through the Blair House back door.
Thought Pence was the superior of the two. Considering the options in Syria while running for
President/VP you have to show a position of strength. My thought is that Trump wants to play nice
with Putin for a while and eventually will pull out of Syria. You just can't say that during an
election or you look weak.
Pence is a fine Christian -- I admire his courage in bringing up abortion in such an important
debate. Unfortunately, most conservatives have a blind spot toward Christians in the Mideast.
Part of it might be bias–Orthodox Christians aren't "true" Christians. Also many Evangelicals
have been brain washed into believing that support of Israel is the only thing that counts.
"My thought is that Trump wants to play nice with Putin for a while and eventually will pull out
of Syria."
One thing Trump has successfully done is to launch a campaign so free of any real policy that
anything you want to believe can be projected onto him. Play nice with Putin and then pull out?
Sure! He's never said that, and in fact he's said the exact opposite…but why not?
"... The potential threats both candidates pose are real. Those advocating Hillary as the better, safer choice cannot offer any reliable assurances that she will be able, or willing, to pursue policies that increase the well-being and security of any but the already affluent and secure. ..."
"... Hillary's long and unhappy history of war-mongering has not, imho, received anything like the media scrutiny it deserves, and won't until she's correctly identified in the minds of most as an advocate of 'liberal interventionism'/violent regime change and on an equal footing of imbecility and irresponsibility in the minds of the public as Bush, Cheney, and Blair. ..."
"... When the busts of Hillary, Bush, Blair, and Cheney form a Mt. Rushmore of savage stupidity for all to see and all school children studying the early 21st-century American-UK wars recognize the monument as such, that task of 'highlighting' her role in this enormously costly and damaging humanitarian and political disaster will be at least part way done. ..."
"... Obama, as Stevenjohnson notes, has not entirely surrendered his dream of forcing 'democracy' on Syria. There is abundant evidence, however, the US and a number of other nations have been arming Syrian rebels (ISIL and Al Quaida) since 2011, at least. ..."
"... The result of Obama and Hillary's love of violent regime change has been an increase in the suffering of millions in North Africa and the Middle East, the collapse of basic services such as fresh water and hospitals, and a new flood of refugees seeking to escape the beneficence of Hillary Clinton and her boss. ..."
"... If you are supporting Hillary you are supporting violent regime change in the Middle East and the love of violence of Bush and Cheney, not too mention drone strikes, the surveillance state. That's who you are. ..."
"... Dealing first with Libya and Syria, Hillary Clinton served as the US Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, which makes her at least one of the prime architects of US foreign policy, and certainly the most important administration official after Obama responsible for foreign policy. Facts which place the burden of proof regarding her involvement in US foreign policy formation and execution squarely on you. ..."
"... HRC's involvement in Iraq is less well-understood, and that's likely no accident either, given the mileage democrats have generated out of pinning the entire bi-partisan debacle on Bush and Cheney. From the linked dialogue above featuring Robert Wright and Max Abrahms (Northeastern) http://bloggingheads.tv/videos/43967?in=01:10&out=12:21 ..."
"... The chaotic civil war in Syria and Iraq seems like another example where the U.S. is having a hard time "thinking" things thru realistically. ..."
"... One interpretation is she's stupid and vicious as a badge of class honor, blissfully consistent with the bloodthirsty record of Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger. Unfortunately, that might be true, though I think if it is true, it is more likely a product of being caught up in the amoral bubble of political and media process that has enveloped the whole foreign policy establishment than any personal psychopathy. ..."
@ 278 There's nothing quite so amusing as advocates of free speech 'commanding' the comments section
of somebody else's blog and then issuing permissions to comment, or instructions to how and what
to post. (fn, rich, colin, TM in one form, or another)
Merian is quite right that in the artificially and arbitrarily limited universe of a one-time
choice between just two options, everything written can be seen as pro/con against one or the
other if everything that is written has only one meaning and will be read and understood
by all as having the same meaning.
The fact is that a great many people inside the US and outside the US may well lack any/much
understanding of the decision-making processes that led up to Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria,
not to mention America's long history with Iran, and America's support of Evil Axis bad guy number
1 Saddam Hussein. The dynamics are complex even for those familiar with the basic topography.
The rhetorical parallels leading up to the Iraq invasions and the presidential elections are
striking and easy to identify. Facts don't matter, the urgency and severity of the threat demands
uniform action, and the enemy is a once in an eon threat of epic proportion to the physical and
moral existence of the known universe.
The potential threats both candidates pose are real. Those advocating Hillary as the better,
safer choice cannot offer any reliable assurances that she will be able, or willing, to pursue
policies that increase the well-being and security of any but the already affluent and secure.
Hillary's long and unhappy history of war-mongering has not, imho, received anything like
the media scrutiny it deserves, and won't until she's correctly identified in the minds of most
as an advocate of 'liberal interventionism'/violent regime change and on an equal footing of imbecility
and irresponsibility in the minds of the public as Bush, Cheney, and Blair.
When the busts of Hillary, Bush, Blair, and Cheney form a Mt. Rushmore of savage stupidity
for all to see and all school children studying the early 21st-century American-UK wars recognize
the monument as such, that task of 'highlighting' her role in this enormously costly and damaging
humanitarian and political disaster will be at least part way done.
For Merian and others: a timely post from Matt Welch at Reason on Gary Johnson via the o'l perfessor
who sees the coverage of Hillary and Trump as you.
28 September 2015 "Obama tells the UN Assad must go."
18 August 2011 "Assad Must Go Obama Says" (Wapo) (no links to follow to avoid moderation)
1 August 2012 "Obama Authorizes Secret US Support for Syrian Rebels" (Reuters)
Obama, as Stevenjohnson notes, has not entirely surrendered his dream of forcing 'democracy'
on Syria. There is abundant evidence, however, the US and a number of other nations have been
arming Syrian rebels (ISIL and Al Quaida) since 2011, at least.
The result of Obama and Hillary's love of violent regime change has been an increase
in the suffering of millions in North Africa and the Middle East, the collapse of basic services
such as fresh water and hospitals, and a new flood of refugees seeking to escape the beneficence
of Hillary Clinton and her boss.
All this after the 'lessons' of Iraq and Afghanistan.
If you are supporting Hillary you are supporting violent regime change in the Middle East
and the love of violence of Bush and Cheney, not too mention drone strikes, the surveillance state.
That's who you are.
kidneystones 10.02.16 at 3:58 am
ZM@ 303. The linked dialogue above explores the role Hillary and Obama, in particular, played
in providing the arms and support to a rebellion that Assad, like Gaddafi, could have ended years
ago.
Like Gaddafi, Assad is not being attacked by moderate democrats keen to legalize gay marriage,
but rather Sunni militias deeply sympathetic to ISIL and Al Quaida, or those forces operating
in Syria and western Iraq.
You're right to point out that the only result of US support of ISIL related Sunnis has been
the prolonging of the civil war and the promulgation of the delusion that violent-regime change
brings peace and security. Yes, five years of US arms, threats, and intimidation has destroyed
Syria, in much the same was as the Hillary promoted war in Libya destroyed that regime.
The pro-Hillary-Obama media is extremely reluctant in the run-up to the election to point out
explicitly what a spectacular FP failure the US has created for itself right now, with Russian
jets flying over Aleppo and Assad about to finally humiliate the insurgents and all those like
Hillary and Obama who encouraged the bloodshed.
The Obama-Hillary policy has been a five-year bloodbath and there's no sign Hillary wants to
do anything but press for a no-fly zone over Syria in order for the US to continue to funnel more
death and destruction into the already devastated moonscape.
It ain't like anyone she knows is dying over there. Syrians can't vote in November.
The attitude of her supporters seems be: fuck it – Syria is on the other side of the world,
so what's the big deal?
Mitt Romney tied the family dog to the roof of his car. What about that ?
kidneystones 10.02.16 at 4:05 am
@ 305 Hi Merian.
Go tell your students that you're supporting the candidate who voted for the Iraq invasion
(biggest mistake in modern US history), persuaded plenty of other Democrats and ordinary Americans
to suspend their judgment and do the same. And who also played an instrumental role in destroying
Libya, promotes violent regime-change in Syria and enjoys the support of all the same neocon warmongers
who've made the US into a pariah state. Play the 'We came, we saw, he died – ha-ha-ha" Hillary
CBS video for them.
Then explain to them that Hillary is the better candidate.
See what happens.
Omega Centauri 10.02.16 at 4:40 am 314
I don't see HRC as a prime mover in either Iraq or Libya. In the first case Iraq was a neocon/Bush
project, and they were threatening to extract a terrible price from anyone who used their position
to block their ambitions. Libya was primarily a Arab-league cum French-British project. Not supporting
it could have potentially damaged our relationship with key allies France and Britain. Of course
Libya was a slippery slope, once started it soon became obvious there was no solution where Qaddafi
survived and the Libyan people wouldn't end up paying dearly. Not that her acquiescence in either
case demonstrated either good long term judgement or courage, but it also doesn't demonstrate
that she was a principle architect of either project.
314@ "I don't see HRC as a prime mover in either Iraq, or Libya."
That's probably a great comfort to the grifters keen to see her elected. The facts, however,
suggest otherwise. Dealing first with Libya and Syria, Hillary Clinton served as the US Secretary
of State from 2009 to 2013, which makes her at least one of the prime architects of US foreign
policy, and certainly the most important administration official after Obama responsible for foreign
policy. Facts which place the burden of proof regarding her involvement in US foreign policy formation
and execution squarely on you.
HRC's involvement in Iraq is less well-understood, and that's likely no accident either, given
the mileage democrats have generated out of pinning the entire bi-partisan debacle on Bush and
Cheney. From the linked dialogue above featuring Robert Wright and Max Abrahms (Northeastern)
http://bloggingheads.tv/videos/43967?in=01:10&out=12:21
bruce wilder 10.02.16 at 7:49 pm
Anarcissie @ 239: We basically have a whole class of people, at the top of the social order,
who seem devoid of a moral sense - a problem which the upcoming election isn't going to touch,
much less solve. I don't blame Clinton for this . . .
JimV @ 317: I am sorry if I mischaracterized BW as implying that HRC is evil, . . .
Peter T @ 320: Whatever the merits of their individual stances, there is no reason to suppose
that either Obama or Hillary can exert more than loose control over this mess [the multi-sided
regional civil war engulfing Syria and northern Iraq]
stevenjohnson @ 324: The recent leak that Clinton is against nuclear armed cruise missiles
and isn't committed to Obama's trillion dollar nuclear weapons upgrade appears to suggest she's
not quite on board with plans for general war.
LFC @ 330: I disagree w the notion that the pt of nuclear 'modernization' is to make plausible
the threat of "imminent general nuclear war." If U.S. military planners took hallucinogenic drugs
and went nuts, they could "plausibly" threaten "imminent general nuclear war" right now with the
US nuclear arsenal as currently configured. They don't need to upgrade the weapons to do that.
The program is prob more the result of rigid, unimaginative thinking at top levels of Pentagon
and influence of outside companies (e.g. Boeing etc) that work on the upgrades.
I don't know if that seems like a somewhat random collection of precursors to assemble as preface
to a comment. I was thinking of picking out a few upthread references to climate change and the
response to it (or inadequacy thereof) as well.
I am a little disturbed by the idea of leaving the impression that I think Hillary Clinton
is "evil". What I think is that American politics in general is not generating realistic, adaptive
governance.
I am using that bloodless phrase, "realistic, adaptive governance", deliberately, to emphasize
wanting to step outside the passions of the Presidential election. I think the Manichean narrative
where Trump is The Most Horrible Candidate Evah and Everyone Must Line Up Behind Clinton as an
Ethical Imperative of a High Order is part of the process of propaganda and manipulation that
distorts popular discussion and understanding and helps to create a politics that cannot govern
realistically and adaptively. This is not about me thinking Trump is anything but a horrible mess
of a candidate who ought to be kept far from power.
I see Clinton as someone who is trapped inside the dynamics of this seriously deranged politics
qua political process. I don't see her as entirely blameless. Politicians like Obama and either
Clinton, at the top of the political order, are masters (keeping in mind that there are many masters
working to some extent in opposition to one another as rivals, allies, enemies and so on) of the
process and create the process by the exercise of their mastery, as much as they are mastered
by it. I see them as trapped by the process they have helped (more than a little opportunistically)
to create, but trapped as Dr Frankenstein is by his Creature.
Clinton must struggle with the ethical contradictions of governance at the highest levels of
leadership: she must, in the exercise of power in office and out, practice the political art of
the possible in relation to crafting policy that will be "good" in the sense of passably effective
and efficient - this may involve a high degree of foresightful wonkery or a lethally ruthless
statesmanship, depending upon circumstances. Beside this business of making the great machinery
of the state lumber forward, she must strive to appear "good", like Machiavelli's Prince, even
while playing an amoral game of real politick, gathering and shepherding a complex coalition of
allies, supporters, donors and cooperative enemies.
Machiavelli, when he was considering the Princely business of appearing "good", was contending
with the hypocrisies and impossible idealism of authoritarian Catholic morality. He barely connected
with anything that we would recognize as democratic Public Opinion and could scarcely conceive
of what Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays, let alone Fox News, Vox and the world wide web might do to
politics.
We are trapped, just as Clinton is trapped, in the vast communication nightmare of surrealistic
news and opinion washing in upon us in a tide that never ebbs. We are trapped by the politics
of media "gotchas" and Kinsley Gaffes (A Kinsley gaffe occurs when a political gaffe reveals some
truth that a politician did not intend to admit.)
I don't think Clinton lacks a moral sense. What I think is that Clinton's moral sense is exhausted
calculating what to say or do within the parameters of media-synthesized conventional wisdom policed
by people who are themselves exhausted trying to manage it. Matt Lauer's interview with Clinton
was notorious for the relentless and clueless questioning about the email server, although I,
personally, was shocked when he asked her a question that seemed premised on the idea that veterans
should be offended by admitting the Iraq War was a mistake.
I would think it is easy to see that the media circus is out of control, especially when a
clown like Trump graduates from The Apprentice to the Republican nomination. YMMV, but
I think this is a serious problem that goes beyond vividly imagined sepia-toned parodies of Trump's
candidacy as the second coming of Mussolini.
While we're getting ourselves agitated over Trump's racism or threats to bar Muslims from entry,
apparently the Military-Industrial Complex, left on autopilot, is re-designing the nation's nuclear
arsenal to make the outbreak of nuclear war far more likely. And, the closest Clinton gets to
a comment, campaign commitment or public discussion, let alone an exercise of power, is a PR "leak"!!!
The chaotic civil war in Syria and Iraq seems like another example where the U.S. is having
a hard time "thinking" things thru realistically. Clinton offered up a sound-bite last year, saying
that she favored imposing a "no-fly" zone, which was exposed as kind of crazy idea, given that
the Russians as well as Assad's government are the ones flying, not to mention the recent experience
with a no-fly zone in Libya. One interpretation is she's stupid and vicious as a badge of class
honor, blissfully consistent with the bloodthirsty record of Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger.
Unfortunately, that might be true, though I think if it is true, it is more likely a product of
being caught up in the amoral bubble of political and media process that has enveloped the whole
foreign policy establishment than any personal psychopathy. What's most alarming to me is that
we cannot count on personal character to put the brakes on that process, which is now the process
of governance. I am writing now of the process of governance by public relations that was has
been exposed a bit in profiles of the Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications,
Ben Rhodes.
In Syria, it has become almost comical, if you can overlook the bodies piling up, as the U.S.
has sought a the mythical unicorn of Syrian Moderate Democrats whom the Pentagon or the CIA can
advise, train and arm. This is foreign policy by PR narrative and it is insanely unrealistic.
But, our politics is trapped in it, and, worse, policy is trapped in it. Layer after layer of
b.s. have piled up obscuring U.S. interests and practical options. Recently, U.S. forces supporting
the Turks have come dangerously close to blowing up U.S. forces supporting the Kurds. When you
find yourself on opposing sides of a civil war like Charles I you may be in the process of losing
your head. Some of the worst elements opposing Assad have been engaged in a transparent re-branding
exercise aimed at garnering U.S. aid. And, U.S. diplomats and media face the high challenge of
explaining why the U.S. supports Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
But, hey, Clinton will get Robert Kagan's vote and a better tomorrow is only a Friedman unit
away, so it is all good.
kidneystones 10.02.16 at 9:24 pm
@328 stevenjohnson and Peter T cover the details. As an outsider supportive of negotiated settlements
in all cases, rather than unilateral military action and violent regime change, I'm interested
principally in ensuring that partisan political preferences do not obscure the historical record.
Bluntly put, dictators routinely abuse bomb their own civilians as the 'need' arises. Nor is the
US the only state actor keen to profit in the broadest sense of the term from political division.
The UN was formed, in large part, to provide a forum/mechanism for peaceful conflict resolution.
Each time state actors such as Russia, China, the US, France, and the UK either bypass the UN,
or use the UN to sanction attacks by larger states on smaller states, the entire edifice becomes
a little weaker.
Hillary is not the only individual with Libyan and Syrian blood on her hands. She's simply
the only individual directly involved in Iraq, Libya, and Syria running to the 45th president
of the US.
bruce wilder 10.02.16 at 9:54 pm
Rich Puchalsky @ 334
People are in information overload most of the time, and where politics are concerned, they
really just want to know who to root for. They ask, "who is the good guy? who is the bad guy?"
"Whose right?" "What should be done?" And, people like the opinions they have, whatever those
opinions may be; they use their political opinions to feed their sense of self-esteem and social
belonging, for better and for worse.
I have some friends, who are really into a particular sport as fans, not participants. One
guy knows everything about baseball. It is fun to watch a game with him, because he knows when
someone is about to try to steal a base and stuff like that and he can explain the manager's strategy
and has gossip about the players careers and personal lives. And, apparently, he has an encyclopedic
knowledge of baseball history - appears to, anyway: what dramatic thing happened in game 3 of
the 1967 World Series and so on and exactly why everyone hated Ty Cobb.
No one like that shows up at CT to talk politics. Maybe it is just as well. Sports guys can
wield that knowledge and remain affable, but political guys tend to be arrogant and off-putting.
But, I do think we could use more of that spirit sometimes.
I was thinking about what a brilliant innovation the Clinton Foundation is, how well it is
designed to solve the problems of Machiavelli's Prince. But, we would struggle to discuss it in
those terms; the partisan contest means that the CF is either horribly corrupt or prosaically
innocent. The pressure to evaluate it is so high, that seeing the functional details is hard.
I've seen some articles that attempt to understand the CF as a means to the political ambitions
of the Clintons, but they seldom grasp the awesome accomplishment it is in ways that also fully
understand why enemies of the Clintons are keen to attack it and why it so reliably produces the
neoliberal pablum that Thomas Franks despises. If we could imagine a Marx tackling the CF as a
vehicle of class interest, that would be pretty interesting.
"... " It is clear a significant number of former Baathist officers have formed the professional core of Daesh [IS] in Syria and Iraq and have given that organization the military capability it has shown in conducting its operations. " ..."
"... A March 2007 JIC report warned Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which it terms AQ-I, had " no shortage of suicide bombers. AQ-I is seeking high-profile attacks. We judge AQ-I will try to expand its sectarian campaign wherever it can: suicide bombings in Kirkuk have risen sharply since October when AQ-I declared the establishment of the notional 'Islamic State of Iraq' (including Kirkuk). " ..."
"... " They claimed that the label 'jihadist' is becoming increasingly difficult to define: in many cases distinctions between nationalists and jihadists are blurred. They increasingly share common cause being drawn together in the face of Shia sectarian violence. " ..."
Intelligence reports examined and now released by the Chilcot inquiry appear to confirm Islamic State
(IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) was created by the Iraq war, a view now apparently backed by Britain's Tory
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. The reports from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which
were previously classified, tell the story of the security services' increasing concern that the
war and occupation was fuelling ever more extremism in Iraq.
The evidence also appears to debunk repeated claims by former PM Tony Blair that IS began in the
Syrian civil war and not Iraq, positioning the brutal group's rise clearly within Iraq's borders.
The Chilcot findings were backed up Thursday by serving Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond. He
told The Foreign Affairs Committee " many of the problems we see in Iraq today stem from that
disastrous decision to dismantle the Iraqi army and embark on a program of de-Baathification
."
" That was the big mistake of post-conflict planning. If we had gone a different way afterwards
we might have been able to see a different outcome, " he said.
Hammond conceded that many members of Saddam's armed forces today filled top roles in IS.
" It is clear a significant number of former Baathist officers have formed the professional
core of Daesh [IS] in Syria and Iraq and have given that organization the military capability it
has shown in conducting its operations. "
The documents show that by 2006 – three years into the occupation – UK intelligence chiefs were
increasingly concerned about the rise of Sunni jihadist resistance to the Western-backed regime of
Shia President Nouri Al-Maliki.
A March 2007 JIC report warned Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which it terms AQ-I, had " no shortage of
suicide bombers. AQ-I is seeking high-profile attacks. We judge AQ-I will try to expand its sectarian
campaign wherever it can: suicide bombings in Kirkuk have risen sharply since October when AQ-I declared
the establishment of the notional 'Islamic State of Iraq' (including Kirkuk). "
Many leading Al-Qaeda figures had been pro-regime Baathists and members of the former Iraqi Army
disbanded by the occupation. They are broadly accepted to have later formed the basis for IS.
The report describes AQ-I as being " in the vanguard. "
" Its strategic main effort is the prosecution of a sectarian campaign designed to drag Iraq
into civil war " at the head of a number of other Sunni militia groups.
" We judge its campaign has been the most effective of any insurgent group, having significant
impact in the past year, and poses the greatest immediate threat to stability in Iraq. The tempo
of mass-casualty attacks on predominantly Shia targets has been relentless, " the spies argue.
Chillingly, an earlier report from 2006 appears to echo some of the realizations made late in
the Vietnam War that there were also strong elements of nationalism driving the insurgency.
" They claimed that the label 'jihadist' is becoming increasingly difficult to define: in
many cases distinctions between nationalists and jihadists are blurred. They increasingly share common
cause being drawn together in the face of Shia sectarian violence. "
The reports appear to suggest that the conditions also somewhat echo the Afghanistan war, which
by that time was already underway, in that the anti-coalition forces displayed a mix of ideological
and economic drivers to resist the occupation.
" Their motivation is mixed: some are Islamist extremists inspired by the AQ agenda, others
are simply hired hands attracted by the money, " the spies warn.
The religious sectarianism involved, however, was distinctly Iraqi and reflected the power battle
between the deposed Sunni forces and the US-installed Shia regime which replaced it.
They also appeared to believe that AQ-I was composed of local and not, as was claimed at the time,
foreign fighters.
" We judge Al-Qaida in Iraq is the largest single insurgent network and although its leadership
retains a strong foreign element, a large majority of its fighters are Iraqi.
" Some are drawn in by the opportunity to take on Shia militias: the jihadists' media effort
stresses their role as defenders of the Sunni ," the report concludes.
Prophetically, even before IS began to germinate in Iraq, one now-declassified Foreign Office
memo from January 2003 warned "all the evidence from the region suggests that coalition forces
will not be seen as liberators for long, if at all. Our motives are regarded with huge suspicion.
"
AHHA -> Blue Car 7 Jul
No there was a documentary on the rise of IS months ago on Dutch television coming to the same
conclusion. Kicking all Baath party members (all Sunni people) out of the army, leaving only Shiite
in created IS. Baath militairy specialists did it out of revenge. One former high Baath militairy
officer even went up to the room of the American leadership on Irak to tell him that if they would
kick Baath people out he would have no other option than to start fighting America. Because what
would all those people have to live of. And they did not just kick them out of the army but out
of all government posts. But the Americans and making one group less equal to another by treating
them different, does that ring any bells. ?
AHHA -> Blue Car 8 Jul
It was not Fox, I loath them. It was a well built Dutch documentary not praising the Americans
for a change but being real True, together with Bush and the rest of their accomplices, of the
most horrific mass killings based on lies (more than a million innocent people have perished because
of their deceitful actions)! We should all demand Justice for the sake of humanity, and also because
it is the only way to deter feature self-righteous leaders like them from leading our world to
more blood sheds and catastrophic destructions! No one should be above the law!
Blue Scissors -> Red Snow 7 Jul
No, Bush and Cheney are the biggest terrorist. Blair just followed behind them, like a sheep.
Linx 7 Jul
Its clear that the U.S. government was the instigator of the war in Iraq based on 911and WMD.
Blair in his ambition to reached the top lied to his parliament because there is noway they did
not have the intelligence there not WMDs. In a stunning but little-known speech from 2007, Gen.
Wesley Clark claims America underwent a "policy coup" at the time of the 9/11 attacks. In this
video, he reveals that, right after 9/11, he was privy to information contained in a classified
memo: US plans to attack and remove governments in seven countries over five years: Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran. He was told: "We learned that we can use our military
without being challenged . We've got about five years to clean up the Soviet client regimes before
another superpower comes along and challenges us." "This was a policy coup…these people took control
of policy in the United States. The interview is still available in the internet.
Orange Tag 7 Jul
What I want to be informed about is the ICC court date set for Bush, Blair, Cheney, Rumsfeld and
the generals ordering the killings of innocent people in Iraq. It's time for the west to wake
up and provide all and every help that Syrian legitimate government needs, and for west to stop
the support of Saudis, Qatari and others alike regimes whom are the providers and are state sponsors
of terrorism as Isis and others a like called " "moderates terrorist". Look you fly the Emirates
you pay for the costs of their terrorism in Middle East.
keghamminas 7 Jul Edited
Very true about the blind destructive policy of the US-Nato that should have attacked Saudi Arabia
instead of Iraq .The same faults are committed now against Syria and it's legal government ; the
total destruction of this country will lead to more anarchy and new terrorist movements as what's
happenning in Iraq. All the puppets ,like the UK are guilty by their criminal participation.
Malcolm stark 7 Jul
Yet another problem caused by Washington and Co and yet their are still people even here who say
Russia, Russia, Russia. And will make excuses for the problems caused without blaming their own
government.
CyanDog 7 Jul
Sexton: What a surprise. An investigation designed to whitewash the criminal activities of our
beloved Western leaders turned out to be eminently successful. A playful slap on the wrist for
Mr Blair, but basically the Western criminals made to look like good guys although a few unintentional
mistakes were made. From now on the West can continue business as usual. I wonder which countries
the West has currently set its future sights on? I would suggest that Iran, Russia and China should
keep their powder dry. The Westerners are playing for keeps, and they do not care who gets hurt
on either side.
"... Yemen is another war the US is involved in thanks to the "peace" Pres. Obama. He has tried to keep this war hidden from the public. His few mentions of this war have been limited to shallow statements about his concern of the civilian casualty. ..."
"... Moreover, by selling the Saudis cluster bombs and other arms being used on civilians, Obama has enabled the Saudis in the last 8 moths to kill and destruct in Yemen more than WW2, as evidence shows. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the US is complicit in international war crimes in Yemen. ..."
"... After Obama's election, he went to Cairo to make a peace speech to the Arab world aiming to diffuse the deep hatred towards the US created during the Bush era. Yet since then, Obama's foolish alliances with despotic Arab rulers infesting ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the region, his drone warfare, and warped war policies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, have only expanded and strengthened ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and increased Arab citizens anger and hatred towards the US. This is Obama's legacy! ..."
"... I always think there are similarities in Clinton and Obama s upbringing that created the anormic sociopathic shape shifting personalities they demonstrate. ..."
"... amiable even charismatic enough to sell it to a stupid audience. ..."
"... Why do we maintain the myth that the Obama brand is in anyway his personal contribution. Anymore than Bush or Clinton. The only difference is the republicans are ideologues where's as the puppets offered by the democrats are just psychotic shape shifters. In either way on a clear day you can see the strings hanging from their wrists like ribbons. ..."
"... The US is Allied with Saudi Arabia and Israel, that makes Saudi Arabia's and Israel's enemies US enemies. ..."
"... The notion that Obama makes his own decisions is laughable except it aint funny.. ..."
"... There is no 'Obama legacy' in the ME. It is a US legacy of blown attempts to control unwilling countries and populations by coercion, and by military and economic warfare. ..."
"... With all due respects to M. Obama, this is another clear indication that the US President is just a figure head. He is a front for the corporations that run the US behind the scene - the so-called US military-industrial complex. ..."
"... Perhaps you intentionally miss out the fact that it is the west that has Israel and the Saudis as their best allies, considering their actions ( one with the largest/longest time concentration camp in history, the other the exporter of the horror show of ISIL , both an abomination of their respective religions . The west attempt to seek the moral high ground is more than a farce ... all the world can see and know the game being played, but the mass media wishes to assume everyone has half a brain... they are allergic to the truth , like the vampires to the light. ..."
"... The stick I'm talking about is the total capacity of the US, military and economic, to have things its way or make the opposition very unhappy. ..."
"... What has it gotten us? Nothing good. What has it gotten the top 1 percent? All the money we don't have. ..."
"... Obama is being an absolute idiot in sending special forces to fight with rebels who are fighting the legitimate government of Syria. This is stupidity of the highest order. What will he do when any of these special forces operatives are captured by IS or killed by Russian or Syrian airstrikes? ..."
"... That is a valid point: Syria is a sovereign nation recognized by the U.N., and any foreign troops within without permission would be considered invaders. Of course, the U.S. ignores international law all the time. ..."
"... Anyway, foreign troops in Syria who are there without an invitation by Syrian government or authorisation by UNSC are there illegally and can be tried for war crimes if captured. Why is Obama putting his soldiers in this situation? ..."
"... The U.S. strategy in Syria is in tatters as Obama lamely tries to patch it up. The U.S. was determined to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria in service of the Saudis, Turkey, and Israel, while pretending to go after ISIS, who the Saudis and Turks were covertly funding. The U.S. were arming jihadists to oust Assad. That game is up, thanks to the Russians. Putin decided he wasn't going to stand by while the U.S. and its proxies created another Libya jihadist disaster in Syria. The forceful Russian intervention in going after ISIS showed the U.S. to be a faker, and caused a sea-change in U.S. policy. Now the U.S. can't pretend to go after ISIS while really trying to oust Assad. The Emporer has no clothes. ..."
"... Israel is an ally of KSA who is funding IS, Al Nusra, Al-Qaida and Al-Shabab. They are also partners with KSA in trying to prevent Iran's reintegration into global society following the nuclear deal, and the lifting of sanctions. ..."
"... I suspect that Israel wants to annex the Syrian Golan Heights permanently, and to extend their illegal settlements into the area. That can only happen if Assad is defeated. ..."
"... Wow, you make a lot of sense. I always thought the US military heavy foreign policy became insane because of Reagan. Maybe it was the loss of the USSR? ..."
"... Everyone here grew up being taught that the US is the champion of all that is good (sounds corny today). When the USSR dissolved, everyone imagined huge military cuts with the savings being invested in social benefits. If someone had predicted that, instead, we would grow our military, throw our civil rights away, embrace empire, assasinate US citizens without a trial, create total surveillance, create secret one sided star-chamber FISA courts that control a third of our economy, and choose a Dept. name heard previously only in Nazi movies (Homeland Security) --- we'd have laughed and dismissed the warning as delusion. ..."
"... You are correct. Obama is breaking UN international law, the US has no right to invade Syria. Russia, though, has been asked by the Syrian government for help, a government fully recognized by the UN. Russia has full UN sanctioned rights to help Syria. US news media will never explain this to the public, sadly. ..."
"... Obama's presidency lost its credibility a long time ago. He made so many rash promises and statements which one by one he has broken, that no free thinking person believes anything he says anymore. ..."
"... There's a world of difference between Russia taking steps to protect its immediate geographic and political interests (which were largely the wishes of the resident populations - something critics tend to overlook) and the USA invading Iraq (2003) in a blatant act of war, based on bullshit and then aiding and abetting mercenary terrorists in Syria in defiance of any declaration of war, UN resolution or invitation from the Syrian government to intervene. ..."
"... You might have also noticed that Syria is a long, long way from the USA. Rhetorically, WTF is the US doing in the Middle East? Propping up Saudi or Israel? Or both? ..."
"... ISIS == Mercenaries sponsored by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Does a strategy against our own mercenaries make sense??? ..."
"... Think about, when's the last time Saudi Arabia did anything progressive or humane in its foreign policy? Now remember this very same country is on the same side as the Americans. This is the country that invaded Bahrain and Yemen and labelled the civil rights movements in those countries as 'Iranian interference.' The Saudis who have been seeking to turn civil rights movements with rather nationalistic demands into religious and sectarian conflicts by playing different groups against each other are allied with the U.S. and sitting at the table in Vienna talking about peace in Syria. Nonsense upon stilts! ..."
"... ISIS poses no threat to the Americans and vice versa. The Americans therefore do not have an interest in making sure that ISIS is wiped out. On the contrary they want regional foes to suffer. ..."
"... The American attempt at negotiating peace in Syria without Syrian representation is nothing short of ridiculous and best illustrates the convoluted state of American foreign policy. America lost any claim to 'leadership' by now. ..."
"... Unfortunately American policy and that eu have at time added fuel to the fire. ..."
"... Russian Iranian and hezbollah boots are invited boots by the legitimate government according to the UN Charter they are all acting legally and according to the Geneva Conventions etc. ..."
"... The US led coalition in bombing Syria were not, and the admitted introduction of troops into Syria is a an ACT OF WAR by the USA, and it is the AGRESSOR here, not doubt about it. It's a War Crime by every standard ..."
"... See the NATO creep into Eastern Europe against all agreements made with USSR. ..."
"... But their real agenda is to carve up Syria. In the deep recesses of their, the Corporate corrupt White House's, mind ISIS is not their immediate problem. ISIS is a means to an end - carve up Syria a sovereign country. ..."
"... Remember, only months ago, Kerry and Tory William Hague, was handing out cash to Syrian rebels who later turned out to be ISIS rebels. We must never forget, Syria, right or wrong, is a sovereign country. ..."
"... Look at the mess they made in, Ukraine, with their friends a bunch of, Kiev, murdering neo-Nazi's. ..."
"... Just out of curiosity...how will the US keep the DoD and CIA from duking it out at the opposite fronts on the Syrian soil? ..."
"... Washington has clearly chosen to break International Law. ..."
"... Westphalian sovereignty is the principle of international law that each nation state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another country's domestic affairs, and that each state (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law ..."
"... As the administration in Washington is firmly in the grasp of special interest groups such as Big Pharma, The Banksters, Big Agrobusiness, Big oil, the MIC and Israel there is no chance of getting good policy decisions out of there until there is a regime change. ..."
"... You might think that having criticized Assad for shooting demonstrators who demonstrated against the corruption and inefficiency of his regime, and having said that as a result his regime had lost its legitimacy, they would apply the same yardstick to President Poroshenko when he shot up two provinces of his country for asking for federation, killing thousands in the process, but on the contrary they sent "advisers" to train his military and his Fascist helpers to use their weapons better, to shoot them up more effectively. ..."
"... However, one cannot really expect people who are exceptional to behave like ordinary (unexceptional) human beings. ..."
"... What is the official US line on the legality of these deployments in terms of international law? ..."
NATO and its allies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria .... they make a desert and call
it peace.
ID7582903 1 Nov 2015 06:19
"Credibility"? Beware and be aware folks. This isn't a monopoly game being played here; it's
for real.
2015 Valdai conference is Societies Between War and Peace: Overcoming the Logic of Conflict
in Tomorrow's World. In the period between October 19 and 22, experts from 30 countries have been
considering various aspects of the perception of war and peace both in the public consciousness
and in international relations, religion and economic interaction between states. Videos w live
translations and english transcripts (a keeper imho)
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/50548
30 Oct, 2015 - The day US announces Ground troops into Syria, and the day before the downing/crash
of the Russian Airbus 321 in the Sinai, this happened:
Russia has conducted a major test of its strategic missile forces, firing numerous ballistic and
cruise missiles from various training areas across the country, videos
uploaded by the Ministry of Defense have shown.
A routine exercise, possibly the largest of its kind this year, was intended to test the command
system of transmitting orders among departments and involved launches
from military ranges on the ground, at sea and in the air, the ministry said Friday.
30.10.2015
Since the beginning of its operation in Syria on September 30, Russian Aerospace Forces have carried
out 1,391 sorties in Syria, destroying a total of 1,623 terrorist targets, the Russian General
Staff said Friday.
In particular, Russian warplanes destroyed 249 Islamic State command posts, 51 training camps,
and 131 depots, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian General Staff Main Operations Directorate
said.
"In Hanshih, a suburb of Damascus, 17 militants of the Al-Ghuraba group were executed in public
after they tried to leave the combat area and flee to Jordan," he specified. "The whole scene
was filmed in order to disseminate the footage among the other groups operating in the vicinity
of Damascus and other areas", the General Staff spokesman said. In the central regions of the
country, the Syrian Army managed to liberate 12 cities in the Hama province, Kartapolov said.
"The Syrian armed forces continue their advance to the north," the general added.
Yemen is another war the US is involved in thanks to the "peace" Pres. Obama. He has tried
to keep this war hidden from the public. His few mentions of this war have been limited to shallow
statements about his concern of the civilian casualty. What an insult to our intelligence! We
are well aware that the US provides the logistical and technical support, and refuelling of warplanes
to the Saudi coalition illegal war in Yemen. Moreover, by selling the Saudis cluster bombs and
other arms being used on civilians, Obama has enabled the Saudis in the last 8 moths to kill and
destruct in Yemen more than WW2, as evidence shows. According to Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch, the US is complicit in international war crimes in Yemen.
After Obama's election, he went to Cairo to make a peace speech to the Arab world aiming to
diffuse the deep hatred towards the US created during the Bush era. Yet since then, Obama's foolish
alliances with despotic Arab rulers infesting ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the region, his drone warfare,
and warped war policies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, have only expanded and strengthened
ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and increased Arab citizens anger and hatred towards the US. This is Obama's
legacy!
Barmaidfromhell -> WSCrips 1 Nov 2015 03:52
Well said.
I always think there are similarities in Clinton and Obama s upbringing that created the
anormic sociopathic shape shifting personalities they demonstrate. Obviously carefully selected
to follow any line given them and amiable even charismatic enough to sell it to a stupid audience.
Why do we maintain the myth that the Obama brand is in anyway his personal contribution.
Anymore than Bush or Clinton. The only difference is the republicans are ideologues where's as
the puppets offered by the democrats are just psychotic shape shifters. In either way on a clear
day you can see the strings hanging from their wrists like ribbons.
Michael Imanual Christos -> Pete Piper 1 Nov 2015 00:28
Pete Piper
In brief;
The US is Allied with Saudi Arabia and Israel, that makes Saudi Arabia's and Israel's enemies
US enemies.
... ... ...
midnightschild10 31 Oct 2015 21:35
When Obama denounced Russia's actions in Syria, and blamed them for massive loss of civilian
lives, Russia responded by asking them to show their proof. The Administration spokesperson said
they got their information from social media. No one in the Administration seems to realize how
utterly stupid that sounds. Marie Harf is happily developing the Administration's foreign policy
via Twitter. As the CIA and NSA read Facebook for their daily planning, Obama reads the comments
section of newspapers to prepare for his speech to the American public in regard to putting boots
on the ground in Syria, and adding to the boots in Iraq. If it didn't result in putting soldiers
lives in jeopardy, it would be considered silly. Putin makes his move and watches as the Obama
Administration makes the only move they know, after minimal success in bombing, Obama does send
in the troops. Putin is the one running the game. Obama's response is so predictable. No wonder
the Russians are laughing. In his quest to outdo Cheyney, Obama has added to the number of wars
the US is currently involved in. His original claim to fame was to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
which then resulted in starting Iraq and Afghanistan Wars 2.0. Since helping to depose the existing
governments in the Middle East, leading not only to the resurgence of AlQuaeda, and giving birth
to ISIS, and leaving chaos and destruction in his wake, he decided to take down the last standing
ruler, hoping that if he does the same thing over and over, he will get a different result. Obama's
foreign policy legacy had been considered impotent at best, now its considered ridiculous.
SomersetApples 31 Oct 2015 20:03
We bombed them, we sent armies of terrorist in to kill them, we destroyed their hospitals and
power plants and cities, we put sanctions on them and we did everything in our power to cut off
their trading with the outside world, and yet they are still standing.
The only thing left to do, lets send in some special military operatives.
This is so out of character, or our perceived character of Obama. It must be that deranged
idiot John McCain pulling the strings.
Rafiqac01 31 Oct 2015 16:58
The notion that Obama makes his own decisions is laughable except it aint funny....having
just watched CNNs Long Road to Hell in Iraq....and the idiots advising Bush and Blair you have
to wonder the extent to which these are almighty balls ups or very sophisticated planning followed
up by post disaster rationalisation....
whatever the conclusion it proves that the intervention or non interventions prove their is
little the USA has done that has added any good value to the situation...indeed it is an unmitigated
disaster strewn around the world! Trump is the next generation frothing at the mouth ready to
show what a big John Wayne he is!!
DavidFCanada 31 Oct 2015 13:56
There is no 'Obama legacy' in the ME. It is a US legacy of blown attempts to control unwilling
countries and populations by coercion, and by military and economic warfare. That US legacy
will forever remain, burnt into skins and bodies of the living and dead, together with a virtually
unanimous recognition in the ME of the laughable US pretexts of supporting democracy, the rule
of law, religious freedom and, best of all, peace. Obama is merely the chief functionary of a
nation of lies.
Informed17 -> WSCrips 31 Oct 2015 13:47
Are you saying that there was no illegal invasion of Iraq? No vial of laundry detergent was
presented at the UN as "proof" that Iraq has WMDs? No hue and cry from "independent" media supported
that deception campaign? Were you in a deep coma at the time?
Informed17 -> somethingbrite 31 Oct 2015 13:36
No. But the US trampled on the international law for quite a while now, starting with totally
illegal interference in Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
WSCrips 31 Oct 2015 13:18
Hey Guardian Editors.....and all those who worshipped Obama....In America, there were folks
from the older generation that warned us that this Community Organizer was not ready for the Job
of President of the United States....it had nothing to do with his color, he just was not ready.....he
was a young, inexperienced Senator, who never, ever had a real job, never had a street fight growing
up pampered in Hawaii, was given a pass to great universities because his parents had money, and
was the dream Affirmative Action poster boy for the liberal left. Obama has not disappointed anyone
who tried to warn us......and now we will reap what he has sowed:
1. 8 Trillion to our debt
2. Nightmare in the Middleast (how is that Arab Spring)
3. Polarized America....Dems and Republicans hate each other....hate each other like the Irish
and English...10 x over.
4. War on Cops
5. War with China
6. Invasion from Central America
I see a great depression and World War IV on the horizon....and I am being positive!
SaveRMiddle 31 Oct 2015 12:47
Nothing Obama says has any value. We've watched the man lie with a grin and a chuckle.
Forever Gone is all trust.
His continued abuse of Red Line threats spoke volumes about the lawyer who Reactively micromanages
that which required and deserved an expert Proactive plan.
Let History reflect the horrific death CIA meddling Regime Change/Divide and Conquer creates.
HeadInSand2013 31 Oct 2015 12:45
Liberal activists were in little doubt that Obama has failed to live up to his commitment
to avoid getting dragged directly into the war.
With all due respects to M. Obama, this is another clear indication that the US President
is just a figure head. He is a front for the corporations that run the US behind the scene - the
so-called US military-industrial complex.
Liberal activists are stupid enough to think that M. Obama is actually in charge of the US
military or the US foreign policy. Just go back and count how many times during the last 6 years
M. Obama has made a declaration and then - sometimes the next day - US military has over-ruled
him.
Mediaking 31 Oct 2015 10:00
Perhaps you intentionally miss out the fact that it is the west that has Israel and the
Saudis as their best allies, considering their actions ( one with the largest/longest time concentration
camp in history, the other the exporter of the horror show of ISIL , both an abomination of their
respective religions . The west attempt to seek the moral high ground is more than a farce ...
all the world can see and know the game being played, but the mass media wishes to assume everyone
has half a brain... they are allergic to the truth , like the vampires to the light.
USA forces coming to the aid of their 5 individuals... yes 1,2,3,4,5 ( stated by US command-
there are only that amount of FSA fighters left - the rest have gone over to ISIL with their equipment
! ) the local population all speak of ISIL/Daesh being American/Israeli ,they say if this is a
civil war how come all the opposition are foreigners ! I think perhaps it's like the Ukraine affair...
a bunch of CIA paid Nazi thugs instigating a coup ... or like Venezuela agents on roof tops shooting
at both sides in demonstrations to get things going. The usual business of CIA/Mossad stuff in
tune with the mass media with their engineered narratives ! Followed by the trolls on cyber space...
no doubt we shall see them here too.
All note that an Intervention in Syria would be "ILLEGAL" by Int. law and sooner than later
will be sued in billions for it...on top of the billions spent on having a 5 person strong force
of FSA...spent from the American tax payers money . Syria has a government and is considered a
state at the UN . Iran and Russia are there at the request and permission of Syria .
Russia and Iran have been methodically wiping out Washington's mercenaries on the ground while
recapturing large swathes of land that had been lost to the terrorists. Now that the terrorists
are getting wiped out the west and the Saudis are are screaming blue murder !
I for one would have Assad stay , as he himself suggests , till his country is completely free
of terrorists, then have free elections . I would add , to have the Saudis and the ones in the
west/Turkey/Jordan charged for crimes against humanity for supplying and creating Daesh/ISIS .
This element cannot be ignored . Also Kurdistan can form their new country in the regions they
occupy as of this moment and Mosul to come. Iran,Russia,Iraq, Syria and the new Kurdistan will
sign up to this deal . Millions of Syrian refugees can then come back home and rebuild their broken
lives with Iranian help and cash damages from the mentioned instigators $400 billion . The cash
must be paid into the Syrian central bank before any elections take place ... Solved...
My consultancy fee - 200ml pounds sterling... I know ... you wish I ruled the world (who knows
!) - no scams please or else ! ( the else would be an Apocalypse upon the western equity markets
via the Illuminati i.e a 49% crash )... a week to pay , no worries since better to pay for a just
solution than to have million descend upon EU as refugees . It is either this or God's revenge
with no mercy .
amacd2 31 Oct 2015 09:52
Obama, being more honest but also more dangerous than Flip Wilson says, "The Empire made me
do it",
Bernie, having "reservations" about what Obama has done, says nothing against Empire, but continues
to pretend, against all evidence, that this is a democracy.
Hillary, delighting in more war, says "We came, we bombed, they all died, but the Empire won."
Talk about 'The Issue' to debate for the candidates in 2016?
"What's your position on the Empire?"
"Oh, what Empire, you ask?"
"The friggin Empire that you are auditioning to pose as the president of --- you lying tools
of both the neocon 'R' Vichy party and you smoother lying neoliberal-cons of the 'D' Vichy party!"
lightstroke -> Pete Piper 31 Oct 2015 09:41
Nukes are not on the table. Mutually Assured Destruction.
The stick I'm talking about is the total capacity of the US, military and economic, to
have things its way or make the opposition very unhappy.
It's not necessary to win wars to exercise that power. All they have to do is start them and
keep them going until the arms industry makes as much dough from them as possible. That's the
only win they care about.
What has it gotten us? Nothing good. What has it gotten the top 1 percent? All the money
we don't have.
Taku2 31 Oct 2015 09:26
Obama is being an absolute idiot in sending special forces to fight with rebels who are
fighting the legitimate government of Syria. This is stupidity of the highest order. What will
he do when any of these special forces operatives are captured by IS or killed by Russian or Syrian
airstrikes?
How stupid can a President get?
Obama does need to pull back on this one, even though it will make his stupid and erroneous
policy towards the Syrian tragedy seem completely headless. If this stupid and brainless policy
is meant to be symbolic, its potential for future catastrophic consequences is immeasurable.
phillharmonic -> nishville 31 Oct 2015 08:56
That is a valid point: Syria is a sovereign nation recognized by the U.N., and any foreign
troops within without permission would be considered invaders. Of course, the U.S. ignores international
law all the time.
nishville 31 Oct 2015 08:35
Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State
And who are those then? Do they exist, do we have any reliable source confirming they are really
simultaneously fighting IS and Syrian Army or is it yet another US fairy tale?
Anyway, foreign troops in Syria who are there without an invitation by Syrian government
or authorisation by UNSC are there illegally and can be tried for war crimes if captured. Why
is Obama putting his soldiers in this situation?
phillharmonic 31 Oct 2015 08:33
The U.S. strategy in Syria is in tatters as Obama lamely tries to patch it up. The U.S.
was determined to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria in service of the Saudis, Turkey, and Israel,
while pretending to go after ISIS, who the Saudis and Turks were covertly funding. The U.S. were
arming jihadists to oust Assad. That game is up, thanks to the Russians. Putin decided he wasn't
going to stand by while the U.S. and its proxies created another Libya jihadist disaster in Syria.
The forceful Russian intervention in going after ISIS showed the U.S. to be a faker, and caused
a sea-change in U.S. policy. Now the U.S. can't pretend to go after ISIS while really trying to
oust Assad. The Emporer has no clothes.
amacd2 -> Woody Treasure 31 Oct 2015 08:31
Woody, did you mean "Obama is a foil (for the Disguised Global Crony-Capitalist Empire--- which
he certainly is), or did you mean to say "fool" (which he certainly is not, both because he is
a well paid puppet/poodle for this Global Empire merely HQed in, and 'posing' as, America ---
as Blair and Camron are for the same singular Global Empire --- and because Obama didn't end his
role as Faux/Emperor-president like JFK), eh?
Nena Cassol -> TonyBlunt 31 Oct 2015 06:48
Assad's father seized power with a military coup and ruled the country for 30 years, before
dying he appointed his son, who immediately established marshal law, prompting discontent even
among his father's die-hard loyalists ...this is plain history, is this what you call a legitimate
leader?
Cycles 31 Oct 2015 06:41
Forced to go in otherwise the Russians and Iranians get full control. Welcome to the divided
Syria a la Germany after WW2.
TonyBlunt -> Nena Cassol 31 Oct 2015 06:36
"It does not take much research to find out that Assad is not legitimate at all"
Please share your source with us Nena. But remember Langley Publications don't count.
TonyBlunt -> oldholbornian 31 Oct 2015 06:29
The Americans do not recognise international law. They do not sign up to any of it and proclaim
the right to break it with their "exceptionalism".
Katrin3 -> herrmaya 31 Oct 2015 05:27
The Russians, US, Iran etc are all meeting right now in Vienna. The Russians and the US military
do communicate with each other, to avoid attacking each other by mistake.
The Russians are in the West and N.West of Syria. The US is going into the N. East, near IS
headquarters in Raqqa, to support the Kurdish YPG, who are only a few kilometers from the city.
Katrin3 -> ID6693806 31 Oct 2015 05:15
Israel is an ally of KSA who is funding IS, Al Nusra, Al-Qaida and Al-Shabab. They are
also partners with KSA in trying to prevent Iran's reintegration into global society following
the nuclear deal, and the lifting of sanctions.
I suspect that Israel wants to annex the Syrian Golan Heights permanently, and to extend
their illegal settlements into the area. That can only happen if Assad is defeated.
centerline ChristineH 31 Oct 2015 04:48
The Kurds are the fabled moderate opposition who are willing to negotiate, and who have also
fought with the Syrian government against US backed ISIS and al Nusra so called moderate opposition.
Pete Piper -> Verbum 31 Oct 2015 04:47
@Verbum Wow, you make a lot of sense. I always thought the US military heavy foreign policy became
insane because of Reagan. Maybe it was the loss of the USSR?
Everyone here grew up being taught that the US is the champion of all that is good (sounds
corny today). When the USSR dissolved, everyone imagined huge military cuts with the savings being
invested in social benefits. If someone had predicted that, instead, we would grow our military,
throw our civil rights away, embrace empire, assasinate US citizens without a trial, create total
surveillance, create secret one sided star-chamber FISA courts that control a third of our economy,
and choose a Dept. name heard previously only in Nazi movies (Homeland Security) --- we'd have
laughed and dismissed the warning as delusion.
gabriel90 -> confettifoot 31 Oct 2015 04:46
ISiS is destroying Syria thanks to the US and Saudi Arabia; its an instrument to spread chaos
in the Middle East and attack Iran and Russia...
ChristineH 31 Oct 2015 04:21
So, on the day peace talks open, the US unilaterally announces advice boots on the ground to
support one of the many sides in the Syrian War, who will undoubtedly want self determination,
right on Turkey's border, as they always have, and as has always been opposed by the majority
of the Syrian population. What part of that isn't completely mad?
Great sympathy for the situation of the Kurds in Syria under Assad, but their nationalism issue
and inability to work together with the Sunni rebels, was a major factor in the non formation
of a functioning opposition in Syria, and will be a block to peace, not its cause. It's also part
of a larger plan to have parts of Turkey and Iraq under Kurdish control to create a contingent
kingdom. Whatever the merits of that, the US deciding to support them at this stage is completely
irrational, and with Russia and Iran supporting Assad will lengthen the war, not shorten it.
MissSarajevo 31 Oct 2015 04:21
Just a couple of things here. How does the US know who the moderates are?!? Is this another
occasion that the US is going to use International law as toilet paper? The US will enter (as
if they weren't already there, illegally. They were not invited in by the legitimate leader of
Syria.
gabriel90 31 Oct 2015 04:19
Warbama is just trying to save his saudi/qatari/turk/emirati dogs of war... they will be wiped
out by Russia and the axis of resistance...
Pete Piper -> Michael Imanual Christos 31 Oct 2015 04:08
Does anyone see anything rational in US foreign policy? When I hear attempts to explain, they
vary around .. "it's about oil". But no one ever shows evidence continuous wars produced more
oil for anyone. So, are we deliberately creating chaos and misery? Why? To make new enemies we
can use to justify more war? We've now classified the number of countries we are bombing. Why?
The countries being bombed surely know.
Pete Piper -> oldholbornian 31 Oct 2015 03:50
You are correct. Obama is breaking UN international law, the US has no right to invade
Syria. Russia, though, has been asked by the Syrian government for help, a government fully recognized
by the UN. Russia has full UN sanctioned rights to help Syria. US news media will never explain
this to the public, sadly.
Only the US routinely violates other nations' sovergnity. Since Korea, the only nation that
has ever used military force against a nation not on its border is the US.
Can anyone find rationality in US foreign policy? We are supposed to be fighting ISIL, but
Saudi Arabia and Israel appear to be helping ISIL to force Syrian regime change. And the US is
supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia that are routed to ISIL. Supposedly because eliminating President
Asad is more important than fighting ISIL? The US public is being misled into thinking we are
NOW fighting ISIL. After Asad is killed, then we will genuinely fight ISIL? Russia, Iran, and
more(?) will fight to keep Asad in power and then fight ISIL? THIS IS OBVIOUS BS, AND ALSO FUBAR.
By all means, get everyone together for some diplomacy.
oldholbornian -> lesmandalasdeniki 31 Oct 2015 03:36
Well lets look at Germany the centre of christian culture and the EU
reminds me of emporer franz josef in europe about 100 years ago .. meant well but led to ruination
..i dont think that there has been an american president involved in more wars than obama
obama by his cairo speech kicked of the arab spring ..shows that words can kill
however.. the experience he now has gained may lead to an avoidance of a greater sunni shia
war in syria if the present vienna talks can offer something tangible and preserve honour to the
sunnis .. in the mid east honour and macho are key elements in negotiations
iran however is a shia caliphate based regime and unless it has learnt the lesson from yemen
on the limitations of force may push for further success via army and diplomacy and control in
syria and iraq
oldholbornian 31 Oct 2015 02:42
But Obama's latest broken promise to avoid an "open-ended action" in Syria could lead to a
full-blown war with Russia considering that Russian military has been operating in Syria for weeks.
"…For the first time ever, the American strategists have developed an illusion … that they
may defeat a nuclear power in a non-nuclear war," Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin
told AP. "It's nonsense, and it will never happen."
Any US / terrorist engagement with the Syrian security forces will include engaging with its
allies Russia
Once the firing starts Russia will include the US as terrorists with no rights to be in Syrian
and under the UN RULES have the right to defend themselves against the US
HollyOldDog -> foolisholdman 31 Oct 2015 02:32
Hmm Foreign snipers on rooftops ( not in the control of the government) how many times is this
scenario going to be played out before the 'press' twigs it than something is not making sense.
HollyOldDog -> foolisholdman 31 Oct 2015 02:29
Though in one demonstration there was snipers on rooftops shooting both deconstratirs and the
police - far more police were killed than demonstrators - what does this reming you of? Was these
actions seemingly out of the control of the government a preliminary to what happened in Kiev
during the maidan - practices get the technics right I suppose. - outside forces were obviously
at work ' stirring the pot.
Anna Eriksson 31 Oct 2015 02:24
Let's hope that the US will help out with taking in some refugees as well! In Germany, and
Sweden locals are becoming so frustrated and angry that they set refugee shelters on fire. This
is a trend in both Sweden and Germany, as shown in the maps in the links. There have almost been
90 arsons in Germany so far this year, almost 30 in Sweden.
Nobody tells the American people and nobody else really cares, but these 40-something guys
being sent to Syria are possibly there as:
cannon fodder: to deter the Russians from bombing and Iranians from attacking on the ground
the American friendly anti-Assad militant groups;
to collect and report more accurate intel from the front line (again about the Russian/Iranian
troops deployment/movement).
The Russian and Iranian troops on the ground will soon engage and sweep anti-Assad forces in
key regions in Western Syria. This will be slightly impeded if Americans are among them. But accidents
do happen, hence the term "cannon fodder".
The Russians and Iranians will likely take a step back militarily though for the duration of
talks, so the American plan to protect Saudi backed fighters is likely to work.
I never involved or mentioned ISIS because this is NOT about fighting ISIS. It's about counteracting
the Russian/Irania sweep in the area, and ultimately keeping the Americans in the game (sorry,
war).
petervietnam 31 Oct 2015 01:13
The world's policeman or the world's trouble maker?
Austin Young -> Will D 31 Oct 2015 00:34
But he's the "change we can believe in" guy! Oh right... Dem or republican, they spew anything
and everything their voters want to hear but when it comes time to walk the walk the only voice
in their head is Cash Money.
lesmandalasdeniki -> Bardhyl Cenolli 30 Oct 2015 23:34
It frustrates me, anyone who will be the problem-solver will be labeled as dangerous by the
Western political and business leaders if the said person or group of people can not be totally
controlled for their agenda.
This will be the first time I will be speaking about the Indonesian forest fires that started
from June this year until now. During the period I was not on-line, I watched the local news and
all channels were featuring the same problem every day during the last two-weeks.
US is also silent about it during Obama - Jokowi meeting, even praising Jokowi being on the
right track. After Jokowi came back, his PR spin is in the force again, he went directly to Palembang,
he held office and trying to put up an image of a President that cared for his people. He couldn't
solve the Indonesian forest fires from June - October, is it probably because Jusuf Kalla has
investment in it?
My point is, US and the Feds, World Bank and IMF are appointing their puppets on each country
they have put up an investment on terms of sovereign debt and corporate debt/bonds.
And Obama is their puppet.
Will D 30 Oct 2015 23:30
Obama's presidency lost its credibility a long time ago. He made so many rash promises
and statements which one by one he has broken, that no free thinking person believes anything
he says anymore.
He has turned out to be a massive disappointment to all those who had such high hopes that
he really would make the world a better place. His failure and his abysmal track record will cause
him to be remembered as the Nobel Peace prize wining president who did exactly the opposite of
what he promised, and failed to further the cause of peace.
Greg_Samsa -> Greenacres2002 30 Oct 2015 23:07
Consistency is at the heart of logic, all mathematics, and hard sciences.
Even the legal systems strive to be free of contradictions.
I'd rather live in world with consistency of thought and action as represented by the Russian
Federation, then be mired in shit created by the US who have shed all the hobgoblins pestering
the consistency of their thoughts and actions.
Never truly understood the value of this stupid quote really...
Phil Atkinson -> PaulF77 30 Oct 2015 22:28
There's a world of difference between Russia taking steps to protect its immediate geographic
and political interests (which were largely the wishes of the resident populations - something
critics tend to overlook) and the USA invading Iraq (2003) in a blatant act of war, based on bullshit
and then aiding and abetting mercenary terrorists in Syria in defiance of any declaration of war,
UN resolution or invitation from the Syrian government to intervene.
You might have also noticed that Syria is a long, long way from the USA. Rhetorically,
WTF is the US doing in the Middle East? Propping up Saudi or Israel? Or both?
MainstreamMedia Propaganda 30 Oct 2015 22:03
ISIS == Mercenaries sponsored by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Does a strategy against
our own mercenaries make sense???
I think blatant policy changes like this show just how ineffectual the US president actually
is. The hand over between Bush and Obama has been seamless. Gitmo still going, patriot act renewed,
Libya a smoldering ruin (4 years down the line), no progress on gun control, troops in Afganistan
and Iraq... it goes on...
HowSicklySeemAll 30 Oct 2015 21:58
"It's really hard to see how this tiny number of troops embedded on the ground is going
to turn the tide in any way."
Or the U.S. could carry out air strikes against Hezbollah which has been fighting ISIS for
a while now. They could also supply weapons to ISIS (who are dubbed 'moderates') to counter Russian
airstrikes and Iranian man power.
Think about, when's the last time Saudi Arabia did anything progressive or humane in its
foreign policy? Now remember this very same country is on the same side as the Americans. This
is the country that invaded Bahrain and Yemen and labelled the civil rights movements in those
countries as 'Iranian interference.' The Saudis who have been seeking to turn civil rights movements
with rather nationalistic demands into religious and sectarian conflicts by playing different
groups against each other are allied with the U.S. and sitting at the table in Vienna talking
about peace in Syria. Nonsense upon stilts!
Phil Atkinson -> Harry Bhai 30 Oct 2015 21:57
Fuck the al-Sauds and their oil. If the US wants their oil (and there's plenty of other oil
sellers in the world) then just take it. Why not be consistent?
templeforjerusalem 30 Oct 2015 21:51
IS has shown itself to be deeply hateful of anything that conflicts with their narrow religious
interpretations. Destroying Palmyra, murdering indiscriminately, without any clear international
agenda other than the formation of a new Sunni Sharia State, makes them essentially enemies of
everybody. Although I do agree that belligerent secular Netanyahu's Israel sets a bad example
in the area, Israel does not tend to murder over the same primitive values that IS uses, although
there's not much difference in reality.
IS uses extermination tactics, Israel used forced land clearance and concentration camp bombing
(Gaza et al), while the US in Iraq used brutal force. None of this is good but nothing justifies
the shear barbarism of IS. Is there hope in any of this? No. Is Russian and US involvement a major
escalation? Yes.
Ultimately, this is about religious identities refusing to share and demand peace. Sunni vs
Shia, Judeo/Catholic/Protestant West vs Russian Orthodox, secular vs orthodox Israel. No wonder
people are saying Armageddon.
HowSicklySeemAll 30 Oct 2015 21:50
ISIS poses no threat to the Americans and vice versa. The Americans therefore do not have
an interest in making sure that ISIS is wiped out. On the contrary they want regional foes to
suffer. The only countries and groups that have been successfully fighting ISIS - Assad's
forces, Iranians, Hezbollah, Russians, and Kurds are in fact enemies of either the U.S., Saudis,
Israelis, or Turks. Isn't that strange? The countries and peoples that have suffered the most
and that have actually fought against ISIS effectively are seen as the enemy. Do the powers that
be really want to wipe out ISIS at all costs? No, especially if it involves the Iranians and Russians.
How are Russian boots on the ground - of which there have been many for some time - ok
and American boots bad?
The difference is that of a poison and the antidotum. The American/NATO meddling in Iraq, Libya
and Syria created a truly sick situation which needs to be fixed. That's what the Russians are
doing. Obviously, they have their own objectives and motives for that and are protecting their
own interests, but nevertheless this is the surest way to re-establish semblance of stability
in the Middle East, rebuilt Syria and Iraq, stop the exodus of the refugees, and mend relations
in the region.
The American attempt at negotiating peace in Syria without Syrian representation is nothing
short of ridiculous and best illustrates the convoluted state of American foreign policy. America
lost any claim to 'leadership' by now.
I feel sorry for Mr Obama, and indeed America, because he is a decent person, yet most of us
are unaware what forces he has to reckon with behind the scenes. It is clear by now that interests
of corporations and rich individuals, as well as a couple of seemingly insignificant foreign states,
beat the national interest of America all time, anytime. It is astonishing how a powerful, hard
working and talented nation can become beholden to such forces, to its own detriment.
In the end, I do not think the situation is uniquely American. Russia or China given a chance
of total hegemony would behave the same. That's why we need a field of powers/superpowers to keep
one another in check and negotiate rather than enforce solutions.
ID9309755 -> pegasusrose2011 30 Oct 2015 21:02
Unfortunately American policy and that eu have at time added fuel to the fire. Yes,
the me has its own problems, including rival versions of Islam and fundamentalism as well as truly
megalomaniac leaders. But in instances (Libya for example) they did truly contribute to the country's
destruction (and I am not excusing Gaddafi, but for the people there sometimes having these leaders
and waiting for generational transformations may be a better solution than instant democracy pills.)
ID7582903 -> pegasusrose2011 30 Oct 2015 21:00
Russian Iranian and hezbollah boots are invited boots by the legitimate government according
to the UN Charter they are all acting legally and according to the Geneva Conventions etc.
The US led coalition in bombing Syria were not, and the admitted introduction of troops
into Syria is a an ACT OF WAR by the USA, and it is the AGRESSOR here, not doubt about it. It's
a War Crime by every standard
Obama and the "regime" that rules the United Snakes of America have all gone over the edge
into insanity writ large.
ID9309755 -> pegasusrose2011 30 Oct 2015 20:55
To clarify, I meant that all these groups are funded by these Arabic sheikhdoms and it increasingly
appears that th us of a is not as serious in eradicating all of them in the illusion that the
so called softer ones will over through Assad and then it will be democracy, the much misused
and fetishised term. Meanwhile we can carve up the country, Turkey gets a bite and our naughty
bloated allies in Arabia will be happy with their influence. Only if it happened that way...
There is much more than this short and simplified scenario, and yes Russia played its hand
rather well taking the west off guard. And I am not trying to portray Putin as some liberation
prophet either. So perhaps you could say that yes, maybe I have looked into it deep...
BlooperMario -> RedEyedOverlord 30 Oct 2015 20:52
China and Russia are only responding to NY World Bank and IMF cheats and also standing up to
an evil empire that has ruined the middle east.
Time you had a rethink old chap and stopped worshipping Blair; Bush; Rumsfeld etc as your heros.
See the NATO creep into Eastern Europe against all agreements made with USSR.
Silly Sailors provoking Chinese Lighthouse keepers.
RoyRoger 30 Oct 2015 19:30
Their Plan B is fucked !!
But their real agenda is to carve up Syria. In the deep recesses of their, the Corporate
corrupt White House's, mind ISIS is not their immediate problem. ISIS is a means to an end - carve
up Syria a sovereign country.
Remember, only months ago, Kerry and Tory William Hague, was handing out cash to Syrian
rebels who later turned out to be ISIS rebels. We must never forget, Syria, right or wrong, is
a sovereign country.
The real battle/plan for the Corporate corrupt White House is to try and get a foothold in
Syria and establish a military dictator after a coup d'etat'. As we know it's what they, the West,
do best.
Look at the mess they made in, Ukraine, with their friends a bunch of, Kiev, murdering
neo-Nazi's.
In the interest of right is right; Good Luck Mr Putin !! I'm with you all the way.
weematt 30 Oct 2015 19:25
War (and poverty too) a consequence, concomitant, of competing for markets, raw materials and
trade routes or areas of geo-political dominance, come to be seen as 'natural' outcomes of society,
but are merely concomitants of a changeable social system.
... ... ...
Greg_Samsa 30 Oct 2015 19:21
Just out of curiosity...how will the US keep the DoD and CIA from duking it out at the
opposite fronts on the Syrian soil?
This gives a whole new dimension to the term 'blue-on-blue'.
Kevin Donegan 30 Oct 2015 18:59
Washington has clearly chosen to break International Law.
"Westphalian sovereignty is the principle of international law that each nation state has sovereignty
over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle
of non-interference in another country's domestic affairs, and that each state (no matter how
large or small) is equal in international law. The doctrine is named after the Peace of Westphalia,
signed in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War, in which the major continental European states
– the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, Sweden and the Dutch Republic – agreed to respect one
another's territorial integrity. As European influence spread across the globe, the Westphalian
principles, especially the concept of sovereign states, became central to international law and
to the prevailing world order.[1]"
foolisholdman 30 Oct 2015 18:41
As the administration in Washington is firmly in the grasp of special interest groups such
as Big Pharma, The Banksters, Big Agrobusiness, Big oil, the MIC and Israel there is no chance
of getting good policy decisions out of there until there is a regime change.
If ever there was a government hat had lost its legitimacy the present US government is it.
foolisholdman -> Johnny Kent 30 Oct 2015 18:31
Johnny Kent
The slight question of legality in placing troops in a sovereign country without permission
or UN approval is obviously of no importance to the US...and yet they criticise Russia for
'annexing Crimea...
Yes, but you see: the two cases are not comparable because the USA is exceptional.
You might think that having criticized Assad for shooting
demonstrators who demonstrated
against the corruption and inefficiency of his regime, and having said that as a result his regime
had lost its legitimacy, they would apply the same yardstick to President Poroshenko when he shot
up two provinces of his country for asking for federation, killing thousands in the process, but
on the contrary they sent "advisers" to train his military and his Fascist helpers to use their
weapons better, to shoot them up more effectively.
However, one cannot really expect people who are exceptional to behave like ordinary (unexceptional)
human beings.
WalterCronkiteBot 30 Oct 2015 17:11
What is the official US line on the legality of these deployments in terms of international
law?
Noone seems to even raise it as an issue, its all about congressional approval. Just like the
UK drone strikes.
"... Under longstanding and clear-cut US law, all US aid to Honduras - except democracy assistance - including all military aid, should have been immediately suspended following the coup. ..."
"... Why wasn't US aid to Honduras suspended following the coup? The justification given by Clinton's State Department on August 25 for not suspending US aid to Honduras was that events in Honduras were murky and it was not clear whether a coup had taken place. Clinton's State Department claimed that State Department lawyers were studying the murky question of whether a coup had taken place. ..."
"... This justification was a lie, and Clinton's State Department knew it was a lie. By July 24, 2009, the State Department, including Secretary Clinton, knew clearly that the action of the Honduran military to remove President Zelaya on June 28, 2009, constituted a coup. On July 24, US Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens sent a cable to top US officials, including Secretary of State Clinton, with subject: "Open and Shut: The Case of the Honduran Coup," thoroughly documenting the assertion that "there is no doubt" that the events of June 28 "constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup." ..."
On June 28, 2009, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, democratically
elected Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown by a military coup.
The United Nations, the European Union and the Organization of American States
(OAS) condemned the coup, and on July 5, Honduras was suspended from the OAS.
Under longstanding and clear-cut US law, all US aid to Honduras - except
democracy assistance - including all military aid, should have been immediately
suspended following the coup.
On August 7, 15 House
Democrats, led by Rep. Raúl Grijalva, sent a letter to the administration
which began, "As you know, on June 28th, 2009, a military coup took place in
Honduras," and said: "The State Department should fully acknowledge that a military
coup has taken place and follow through with the total suspension of non-humanitarian
aid, as required by law."
Why wasn't US aid to Honduras suspended following the coup? The
justification given
by Clinton's State Department on August 25 for not suspending US aid to Honduras
was that events in Honduras were murky and it was not clear whether a coup had
taken place. Clinton's State Department
claimed that State
Department lawyers were studying the murky question of whether a coup had taken
place.
This justification was a lie, and Clinton's State Department knew it
was a lie. By July 24, 2009, the State Department, including Secretary Clinton,
knew clearly that the action of the Honduran military to remove President Zelaya
on June 28, 2009, constituted a coup. On July 24, US Ambassador to Honduras
Hugo Llorens
sent a cable to top US officials, including Secretary of State Clinton,
with subject: "Open and Shut: The Case of the Honduran Coup," thoroughly documenting
the assertion that "there is no doubt" that the events of June 28 "constituted
an illegal and unconstitutional coup."
"... The Ambassador's urging to her said: "The actions of June 28 can only be considered a coup d'etat. ... It bears mentioning that, whereas the resolution [by the junta] adopted June 28 refers only to Zelaya, its effect was to remove the entire executive branch. ... His forced removal by the military was clearly illegal, and [puppett-leader Roberto] Micheletti's ascendance as 'interim president' was totally illegitimate." ..."
"... However, instead, she joined with then-Senator Jim DeMint (now head of the Heritage Foundation and the chief sponsor of the political career of Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz) in propping up the fascist regime. ..."
When a fascist putsch, a coup d'etat, overthrew at gunpoint the popular progressive
democratic President of Honduras on 28 June 2009, and all countries of the world
except Israel and the United States promptly declared the junta-installed government
illegitimate, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refused to join all other nations
in rejecting the fascist regime. As I previously
reported this matter in detail, the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras told her
in a cable, that President Manuel Zelaya had been illegally replaced by the
junta-appointed stooge Roberto Michelettti, yet she still refused.
The Ambassador's urging to her said: "The actions of June 28 can only
be considered a coup d'etat. ... It bears mentioning that, whereas the resolution
[by the junta] adopted June 28 refers only to Zelaya, its effect was to remove
the entire executive branch. ... His forced removal by the military was clearly
illegal, and [puppett-leader Roberto] Micheletti's ascendance as 'interim president'
was totally illegitimate."
However, instead, she joined with then-Senator Jim DeMint (now head of
the Heritage Foundation and the chief sponsor of the political career of Texas
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz) in propping up the fascist regime.
Promptly Honduras descended into hell, suddenly having the world's highest
murder-rate, and becoming a haven of narco-trafficking. What was Hillary thinking?
She expressed contempt for Zelaya, but what was really happening here was that
American international companies liked paying their Honduran contractors sub-human
wages to workers at their plants in Honduras. The Honduran aristocrats owned
those factories, and the U.S. aristocrats shared with them the profits from
this "free-market" slavery. What did Hillary care about the ongoing terror,
murders, and soaring narco-trafficking?
"... In January, the New York Times finally reported on a secret 2013 Presidential order to the CIA to arm Syrian rebels. As the account explained, Saudi Arabia provides substantial financing of the armaments, while the CIA, under Obama's orders, provides organizational support and training. ..."
"... What kinds of arms are the US, Saudis, Turks, Qataris, and others supplying to the Syrian rebels? Which groups are receiving the arms? What is the role of US troops, air cover, and other personnel in the war? The US government isn't answering these questions, and mainstream media aren't pursuing them, either. ..."
"... Through occasional leaks, investigative reports, statements by other governments, and rare statements by US officials, we know that America is engaged in an active, ongoing, CIA-coordinated war both to overthrow Assad and to fight ISIS. America's allies in the anti-Assad effort include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and other countries in the region. The US has spent billions of dollars on arms, training, special operations forces, air strikes, and logistical support for the rebel forces, including international mercenaries. American allies have spent billions of dollars more. The precise sums are not reported. ..."
"... To those at the center of the US military-industrial complex, this secrecy is as it should be. Their position is that a vote by Congress 15 years ago authorizing the use of armed force against those culpable for the 9/11 attack gives the president and military carte blanche to fight secret wars in the Middle East and Africa. Why should the US explain publicly what it is doing? That would only jeopardize the operations and strengthen the enemy. The public does not need to know. ..."
"... I subscribe to a different view: wars should be a last resort and should be constrained by democratic scrutiny. This view holds that America's secret war in Syria is illegal both under the US Constitution (which gives Congress the sole power to declare war) and under the United Nations Charter, and that America's two-sided war in Syria is a cynical and reckless gamble. The US-led efforts to topple Assad are not aimed at protecting the Syrian people, as Obama and Clinton have suggested from time to time, but are a US proxy war against Iran and Russia, in which Syria happens to be the battleground. ..."
"... The stakes of this war are much higher and much more dangerous than America's proxy warriors imagine. As the US has prosecuted its war against Assad, Russia has stepped up its military support to his government. In the US mainstream media, Russia's behavior is an affront: how dare the Kremlin block the US from overthrowing the Syrian government? The result is a widening diplomatic clash with Russia, one that could escalate and lead – perhaps inadvertently – to the point of military conflict. ..."
"... This is the main reason why the US security state refuses to tell the truth. The American people would call for peace rather than perpetual war. Obama has a few months left in office to repair his broken legacy. He should start by leveling with the American people. ..."
Syria's civil war is the most dangerous and destructive crisis on the planet.
Since early 2011, hundreds of thousands have died; around ten million Syrians
have been displaced; Europe has been convulsed with Islamic State (ISIS) terror
and the political fallout of refugees; and the United States and its NATO allies
have more than once come perilously close to direct confrontation with Russia.
Unfortunately, President Barack Obama has greatly compounded the dangers
by hiding the US role in Syria from the American people and from world opinion.
An end to the Syrian war requires an honest accounting by the US of its ongoing,
often secretive role in the Syrian conflict since 2011, including who is funding,
arming, training, and abetting the various sides. Such exposure would help bring
to an end many countries' reckless actions.
A widespread – and false – perception is that Obama has kept the US out of
the Syrian war. Indeed, the US right wing routinely criticizes him for having
drawn a line in the sand for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over chemical
weapons, and then backing off when Assad allegedly crossed it (the issue remains
murky and disputed, like so much else in Syria). A leading columnist for the
Financial Times, repeating the erroneous idea that the US has remained
on the sidelines,
recently implied that Obama had rejected the advice of then-Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton to arm the Syrian rebels fighting Assad.
Yet the curtain gets lifted from time to time. In January, the New
York Times
finally reported on a secret 2013 Presidential order to the CIA to arm Syrian
rebels. As the account explained, Saudi Arabia provides substantial financing
of the armaments, while the CIA, under Obama's orders, provides organizational
support and training.
Unfortunately, the story came and went without further elaboration by the
US government or follow up by the New York Times. The public was left
in the dark: How big are the ongoing CIA-Saudi operations? How much is the US
spending on Syria per year? What kinds of arms are the US, Saudis, Turks,
Qataris, and others supplying to the Syrian rebels? Which groups are receiving
the arms? What is the role of US troops, air cover, and other personnel in the
war? The US government isn't answering these questions, and mainstream media
aren't pursuing them, either.
On
more than a dozen occasions, Obama has told the American people that there
would be "no US boots on the ground." Yet every few months, the public is also
notified in a brief government statement that US special operations forces are
being deployed to Syria. The Pentagon
routinely denies that they are in the front lines. But when Russia and the
Assad government recently carried out bombing runs and artillery fire against
rebel strongholds in northern Syria, the US notified the Kremlin that the attacks
were threatening American troops on the ground. The public has been given no
explanation about their mission, its costs, or counterparties in Syria.
Through occasional leaks, investigative reports, statements by other
governments, and rare statements by US officials, we know that America is engaged
in an active, ongoing, CIA-coordinated war both to overthrow Assad and to fight
ISIS. America's allies in the anti-Assad effort include Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Qatar, and other countries in the region. The US has spent billions of dollars
on arms, training, special operations forces, air strikes, and logistical support
for the rebel forces, including international mercenaries. American allies have
spent billions of dollars more. The precise sums are not reported.
The US public has had no say in these decisions. There has been no authorizing
vote or budget approval by the US Congress. The CIA's role has never been explained
or justified. The domestic and international legality of US actions has never
been defended to the American people or the world.
To those at the center of the US military-industrial complex, this secrecy
is as it should be. Their position is that a vote by Congress 15 years ago authorizing
the use of armed force against those culpable for the 9/11 attack gives the
president and military carte blanche to fight secret wars in the Middle East
and Africa. Why should the US explain publicly what it is doing? That would
only jeopardize the operations and strengthen the enemy. The public does not
need to know.
I subscribe to a different view: wars should be a last resort and should
be constrained by democratic scrutiny. This view holds that America's secret
war in Syria is illegal both under the US Constitution (which gives Congress
the sole power to declare war) and under the United Nations Charter, and that
America's two-sided war in Syria is a cynical and reckless gamble. The US-led
efforts to topple Assad are not aimed at protecting the Syrian people, as Obama
and Clinton have suggested from time to time, but are a US proxy war against
Iran and Russia, in which Syria happens to be the battleground.
The stakes of this war are much higher and much more dangerous than America's
proxy warriors imagine. As the US has prosecuted its war against Assad, Russia
has stepped up its military support to his government. In the US mainstream
media, Russia's behavior is an affront: how dare the Kremlin block the US from
overthrowing the Syrian government? The result is a widening diplomatic clash
with Russia, one that could escalate and lead – perhaps inadvertently – to the
point of military conflict.
These are issues that should be subject to legal scrutiny and democratic
control. I am confident that the American people would respond with a resounding
"no" to the ongoing US-led war of regime change in Syria. The American people
want security – including the defeat of ISIS – but they also recognize the long
and disastrous history of US-led regime-change efforts, including in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Libya, Syria, Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
This is the main reason why the US security state refuses to tell the
truth. The American people would call for peace rather than perpetual war. Obama
has a few months left in office to repair his broken legacy. He should start
by leveling with the American people.
"... The Democrats' Athena only differs from Bush on the details. ..."
"... Her bellicose interventionism has a history: it was Hillary, you'll recall, who berated her husband for not bombing Belgrade soon enough and hard enough. As Gail Sheehy relates in Hillary's Choice: ..."
"... Hillary would have occupied Iraq a decade earlier, riding into Baghdad at the head of her troops like Pallas Athena descending on the Trojans, striding boldly into what Gen. William E. Odom has described as "the greatest strategic disaster in our history." ..."
"... Hillary, however, didn't let any inconvenient facts get in her way. She boasted that it was under a Democratic administration that the U.S. "changed its underlying policy toward Iraq from containment to regime change" and took credit for the bright idea of putting Ahmad Chalabi, convicted embezzler and known liar, on the U.S. payroll. Her speech reads like a Weekly Standard editorial, reiterating each of the War Party's talking points-the bio-weapons fantasy, the links to al-Qaeda gambit, the phantom nuclear arsenal: "This much," she maintaind, "is undisputed." ..."
"... When it comes to Iran, however, she is just as belligerent as the next neocon: Pelosi co-sponsored legislation imposing draconian economic sanctions on Iran and stops just short of calling another war. ..."
The Democrats' Athena only differs from Bush on the details.
Hillary's newfound centrism isn't completely insincere. Her bellicose
interventionism has a history: it was Hillary, you'll recall, who berated her
husband for not bombing Belgrade soon enough and hard enough. As Gail Sheehy
relates in Hillary's Choice:
Hillary expressed her views by phone to the President: 'I urged him to bomb.'
The Clintons argued the issue over the next few days. [The president expressed]
what-ifs: What if bombing promoted more executions? What if it took apart the
NATO alliance? Hillary responded, 'You cannot let this go on at the end of a
century that has seen the major holocaust of our time. What do we have NATO
for if not to defend our way of life?' The next day the President declared that
force was necessary.
Together with Madeleine Albright-who famously complained to Colin Powell,
"What good is it having this superb military you're always talking about if
we can't use it?"-Hillary constituted the Amazonian wing of the Democratic Party
during the years of her husband's presidency. Her effort to outflank the Republicans
on the right when it comes to the Iran issue is a logical extension of her natural
bellicosity.
Hillary is nothing if not consistent: in her floor speech to the Senate during
the debate over the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, she declared,
"the facts that have brought us to this fateful vote are not in doubt"-a statement
she has never acknowledged regretting. Particularly endearing to the War Party,
she framed her "aye" vote in terms of the classic neoconservative myth of Bush
I's betrayal:
The first President Bush assembled a global coalition, including many Arab
states, and threw Saddam out after forty-three days of bombing and a hundred
hours of ground operations. The U.S.-led coalition then withdrew, leaving the
Kurds and the Shiites, who had risen against Saddam Hussein at our urging, to
Saddam's revenge.
Hillary would have occupied Iraq a decade earlier, riding into Baghdad
at the head of her troops like Pallas Athena descending on the Trojans, striding
boldly into what Gen. William E. Odom has described as "the greatest strategic
disaster in our history."
Hillary hails the 1998 bombing of Iraq, ordered by her husband, which killed
thousands of Iraqi civilians, and recounts the official mythology promulgated
by the Bush administration: "[T]he so-called presidential palaces … in reality
were huge compounds well suited to hold weapons labs, stocks, and records which
Saddam Hussein was required by UN resolution to turn over. When Saddam blocked
the inspection process, the inspectors left." As we now know, there was nothing
even approaching WMD in those palaces, and Iraq had been effectively disarmed
at that point. In late February or early March, Scott Ritter, then a UN arms
inspector, met with then-U.S. ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson. Ritter was
told to provoke an incident so the U.S. could finish bombing by the start of
the Islamic New Year holiday.
Hillary, however, didn't let any inconvenient facts get in her way. She
boasted that it was under a Democratic administration that the U.S. "changed
its underlying policy toward Iraq from containment to regime change" and took
credit for the bright idea of putting Ahmad Chalabi, convicted embezzler and
known liar, on the U.S. payroll. Her speech reads like a Weekly Standard editorial,
reiterating each of the War Party's talking points-the bio-weapons fantasy,
the links to al-Qaeda gambit, the phantom nuclear arsenal: "This much," she
maintaind, "is undisputed."
What is undisputed these days is that the entire rationale for war was based
on trumped-up evidence of Iraq's alleged transgressions, but Hillary is unrepentant:
"No, I don't regret giving the president authority because at the time it was
in the context of weapons of mass destruction, grave threats to the United States,
and clearly, Saddam Hussein had been a real problem for the international community
for more than a decade."
But there was no threat to the U.S. and Hillary knows it. What's more, her
hardcore constituency knows it, and they are becoming increasingly alienated
from-even actively hostile to-their putative presidential frontrunner over this
issue. Their anger is stoked by evidence that Hillary has imbibed the same neocon
Kool-Aid that has intoxicated the Bush administration and blinded it to the
failure of its policies in Iraq.
On a trip to Iraq during which 55 people-including one American soldier -were
killed by suicide bombers, Hillary was merrily chirping that the occupation
was "functioning quite well" and that the surge of suicide attacks indicated
that the insurgency was failing. Security was so bad that the road to the airport
was impassable, and the Senate delegation had to be transported to the Green
Zone by military helicopter. They dared not venture out into the streets of
Baghdad.
The disconnect between rhetoric and reality, between the antiwar views of
Hillary's left-wing base and the militant interventionism of Wittmann and the
DLC crowd, finally forced her to come to grips with the contradiction-or at
least to appear to do so. This occurred not in a public speech but in an e-mail
sent to her supporters in which the trouble she is in is acknowledged in the
first sentence: "The war in Iraq is on the minds of many of you who have written
or who have called my office asking questions and expressing frustration." Chances
are, these callers were expressing frustration not only with the policies of
the Bush administration but with her own complicity with Bush's Middle Eastern
agenda of seemingly endless aggression.
She falls back on the old "there are no quick and easy answers" ploy to give
an aura of thoughtfulness to a dishonest and constantly shifting position on
the war. While insisting that we should not "allow this to be an open-ended
commitment without limits or end," she reassures the War Party by distancing
herself from John Murtha and others who want an orderly withdrawal in a relatively
short time: "Nor do I believe that we can or should pull out of Iraq immediately."
She hails the elections as the signal that we can start the withdrawal process
sometime "in the coming year," but not completely: we must leave behind "a smaller
contingent in safer areas with greater intelligence and quick strike capabilities"-a
tripwire, in short, in the form of permanent bases.
... ... ...
What does Hillary want? A smarter, smoother, better-planned interventionism,
one that our allies find more amenable and yet is, in many ways, more militant
than the Republican version-one that "levels with the American people" about
the costs of empire and yet doesn't dispute the alleged necessity of American
hegemony. As she finds her voice as a would-be commander in chief, it isn't
one the traditional Left in this country will recognize.
... ... ...
If the Democratic establishment's stance on the war is at odds with the party's
antiwar activist base, then their outright warmongering on the Iranian issue
puts the two factions on a collision course. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi-who
effectively quashed fellow California Democrat Lynn Woolsey's resolution calling
for a withdrawal timetable -has followed the Hillary-Emanuel-DLC party line,
while managing somehow to assuage her constituents with plenty of pork and partisan
rhetoric. When it comes to Iran, however, she is just as belligerent as
the next neocon: Pelosi co-sponsored legislation imposing draconian economic
sanctions on Iran and stops just short of calling another war.
"... russia sees this bs crap about 'moderate' for what it is... just another shell game to play hide and seek, switch flags, etc, etc... until the 'moderate' opposition drop their military arms, it ain't 'moderate'... would 'moderate' opposition to the usa leadership be allowed to use weapons? that's the answer to that bs... ..."
OT GENEVA - The United States and Russia say they have resolved a number of issues standing in the
way of restoring a nationwide truce to Syria and opening up aid deliveries, but were unable once
again to forge a comprehensive agreement on stepping up cooperation to end the brutal war that
has killed hundreds of thousands.
After meeting off-and-on for nearly 10 hours in Geneva on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could point to only incremental progress in filling
in details of a broad understanding to boost joint efforts that was reached last month in Moscow.
Their failure to reach an overall deal highlighted the increasingly complex situation on the
ground in Syria - including new Russian-backed Syrian government attacks on opposition forces,
the intermingling of some of those opposition forces with an al-Qaida affiliate not covered by
the truce and the surrender of a rebel-held suburb of Damascus - as well as deep divisions and
mistrust dividing Washington and Moscow.
The complexities have also grown with the increasing internationalization of what has largely
become a proxy war between regional and world powers, highlighted by a move by Turkish troops
across the Syrian border against Islamic State fighters this week.
Kerry said he and Lavrov had agreed on the "vast majority" of technical discussions on steps
to reinstate a cease-fire and improve humanitarian access. But critical sticking points remain
unresolved and experts will remain in Geneva with an eye toward finalizing those in the coming
days, he said. ``` Lavrov echoed that, saying "we still need to finalize a few issues" and pointed to the need to
separate fighters from the al-Nusra Front, which has ties to al-Qaida, from U.S.-backed fighters
who hold parts of northwest Syria.
"We have continued our efforts to reduce the areas where we lack understanding and trust, which
is an achievement," Lavrov said. "The mutual trust is growing with every meeting."
Yet, it was clear that neither side believes an overall agreement is imminent or even achievable
after numerous previous disappointments shattered a brief period of relative calm earlier this
year.
The inability to wrest an agreement between Russia and the U.S. - as the major sponsors of
the opposing sides in the stalled Syria peace talks - all but spells another missed deadline for
the U.N. Syria envoy to get the Syrian government and "moderate" opposition back to the table.
``` In a nod to previous failed attempts to resurrect the cessation of hostilities, Kerry stressed
the importance of keeping the details secret. ``` And, underscoring deep differences over developments on the ground, Kerry noted that Russia disputes
the U.S. "narrative" of recent attacks on heavily populated areas being conducted by Syrian forces,
Russia itself and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. Russia maintains the attacks it has been
involved in have targeted legitimate terrorist targets, while the U.S. says they have hit moderate
opposition forces. ~~~ At the same time, the Obama administration is not of one mind regarding the Russians. The Pentagon
has publicly complained about getting drawn into greater cooperation with Russia even though it
has been forced recently to expand communication with Moscow. Last week, the U.S. had to call
for Russian help when Syrian warplanes struck an area not far from where U.S. troops were operating.
U.S. officials say it is imperative that Russia use its influence with Syrian President Bashar
Assad to halt all attacks on moderate opposition forces, open humanitarian aid corridors, and
concentrate any offensive action on the Islamic State group and other extremists not covered by
what has become a largely ignored truce.
For their part, U.S. officials say they are willing to press rebels groups they support harder
on separating themselves from the Islamic State and al-Nusra, which despite a recent name change
is still viewed as al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria.
Those goals are not new, but recent developments have made achieving them even more urgent
and important, according to U.S. officials. Recent developments include military operations around
the city of Aleppo, the entry of Turkey into the ground war, Turkish hostility toward U.S.-backed
Kurdish rebel groups and the presence of American military advisers in widening conflict zones.
Meanwhile, in a blow to the opposition, rebel forces and civilians in the besieged Damascus
suburb of Daraya were to be evacuated on Friday after agreeing to surrender the town late Thursday
after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege that left the sprawling area in
ruins.
The surrender of Daraya, which became an early symbol of the nascent uprising against Assad,
marks a success for his government, removing a persistent threat only a few miles from his seat
of power.
Posted by: okie farmer | Aug 27, 2016 8:23:27 AM | 80
Re: Geneva negotiations...
Love the goto clause:
"In a nod to previous failed attempts to resurrect the cessation of hostilities, Kerry stressed
the importance of keeping the details secret."
Yeah, keeping the details secret so that next time the Yankees backstab Russia, observers won't
immediately realise that they were, in fact, just shooting themselves in the foot. Again.
russia sees this bs crap about 'moderate' for what it is... just another shell game to play
hide and seek, switch flags, etc, etc... until the 'moderate' opposition drop their military arms,
it ain't 'moderate'... would 'moderate' opposition to the usa leadership be allowed to use weapons?
that's the answer to that bs...
as for turkey, clearly the apk has a 'get rid of the kurds' agenda.. works well in their alliance
with isis up to a point.. as for turkish/usa alliance and a no fly zone - if russia goes along
with this, they better get a hell of a trade off out of it.. i can't see it, although i see the
usa continuing on in their support of saudi arabia etc, using their mercenary isis army and saudi
arabia to continue to funnel arms sales and weaponry... it is what they do best, bullshite artists
that they are...
"U.S. Military Now Says ISIS Leader Was Held in Notorious Abu Ghraib Prison" [
The
Intercept
]. "In the occupation's first few years, U.S. facilities like Abu Ghraib and Camp developed
a reputation as "jihadi universities" where hard-line extremists indoctrinated and recruited less
radical inmates. Analysts have long suspected that Baghdadi took full advantage of his time at Bucca
to link up with the jihadis and former Iraqi military officials who would later fill out the Islamic
State's leadership." Well played, all.
Hillary election means new wars and death of the US servicemen/servicewomen. So Khan gambit is
much more dangerous that it looks as it implicitly promoted militarism and endless "permanent war
for permanent peace".
Notable quotes:
"... Information warfare uses disinformation and propaganda to condition a population to hate a foreign nation or population with the intent to foment a war, which is the routine "business" of the best known U.S. think tanks. ..."
"... There are two levels to this information war. The first level is by the primary provocateur, such as the Rand Corporation, the American Enterprise Institute and the smaller war instigators found wherever a Kagan family member lurks. They use psychological "suggestiveness" to create a false narrative of danger from some foreign entity with the objective being to create paranoia within the U.S. population that it is under imminent threat of attack or takeover. ..."
"... Once that fear and paranoia is instilled in much of the population, it can then be manipulated to foment a readiness or eagerness for war, in the manner that Joseph Goebbels understood well. ..."
"... Nevertheless, showing the success that our primary war provocateurs have had in fomenting hostility and possibly war is that less militaristic and bellicose Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), ostensibly working for "peace," have adopted this false propaganda theme uncritically. ..."
"... The Carnegie Moscow Center Foundation, which includes Russians on its staff, is a prime example. Lately, it has routinely echoed the more provocative and facially false accusations made against Russia by the outright militaristic and war instigating U.S. think tanks. An example is in a recent article of Carnegie, entitled: " Russia and NATO Must Communicate Better. " ..."
"... So fanatics like the U.S. Generals whom we've seen at the recent political conventions and even worse, General Breedlove, are encouraged to be ever more threatening to the world's populations. ..."
"... Recognizing that must then be coupled with recognition of a U.S. law passed in 2012 providing for military detention of journalists and social activists as the Justice Department conceded in Hedges v. Obama. Add to that what the ACLU recently compelled the U.S. government to reveal in the "Presidential Policy Guidance" and it is plain to see which nation has become most "authoritarian, nationalistic, and assertive." It is the United States. ..."
"... As this was when the Politburo was allegedly at its height in subverting and subjugating foreign countries as foreign policy, it should be exactly on point in describing current U.S. foreign policy. ..."
"... That U.S. think tanks, such as Rand and the American Enterprise Institute, put so much effort into promoting war should not come as a surprise when it is considered their funding is provided by the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) which President Eisenhower warned us about. ..."
U.S. "think tanks" rile up the American public against an ever-shifting roster of foreign "enemies"
to justify wars which line the pockets of military contractors who kick back some profits to the
"think tanks," explains retired JAG Major Todd E. Pierce.
The New York Times took notice recently of the role that so-called "think tanks" play in corrupting
U.S. government policy. Their review of think tanks "identified dozens of examples of scholars
conducting research at think tanks while corporations were paying them to help shape government policy."
Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, while the Times investigation demonstrates well that the
U.S. is even more corrupt – albeit the corruption is better disguised – than the many foreign countries
which we routinely accuse of corruption, the Times failed to identify the most egregious form of
corruption in our system. That is, those think tanks are constantly engaged in the sort of activities
which the Defense Department identifies as "Information War" when conducted by foreign countries
that are designated by the U.S. as an enemy at any given moment.
Information warfare uses disinformation and propaganda to condition a population to hate a foreign
nation or population with the intent to foment a war, which is the routine "business" of the best
known U.S. think tanks.
There are two levels to this information war. The first level is by the primary provocateur, such
as the Rand Corporation, the American Enterprise Institute and the smaller war instigators found
wherever a Kagan family member lurks. They use psychological "suggestiveness" to create a false
narrative of danger from some foreign entity with the objective being to create paranoia within the
U.S. population that it is under imminent threat of attack or takeover.
Once that fear and paranoia is instilled in much of the population, it can then be manipulated
to foment a readiness or eagerness for war, in the manner that Joseph Goebbels understood well.
The measure of success from such a disinformation and propaganda effort can be seen when the narrative
is adopted by secondary communicators who are perhaps the most important target audience. That is
because they are "key communicators" in PsyOp terms, who in turn become provocateurs in propagating
the false narrative even more broadly and to its own audiences, and becoming "combat multipliers"
in military terms.
It is readily apparent now that Russia has taken its place as the primary target within U.S. sights.
One doesn't have to see the U.S. military buildup on Russia's borders to understand that but only
see the propaganda themes of our "think tanks."
The Role of Rand
A prime example of an act of waging information war to incite actual military attack is the Rand
Corporation, which, incidentally, published a guide to information war and the need to condition
the U.S. population for war back in the 1990s.
A
scene from "Dr. Strangelove," in which the bomber pilot (played by actor Slim Pickens) rides a
nuclear bomb to its target in the Soviet Union.
Rand was founded by, among others, the war enthusiast, Air Force General Curtis LeMay, who was
the model for the character of Gen. Buck Turgidson in the movie "Dr. Strangelove." LeMay once stated
that he would not be afraid to start a nuclear war with Russia and that spirit would seem to be alive
and well at Rand today as they project on to Vladimir Putin our own eagerness for inciting a war.
The particular act of information warfare by Rand is shown in a recent Rand article: "How to
Counter Putin's Subversive War on the West." The title suggests by its presupposition that Putin
is acting in the offensive form of war rather than the defensive form of war. But it is plain to
see he is in the defensive form of war when one looks at the numerous provocations and acts of aggression
carried out by American officials, such as Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and General
Philip Breedlove, and the U.S. and NATO military buildup on Russia's borders.
Within this Rand article however can be found no better example of psychological projection than
this propagandistic pablum that too many commentators, some witless, some not, will predictably repeat:
"Moscow's provocative active measures cause foreign investors and international lenders to see
higher risks in doing business with Russia. Iran is learning a similar, painful lesson as it persists
with harsh anti-Western policies even as nuclear-related sanctions fade. Russia will decide its own
priorities. But it should not be surprised if disregard for others' interests diminishes the international
regard it seeks as an influential great power."
In fact, an objective, dispassionate observation of U.S./Russian policies would show it has been
the U.S. carrying out these "provocative active measures" as the instigator, not Russia.
Nevertheless, showing the success that our primary war provocateurs have had in fomenting hostility
and possibly war is that less militaristic and bellicose Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), ostensibly
working for "peace," have adopted this false propaganda theme uncritically.
The Carnegie Moscow Center Foundation, which includes Russians on its staff, is a prime example.
Lately, it has routinely echoed the more provocative and facially false accusations made against
Russia by the outright militaristic and war instigating U.S. think tanks. An example is in a recent
article of Carnegie, entitled: "Russia and NATO Must Communicate Better."
It begins: "The risk of outright conflict in Europe is higher than it has been for years and the
confrontation between Russia and the West shows no sign of ending. To prevent misunderstandings and
dangerous incidents, the two sides must improve their methods of communication."
Unfortunately, that is now true. But the article's author suggests throughout that each party,
Russia and the U.S./NATO, had an equal hand in the deterioration of relations. He wrote: "The West
needs to acknowledge that the standoff with Russia is not merely the result of Russia turning authoritarian,
nationalistic, and assertive," as if Western officials don't already know that that accusation was
only a propaganda theme for their own populations to cover up the West's aggressiveness.
Blaming Russia
So Americans, such as myself, must acknowledge and confront that the standoff with Russia is not
only not "merely the result of Russia turning authoritarian, nationalistic, and assertive,"
but it is rather, that the U.S. is "turning authoritarian, nationalistic," and even more "assertive,"
i.e., aggressive, toward the world.
Suz Tzu wrote that a "sovereign" must know oneself and the enemy. In the case of the U.S. sovereign,
the people and their elected, so-called representatives, there is probably no "sovereign" in human
history more lacking in self-awareness of their own nation's behavior toward other nations.
So fanatics like the U.S. Generals whom we've seen at the recent political conventions and even
worse, General Breedlove, are encouraged to be ever more threatening to the world's populations.
When that then generates a response from some nation with a tin-pot military relative to our own,
with ours paid for by the privileged financial position we've put ourselves into post-WWII, our politicians
urgently call for even more military spending from the American people to support even more aggression,
all in the guise of "national defense."
Recognizing that must then be coupled with recognition of a U.S. law passed in 2012 providing
for military detention of journalists and social activists as the Justice Department conceded in
Hedges v. Obama. Add to that what the ACLU recently compelled the U.S. government to reveal in the
"Presidential Policy Guidance" and it is plain to see which nation has become most "authoritarian,
nationalistic, and assertive." It is the United States.
The Presidential Policy Guidance "establishes the standard operating procedures for when the United
States takes direct action, which refers to lethal and non-lethal uses of force, including capture
operations against terrorist targets outside the United States and areas of active hostilities."
What other nation, besides Israel probably, has a governmental "Regulation" providing for assassinations
outside "areas of active hostilities?"
It should readily be evident that it is the U.S. now carrying out the vast majority of provocative
active measures and has the disregard for others complained of here. At least for the moment, however,
the U.S. can still hide much of its aggression using the vast financial resources provided by the
American people to the Defense Department to produce sophisticated propaganda and to bribe foreign
officials with foreign aid to look the other way from U.S. provocations.
It is ironic that today, one can learn more about the U.S. military and foreign policy from the
Rand Corporation only by reading at least one of its historical documents, "The Operational Code
of the Politburo." This is described as "part of a major effort at RAND to provide insight into
the political leadership and foreign policy in the Soviet Union and other communist states; the development
of Soviet military strategy and doctrine."
As this was when the Politburo was allegedly at its height in subverting and subjugating foreign
countries as foreign policy, it should be exactly on point in describing current U.S. foreign policy.
That U.S. think tanks, such as Rand and the American Enterprise Institute, put so much effort
into promoting war should not come as a surprise when it is considered their funding is provided
by the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) which President Eisenhower warned us about. That this U.S.
MIC would turn against its own people, the American public, by waging perpetual information war against
this domestic target just to enrich their investors, might have been even more than Eisenhower could
imagine however.
Todd E. Pierce retired as a Major in the US Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in
November 2012. His most recent assignment was defense counsel in the Office of Chief Defense Counsel,
Office of Military Commissions. [This article first appeared at
http://original.antiwar.com/Todd_Pierce/2016/08/14/inciting-wars-american-way/]
"... And Mankiw was the economic adviser to Mitt Romney, the elitist Nazi who said 47% of the American people were his enemies and who was in favour of economic policies that would stripmine the country to put all its wealth in the offshore bank accounts of the kleptocrats. ..."
"... Which btw makes you wonder how anyone can call Mankiw an "economist". The guy's a Republican buttboy and that's all he is. ..."
"... Mankiw didn't enable the Republicans alone. Every two-bit intro macro prof who teaches from Mankiw has aided him. ..."
"... Real Time whatever at wsj are looking for reasons to keep the GOPster/free trade type progress going! A reason to oppose Trump and vote for Hillary? ..."
"... Trump is a very controversial figure, but he can be viewed as a disruptive politician and might put some pressure on neoliberal, and especially neocons, before they coopt him. Think of him as a proponent of Brexit II. Making the elections essentially a referendum on neoliberal globalization. ..."
"who has broken with many of the GOP's traditional positions on economic policy"
Not seeing much to like in "the GOP's traditional positions" where does this leave me? The
truth is all 45 surviving former members of the CEA can be wrong without making Trump right.
Indeed, see how far the US has "progressed" with these guys' advising since Nixon!
Decision Overload
When the deeply established insider "advisers" are against him, you can bet that he is an angry
outsider same as the rest of us. Look!
The most inefficient thing in our taxation system is the taxing of poor folks. Do you recognize
what that accomplishes? Poor folk taxation takes money away from the poor person's landlord, his
power company, his telephone company and more much more -- just slows down the economy plus administrative
overhead that is the cost of slamming on the brakes.
The Donald has proposed a $25,000 standard deduction which will protect the low-rollers who
have no deductions from tax-shelters. $50,000 for married couples! What a savings! What a relief
from the churning that has evolved from smoke and mirror politics.
"Harvard University economist Gregory Mankiw, who chaired the council under George W. Bush and
has been mentioned as a possible future Fed chairman, said recently on his blog that he would
not support Mr. Trump.
"I have Republican friends who think that things couldn't be worse than doubling down on Obama
policies under Hillary Clinton. And, like them, I am no fan of the left's agenda of large government
and high taxes," Mr. Mankiw wrote. "But they are wrong: Things could be worse. And I fear they
would be under Mr. Trump.""
Mankiw and Krugman mini-me Pro Growth Liberal agree on something.
And Mankiw was the economic adviser to Mitt Romney, the elitist Nazi who said 47% of the American
people were his enemies and who was in favour of economic policies that would stripmine the country
to put all its wealth in the offshore bank accounts of the kleptocrats.
Which btw makes you wonder how anyone can call Mankiw an "economist". The guy's a Republican
buttboy and that's all he is.
Mankiw didn't enable the Republicans alone. Every two-bit intro macro prof who teaches from
Mankiw has aided him.
I laugh when I imagine undergrad econ ten years from now: the textbooks will be full of Murray
Rothbard and Ayn Rand, and undergrad sessional lecturers will be drowning in cognitive dissonance
as they try to remain straight-faced while lecturing on the benefits of the gold standard and
eliminating the Federal Reserve.
pgl :
Stiglitz supports Clinton over Trump. No surprise but this is:
"I have known personally every Republican president since Richard Nixon," said Harvard University
economist Martin Feldstein, who chaired the council under President Ronald Reagan. "They all
showed a real understanding of economics and international affairs".
OK - Reagan did get a degree in economics but Krugman - who worked for Feldstein a the CEA
- tells a different story about this White House when it comes to macroeconomics, the role of
monetary policy, and in particular what was happening with the international aspects of our economy
during Reagan's first term. Volcker - once he was done with his damaging tight monetary policy
- tried to make a deal where he would lower interest rates in exchange for a reversal of that
1981 tax cut. The Reagan White House had no clue what the FED chair was even proposing even though
it would have been a very good idea.
ilsm :
Real Time whatever at wsj are looking for reasons to keep the GOPster/free trade type progress
going! A reason to oppose Trump and vote for Hillary?
Dowd is right! The best thuglican is a democrat.
likbez :
Hillary Clinton is dyed-in-wool neoliberal. So all she can do is to kick the can down the road.
All her elections promises are not worth the cost of the electrical energy that is used to depict
them on our screens.
Trump is a very controversial figure, but he can be viewed as a disruptive politician and
might put some pressure on neoliberal, and especially neocons, before they coopt him. Think of
him as a proponent of Brexit II. Making the elections essentially a referendum on neoliberal globalization.
If he wins, a lot of Washington neocon parasites might lose jobs (the cash for the neocons
comes mostly from defense contractors), that's why they crossed the party lines and that's why
neoliberal propaganda campaign against him is so vicious. Khan gambit was a nasty attempt to speedboat
him. It failed.
While Hillary gets a free pass from neoliberal press (ABC, CBS and NBC). Neoliberal presstitutes
(like George Stephanopoulos ) are especially vicious, behave like rabid dogs. Just listen to his
interview of Trump about Khan gambit at Democratic convention.
There is another view on Trump that deserves attention:
=== quote ===
Lupita 08.04.16 at 4:23 am 167
I think Trump is afraid the imperial global order presided by the US is about to crash
and thinks he will be able to steer the country into a soft landing by accepting that other
world powers have interests, by disengaging from costly and humiliating military interventions,
by re-negotiating trade deals, and by stopping the mass immigration of poor people. Plus
a few well-placed bombs .
Much has been written about the internet revolution, about the impact of people having
access to much more information than before. The elite does not recognize this and is still
organizing political and media campaigns as if it were 1990, relying on elder statesmen
like Blair, Bush, Mitterrand, Clinton, and Obama to influence public opinion. They are failing
miserably, to the point of being counterproductive.
I don't think something as parochial as racism is sustaining Trump, but rather the fear
of the loss of empire by a population with several orders of magnitude more information
and communication than in 2008, even 2012.
=== end of quote ===
But it is the deep state that dictates the course of the US, both in foreign policy and domestically,
probably from 1963, so the president now is more of a ceremonial figure that adds legitimacy to
the actual rule of deep state.
In any case discussion Hillary vs. Trump and questions of economics (neoliberalism vs. some
retrenchment in the direction of the New Deal) we should not miss the key, defining this election
fact that Hillary is a war criminal (crimes against peace are war crimes). See
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/nuremberg-trials
From this point of view voting for Hillary is highly undesirable as this is an implicit cooperation
with the war criminal. That does not mean that people should vote for Trump. Who has his own set
of warts.
It has been suggested the appropriators owned by the war profiteers won't allocate money to fuel
the transports that take America's Soldiers and Marines home.
The lesser evil killed no one with a vote believing in fake WMD's. The lesser evil is not experienced
in keeping the neocons happy.
The lesser evil may decide body bags forever is not strategy.
Trump is the lesser evil.
Imagine what happens if the commander in chief says: stand down and steam for Pearl Harbor,
San Diego and Alameda.
What would all those US retirees do if the commander in chief shuttered those brigades in Germany?
If the crooked DNC cared about families of US' slain.....
The Khan con angered 5990 Gold Star families who are not Muslim and whose star are the result
of Hillary voting for AUMF righteously and acting out since 2003.
As well as veterans!
Gold star families why not pick 1/5999 rather than 1/14 Muslims?
'My view is Hillary is far more aligned with the types of issues that are important to the
defense industry than Trump is'
Employees of 25 of the nation's largest defense companies-such as Lockheed
Martin, General Dynamics, and Raytheon-are choosing to fill the coffers of
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over those of her rival, GOP
nominee Donald Trump.
That's
according to a new analysis by Politico, published Wednesday
and based on federal campaign finance filings.
Indeed, Politico found that Clinton-whose
hawkish tendencies have been
front-and-center during the
2016 campaign-is leading Trump "by a ratio of 2-to-1 in campaign
donations from employees working for defense giants like Lockheed Martin and
General Dynamics. That's a sharp turnaround from 2012, when defense
contractors gave more to then-Republican nominee Mitt Romney than to
President Barack Obama."
Specifically, employees of those 25 firms have donated $93,000 to
Clinton, compared with $46,000 for Trump. "Clinton's donor rolls also
include more than two dozen top defense executives, while Trump's show just
two," Politico adds.
It's no wonder why defense giants prefer Clinton.
"My view is Hillary is
far more aligned with the types of issues that are important to the defense
industry than Trump is," Linda Hudson-who ran the U.S. branch of British
defense firm BAE Systems, the Pentagon's eighth largest contractor, from
2009 to 2014-told Politico.
And an anonymous lobbyist told the publication: "With Hillary Clinton we
have some sense of where she would go, and with Trump we have none."
Signs abound
pointing to "where she would go." As commentator JP Sottile
wrote earlier this month of Clinton, "she's weaponized the
State Department. She really
likes regime change. And her nominating convention not only embraced the
military, but it sanctified the very Gold Star families that neocon-style
interventionism creates."
Or, as investigative journalist Robert Parry
declared in June: "Clinton is an unabashed war hawk who has shown no
inclination to rethink her pro-war attitudes."
Parry quoted the New York Times as
calling Clinton "the vessel into which many interventionists are pouring
their hopes."
And defense contractors, too, it seems.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share
Alike 3.0 License
"... Let's start with the last bit: "the leader of the free world." That's what journalists used to call the U.S. president, and occasionally the country as a whole, during the Cold War. Between the end of World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the "free world" included all the English-speaking countries outside Africa, along with western Europe, North America, some South American dictatorships, and nations like the Philippines that had a neocolonial relationship with the United States. ..."
"... I have absolutely no doubt that he and his eastern European countrymen were far from free. I do wonder, however, how free his counterparts in the American-backed Brazilian, Argentinian, Chilean, and Philippine dictatorships felt. ..."
"... Some countries in the Third World refused to be pawns in the superpower game, and created a non-aligned movement , which sought to thread a way between the Scylla and Charybdis of the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ..."
"... Among its founders were some of the great Third World nationalists: Sukarno of Indonesia, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, along with Yugoslavia's President Josip Broz Tito. ..."
Posted on
August 22, 2016 by
Yves Smith Yves here. This article by Rebecca Gordon does a fine job of calling out the recklessness
and disregard for the law of a group of foreign policy "experts" who signed a letter calling Trump
unfit for office. But it's disconcerting to see Rebecca Gordon document how these individuals have engaged in the same sort of unacceptable behavior that they Trump would undertake, and then argue that Trump is obviously dangerous, and by implication,
Clinton is not. Clinton is fully on board with the policies that these experts represent, so how
exactly is she better? Gordon needs to make a case, not just assert superiority in the face of facts
she presents that indicate otherwise. Gordon tries arguing for Manafort as proof that Trump is tainted.
But Manafort was a recent hire and has just been dispatched, while long-term Clinton key player John
Podesta's firm
also appears to have advised pro-Russia parties in Ukraine .
It's not every day that Republicans publish an
open letter announcing that their presidential candidate is unfit for office. But lately this
sort of thing has been
happening more and more
frequently . The most recent example: we just
heard from 50 representatives of the national security apparatus, men - and a few women - who
served under Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. All of them are very worried
about Donald Trump.
They think we should be alerted to the fact that the Republican standard-bearer "lacks the character,
values, and experience to be president."
That's true of course, but it's also pretty rich, coming from this bunch. The letter's signers
include, among others, the man who was Condoleezza Rice's
legal advisor when
she ran the National Security Council (John Bellinger III); one of George W. Bush's
CIA directors
who also ran the National Security Agency (Michael Hayden); a Bush administration
ambassador to the United
Nations and Iraq (John Negroponte); an
architect of the neoconservative
policy in the Middle East adopted by the Bush administration that led to the invasion of Iraq, who
has since served as president of the World Bank (Robert Zoellick). In short, given the history
of the "global war on terror," this is your basic list of potential American war
criminals.
Their letter continues, "He weakens U.S. moral authority as the leader of the free world."
There's a sentence that could use some unpacking.
What Is The "Free World"?
Let's start with the last bit: "the leader of the free world." That's what journalists used to
call the U.S. president, and occasionally the country as a whole, during the Cold War. Between the
end of World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the "free world" included all the English-speaking
countries outside Africa, along with western Europe, North America, some South American dictatorships,
and nations like the Philippines that had a neocolonial relationship with the United States.
The U.S.S.R. led what, by this logic, was the un-free world, including the
Warsaw Pact countries in
eastern Europe, the "captive" Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, the People's Republic
of China (for part of the period), North Korea, and of course Cuba. Americans who grew up in these
years knew that the people living behind the "
Iron Curtain " were not
free. We'd seen the bus ads and public service announcements on television requesting donations for
Radio Free Europe , sometimes illustrated with
footage of a pale adolescent
man, his head crowned with chains.
I have absolutely no doubt that he and his eastern European countrymen were far from free. I do
wonder, however, how free his counterparts in the American-backed Brazilian, Argentinian, Chilean,
and Philippine dictatorships felt.
The two great adversaries, together with the countries in their spheres of influence, were often
called the First and Second Worlds. Their rulers treated the rest of the planet - the Third World
- as a chessboard across which they moved their proxy armies and onto which they sometimes targeted
their missiles. Some countries in the Third World refused to be pawns in the superpower game, and
created a non-aligned
movement , which sought to thread a way between the
Scylla and Charybdis
of the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Among its founders were some of the great Third World nationalists: Sukarno of Indonesia, Jawaharlal
Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, along with Yugoslavia's
President Josip Broz Tito.
Other countries weren't so lucky. When the United States took over from France the (unsuccessful)
project of defeating Vietnam's anti-colonial struggle, people in the U.S. were assured that the war
that followed with its massive bombing, napalming, and Agent-Oranging of a peasant society represented
the advance of freedom against the forces of communist enslavement. Central America also served as
a Cold War battlefield, with Washington fighting proxy wars during the 1980s in Guatemala, El Salvador,
and Nicaragua, where poor campesinos had insisted on being treated as human beings and were
often brutally murdered for their trouble. In addition, the U.S. funded, trained, and armed a military
dictatorship in Honduras, where John Negroponte - one of the anti-Trump letter signers - was the
U.S. ambassador from 1981 to 1985.
The Soviet Union is, of course, long gone, but the "free world," it seems, remains, and so American
officials still sometimes refer to us as its leader - an expression that only makes sense, of course,
in the context of dual (and dueling) worlds. On a post-Soviet planet, however, it's hard to know
just what national or geographic configuration constitutes today's "un-free world." Is it (as Donald
Trump might have it) everyone living under Arab or Muslim rule? Or could it be that amorphous phenomenon
we call "terrorism" or "Islamic terrorism" that can sometimes reach into the "free world" and slaughter
innocents as in
San Bernardino
, California,
Orlando
, Florida, or Nice
, France? Or could it be the old Soviet Union reincarnated in Vladimir Putin's Russia or even
a rising capitalist China still controlled by a Communist Party?
Faced with the loss of a primary antagonist and the confusion on our planet, George W. Bush was
forced to downsize the perennial enemy of freedom from Reagan's old "
evil empire " (the Soviet
Union) to three "rogue states," Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, which in an address to Congress he so
memorably labeled the " axis
of evil ." The first of these lies in near ruins; the second we've recently signed a nuclear
treaty with; and the third seems incapable of even feeding its own population. Fortunately for the
free world, the Bush administration also had some second-string enemies to draw on. In 2002, John
Bolton, then an undersecretary of state (and later ambassador to the U.N.), added another group "beyond
the axis of evil" - Libya, Syria, and Cuba. Of the three, only Cuba is still a functioning nation.
And by the way, the 50 Republican national security stars who denounced Donald Trump in Cold War
terms turn out to be in remarkably good company - that of Donald Trump himself (who recently gave
a speech
invoking American Cold War practices as the basis for his future foreign policy).
"He Weakens U.S. Moral Authority…"
After its
twenty-first century wars , its "
black sites
," and
Guantánamo
, among other developments of the age, it's hard to imagine a much weaker "moral authority" than
what's presently left to the United States. First, we gave the world eight years of George W. Bush's
illegal invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as CIA torture sites, "enhanced
interrogation techniques," and a program of quite illegal
global kidnappings of terror suspects (
some of whom proved
innocent
of anything). Under President Obama, it seems we've traded enhanced interrogation techniques for
an "enhanced" use of
assassination by drone (again outside any "law" of war, other than the
legal documents that the Justice Department has produced to justify such acts).
When Barack Obama took office in January 2009 his first
executive order outlawed the CIA's torture program and closed those black sites. It then looked
as if the country's moral fiber might be stiffening. But when it came to holding the torturers accountable,
Obama insisted
that the country should "look forward as opposed to looking backwards" and the Justice Department
declined to prosecute any of them. It's hard for a country to maintain its moral authority in
the world when it refuses to exert that authority at home.
Two of the letter signers who are so concerned about Trump's effect on U.S. moral authority themselves
played special roles in "weakening" U.S. moral authority through their involvement with the CIA torture
program: John Bellinger III and Michael Hayden.
June 26th is the U.N.'s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. To mark that day in
2003, President Bush issued a statement declaring, "Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity
everywhere. The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture, and we are leading
this fight by example."
The Washington Post story on the president's
speech also carried a quote from Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to the effect
that all prisoners being held by the U.S. government were being treated "humanely." John Rizzo, who
was then the CIA's deputy general counsel, called John Bellinger, Condoleezza Rice's legal counsel
at the National Security Council, to express his concern about what both the president and McClellan
had said.
The problem was that - as Rizzo and his boss, CIA director George Tenet, well knew - many detainees
then held by the CIA were not being treated humanely. They were being tortured or mistreated
in various ways. The CIA wanted to be sure that they still had White House backing and approval for
their "enhanced interrogation" program, because they didn't want to be left holding the bag if the
truth came out. They also wanted the White House to stop talking about the humane treatment of prisoners.
According to an internal CIA
memo , George Tenet convened a July 29, 2003, meeting in Condoleezza Rice's office to get the
necessary reassurance that the CIA would be covered if the truth about torture came out. There, Bellinger
reportedly apologized on behalf of the administration, explaining that the White House press secretary
had "gone off script," mistakenly reverting to "old talking points." He also "undertook to [e]nsure
that the White House press office ceases to make statements on the subject other than [to say] that
the U.S. is complying with its obligations under U.S. law."
At that same meeting, Tenet's chief counsel, Scott Muller, passed out packets of printed PowerPoint
slides detailing those enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, so that Bellinger
and the others present, including Rice, would understand exactly what he was covering up.
So much for the "moral authority" of John Bellinger III.
As for Michael Hayden (who has held several offices in the national security apparatus), one
of his signature acts as CIA Director was to approve in 2005 the destruction of videotapes of the
agency's waterboarding sessions. In a
letter to CIA employees,
he wrote that the tapes were destroyed "only after it was determined they were no longer of intelligence
value and not relevant to any internal, legislative, or judicial inquiries."
Of course destroying those tapes also meant that they'd never be available for any future legislative
or judicial inquiry. The letter continued,
"Beyond their lack of intelligence value… the tapes posed a serious security risk. Were they ever
to leak, they would permit identification of your CIA colleagues who had served in the program, exposing
them and their families to retaliation from al-Qaeda and its sympathizers."
One has to wonder whether Hayden was more concerned with his CIA colleagues' "security" from al-Qaeda
or from prosecution. In any case, he deprived the public - and any hypothetical future prosecutor
- of crucial evidence of wrongdoing.
Hayden also perpetuated the
lie that the Agency's first waterboarding victim, Abu Zubaydah - waterboarded a staggering 83
times - was a crucial al-Qaeda operative and had provided a quarter of all the information that the
CIA gathered from human subjects about al-Qaeda. He was, in fact, never a member of al-Qaeda at all.
In the 1980s, he ran a training camp in Afghanistan for the mujahedin , the force the U.S.
supported against the Soviet occupation of that country; he was, that is, one of Ronald Reagan's
"
freedom fighters ."
Bellinger later chimed in, keeping the Abu Zubaydah lie alive by arguing in 2007 on behalf of
his boss Condoleezza Rice that Guantánamo should remain open. That prison, he said, "serves a very
important purpose, to hold and detain individuals who are extremely dangerous [like] Abu Zubaydah,
people who have been planners of 9/11."
"He Appears to Lack Basic Knowledge About and Belief in the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Laws,
and U.S. Institutions…"
That's the next line of the open letter, and it's certainly a fair assessment of Donald Trump.
But it's more than a little ironic that it was signed by Michael Hayden who, in addition to supporting
CIA's torture project,
oversaw the
National Security Agency's post-9/11 secret surveillance program. Under that
program
, the government recorded the phone, text, and Internet communications of an unknown number of
people inside and outside of the United States - all without warrants .
Perhaps Hayden believes in the Constitution, but at best it's a selective belief. There's that
pesky 4th Amendment, for example, which guarantees that
"[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched,
and the persons or things to be seized."
Nor does Hayden appear to believe in U.S. laws and institutions, at least when it comes to the
1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which established the secret courts that are supposed
to issue exactly the sort of warrant Hayden's program never requested.
John Negroponte is another of the signers who has a history of skirting U.S. laws and the congress
that passes them. While ambassador to Honduras, he helped develop a
murderous
" contra" army, which the United States armed and trained to overthrow the government
of neighboring Nicaragua. During those years, however, aid to the contras was actually illegal
under U.S. law. It was explicitly prohibited under the so-called
Boland Amendments to
various appropriations bills, but no matter. "National security" was at stake.
Speaking of the Constitution, it's instructive to take a look at Article 6, which states in part
that "all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall
be the supreme law of the land." Such treaties include, for example, the 1928 Kellogg-Briand non-aggression
pact (whose violation was the first charge brought against the Nazi officials tried at
Nuremberg ) and Article
51 of the U.N. charter, which permits military action only "if an armed attack occurs against a Member
of the United Nations."
In 1998, Robert Zoellick, another of those 50 Republicans openly denouncing Trump, signed a
different letter
, which advocated abrogating those treaties. As an associate of the
Project
for a New American Century , he was among those who urged then-President Bill Clinton to direct
"a full complement of diplomatic, political, and military efforts" to "remove Saddam Hussein from
power." This was to be just the first step in a larger campaign to create a Pax Americana
in the Middle East. The letter specifically urged Clinton not to worry about getting a Security Council
resolution, arguing that "American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence
on unanimity in the UN Security Council."
At least give us some lesser evilism, Prof. Gordon. No? But really, Clinton's endorsement
of Kissinger and the lack of political and MSM response to that endorsement is perhaps the most
shocking thing. My introduction to Kissinger's crimes was via Hitchens, who then promptly backed
the Bush regime's interventionism. I shouldn't be surprised anymore at establishment Three-Card
Monte.
Next homework assignment for Gordon: Hillary on Kissinger. What it means, why it matters.
(1) The Republican Party is ALSO the Party of the Great Redeemer, Abraham Lincoln.
(2) Word(s) are not Things, they are change, change, changing signifiers of nothing.
(3) The divide (spectrum) is NOT, left to right! The Neo-Bolsheviks (cons/libs) have used money
and influence to appropriate (own) BOTH the "Left" and the "Right". They own (as in bought and
sold "own") the discussion.
(4) The true spectrum is up and down. The 99% vs the 1%.
(5) 1%ers, aspiring 1%ers, the service staff of the 1% (managers etc) should definitely vote
for Hillary Clinton. She is the candidate (voice for) The Unique.
(6) Donald Trump is seeking to be a voice for the 99%. IMO, this make him The Progressive.(The
Walt Whitman Progressive) People who see themselves as members of the Masses, The People, The
Crowd, The Gaia, The 99%, EveryMan/EveryWoman/EveryGender
(7) Trump does not look or sound the way most of us imagine, The Redeemer
should look. (Obama was a perfectly looking redeemer, IMO, except, he was a false messiah
). IMO, Trump is the Redeemer, the real McCoy .
(8) " Inattentional blindness, also known as perceptual blindness , is a psychological
lack of attention that is not associated with any vision defects or deficits. It may be further
defined as the event in which an individual fails to recognize an unexpected stimulus that is
in plain sight. When it simply becomes impossible for one to attend to all the stimuli in a given
situation, a temporary blindness effect can take place as a result; that is, individuals fail
to see objects or stimuli that are unexpected and quite often salient." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness
Trump is right in front of us. Stop listening to all the bullshit and open your eyes and ears
to what is going on. (IMO, of course!)
No matter how bad Trump is, Hillary is worse. Hell I wouldn't be voting for Trump if Hillary
weren't in the race, that's for damn sure.
So just go ahead and keep doing more oppo research on Trump. Please–I beg you. Because no matter
what you manage to pull out of your butt I'm just nodding my head and saying to myself, "yep.
Probably true, but still far better than Hillary."
" But it's disconcerting to see Rebecca Gordon document how these individuals have engaged
in the same sort of unacceptable behavior that they Trump would undertake, and then argue that
Trump is obviously dangerous, and by implication, Clinton is not. Clinton is fully on board with
the policies that these experts represent, so how exactly is she better? Gordon needs to make
a case, not just assert superiority. "
Isn't this just another good example of why we shouldn't be afraid of the truth and
plain talk? When we finally start using words like "liar", "cheater", "thief" "murderer" "assassin"
to describe those (politicians) guilty of such crimes, we might be able to get rid of them. PC
is too often a trap for the one practicing it. It dims the bright lights we want to shine on the
wrong-doer and robs us of our ability to debate . There's a reason why plain-talking demagogues
like Trump are so successful. Instead of wrapping ourselves even more tightly in the saran wrap
of genteel good manners (sometimes just another way of showing superiority?) we should be honing
our language skills and engaging with the enemy.
Here's to using the right words. "War" (or, nowadays, military intervention or (ha!)
humanitarian intervention - what's "humanitarian" about dropping bombs and destroying infrastructure
and causing environmental devastation?) is murder .
Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton - all mass murderers. The latter two
who weep public tears every time there is a mass shooting in the US that kills a dozen or so victims.
Hillary is all about "arms control" in the US and slammed Bernie because he was too "lenient"
on guns, while she razed Libya and caused the spread of masses of weapons from Libya to Syria.
There is mass murder going on in Yemen as I type, aided and abetted by the US military, using
weapons sold by Obama and HRC to the Saudis.
Trump is a bloviating idiot (at best) but a simple question: how many people has he actually
killed compared to Bush, Obama, and the two Clintons? And never forget Albright's "it was worth
it" comment regarding 500,000 Iraqi children killed as a result of Bill Clinton's sanctions.
If Hill actually shows up for the debates, this is one thing Donald can hammer her about without
people screaming at him for being mean to the little lady--which is what they will do if he rips
into her on some of the other stuff he will rip into her on. HRC will hide behind her skirts,
like the phony "feminist" she is.
I just stumbled on a new post at CounterPunch regarding Hillary's fake "feminism", including
the following 'grafs:
During her husband's presidency, Hillary was a vocal advocate for the barbaric sanctions
regime, as well as the No-Fly Zone and other belligerent actions taken by her husband against
the Iraqi Government of Saddam Hussein. In fact, many experts have noted that the Clinton Iraq
policy essentially laid the groundwork for George W. Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq
in 2003. In particular, Hillary was a leading proponent of the sanctions which, according
to the UN, killed roughly 500,000 children.
And, of course, there's Hillary's infamous support for Bush's Iraq War when she was a Senator
from New York. Clinton explained to the Council on Foreign Relations in December 2003, "I was
one who supported giving President Bush the authority, if necessary, to use force against Saddam
Hussein. I believe that that was the right vote….I stand by the vote." Of course this was in
the immediate aftermath of the invasion of Iraq and subsequent capture of Saddam Hussein, a
time when one could still justify support for a war that, just a few years later, proved to
be politically unpalatable, to say nothing of it being an egregious war crime, as we all knew
from the beginning.
And Hillary was not perturbed in the slightest at the hundreds of thousands of women and
children whose lives were irrevocably destroyed by the war and its aftermath, one which is
still being reckoned with today.
Hillary and Bill – the power couple tag team of Washington – also led the charge
to bomb Serbia in 1999. During the 78 days of "Operation Allied Force" more than 2,000 civilians
were killed, including 88 children. Naturally, this was of little consequence to the
great feminist heroine Hillary who, according to biographer Gail Sheehy, proudly proclaimed
"I urged [Bill Clinton] to bomb [Serbia]." The barbarism and sheer viciousness of someone who
gleefully takes credit for the deaths of scores of children and countless thousands of women
should give anyone who believes in the Hillary the feminist mythos serious pause.
Who could forget Libya? In the war championed by Hillary Clinton, who is regarded
by experts as being the loudest voice in favor of regime change against Gaddafi and the destruction
of the country, tens of thousands of women were raped, lynched, and murdered by the glorious
"rebels" (read terrorists) backed by Clinton and her imperial coterie . Perhaps the
great feminist hero could speak to the children of Misrata, Sirte, and Bani Walid who have
now grown up without their mothers and fathers, and explain to them just how "worth it" the
war was. Maybe Clinton could look mothers in the eyes and tell them how the deaths
of their children from war, disease, and terrorism is a small price to pay for the foreign
policy objectives of Washington.
The failure of so many partisans to recognize what is going on is startling. This is really
one of the most remarkable political seasons in my memory, and I go back to Stevenson/Eisenhower
days. (Criminy.)
We're watching what amounts to a reversal of political polarities, with the Democrats led by
Hillary becoming sort of hopped-up post-modern high-end Republicans (what the Republicans would
have become if they hadn't gone insane with power during and following the Reagan regime) and
the Republicans becoming the party of a hopped-up and angry rabble. Their spokesman is Trump,
but he's not their leader by any means. For the moment, there isn't one, but if this reversal/realignment
is sustained - and I think it will be - there will be a Leader of the Rabble. It's too juicy an
opportunity to resist.
Hillary is signaling in every way possible that she will govern as a hot-dog Republican, fully
on board with the War Party which has been the driving force of the Republican and a significant
part of the Democratic establishment since Bush the Old. Hillary is become what Jeb! was supposed
to be.
The Establishment's War Party is fully on board with Herself as well.
This could turn ugly very quickly. They have been telling us very loudly that they want a confrontation
with Russia and then with China to establish once and for all the dominance of the American Empire
over the entire globe. They are prepared - and apparently eager - to crush any resistance with
whatever force they choose, whenever they choose. Moscow and Beijing to be turned to seas of glowing
glass if they do not yield sufficiently and in a timely fashion.
That's the threat this War Party under Mrs. Clinton holds out.
That is the threat the Republicans and their Party would have held out if the War Party had
continued to hold sway within it. Trump has short-circuited that by insisting that glassing the
"terrorists" is the right course of action, leaving the Russians and Chinese pretty much alone.
Except that's not what the War Party wants. The "terrorists" in fact are their allies in the quest
for ultimate power.
Instead, the goal seems to be to dismember/destroy Russia and to contain and control China,
exploiting both for whatever resources can be extracted, ultimately leaving both as empty husks.
Trump says he has other goals, but they amount to a similar program with somewhat different
victims.
Partisans see one as ultimate Evil, the other as Less Evil and therefore Good.
But it's a goon show. The War Party is determined to have its way again. Clinton will follow
their lead; Trump would try to lead it. Neither we nor they can escape it.
When somebody comes up with a way to disable the War Party within the permanent government,
I'll listen. Until then, we are as they say, f**ked.
Here we need to distinguish the events in Syria and event sin Iraq. Creating of salafist army in
Iraq was the result of Iraq war. Color revolution attempted in Syria and arming of the opposition
were all done on Obama watch. The USA trained and armed "moderate Syria opposition" but the problem
is that there was no any moderate opposition -- they trained members of radical group who for the
sake of training and getting arms pretended to be "moderate". .
Notable quotes:
"... A 2012 defense intelligence report, originally stamped SECRET exposes that the US-backed anti-Assad coalition at the time was spearheaded by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) that soon after cobbled together to form the Daesh terror network. ..."
"... "There is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria (Hasak and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want," in what can only conceivably be construed as a call for the formation of a Daesh "caliphate" in Syria. ..."
"... Again, the opposition that the Obama administration deemed to be the "legitimate representative of the Syrian people" was led by the precursors to the Daesh terror network, AQI and ISI, with Washington employing a policy of feigned ignorance agreeing to provide arms, aid, and support to other factions of the opposition knowing that these groups would potentially function as a conduit. ..."
"... The US policy of utilizing jihadist extremists in proxy wars carries with it a haunting track record dating back to the CIA support, during the Reagan administration, of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan that spawned off the now deceased terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terror network. ..."
The Obama Administration's policy of supporting Salafist opposition to Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad saw the United States unwittingly support the creation of the Daesh 'caliphate' in Syria.
A 2012 defense intelligence report, originally stamped SECRET exposes that the US-backed anti-Assad
coalition at the time was spearheaded by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI)
that soon after cobbled together to form the Daesh terror network.
The report exposes that while the United States refused to directly aide and support AQI and ISI
pursuant to restrictions imposed by domestic anti-terror laws, State Department and Pentagon officials
were well aware that the so-called 'moderate' rebels were intertwined with the terrorist militants
who were the vanguard of the fighting force. Somewhat fantastically, the United States finds itself
in a similar predicament in its anti-Assad proxy war vis-à-vis another former al-Qaeda affiliate,
al-Nusra Front.
"AQI, through the spokesman of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), Abu Muhammad al-Adnani… is calling
on the Sunnis in Iraq, especially the tribes in the border regions (between Iraq and Syria), to wage
war against the Syrian regime," said the report.
It continued: "Opposition forces are trying to control the eastern areas (Hasaka and Der Zor) adjacent
to the Western Iraqi provinces (Mosul and Anbar), in addition to neighboring Turkish borders. Western
countries, the Gulf States and Turkey are supporting these efforts."
"There is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in
Eastern Syria (Hasak and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition
want," in what can only conceivably be construed as a call for the formation of a Daesh "caliphate"
in Syria.
In December 2012, only months after the defense intelligence report, President Obama caved to Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton and the more hawkish wing of the national security establishment saying
the United States considered the opposition to be "the legitimate representative of the Syrian people."
Again, the opposition that the Obama administration deemed to be the "legitimate representative of
the Syrian people" was led by the precursors to the Daesh terror network, AQI and ISI, with Washington
employing a policy of feigned ignorance agreeing to provide arms, aid, and support to other factions
of the opposition knowing that these groups would potentially function as a conduit.
Indications are that the Obama administration failed to appropriately apprehend the danger posed
by the Daesh terror network with the President calling the group al-Qaeda's "JV Team" and with his
own former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn's assessment predicting in intricate
detail the rise and reach of the jihadist group going largely ignored.
The US policy of utilizing jihadist extremists in proxy wars carries with it a haunting track record
dating back to the CIA support, during the Reagan administration, of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan
that spawned off the now deceased terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terror network.
"... "The supply of weapons to Daesh and its creation happened like this. Secretary of State Clinton was able to convince Barack Obama (who it is said played a passive role in this story) to deliver weapons to the enemies of the governments in Syria and Libya. To this end, a huge cache of American weapons was sold to Qatar. The tiny Persian Gulf principality with a huge budget paid for the weapons and even transferred a large sum into the accounts of the Clinton Foundation. The weapons were sent to Islamist extremists in Benghazi in eastern Libya near Egypt. They were distributed there by small-time Egyptian thugs, and were then used to overthrow Gaddafi." ..."
"... "After Gaddafi was toppled, the weapons were sent from Libya to Syria, and to the rebels there. Notably, Clinton and Obama had no doubt that the rebels were Islamist extremists with close ties to al-Qaeda. The top-secret dispatch from the Pentagon said point blank that the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) militants knew Syria well, and have been fighting against the Assad regime from the outset. Western countries, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies supported their plan to seize eastern Syria, where it would be possible to create a support base like the one that was set up in Benghazi, Libya. And that's how Daesh emerged in Syria." ..."
"... Further, Shamir noted, "Obama and Clinton also contributed to the rise of Daesh in Iraq. While Iraq was occupied by US forces, under President George W. Bush, the Americans created a Shia government in Baghdad, inciting the Sunnis against it; then, under Clinton and Obama, the Americans left, leaving Sunni areas flooded with a sea of small arms and military equipment. All the Islamists had to do was climb into the American Hummers and raise their black flags." ..."
Russian-Israeli journalist and political analyst Israel Shamir offers his insights on why
Trump's comments about Obama and Clinton being 'the founders of ISIS' may just put an end to Hillary
Clinton's White House ambitions.
"Hillary Clinton, the candidate from the Democratic Party for the US presidency, is on easy street,
or so it would seem," Shamir wrote, in a recent
op-ed analysis for Svobodnaya
Pressa. "She has the reigning president on her side. She has the New York Times and the Washington
Post on her side, along with the national television networks. It might seem that she's got this
election locked up. And that might have been the case, a few years ago; no one would have even heard
about her rival, Donald Trump. But now, in the age of networking technologies, things aren't as easy
for her."
"The gadfly in her Garden of Eden turned out to be Julian Assange, the Australian hacker
who has been locked up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for four years now. First he published
the Democratic Party's email correspondence, showing that its leaders had conspired to get rid of
Bernie Sanders. The chair of the party had to resign, and the man who appeared to leak the materials
was
found dead on a street in Washington. But Clinton proved capable of coming to an agreement with
Sanders. He received good money,
bought a new house, published a book, and joined with Clinton, calling on his supporters to vote
for her."
"Then," the journalist noted, "Julian Assange unveiled more of Clinton's correspondence, declaring
that it was Madame Clinton – during her time as Secretary of State, who supplied arms to Daesh (ISIL/ISIS),
listed as a terrorist organization both in the US and in Europe. Furthermore, Assange said, she lied
under oath when she told the Senate that she does not know anything about the supply of weapons to
the terrorists."
"Assange's statements could have been silenced, but they were picked up on by Donald Trump. He
accused Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama of creating Daesh, of being sympathetic to Daesh and
its aims, of leading a phony war against the terrorist group, costing the American taxpayer a great
deal of money, and bringing a tidy sum for Mrs. Clinton and her foundation."
"Michael Mcfaul," the former US ambassador to Russia, "accused Trump of articulating 'Putin's propaganda'.
The Pentagon too was indignant; after ten thousand sorties against Daesh (or fifty thousand, according
to some sources), they are still being accused of aiding the terrorists! A considerable scandal erupted.
But Trump and Assange were right."
"The supply of weapons to Daesh and its creation happened
like this. Secretary of State Clinton was able to convince Barack Obama (who it is said played a
passive role in this story) to deliver weapons to the enemies of the governments in Syria and Libya.
To this end, a huge cache of American weapons was sold to Qatar. The tiny Persian Gulf principality
with a huge budget paid for the weapons and even transferred a large sum into the accounts of the
Clinton Foundation. The weapons were sent to Islamist extremists in Benghazi in eastern Libya near
Egypt. They were distributed there by small-time Egyptian thugs, and were then used to overthrow
Gaddafi."
"After Gaddafi was toppled, the weapons were sent from Libya to Syria, and to the rebels
there. Notably, Clinton and Obama had no doubt that the rebels were Islamist extremists with close
ties to al-Qaeda. The
top-secret dispatch from the Pentagon said point blank that the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) militants
knew Syria well, and have been fighting against the Assad regime from the outset. Western countries,
Turkey and the Gulf monarchies supported their plan to seize eastern Syria, where it would be possible
to create a support base like the one that was set up in Benghazi, Libya. And that's how Daesh emerged
in Syria."
Further, Shamir noted, "Obama and Clinton also contributed to the rise of Daesh in Iraq. While
Iraq was occupied by US forces, under President George W. Bush, the Americans created a Shia government
in Baghdad, inciting the Sunnis against it; then, under Clinton and Obama, the Americans left, leaving
Sunni areas flooded with a sea of small arms and military equipment. All the Islamists had to do
was climb into the American Hummers and raise their black flags."
"Then, according to the dispatch published by Wikileaks, and used by Donald Trump, Daesh received
weapons from the US. The arms were theoretically meant to be delivered to the so-called 'moderate
opposition', but Washington knew that they were falling into the hands of Al-Qaeda [via its Syrian
branch, the Nusra Front] and Daesh. The leader of the Daesh militants in Pakistan admitted to having
received weapons from the US. And in this Trump was right to accuse Secretary of State Clinton and
President Obama. 'They dream of Hillary Clinton', Trump said of the terrorist group."
In other
words, Shamir noted, "before our eyes, the secret of the creation of this nest of terrorists and
extremists is being revealed. We might have expected this, recalling that in their own time, the
US filled Afghanistan with arms and brought the Islamists, along with bin Laden, to power in that
country. At that time, Reagan was fighting the Soviet Union. Now, in Syria, Clinton and Obama are
carrying out the will of the Israeli lobby, which dreams of eternal war in the Middle East. In Iraq
and Syria, Washington is fighting Iranian influence."
Therefore, Shamir noted, for now at least, "Moscow's talk of joint efforts with the US against
Daesh is just that – talk, even if it is necessary and useful. Not every truth should be laid out
immediately, and the Kremlin understands this."
"Assange has promised to publish additional evidence linking Hillary Clinton to the supply of
weapons to Daesh soon, even though a lot has been published already. Then, when this reaches the
American electorate, they will yet be able to pull off a November surprise."
Ultimately, Shamir wrote, "the self-assured Mrs. Clinton and the Democratic establishment is more
and more reminiscent of a 'collective Boris Godunov' [a Russian tsar in the late 16th century]. They
consider themselves to be the anointed kings, and despise not only Trump, but his voters as well
– the working and middle class. But more and more, the words of Pushkin come to mind: 'There may
be a great disaster. Such a disaster that Boris will hardly hold the crown on his clever head.'"
"... The "Obama Doctrine" a continuation of the previous false government doctrines in my lifetime, is less doctrine than the disease, as David Swanson points out . But in the article he critiques, the neoconservative warmongering global planning freak perspective (truly, we must recognize this view as freakish, sociopathic, death-cultish, control-obsessed, narcissist, take your pick or get a combo, it's all good). Disease, as a way of understanding the deep state action on the body politic, is abnormal. It can and should be cured. ..."
"... The deep state seems to have grown, strengthened and tightened its grip. Can a lack of real money restrain or starve it? I once thought so, and maybe I still do. But it doesn't use real money, but rather debt and creative financing to get that next new car, er, war and intervention and domestic spending program. Ultimately it's not sustainable, and just as unaffordable cars are junked, stripped, repossessed, and crunched up, so will go the way of the physical assets of the warfare–welfare state. ..."
"... Because inflated salaries , inflated stock prices and inflated ruling-class personalities are month to month, these should evaporate more quickly, over a debris field once known as some of richest counties in the United States. Can I imagine the shabbiest of trailer parks in the dismal swamp, where high rises and government basilicas and abbeys once stood? I'd certainly like to. But I'll settle for well-kept, privately owned house trailers, filled with people actually producing some small value for society, and minding their own business. ..."
"... Finally, what of those pinpricks of light, the honest assessments of the real death trail and consumption pit that the deep state has delivered? Well, it is growing and broadening. Wikileaks and Snowden are considered assets now to any and all competitors to the US deep state, from within and from abroad – the Pandora's box, assisted by technology, can't be closed now. The independent media has matured to the point of criticizing and debating itself/each other, as well as focusing harsh light on the establishment media. Instead of left and right mainstream media, we increasingly recognize state media, and delightedly observe its own struggle to survive in the face of a growing nervousness of the deep state it assists on command. ..."
"... Watch an old program like"Yes, Minister" to understand how it works. Politicians come and go, but the permanent state apparatchiks doesn't. ..."
"... The "deep state" programs, whether conceived and directed by Soros' handlers, or others, risks unintended consequences. The social division intended by BLM, for example could easily morph beyond the goals. The lack of law due to corruption is equally susceptible to a spontaneous reaction of "the mob," not under the control of the Tavistock handlers. There's an old saying on Wall St; pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. ..."
So, after getting up late, groggy, and feeling overworked even before I started, I read
this article . Just after, I had to feed a dozen cats and dogs, each dog in a separate room out
of respect for their territorialism and aggressive desire to consume more than they should (hmm,
where have I seen this before), and in the process, forgot where I put my coffee cup. Retracing steps,
I finally find it and sit back down to my 19-inch window on the ugly (and perhaps remote)
world of the state, and the endless pinpricks of the independent media on its vast overwhelmingly
evil existence. I suspect I share this distractibility and daily estrangement from the actions of
our government with most Americans .
We are newly bombing Libya and still messing with the Middle East? I thought that the wars the
deep state wanted and started were now limited and constrained! What happened to lack of
funds, lack of popular support, public transparency that revealed the stupidity and abject failure
of these wars?
Deep state.Something systemic, difficult to detect, hard to remove, hidden.
It is a spirit as much as nerves and organ. How do your starve it, excise it, or just make it go
away? We want to know. I think this explains the popularity of infotainment about haunted houses,
ghosts and alien beings among us.
They live and we are curious and scared.
The "Obama Doctrine" a continuation of the previous false government doctrines in my lifetime,
is less doctrine than the
disease, as David Swanson points out . But in the article he critiques, the neoconservative warmongering
global planning freak perspective (truly, we must recognize this view as freakish, sociopathic, death-cultish,
control-obsessed, narcissist, take your pick or get a combo, it's all good). Disease, as a way of
understanding the deep state action on the body politic, is abnormal. It can and should be cured.
My summary of the long Jeffrey Goldberg piece is basically that Obama has become more fatalistic
(did he mean to say fatal?) since he won
that Nobel Peace Prize back in 2009 . By the way, the "Nobel prize" article contains this gem,
sure to get a chuckle:
"Obama's drone program is regularly criticized for a lack of transparency and accountability,
especially considering incomplete intelligence means officials are often unsure about who will
die. "
[M]ost individuals killed are not on a kill list, and the government does not know their names,"
Micah Zenko, a scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations told the New York Times."
This is about all the fun I can handle in one day. But back to what I was trying to say.
The deep state seems to have grown, strengthened and tightened its grip. Can a lack of real
money restrain or starve it? I once thought so, and maybe I still do. But it doesn't use real money,
but rather debt and creative financing to get that next new car, er, war and intervention and domestic
spending program. Ultimately it's not sustainable, and just as unaffordable cars are junked, stripped,
repossessed, and crunched up, so will go the way of the physical assets of the warfare–welfare state.
Because
inflated salaries ,
inflated stock prices and
inflated ruling-class
personalities are month to month, these should evaporate more quickly, over a debris field
once known as some of richest counties in the United States. Can I imagine the shabbiest of trailer
parks in the dismal swamp, where high rises and government basilicas and abbeys once stood? I'd certainly
like to. But I'll settle for well-kept, privately owned house trailers, filled with people actually
producing some small value for society, and minding their own business.
Can a lack of public support reduce the deep state, or impact it? Well, it would seem that this
is a non-factor, except for the strange history we have had and are witnessing again today, with
the odd successful popular and populist-leaning politician and their related movements. In my lifetime,
only popular figures and their movements get assassinated mysteriously, with odd polka dot dresses,
MKULTRA suggestions, threats against their family by their competitors (I'm thinking Perot, but one
mustn't be limited to that case), and always with concordant pressures on the sociopolitical seams
in the country, i.e riots and police/military activations. The
bad
dealings toward, and genuine fear of, Bernie Sanders within the Democratic Party's wing of the
deep state is matched or exceeded only by the genuine terror of Trump among the Republican deep state
wing. This reaction to something or some person that so many in the country find engaging and appealing
- an outsider who speaks to the growing political and economic dissatisfaction of a poorer, more
indebted, and
more
regulated population – is heart-warming, to be sure. It is a sign that whether or not we do,
the deep state thinks things might change. Thank you, Bernie and especially Donald, for revealing
this much! And the "republicanization" of the Libertarian Party is also a bright indicator blinking
out the potential of deep state movement and compromise in the pursuit of "stability."
Finally, what of those pinpricks of light, the honest assessments of the real death trail
and consumption pit that the deep state has delivered? Well, it is growing and broadening. Wikileaks
and Snowden are considered assets now to any and all competitors to the US deep state, from within
and from abroad – the Pandora's box, assisted by technology, can't be closed now. The independent
media has matured to the point of criticizing and debating itself/each other, as well as focusing
harsh light on the establishment media. Instead of left and right mainstream media, we increasingly
recognize state media, and delightedly observe its own struggle to survive in the face of a growing
nervousness of the deep state it assists on command.
Maybe we will one day soon be able to debate how deep the deep state really is, or whether it
was all just a dressed up, meth'ed up, and eff'ed up a sector of society that deserves a bit of jail
time, some counseling, and a new start . Maybe some job training that goes beyond the printing of
license plates. But given the destruction and mass murder committed daily in the name of this state,
and the environmental disasters it has created around the world for the future generations, perhaps
we will be no more merciful to these proprietors of the American empire as they have been to their
victims. The ruling class deeply fears our judgment, and in this dynamic lies the cure.
LIST OF DEMANDS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FROM FINANCIAL CATASTROPHE
I.CURB CORRUPTION AND EXCESSIVE POWER IN THE FINANCIAL ARMS OF THE US GOVERNMENT
A. FEDERAL RESERVE
1. Benjaman Bernanke to be removed as Chairman immediately
2. New York Federal Reserve Bank and all New York City offices of the Federal Reserve system
will be closed for at least 3 years
3. Salaries will be reduced and capped at $150,000/year, adjusted for official inflation
4. Staffing count to be reduced to 1980 levels
5. Interest rate manipulation to be prohibited for at least five years
6. Balance sheet manipulation to be prohibited for at least five years
7. Financial asset purchases prohibited for at least five years
B. TREASURY DEPARTMENT
1. Timothy Geithner to be removed as Secretary immediately
2. All New York City offices of the Department will be closed for at least 3 years
3. Salaries will be reduced and capped at $150,000/year, adjusted for official inflation
4. Staffing count to be reduced to 1980 levels
5. Market manipulation/intervention to be prohibited for at least five years
7. Financial asset purchases prohibited for at least five years
II. END THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF GIANT BANKS AND PROTECT AMERICANS FROM FURTHER EXPOSURE
TO THEIR COLLAPSE
A. END CORRUPT INFLUENCE
1. Lifetime ban on government employment for TARP recipient employees and corporate officers,
specifically including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase
2. Ten year ban on government work for consulting firms, law firms, and individual consultants
and lawyers who have accepted cash from these entities
3. All contacts by any method with federal agencies and employees prohibited for at least five
years, with civil and criminal penalties for violation
B. PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM FURTHER HARM AT THE HANDS OF GIANT BANKS
1. No financial institution with assets of more than $10billion will receive federal assistance
or any 'arm's-length' bailouts
2. TARP recipients are prohibited from purchasing other TARP recipient corporate units, or
merging with other TARP recipients
3. No foreign interest shall be allowed to acquire any portion of TARP recipients in the US
or abroad
III. PREVENT CORPORATE ACCOUNTING AND PENSION FUND ABUSES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS
A. CORPORATE ACCOUNTING
1. Immediately implement mark-to-market accounting rules which were improperly suspended, allowing
six months for implementation.
2. Companies must reserve against impaired assets under mark-to-market rules
3. Any health or life insurance company with more than$100 million in assets must report on
their holdings and risk factors, specifically including exposure to real estate, mortgage-backed
securities, derivatives, and other exotic financial instruments. These reports will be to state
insurance commissions and the federal government, and will also be made available to the public
on the Internet.
B. PENSION FUNDS
1. All private and public pension funds must disclose their funding status and establish a
plan to fully fund accounts under the assumption that net real returns across all asset classes
remain at zero for at least ten years.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: You know what happens when politicians get into Number 10; they
want to take their place on the world stage.
Sir Richard Wharton: People on stages are called actors. All they are required to do
is look plausible, stay sober, and say the lines they're given in the right order.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Some of them try to make up their own lines.
The "deep state" programs, whether conceived and directed by Soros' handlers, or others,
risks unintended consequences. The social division intended by BLM, for example could easily morph
beyond the goals. The lack of law due to corruption is equally susceptible to a spontaneous reaction
of "the mob," not under the control of the Tavistock handlers. There's an old saying on Wall St;
pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
The failed coup in Turkey is a significant indication of institutional weakness and also vulnerability.
The inability to exercise force of will in Syria is another. The list of failures is getting too
long.
"... You haven't heard much from the Democrats lately about foreign policy or global agendas – indeed virtually nothing at the Philadelphia convention and little worthy of mention along the campaign trail. ..."
"... But no one should be fooled: a Clinton presidency, which seems more likely by the day, can be expected to stoke a resurgent U.S. imperialism, bringing new cycles of militarism and war. The silence is illusory: Clintonites, now as before, are truly obsessed with international politics. ..."
"... A triumphant Hillary, more "rational" and "savvy" than the looney and unpredictable Donald Trump, could well have a freer path to emboldened superpower moves not only in Europe but the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Pacific. While the candidate has not revealed much lately, she is on record as vowing to "stand up" to Russia and China, face off against Russian "aggression", escalate the war on terror, and militarily annihilate Iran the moment it steps out of line (or is determined by "U.S. intelligence" to have stepped out of line) in its nuclear agreement with global powers. ..."
"... A new Clinton presidency can be expected to further boost the U.S./NATO drive to strangle and isolate Russia, which means aggravated "crises" in Ukraine and worrisome encounters with a rival military power in a region saturated with (tactical, "usable") nuclear weapons. Regime change in Syria? Hillary has indeed strongly pushed for that self-defeating act of war, combined with an illegal and provocative no-fly zone - having learned nothing from the extreme chaos and violence she did so much to unleash in Libya as Secretary of State. ..."
"... Democratic elites say little publicly about these and other imperial priorities, preferring familiar homilies such as "bringing jobs back" (not going to happen) and "healing the country" (not going to happen). Silence appears to function exquisitely in a political culture where open and vigorous debate on foreign-policy is largely taboo and elite discourse rarely surpasses the level of banal platitudes. And Hillary's worshipful liberal and progressive backers routinely follow the script (or non-script) while fear-mongering about how a Trump presidency will destroy the country (now that the Sanders threat has vanished). ..."
"... Who needs to be reminded that Hillary's domestic promises, such as they are, will become null and void once urgent global "crises" take precedence? The Pentagon, after all, always comes first. ..."
"... There is a special logic to the Clintonites' explosive mixture of neoliberalism and militarism. They, like all corporate Democrats, are fully aligned with some of the most powerful interests in the world: Wall Street, the war economy, fossil fuels, Big Pharma, the Israel Lobby. They also have intimate ties to reactionary global forces – the neofascist regime in Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states. ..."
"... Predictably, Trump's "unreliability" to oversee American global objectives has been an ongoing motif at CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. ..."
"... Jackie was reported as saying "that what worried President Kennedy during that very dangerous time was that a war might be started – not by men with self-control and restraint, but by little men, the ones moved by fear and pride." ..."
You haven't heard much from the Democrats lately about foreign policy or global agendas – indeed
virtually nothing at the Philadelphia convention and little worthy of mention along the campaign
trail. Hillary Clinton's many liberal (and sadly, progressive) supporters routinely steer away
from anything related to foreign policy, talk, talk, talking instead about the candidate's "experience",
with obligatory nods toward her enlightened social programs. There is only the ritual
demonization of that fearsome dictator, Vladimir Putin, reputedly on the verge of invading some hapless
European country. Even Bernie Sanders' sorry endorsement of his erstwhile enemy, not
long ago denounced as a tool of Wall Street, had nothing to say about global issues.
But no one should be fooled: a Clinton presidency, which seems more likely by the day, can be
expected to stoke a resurgent U.S. imperialism, bringing new cycles of militarism and war. The silence
is illusory: Clintonites, now as before, are truly obsessed with international politics.
A triumphant Hillary, more "rational" and "savvy" than the looney and unpredictable Donald Trump,
could well have a freer path to emboldened superpower moves not only in Europe but the Middle East,
Central Asia, and the Pacific. While the candidate has not revealed much lately, she is on record
as vowing to "stand up" to Russia and China, face off against Russian "aggression", escalate the
war on terror, and militarily annihilate Iran the moment it steps out of line (or is determined by
"U.S. intelligence" to have stepped out of line) in its nuclear agreement with global powers.
Under Clinton, the Democrats might well be better positioned to recharge their historical
legacy as War Party. One of the great political myths (and there are many) is that American liberals
are inclined toward a less belligerent foreign policy than Republicans, are less militaristic and
more favorable toward "diplomacy". References to Woodrow Wilson in World War I and Mexico, Harry
Truman in Korea, JFK and LBJ in Indochina, Bill Clinton in the Balkans, and of course Barack Obama
in Afghanistan (eight years of futile warfare), Libya (also "Hillary's War"), and scattered operations
across the Middle East and North Africa should be enough to dispel such nonsense. (As for FDR and
World War II, I have written extensively that the Pearl Harbor attacks were deliberately provoked
by U.S. actions in the Pacific – but that is a more complicated story.)
... ... ...
A new Clinton presidency can be expected to further boost the U.S./NATO drive to strangle
and isolate Russia, which means aggravated "crises" in Ukraine and worrisome encounters with a rival
military power in a region saturated with (tactical, "usable") nuclear weapons. Regime
change in Syria? Hillary has indeed strongly pushed for that self-defeating act of war,
combined with an illegal and provocative no-fly zone - having learned nothing from the extreme chaos
and violence she did so much to unleash in Libya as Secretary of State. There are currently
no visible signs she would exit the protracted and criminal war in Afghanistan, a rich source of
blowback (alongside Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Israel). Increased aerial bombardments against
ISIS in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and elsewhere? More deployments of American troops on the ground?
Such ventures, with potentially others on the horizon, amount to elaborate recipes for more
blowback, followed by more anti-terror hysteria, followed by more interventions.
Uncompromising economic, diplomatic, and military support of Israeli atrocities in Palestine?
Aggressive pursuit of the seriously mistaken "Asian Pivot", strategy, a revitalized effort to subvert
Chinese economic and military power – one of Clinton's own special crusades? No wonder the Paul Wolfowitzes
and Robert Kagans are delighted to join the Hillary camp.
No wonder, too, that billionaire super-hawk Haim Saban has pledged to spend whatever is needed
to get the Clintons back into the White House, convinced her presidency will do anything to maintain
Palestinian colonial subjugation. Meeting with Saban in July, Hillary again promised to "oppose any
effort to delegitimate Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment,
and Sanctions movement." She backs legislative efforts begun in several states to silence and blacklist
people working on behalf of Palestinian rights. For this her celebrated "pragmatism" could work quite
effectively.
Democratic elites say little publicly about these and other imperial priorities, preferring
familiar homilies such as "bringing jobs back" (not going to happen) and "healing the country" (not
going to happen). Silence appears to function exquisitely in a political culture where
open and vigorous debate on foreign-policy is largely taboo and elite discourse rarely surpasses
the level of banal platitudes. And Hillary's worshipful liberal and progressive backers
routinely follow the script (or non-script) while fear-mongering about how a Trump presidency will
destroy the country (now that the Sanders threat has vanished).
Amidst the turmoil Trump has oddly surfaced to the left of Clinton on several key global
issues: cooperating instead of fighting with the Russians, keeping alive a sharp criticism of the
Iraq war and the sustained regional chaos and blowback it generated, ramping down enthusiasm for
more wars in the Middle East, junking "free trade" agreements, willingness to rethink the outmoded
NATO alliance. If Trump, however haphazardly, manages to grasp the historical dynamics of blowback,
the Clinton camp remains either indifferent or clueless, still ready for new armed ventures – cynically
marketed, as in the Balkans, Iraq, and Libya, on the moral imperative of defeating some unspeakable
evil, usually a "new Hitler" waging a "new genocide". Who needs to be reminded that Hillary's
domestic promises, such as they are, will become null and void once urgent global "crises" take precedence?
The Pentagon, after all, always comes first.
... ... ...
...At the other extreme, Clinton emerges in the media as the most "rational" and "even-tempered"
of candidates, ideally suited to carry out the necessary imperial agendas. A tiresome mainstream
narrative is that Hillary is "one of the best prepared and most knowledgeable candidates ever to
seek the presidency." And she is smart, very smart – whatever her flaws. All the better
to follow in the long history of Democrats proficient at showing the world who is boss. The
media, for its part, adores these Democrats, another reason Trump appears to have diminished chances
of winning. Further, the well-funded and tightly-organized Clinton machine can count on somewhat
large majorities of women, blacks, and Hispanics, not only for the march to the White House but,
more ominously, to go along with the War Party's imperial spectacle of the day. Most anything – war,
regime change, bombing raids, drone strikes, treaty violations, JFK-style "standoffs" – can escape
political scrutiny if carried out by "humanitarian", peace-loving Democrats. Bill Clinton's
war to fight "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" in the Balkans, cover for just another U.S./NATO geopolitical
maneuver, constitutes the perfect template here.
There is a special logic to the Clintonites' explosive mixture of neoliberalism and militarism.
They, like all corporate Democrats, are fully aligned with some of the most powerful interests in
the world: Wall Street, the war economy, fossil fuels, Big Pharma, the Israel Lobby. They also have
intimate ties to reactionary global forces – the neofascist regime in Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia,
other Gulf states.
... In March 121 members of the Republican "national security community", including the warmongers
Wolfowitz, Robert Kagan, and Brent Scowcroft, signed a public letter condemning Trump for not being
sufficiently dedicated to American (also Israeli?) interests. Trump compounded his predicament by
stubbornly refusing to pay homage to the "experts" – the same foreign-policy geniuses who helped
orchestrate the Iraq debacle. A more recent (and more urgent) letter with roughly the same message
has made its way into the public sphere. Predictably, Trump's "unreliability" to oversee
American global objectives has been an ongoing motif at CNN, the New York Times, the
Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Returning to the political carneval that was the Democratic convention, amidst all the non-stop
flag-waving and shouts of "USA!" Hillary made what she thought would be an inspiring reference to
Jackie Kennedy, speaking on the eve of her husband's (1961) ascent to the White House. Jackie was
reported as saying "that what worried President Kennedy during that very dangerous time was that
a war might be started – not by men with self-control and restraint, but by little men, the ones
moved by fear and pride."
We can surmise that JFK was one of those "big men" governed
by "restraint". History shows, however, that Jackie's esteemed husband was architect
of probably the worst episode of international barbarism in U.S. history – the Vietnam War, with
its unfathomable death and destruction – coming at a time of the Big Man's botched CIA-led invasion
of Cuba and followed closely by the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the Big Man's "restraint" brought
the world frighteningly close to nuclear catastrophe. As for "fear" and "pride" – nothing permeates
JFK's biography of that period more than those two psychological obsessions.
Could it be that Hillary Clinton, however unwittingly, was at this epic moment – her breakthrough
nomination – revealing nothing so much as her own deeply-imperialist mind-set?
Carl Boggs is the author of The Hollywood War Machine, with
Tom Pollard (second edition, forthcoming), and Drugs, Power, and Politics, both published by
Paradigm.
"... Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul penned a scathing piece in the Washington Post
accusing the Kremlin of intervening in the American election, based solely on the evidence of a harsh
article regarding Clinton published by Sputnik News. Boy, was he wrong! ..."
"... On Wednesday night, Michael McFaul took to the Washington Post to opine that the article was
part of a Kremlin-led conspiracy to subvert the American election, referring to the person running the
Sputnik Twitter account (that particular day being me) as a "Russian official," before warning (threatening)
that we "might want to think about what we plan to do" if Clinton becomes president. ..."
"... Pursuant to 18 US Code Chapter 115, I'd be writing this article to you from prison, if not
awaiting a death sentence, if I were writing content ordered down to me by the Kremlin with a view towards
subverting the American election. I am instead writing this piece from my favorite coffeeshop in downtown
DC. I am not a Russian official. Our staff members are not Russian officials. We are not Kremlin controlled.
We do not speak with Vladimir Putin over our morning coffee. ..."
"... In fact, the Atlantic Council's Ben Nimmo leveled a completely different view on Friday morning,
calling our coverage "uncharacteristically balanced," but arguing that, because we report generally
negative stories on both candidates, our real target is American democracy itself. ..."
"... It may surprise Mr. McFaul and Mr. Nimmo to learn that, in my previous work on political campaigns,
I actually helped fundraise for Hillary Clinton - the candidate whose inner circle is now labelling
my colleagues and I as foreign saboteurs. It is neither my fault nor Sputnik's fault that Secretary
Clinton's campaign has devolved into one predicated upon fear and conspiracy, where the two primary
lines are "the Russians did it" and that she is not Trump. ..."
"... The fact that more than 50% of the country dislikes both presidential candidates is not a Kremlin
conspiracy. Would it be appropriate for us to present to our readers an alternate universe a la MSNBC,
which defended Clinton's trustworthiness by saying she only perjured herself three times? ..."
"... Returning to the substance of the article to which Mr. McFaul took exception. This piece was
written because it was newsworthy - it informed our readers and forced them to think. The provocative
headline of the story was based on a statement by Trump that is a bit of a stretch (notice the air quotes
on the title), but which highlights a major policy decision made by this administration that has not
been properly scrutinized by the mainstream media. In the article, for those who actually read it, I
refer to the 2012 DNI report that correctly calculated that Obama's policy in Syria would lead to the
development of a Salafist entity controlling territory and that this outcome was "wanted." Hence, the
title. ..."
"... Today, the Obama Administration grapples with a similar debate over whether to continue to
support the "moderate rebels" in Syria, despite the fact that they have now melded with al-Nusra (an
al-Qaeda affiliate until they rebranded), under the banner of the Army of Conquest in Syria. ..."
Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul penned a scathing piece in the Washington Post
accusing the Kremlin of intervening in the American election, based solely on the evidence of a harsh
article regarding Clinton published by Sputnik News. Boy, was he wrong!
My name is Bill Moran. A native Arizonan, I have worked on dozens of Democratic Party campaigns,
and am more recently a proud writer for Sputnik's Washington, DC bureau.
It also seems, as of Thursday morning, that I am the source of controversy between the United
States and Russia - something I never quite could have imagined - for writing an article that was
critical of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a stinging headline and a harsh hashtag.
So, what is this controversy all about? This weekend I published a piece with the headline, "Secret
File Confirms Trump Claim: Obama, Hillary 'Founded ISIS' to Oust Assad." I also tweeted out this
story from our platform with the hashtag #CrookedHillary. Guilty as charged.
On Wednesday night,
Michael McFaul took to the Washington Post to opine that the article was part of a Kremlin-led
conspiracy to subvert the American election, referring to the person running the Sputnik Twitter
account (that particular day being me) as a "Russian official," before warning (threatening) that
we "might want to think about what we plan to do" if Clinton becomes president.
I feel it is necessary to pause, here, before having a substantive argument about the article's
merits and purpose within the public discourse, to address the severity of the accusation leveled
against me and Sputnik's staff (not by name until now), and its disturbing implications on freedom
of speech, dissent, and American democracy - implications that I hope Mr. McFaul, other public proponents
of the Hillary campaign, and the cadre of Russian critics consider.
Pursuant to 18 US Code Chapter 115, I'd be writing this article to you from prison, if not
awaiting a death sentence, if I were writing content ordered down to me by the Kremlin with a view
towards subverting the American election. I am instead writing this piece from my favorite coffeeshop
in downtown DC. I am not a Russian official. Our staff members are not Russian officials. We are
not Kremlin controlled. We do not speak with Vladimir Putin over our morning coffee.
Mr. McFaul worked side-by-side with the former Secretary of State in the Obama Administration, and
his routine accusations that Trump supporters are siding with Putin leaves me to imagine that he
is a Clinton insider if not a direct campaign surrogate. That such a public official would suggest
reprisals against those with differing viewpoints in the event that she wins is disturbing.
Our
outlet does not endorse or support any particular US presidential candidate, but rather reports news
and views for the day in as diligent a manner as we possibly can. This is evident in our very harsh
headlines on Trump, which Mr. McFaul failed to review before making his attack.
In fact, the Atlantic Council's Ben Nimmo leveled a completely different view on Friday morning,
calling our coverage "uncharacteristically balanced," but arguing that, because we report generally
negative stories on both candidates, our real target is American democracy itself.
It may surprise Mr. McFaul and Mr. Nimmo to learn that, in my previous work on political campaigns,
I actually helped fundraise for Hillary Clinton - the candidate whose inner circle is now labelling
my colleagues and I as foreign saboteurs. It is neither my fault nor Sputnik's fault that Secretary
Clinton's campaign has devolved into one predicated upon fear and conspiracy, where the two primary
lines are "the Russians did it" and that she is not Trump.
Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating since presidential polling began. Until recently,
Clinton had the second lowest approval rating since presidential polling began. Their numbers are
worse than even Barry Goldwater and George Wallace, in fact.
The fact that more than 50% of the country dislikes both presidential candidates is not a
Kremlin conspiracy. Would it be appropriate for us to present to our readers an alternate universe
a la MSNBC, which defended Clinton's trustworthiness by saying she only perjured herself three times?
There is a reason why both presidential candidates have received less than fawning coverage from
our outlet: they have not done anything to warrant positive coverage. My colleagues, also Americans,
like so many others in this country, wish they would.
Returning to the substance of the article to which Mr. McFaul took exception. This piece was
written because it was newsworthy - it informed our readers and forced them to think.
The provocative headline of the story was based on a statement by Trump that is a bit of a stretch
(notice the air quotes on the title), but which highlights a major policy decision made by this administration
that has not been properly scrutinized by the mainstream media.
In the article, for those who actually read it, I refer to the 2012 DNI report that correctly calculated
that Obama's policy in Syria would lead to the development of a Salafist entity controlling territory
and that this outcome was "wanted." Hence, the title.
Today, the Obama Administration
grapples with a similar debate over whether to continue to support the "moderate rebels" in Syria,
despite the fact that they have now melded with al-Nusra (an al-Qaeda affiliate until they rebranded),
under the banner of the Army of Conquest in Syria.
We do not pretend that these decisions exist in a vacuum with a clear right and wrong answer upon
which no two intelligent people differ, but this is a matter worthy of public discourse.
And what about that hashtag? Why would I use #CrookedHillary? I mean, I could have put #Imwithher,
but I wasn't trying to be ironic. When a hashtag is featured at the end of a sentence, its purpose
is for cataloging. Some people, usually non-millennials, use hashtags as text to convey a particular
opinion. I was not doing that. I also used #NeverTrump in a separate article.
But Mr. McFaul lazily cherry-picked, and then labeled (maybe unwittingly) Sputnik's American writers
traitors to this country.
One especially disturbing trend in global affairs is the marked deterioration in relations between
the United States and Russia. Much will depend on the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Donald Trump has staked out a reasonably conciliatory policy toward Moscow. And in the highly improbable
event that Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson emerged victorious, the United States would certainly
pursue a less interventionist, confrontational
foreign policy toward Russia as well as other countries.
But
Trump and a handful of
otherdissenters
have triggered the
wrath of the foreign-policy establishment by daring to suggest that Washington's Russia policy
may be unwise and that the two countries have important
mutual interests. Most anti-Russian hawks are backing Hillary Clinton, and the implications of
a Clinton victory are extremely ominous. When Russia annexed Crimea, Clinton
compared Russian president Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler-a comparison so extreme that it drew
dissents even from some usual
supporters. Yet there is no doubt that she would take a very hard line toward Moscow. Among other
things, Clinton recommended that the United States impose a
no-fly
zone in Syria despite the risk that it could mean shooting down Russian military aircraft that were
operating at the request of the Syrian government. Anyone who is that reckless is not likely to retreat
from confrontations in eastern Europe or other arenas. Indeed, she has already called for not only
more financial assistance but more
military aid to Ukraine.
... ... ...
Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato
Institute and a contributing editor at the National Interest, is the author of 10 books and more
than 600 articles on international affairs.
Informed • 2 days ago
Congrats! The author discovered the obvious: Hillary is a warmongering neocon willing
to pursue totally suicidal policy with Russia. She is not called “Mrs. WWIII” for nothing. If
we are to survive, this monster should be nowhere near the White House.
Anthony Informed • 2 days ago
It's not her it's George Soros he's funding her and Merkel two of the most pathetic
politicians I've seen especially dopey Merkel. Soros is also funding blm and a Arab version in
israel look at the leaked emails. If you don't know sata... I mean soros then you should just
type his name into Google he sold his own people out to Hitler and said it was the best thing
he ever did enough said
Informed Anthony • 2 days ago
You might be right. Soros looks like he had died already, but he is as greedy as ever.
Looks like he plans to bribe God almighty: otherwise why would he need so much money so late
in his life? Soros or CIA must have something really damning on Merkel: she is consistently
working against her own country for more than two years now. Hillary just follows the
money, preferring the consensus between AIPAC and Saudis. The buyers and the goods they buy
are all disgusting.
donnasaggia • 7 hours ago
We need to shift the analysis somewhat. While Russia (and this author) may (correctly)
believe that fighting terrorism is a common interest of Russia and the US, the fact is, the US
has no interest in fighting terrorism. Long ago Bush openly declared that he is not concerned
about Osama bin Laden, and Obama continues to arm the so-called moderates, who are really a
faction of al Qaeda. These neocon regime change wars are not about terrorism -- except in the
sense that the US uses terrorist factions to attempt to overthrow legitimate leaders like
Assad and Gaddafi. Rather than fighting terrorism, the US uses it as a weapon. The Russians
are playing by one set of rules, but the US is using another.
Frank Blangeard • a day ago
There will be no 'second Cold War' because the United States never ended the first Cold War.
alan Frank Blangeard • a day ago
Amen, brother!
alan • a day ago
No other country on earth, save Israel, has legitimate interests or security concerns other than
the United States. No spheres other than the western hemispheric one under the control of the US
are ever to be considered acceptable. This arrogant hegemon is headed for a fall. Preferably,
since I am an American I hope it will be a long slow peaceful one. Athens was as arrogant as the
American empire. Athens was defeated by a coalition led by Sparta.
Joe Stevens alan • a day ago
Pride always comes before the fall. In this case, it will be a big fall!
ApqIA • 2 days ago
A needed countermeasure, a difficult one, even unlikely -- but it would stand a chance of
deterring the US' insane ambitions.
A full military alliance between Russia and China, with integrated conventional and nuclear
forces, that would consider an attack on one an attack on both, and a two-nation nuclear
retaliation for any nuclear attack. The alliance could also offer membership to other threatened
nations, such as Iran.
Would include technology transfers between the two partners, which among other things would
assure China of adequate engines for its aircraft. Perhaps joint business ventures would ease
Russian unease at losing business: they can sell armaments together.
The US points nuclear warheads at both nations, so the US constitutes a credible existential
threat to both nations.
Its depraved, aggressive idea of global "leadership" is a threat to all humanity, and any and all
measures to deter it are worth the effort.
Want evidence? Here's its OWN map of the world, divided into American military provinces.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/w...
This development would confront Washington with something like Hitchcock's "Birds" scenario --
how many "fronts" can the US fight in at once? scenario. The Eurasian land mass is a vast,
impregnable fortress and US military planners already despair at Russian mobile nukes.
Unfortunately, only even greater insanity can really hope to deter the American lunatics and
self-absordbed interventionists like Hillary.
ApqIA -> Duane • a day ago
Georgia was a US-sponsored comic opera.
Syria was an attempt to use terrorists to get rid of Assad. Failing.
Ukraine was an attempt to get Ukraine in NATO, taking Crimea was a step to avoid a NATO
base in the Black Sea.
Since before Pearl Harbor, the US has employed the tactic of creating a situation where an
opponent has to choose an unacceptable outcome or use force.
What's the rate for a US-salaried troll?
Bilguun Khurelbaatar -> ApqIA • 12 hours ago
Actually I believe that all those who call others as "Russian troll" are mostly Ukrainian
trolls. It's easy to find them, they call everyone, even neutral minded people as putin troll,
and all they demand is to arm Ukraine, nuke Russia etc...
Robert Willis • 18 hours ago
Excellent article. Hillary Clinton was instrumental in pushing for the Invasion of
Iraq, which turned what was essentially a functional state into an ISIS hellhole. As Secretary
of State, she was THE personality behind the destruction of Libya, now another Islamist
breeding machine with a ruined economy & brutalized population. She has done everything in her
power to destabilize Syria & has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. Now millions of economic
migrants are flooding into Europe, which will likely become a Caliphate under Sharia law
within 100 years. Clinton's hands are soaked in blood of tens of thousands of men, women, &
children. Her thirst for more is unquenchable. She is as much of a war criminal as her hero &
good friend Henry Kissinger. All the media can do is scream endless unfounded accusations of
Trump being a racist, yet they never mention a whisper of what Clinton has done & intends to
do.
deliaruhe • 19 hours ago
"Unfortunately, given the growing probability of a Clinton victory in November,
U.S.-Russian relations, already in bad shape, are likely to deteriorate further."
Hillary isn't exactly known for her wisdom and judgement (especially in her choice of role
models and mentors--i.e., Albright and Kissinger), and she's very good at shooting herself in
the foot on a regular basis (e.g., her Putin-as-Hitler hyperbole). She will soon become the
imperial president of an empire in decline, and empires in decline are at their most
dangerous.
I think this will end up being the saddest American election ever.
(Excellent article, by the way.)
Dank Lastname • 2 days ago
If Hillary dragged NATO into a war with Russia her incompetent leadership would see the
collapse of the US and the Russian occupation of Eastern Europe.
Mikhailovich • 15 hours ago
When the money is your god and financial elite employs politicians to run the country, what
else we can expect? It looks the American militarism can be tamed by efficient nuclear
deterrent or other major power and there are no other way to avoid big war.
alan -> JPH • a day ago
That's the tragedy of the situation. Trump has shown he is not a captive to the foreign
policy consensus of the economic, social, and political elite of the New York-Wash DC beltway.
He does not believe in intervention anywhere and everywhere. That I heartily endorse. On
all other points he is totally unqualified and unacceptable. We are left with a war-mongering
Neo-Con thug. When She takes office, begin the countdown---war is coming, a very big war
"... Perhaps the most surreal point of the night is when a military leader speaks to how much butt we're going to kick once Hillary is elected, the Sanders delegates start the chant, "Peace, Not War", and the rest of the arena drowns this out with chants of 'U.S.A ..."
"... We discussed how it felt Orwellian, like the two minutes of hate in 1984. "Having chants of 'No More War' attempted to be drowned out by chants of 'USA' was baffling," Alan Doucette, Bernie delegate from Las Vegas, said. "To me, USA is a symbol of justice and equality and not warmongering and looking for excuses to go to war. That's what I want it to be and what it should be." ..."
"... "The most dislocating experience was General Allen's speech, with so many military brass on display, and the 'fight' between No More War and USA. That was chilling. Note, No More War is not: War Criminal! Or similarly 'disrespectful' stuff; it's simply a demand not to make our present worse with more 'hawkish' 'interventionist' 'regime change' wars and war-actions." ..."
"... The US 2016 election is different. You actually have a huge choice to make. Do you vote(or not vote) to support the Washington establishment, which is clearly pushing for war with Russia, or do you vote Trump who doesn't want such a war? Your choice. ..."
"... why would you even contemplate gambling that we can survive 4 years of Clinton without a nuclear war? ..."
Mark Lasser (CO): "Perhaps the most surreal point of the night is when a military leader
speaks to how much butt we're going to kick once Hillary is elected, the Sanders delegates start
the chant, "Peace, Not War", and the rest of the arena drowns this out with chants of 'U.S.A.'"
Carole Levers (CA): " I was harassed by five Hillary delegates who got in my face while I was
sitting in my seat. They told me that we needed to quit chanting, go home, and that we did not belong
there. They added that by chanting "No More Wars" we were disrespecting the veterans. I replied that
none of us were disrespecting the veterans. We were honoring them by NOT WANTING ANY MORE DEAD VETERANS,
killed in illegal wars for the profits of the wealthy. I reiterated that we were exercising our first
amendment rights to which one replied that WE (Bernie delegates) had no rights. I was later shoved
by a Hillary delegate into the metal frame of the seats."
Carol
Cizauskas (NV): "We heard other Bernie delegates chanting "No more war" and then the "opposing
team" of Hillary delegates thundering over those chants with "USA." It was darkly eerie. We discussed
how it felt Orwellian, like the two minutes of hate in 1984. "Having chants of 'No More War' attempted
to be drowned out by chants of 'USA' was baffling," Alan Doucette, Bernie delegate from Las Vegas,
said. "To me, USA is a symbol of justice and equality and not warmongering and looking for excuses
to go to war. That's what I want it to be and what it should be."
#SlayTheSmaugs (NY): "The most dislocating experience was General Allen's speech, with so
many military brass on display, and the 'fight' between No More War and USA. That was chilling. Note,
No More War is not: War Criminal! Or similarly 'disrespectful' stuff; it's simply a demand not to
make our present worse with more 'hawkish' 'interventionist' 'regime change' wars and war-actions."
Lauren Steiner (CA): "[Clinton supporters] decided to chant with us when we chanted 'Black Lives
Matter.' But for some reason, they found 'No More War' to be offensive and shouted "USA" right after.
At first, I was puzzled by the fact that they were shouting exactly what Trump supporters shout at
his rallies. Then, after all the bellicose speeches and the fact that they had so many Republicans
endorsing Clinton, it hit me that perhaps it was because they were courting Republicans now. They
didn't care about our support anymore."
Ike, August 18, 2016 at 1:02 pm
I am reading Primary Colors by Anonymous. It is entertaining as well as reaffirming a suspected
baseline of conduct.
Lambert Strether, August 18, 2016 at 1:11 pm
Primary Colors (by Joke Line (Joe Klein)) is terrific. The movie is good too. I am so happy
and amazed that I live in a world where John Travolta plays Bill Clinton in a movie.
Jeremy Grimm, August 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm
The harassment and dirty tricks pulled against the Sanders people - as described in these collected
reports - leaves me wondering whether Sanders actually won the nomination. It would have been
much more politic for the Hillary people to let the Sanders delegates blow off steam and wait
until the nomination and end of the convention to circle the wagons in "unity". If Hillary clearly
won the nomination then the stupidity and arrogance in team Hillary's treatment of the Sanders
people speaks to a new level of disdain for the 99%. The business about the $700 hotels and the
misinformation and lack of information provided from team Sanders raises other questions.
trent, August 18, 2016 at 2:17 pm
Wow, all those testimonials from the democrat convention are an eye opener, for some. Hillary's
soft Nazism on full display for any of the still true believers. Yet the press calls trump the
Nazi. Trump is crazy, but its almost an honest craziness compared to Hillary. She's nuts, but
manipulates everything she can to hide it. I'll take out in the open crazy, easier to plan for.
EoinW, August 19, 2016 at 8:51 am
I haven't voted in years. In Canada, however, we've never been given a choice on anything.
Doesn't matter if the election is federal, provincial or municipal, no issues just personalities.
The US 2016 election is different. You actually have a huge choice to make. Do you vote(or
not vote) to support the Washington establishment, which is clearly pushing for war with Russia,
or do you vote Trump who doesn't want such a war? Your choice.
But why would you even contemplate gambling that we can survive 4 years of Clinton without
a nuclear war? Speculating on global warming or third party movements kind of lose their
significance during a nuclear winter.
Patricia
This young woman turned it into a tale, "The Bullshittery of the DNC":
This is a very important article and I strongly recommend to read it in full to understand how
neoliberal propaganda works.
This is nice example of how difficult is for ordinary person to cut threw media lies and get to
the truth. So some level of brainwashing is inevitable unless you use only alternative media.
Neoliberal MSM are disgusting and are lying all the time, but unless you use WWW and foreign
sources (like people in the in the USSR did -- substitute radio for WWW, as it did not existed yet)
that is not much else.
Notable quotes:
"... Donald Trump did something downright shocking for a debate a few days before an important Republican primary. He went after the country's last Republican president, George W. Bush. Hard. He went after the Republican Party's general foreign policy approach. Hard. ..."
"... Obviously, the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake. All right? … The war in Iraq, we spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives, we don't even have it. Iran has taken over Iraq with the second-largest oil reserves in the world. Obviously, it was a mistake. George Bush made a mistake. We can make mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East. … I want to tell you. They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction. ..."
"... Trump said, "The World Trade Center came down during your brother's reign, remember that… That's not keeping us safe." ..."
"... Compare that little vignette with this week, when Donald Trump repeatedly said that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were founders/co-founders/MVPs of ISIS. ..."
"... DT: I don't care. He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay? ..."
Back in February, candidates for the Republican nomination for president debated each other in
South Carolina. The Saturday evening discussion was raucous. Donald Trump did something downright
shocking for a debate a few days before an important Republican primary. He went after the country's
last Republican president, George W. Bush. Hard. He went after the Republican Party's general foreign
policy approach. Hard.
Moderator John Dickerson asked him about his 2008 comments in favor of impeaching George W. Bush.
He had said that year that Bush had "lied" to get the United States into a war in Iraq. Trump
said to Dickerson:
Obviously, the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake. All right? … The war in Iraq, we spent
$2 trillion, thousands of lives, we don't even have it. Iran has taken over Iraq with the second-largest
oil reserves in the world. Obviously, it was a mistake. George Bush made a mistake. We can make
mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the
Middle East. … I want to tell you. They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction,
there were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction.
Jeb Bush attempted to defend his brother's honor, saying, "And while Donald Trump was building
a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe. And I'm proud of
what he did."
Trump said, "The World Trade Center came down during your brother's reign, remember that…
That's not keeping us safe."
And on it went. Yes, many in the crowd booed. Yes, many Republicans opposed his conspiracy theories
about George W. Bush. The media were able to report Trump's challenges to Republican foreign policy
without weighing in on the veracity of his claims. The most interesting thing of all? Trump
easily won the
South Carolina primary a week later with 33 percent of the vote.
Compare that little vignette with this week, when Donald Trump repeatedly said that President
Obama and Hillary Clinton were founders/co-founders/MVPs of ISIS. Even though the media had
more than shot their outrage wad for the week, the media doubled, tripled, even quadrupled down on
their outrage for the Wednesday night-Thursday news cycle. Here are six problems with the media's
complete meltdown over the remarks.
Why Did This Become an Issue Now and Not 7 Months Ago?
Republicans who oppose Trump claim the media encouraged Trump when he was setting fire to Republican
opponents but have fought him tooth and nail in the general. Ammunition for that claim includes
the distinct ways the media have reacted to his long-standing claim that Obama and Clinton founded
ISIS.
As the Washington Examiner notes, Trump said this three times in January alone:
'They've created ISIS. Hillary Clinton created ISIS with Obama,' he said during a campaign
rally in Mississippi.
Trump restated the claim in an interview on CBS in July. 'Hillary Clinton invented ISIS with
her stupid policies,' he said. 'She is responsible for ISIS.'
He said it again during a rally in Florida one month later. 'It was Hillary Clinton – she should
take an award from them as the founder of ISIS.'
Needless to say, the media response to these comments was more bemused enabling than the abject
horror they reserved for this week. The full media meltdown over something Trump has been saying
all year long is at best odd and unbecoming. At worst, it suggests deep media corruption.
Hyperliteralism
Listen, Trump might be an effective communicator with his core audience,
but others have trouble understanding him. His speaking style couldn't be more removed from the
anodyne and cautious political rhetoric of our era. This can be a challenge for political journalists
in particular. His sentences run on into paragraphs. He avoids specificity or contradicts himself
when he doesn't. His sentences trail into other sentences before they finish. He doesn't play
the usual games that the media are used to. It's frustrating.
So the media immediately decided Trump was claiming that Obama had literally incorporated ISIS
a few years back. And they treated this literal claim as a fact that needed to be debunked.
Politifact gave the claim one of their vaunted "pants on fire" rulings: ... ... ...
The "fact" "check" admits that both President Barack Obama's leadership in Iraq and Hillary
Clinton's push to change regimes in Libya led to the explosion of ISIS but says that since Trump
said he really, totally, no-joke meant Obama and Clinton were co-founders, that they must give
him a Pants On Fire rating.
As for the CNN chyron which appears to be deployed never in the case of Hillary Clinton's many
serious troubles with truth-telling, or when Joe Biden told black voters that Republicans were
going to "put y'all back in chains," but repeatedly in the case of Donald Trump speaking hyperbolically,
this tweet is worth considering:
Failure to Do Due Diligence
On Thursday morning, Trump did a radio interview with
Hugh Hewitt. The media clipped one part of his answer and used it to push a narrative that Donald
Trump was super serial about Obama literally going to Baghdad, attending organizational meetings,
and holding bake sales to launch his new organization ISIS.
Kapur's tweet went viral but so did about eleventy billion other reporter tweets making the
same point. The Guardian headline was "Trump reiterates he literally believes Barack Obama is
the 'founder of Isis'."
You really need to listen to the interview to get the full flavor of how unjournalistic this
narrative is.
Yes, Trump does reiterate over and over that Obama is the founder of ISIS. And yes, he says
he really meant to say Obama founded ISIS. But that's definitely not all. How hard is it to listen
for an additional minute or read an additional few words? The relevant portion of the interview
is from 15:25 to 16:53. So this is not a huge investment of your time.
First off, let's note for our hyperliteral media that Trump says "I'm a person that doesn't
like insulting people" a few seconds before Hewitt asks about the ISIS comments. (Fact check:
Pants on fire, amiright?) In this minute and a half, Trump says "I meant he's the founder of ISIS.
I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her,
too, by the way, Hillary Clinton." Hewitt pushes back, saying that Obama is trying to kill ISIS.
Trump says:
DT: I don't care. He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the
founding of ISIS, okay?
Here, journalists and pundits, is your first slap across the face that maybe, just maybe, Trump
is not talking about articles of incorporation but, rather, something else entirely.
Hewitt says, yeah, but the way you're saying it is opening you up to criticism. Was it a mistake?
Trump says not at all. Obama is ISIS's most valuable player. Then Trump asks Hewitt if he doesn't
like the way he's phrasing all this! And here's where journalists might want to put on their thinking
caps and pay attention. Hewitt says he'd say that Obama and Hillary lost the peace and created
a vacuum for ISIS, but he wouldn't say they created it:
HH: I don't. I think I would say they created, they lost the peace. They created the Libyan
vacuum, they created the vacuum into which ISIS came, but they didn't create ISIS. That's what
I would say.
DT: Well, I disagree.
HH: All right, that's okay.
DT: I mean, with his bad policies, that's why ISIS came about.
HH: That's…
DT: If he would have done things properly, you wouldn't have had ISIS.
HH: That's true.
DT: Therefore, he was the founder of ISIS.
HH: And that's, I'd just use different language to communicate it, but let me close with this,
because I know I'm keeping you long, and Hope's going to kill me.
DT: But they wouldn't talk about your language, and they do talk about my language, right?
Now, this is undoubtedly true. When people critique Obama's policies as Hewitt did, the media
either call the critic racist or ignore him. When Trump critiques Obama's policies, they do talk
about the way he does it. Maybe this means the message gets through to people.
No matter what, though, the media should have stuck through all 90 seconds of the discussion
to avoid the idiotic claim that Trump was saying Obama was literally on the ground in Iraq running
ISIS' operations. He flat-out admits he's speaking hyperbolically to force the media to cover
it.
Pretending This Rhetoric Is Abnormal
People accuse their political opponents of
being responsible for bad things all the time.
Clinton accused Trump of being ISIS' top recruiter. Bush's CIA and NSA chief said Trump
was a "recruiting
sergeant" for ISIS. Former NYC mayor Rudy Guiliani said Hillary Clinton could be
considered a
founding member of ISIS. Here was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, just a few weeks ago,
making a completely false claim of Republican's literal ties to ISIS:
Carly Fiorina and Rick Santorum placed blame for ISIS on Obama and
Clinton. Sen. John McCain said Obama was "directly responsible" for
the Orlando ISIS attack due to his failure to deal with the terror
group. President Obama said
he couldn't think of a more potent recruiting tool for ISIS than
Republican rhetoric in support of prioritizing help for Christians
who had been targeted by the group. Last year,
Vanity Fair published a piece blaming George W. Bush for
ISIS. Heck,
so did President Obama.
There are many other examples. This type of rhetoric may not be
exemplary, but we shouldn't pretend it's unique to Trump.
Missing Actual Problems with His Comments
Huge kudos to BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski
for avoiding the feigned outrage/fainting couch in favor of an important critique of Trump's comments.
He didn't pretend to be confused by what Trump was saying. By avoiding that silliness, he noticed
something much more problematic with Trump's comments.
Trump has cited the conservative critique of President Obama's Iraq policy - that the withdrawal
of troops in 2011 led to a power vacuum that allowed ISIS to flourish - in making the claim.
'He was the founder of ISIS, absolutely,' Trump said on CNBC on Thursday. 'The way he removed
our troops - you shouldn't have gone in. I was against the war in Iraq. Totally against it.' (Trump
was not against the war as he has repeatedly claimed.) 'The way he got out of Iraq was that that
was the founding of ISIS, OK?' Trump later said.
But lost in Trump's immediate comments is that, for years, he pushed passionately and forcefully
for the same immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. In interview after interview in the later 2000s,
Trump said American forces should be removed from Iraq.
Read the whole (brief) thing. One of the Trump quotes in the piece specifically has him acknowledging
the civil unrest in Iraq that led to ISIS flourishing. It's a devastating critique and a far smarter
one than the silly hysteria on display elsewhere.
We're Still Not Talking about Widespread Dissatisfaction with Our Foreign Policy
Let's think back to the opening vignette. Trump went into the South in the middle of the Republican
primary and ostentatiously micturated over George W. Bush's Iraq policy. The voters of South Carolina
rewarded him with a victory.
Here's the real scandal in this outrage-du-jour: by pretending to think that Trump was claiming
Obama had operational control over ISIS' day-to-day decision making, the media failed to cover
widespread dissatisfaction with this country's foreign policy, whether it's coming from George
W. Bush or Barack Obama.
Many Americans are rather sick of this country's way of fighting wars, where enemies receive
decades of nation-building instead of crushing defeats, and where threats are pooh-poohed or poorly
managed instead of actually dealt with.
Trump may be an uneven and erratic communicator who is unable to force that discussion in a
way that a more traditional candidate might, but the media shouldn't have to be forced into it.
Crowds are cheering Trump's hard statements about Obama and Clinton's policies in the Middle East
because they are sick and tired of losing men, women, treasure and time with impotent, misguided,
aimless efforts there.
The vast majority of Americans supported invading Iraq, even if
many of them deny they supported it now. Americans have lost confidence in both Republican and Democratic foreign policy approaches.
No amount of media hysteria will hide that reality.
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway is a senior editor at The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter at @mzhemingway
"... Hillary Clinton's respect for Kissinger has been noted before I think, and it's awful. Even if she were free of that shithead, though, her current goal is to demolish Trump. Voices on the GOP side really are important to erode his support not just among voters but within the party and the donor base. This could be a historic walloping. If monsters can help the effort to flip the senate, court the monsters. ..."
Ah, it's official: Clinton is actively seeking Henry Kissinger's endorsement. The man who helped
scuttle the peace talks in 1968, prolonging the Vietnam War by seven years, at the cost of hundreds
of thousands of lives. Who was at the heart of the secret bombing of Cambodia and Laos-personally
selecting targets for bomber runs-which led to the destabilization of Cambodia and ultimately the
Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. Who firmly backed the Pakistani military in its genocidal
slaughter in Bangladesh. As Greg Grandin, whose book about Kissinger is must-reading, wrote not so
long ago, "The full tally hasn't been done, but a back-of-the-envelope count would attribute 3, maybe
4 million deaths to Kissinger's actions, but that number probably undercounts his victims in southern
Africa."
This is the man whose support Hillary wants. Because Kissinger sways so many votes in Ohio or
Georgia? No, because he's prudential, realistic, respectable, unlike that irresponsible reckless
madman Donald Trump.
A glance at the Politico piece reveals it's a bit vague on the details, saying that, according
to an unnamed source, the Clinton campaign has "sent out feelers" to Kissinger, Baker, Schultz,
and Rice. But yeah, that's a mistake. Her campaign doesn't need them, and why HRC does not do
everything to keep her distance from Kissinger - I mean as a political matter (if they want to
be on friendly terms in private life, I guess that's their business) - is mystifying. Maybe Bill
Clinton, who attended anti-Vietnam War protests in London while a student at Oxford, shd have
a long talk w/ HRC about the period. Since, though she lived through it, it apparently did not
make that much of an impact. Anyway, I'd be surprised if Kissinger ends up publicly endorsing
her.
This is the man whose support Hillary wants. Because Kissinger sways so many votes in Ohio
or Georgia? No, because he's prudential, realistic, respectable, unlike that irresponsible
reckless madman Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton's respect for Kissinger has been noted before I think, and it's awful. Even
if she were free of that shithead, though, her current goal is to demolish Trump. Voices on the
GOP side really are important to erode his support not just among voters but within the party
and the donor base. This could be a historic walloping. If monsters can help the effort to flip
the senate, court the monsters.
It's really not mystifying. Clinton has long courted that imprimatur of foreign policy mainstream
respectability, and while the origins of that courting may have been instrumental and strategic,
pure political calculation, it has since become a part of her political identity. I don't this
is cynicism anymore; she believes it.
Meanwhile, the poll numbers keep climbing for her. Virtually every mainstream journalist now
recognizes what some of us have been saying for months. Absent a "miracle," as Rothenberg says
here, Trump will be squashed.
"For Michael Morell, as with many other CIA careerists, his strongest suit seemed to be pleasing
his boss and not antagonizing the White House" His loyalty is to qhoewver occupies White House, not
necessarily to the truth. "Morell [was] at the center of two key fiascoes: he "coordinated the
CIA review" of Secretary of State Colin Powell's infamous Feb. 5, 2003 address to the United Nations
and he served as the regular CIA briefer to President George W. Bush. Putting Access Before Honesty"
Rise of Another CIA Yes Man – Consortiumnews
Notable quotes:
"... Let the bizarreness of that claim sink in, since it is professionally impossible to recruit an agent who is unwitting of being an agent, since an agent is someone who follows instructions from a control officer. ..."
"... However, since Morell apparently has no evidence that Trump was "recruited," which would make the Republican presidential nominee essentially a traitor, he throws in the caveat "unwitting." Such an ugly charge is on par with Trump's recent hyperbolic claim that President Obama was the "founder" of ISIS. ..."
"... Looking back at Morell's record, it was not hard to see all this coming, as Morell rose higher and higher in a system that rewards deserving sycophants. I addressed this five years ago in an article titled "Rise of Another CIA Yes Man." That piece elicited many interesting comments from senior intelligence officers who knew Morell personally; some of those comments are tucked into the end of the article. ..."
As for Morell's claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is somehow controlling Donald Trump,
well, even Charlie Rose had stomach problems with that and with Morell's "explanation." In the Times
op-ed, Morell wrote: "In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr.
Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation."
Let the bizarreness of that claim sink in, since it is professionally impossible to recruit an
agent who is unwitting of being an agent, since an agent is someone who follows instructions from
a control officer.
However, since Morell apparently has no evidence that Trump was "recruited," which would make
the Republican presidential nominee essentially a traitor, he throws in the caveat "unwitting." Such
an ugly charge is on par with Trump's recent hyperbolic claim that President Obama was the "founder"
of ISIS.
Looking back at Morell's record, it was not hard to see all this coming, as Morell rose higher
and higher in a system that rewards deserving sycophants. I addressed this five years ago in
an article
titled "Rise of Another CIA Yes Man." That piece elicited many interesting comments from senior intelligence
officers who knew Morell personally; some of those comments are tucked into the end of the article.
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour
in inner-city Washington. He is a 30-year veteran of the CIA and Army intelligence and co-founder
of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). McGovern served for considerable periods
in all four of CIA's main directorates.
"... "She is the one that caused all this problem with her stupid policies," Trump said, referring to Hillary Clinton. "You look at what she did with Libya, what she did with Syria. Look at Egypt, what happened with Egypt, a total mess. She was truly - if not the - one of the worst secretaries of state in the history of the country. She talks about me being dangerous. She's killed hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity." ..."
"... Trump is absolutely right. Hillary voted for the invasion of Iraq, which killed a million people. As I've pointed out , it wasn't just an immoral decision - it was a stupid one ..."
"... As secretary of state, Clinton never met a war she didn't love. Under her watch and following her counsel, the United States armed radical jihadis who are now terrorists , helped topple Moammar Gaddafi , expanded a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Libyans and reduced one of the most advanced nations in Africa into a failed state . Then she turned around and did the same exact thing to Syria. ..."
"... Ted Rall , syndicated writer and the cartoonist for ANewDomain.net ..."
"... is the author of the book " Snowden ," the biography of the NSA whistleblower. ..."
There is, on the other hand, something wonderfully refreshing about Donald Trump's gleeful deployment
of the S-word.
"She is the one that caused all this problem with her stupid policies," Trump said,
referring
to Hillary Clinton. "You look at what she did with Libya, what she did with Syria. Look at Egypt,
what happened with Egypt, a total mess. She was truly - if not the - one of the worst secretaries
of state in the history of the country. She talks about me being dangerous. She's killed hundreds
of thousands of people with her stupidity."
Trump is absolutely right. Hillary voted for the invasion of Iraq, which killed a million
people. As I've pointed out,
it wasn't just an immoral decision - it was a stupid one, since anyone with a half a brain could
see at the time that Saddam probably didn't have WMDs, and that Bush's war would be a disaster.
Let Hillary's supporters take offense. How is unfair, wrong or intemperate to call out a foreign
policy record that fits the dictionary definition of "stupid" - doing the same thing over and over,
even though it never works? Stupid is as stupid
does. Hillary is stupid, especially on foreign policy, and Trump is right to say so.
Winner or loser, Trump has done political debate in America a huge favor by freeing "stupid" from
the rhetorical prison of words and phrases polite people aren't allowed to use.
Interestingly, stupid people aren't all losers and losers aren't always stupid in Trumpworld.
Hillary Clinton has one hell of a resume, which she has parlayed into a
big pile of cash. She is, by Trump standards, a winner (albeit a stupid one). If I met Trump,
I'd ask him if a smart person can be a loser (possible example: he
called the obviously smart Russell Brand a loser, but also a "dummy").
Pre-Trump, American politics and culture suffered from a lack of stupid-calling. I am serious.
"There has been a long tradition of anti-intellectualism in America, unlike most other Western
countries," Ray Williams
wrote last year in Psychology Today. Insults reflect a society's values. Americans value
macho masculinity, good looks and youth, so our top slurs accuse their victims of being effeminate,
weak, ugly, fat, old and outdated. In France, where the life of the mind is prized so much that one
of the nation's
top-rated
TV shows featured philosophers and auteurs discussing politics and culture over cigarettes, there
are few things worse than being called stupid and having it stick. A society that ranks "stupid"
as of its worst insults lets it be known that being smart is at least as important as being tough
or hot or buff.
So, Donald Trump, thanks for dropping those S-bombs.
Ted Rall, syndicated writer and the cartoonist for
ANewDomain.net, is the author of the book "Snowden,"
the biography of the NSA whistleblower.
This transformation of State Department into the branch of CIA started under
Madeleine Albright and reached crescendo during Hillary Clinton.
Notable quotes:
"... I personally have suggested investigating the person of the US Ambassador
in Ankara John Bass, who was Ambassador in Republic of Georgia in 2008 and who was
involved in dirty business in Iraq, and also seems to be involved in "Color revolution"
in Kiev. There are very few "traditional" diplomats in a state department. ..."
The new evidence of the US participation in the coup attempt in Turkey emerged.
Greek press published a photo made a day before the coup. It shows the US ambassador
in Turkey John Basse together with the Turkish senior officer, who looks like
one of the leaders of the coup Col. Ali Yazıcı (former military adviser to President
Erdogan). They had a private meeting in Cengelkoy café the day before the coup.
F. William Engdahl - historian, economic researcher, writer comments this:
The US right now is on a defensive. Erdogan has openly challenged leading
NATO generals. There is investigation of evidences of the US involvement
in the coup. I personally have suggested investigating the person of
the US Ambassador in Ankara John Bass, who was Ambassador in Republic of
Georgia in 2008 and who was involved in dirty business in Iraq, and also
seems to be involved in "Color revolution" in Kiev. There are very few "traditional"
diplomats in a state department.
"... Russia is aware of the United States' plans for nuclear hegemony ..."
"... The Russian president also highlighted the fact that although the United States missile system is referred to as an "anti-missile defense system," the systems are just as offensive as they are defensive: ..."
"... Putin further explained the implications of this missile defense system's implementation without any response from Russia. The ability of the missile defense system to render Russia's nuclear capabilities useless would cause an upset in what Putin refers to as the "strategic balance" of the world. Without this balance of power, the U.S. would be free to pursue their policies throughout the world without any tangible threat from Russia. Therefore, this "strategic balance," according to Putin, is what has kept the world safe from large-scale wars and military conflicts. ..."
(ANTIMEDIA)
As the United States continues to
develop and upgrade their nuclear weapons capabilities at an alarming rate,
America's ruling class refuses to heed warnings from President Vladimir Putin
that Russia will respond as necessary.
In his most
recent
attempt to warn his Western counterparts about the impending danger of a
new nuclear arms race, Putin told the heads of large foreign companies and business
associations that Russia is aware of the United States' plans for nuclear
hegemony. He was speaking at the 20th St. Petersburg International Economic
Forum.
"We know year by year what will happen, and they know that we know,"
he said.
Putin argued that the rationale the U.S. previously gave for maintaining
and developing its nuclear weapons system is directed at the so-called "Iranian
threat." But that threat has been drastically reduced since the U.S. proved
instrumental in reaching an
agreement with Iran that should
put to rest any possible Iranian nuclear potential.
The Russian president also highlighted the fact that although the United
States missile system is referred to as an "anti-missile defense system," the
systems are just as offensive as they are defensive:
"They say [the missile systems] are part of their defense capability,
and are not offensive, that these systems are aimed at protecting them from
aggression. It's not true…the strategic ballistic missile defense is part
of an offensive strategic capability, [and] functions in conjunction with
an aggressive missile strike system."
This missile system has been launched throughout Europe, and despite
American promises at the end of the Cold War that NATO's expansion would
not move "as much as a thumb's width further to the East," the missile system
has been implemented in many of Russia's neighboring countries, most recently
in Romania.
Russia views this as a direct attack on their security.
"How do we know what's inside those launchers? All one needs to do
is reprogram [the system], which is an absolutely inconspicuous task,"
Putin stated.
Putin further explained the implications of this missile defense system's
implementation without any response from Russia. The ability of the missile
defense system to render Russia's nuclear capabilities useless would cause an
upset in what Putin refers to as the "strategic balance" of the world. Without
this balance of power, the U.S. would be free to pursue their policies throughout
the world without any tangible threat from Russia. Therefore, this "strategic
balance," according to Putin, is what has kept the world safe from large-scale
wars and military conflicts.
Following
George W. Bush's 2001 decision to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from the
1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty, Russia was, according to Putin, left with
no choice but to upgrade their capabilities in response.
Putin warned:
"Today Russia has reached significant achievements in this field.
We have modernized our missile systems and successfully developed new generations.
Not to mention missile defense systems…We must provide security not only
for ourselves. It's important to provide strategic balance in the world,
which guarantees peace on the planet.
Neutralizing Russia's nuclear potential will undo, according to Putin,
"the mutual threat that has provided [mankind] with global security for decades."
It should, therefore, come as no surprise that NASA scientists want to
colonize the moon by 2022 - we may have to if we don't drastically alter
the path we are on. As Albert Einstein
famously stated:
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World
War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
"... Whatever the character of America's involvement in the Middle East before 1980, when Bacevich's account begins, it was not a war, at least not in terms of American casualties. "From the end of World War II to 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in that region," he notes. "Within a decade," however, "a great shift occurred. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere except in the Greater Middle East." ..."
"... The sequence of events, lucidly related by Bacevich, would be a dark absurdist comedy if it weren't tragically real. To check Iran, the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War of 1980–88, whose final phase, the so-called "Tanker War," involved direct U.S. military engagement with Iranian naval forces. (Bacevich calls this the real first Persian Gulf War.) ..."
"... Finally, George W. Bush decided to risk what his father had dared not: invading Iraq with the objective of "regime change," he launched a third Gulf War in 2003. The notion his neoconservative advisers put into Bush's head was that, with only a little help from American occupation and reconstruction, the void left by Saddam Hussein's removal would be filled by a model democracy. ..."
"... Yet the first Bush had been right: Iran, as well as ISIS, reaped the rewards of regime change in Baghdad. And so America is now being drawn into a fourth Gulf War, reintroducing troops-styled as advisors-into Iraq to counter the effects of the previous Gulf War, which was itself an answer to the unfinished business of the wars of 1991 and the late 1980s. Our military interventions in the Persian Gulf have been a self-perpetuating chain reaction for over three decades. ..."
"... "Wolfowitz adhered to an expansive definition of the Persian Gulf," notes Bacevich, which in that young defense intellectual's words extended from "the region between Pakistan and Iran in the northeast to the Yemens in the southwest." Wolfowitz identified two prospective menaces to U.S. interests in the region: the Soviet Union-this was still the Cold War era, after all-and "the emerging Iraqi threat"; to counter these Wolfowitz called for "advisors and counterinsurgency specialists, token combat forces, or a major commitment" of U.S. forces to the Middle East. ..."
"... The military bureaucracy took advantage of the removal of one enemy from the map-Soviet Communism-to redirect resources toward a new region and new threats. As Bacevich observes, "What some at the time were calling a 'peace dividend' offered CENTCOM a way of expanding its portfolio of assets." Operation Desert Storm, and all that came afterward, became possible. ..."
"... The final lesson of this one is simple: "Perpetuating the War for the Greater Middle East is not enhancing American freedom, abundance, and security. If anything, it is having the opposite effect." ..."
Bacevich's latest book, America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History,
is a bookend of sorts to American Empire. The earlier work was heavy on theory and institutional
development, the groundwork for the wars of the early 21st century. The new book covers the history
itself-and argues persuasively that the Afghanistan, Iraq, and other, smaller wars since 9/11 are
parts of a larger conflict that began much earlier, back in the Carter administration.
Whatever the character of America's involvement in the Middle East before 1980, when Bacevich's
account begins, it was not a war, at least not in terms of American casualties. "From the end of
World War II to 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in that
region," he notes. "Within a decade," however, "a great shift occurred. Since 1990, virtually no
American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere except in the Greater Middle East."
Operation Eagle Claw, Carter's ill-fated mission to rescue Americans held hostage in Iran, was
the first combat engagement in the war. Iran would continue to tempt Washington to military action
throughout the next 36 years-though paradoxically, attempts to contain Iran more often brought the
U.S. into war with the Islamic Republic's hostile neighbor, Iraq.
The sequence of events, lucidly related by Bacevich, would be a dark absurdist comedy if it
weren't tragically real. To check Iran, the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the Iran-Iraq
War of 1980–88, whose final phase, the so-called "Tanker War," involved direct U.S. military engagement
with Iranian naval forces. (Bacevich calls this the real first Persian Gulf War.)
Weakened and indebted by that war, and thinking the U.S. tolerant of his ambitions, Saddam then
invaded Kuwait, leading to full-scale U.S. military intervention against him: Operation Desert Storm
in 1991. (By Bacevich's count, the second Gulf War.) President George H.W. Bush stopped American
forces from pushing on to Baghdad after liberating Kuwait, however, because-among other things-toppling
Saddam would have created a dangerous vacuum that Iran might fill.
A decade of sanctions, no-fly zones, and intermittent bombing then ensued, as Washington, under
Bush and Clinton, would neither depose Saddam Hussein nor permit him to reassert himself. Finally,
George W. Bush decided to risk what his father had dared not: invading Iraq with the objective of
"regime change," he launched a third Gulf War in 2003. The notion his neoconservative advisers put
into Bush's head was that, with only a little help from American occupation and reconstruction, the
void left by Saddam Hussein's removal would be filled by a model democracy. This would set a
precedent for America to democratize every trouble-making state in the region, including Iran.
Yet the first Bush had been right: Iran, as well as ISIS, reaped the rewards of regime change
in Baghdad. And so America is now being drawn into a fourth Gulf War, reintroducing troops-styled
as advisors-into Iraq to counter the effects of the previous Gulf War, which was itself an answer
to the unfinished business of the wars of 1991 and the late 1980s. Our military interventions in
the Persian Gulf have been a self-perpetuating chain reaction for over three decades.
Iran released its American hostages the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president: January 20,
1981. So what accounts for another 35 years of conflict with Iran and Iraq? The answer begins with
oil.
Bacevich takes us back to the Carter years. "By June 1979, a just-completed study by a then-obscure
Defense Department official named Paul Wolfowitz was attracting notice throughout the national security
bureaucracy." This "Limited Contingency Study" described America's "vital and growing stake in the
Persian Gulf," arising from "our need for Persian-Gulf oil and because events in the Persian Gulf
affect the Arab-Israeli conflict."
"Wolfowitz adhered to an expansive definition of the Persian Gulf," notes Bacevich, which
in that young defense intellectual's words extended from "the region between Pakistan and Iran in
the northeast to the Yemens in the southwest." Wolfowitz identified two prospective menaces to U.S.
interests in the region: the Soviet Union-this was still the Cold War era, after all-and "the emerging
Iraqi threat"; to counter these Wolfowitz called for "advisors and counterinsurgency specialists,
token combat forces, or a major commitment" of U.S. forces to the Middle East.
(Bacevich is fair to Wolfowitz, acknowledging that Saddam Hussein was indeed an expansionist,
as the Iraqi dictator would demonstrate by invading Iran in 1980 and seizing Kuwait a decade later.
Whether this meant that Iraq was ever a threat to U.S. interests is, of course, a different question-as
is whether the Soviet Union could really have cut America off from Gulf oil.)
Wolfowitz was not alone in calling for the U.S. to become the guarantor of Middle East security-and
Saudi Arabia's security in particular-and President Carter heeded the advice. In March 1980 he created
the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF), predecessor to what we now know as the U.S. Central
Command (CENTCOM), which has military oversight for the region. The RDJTF's second head, Lt. Gen.
Robert Kingston, described its mission, in admirably frank language, as simply "to ensure the unimpeded
flow of oil from the Arabian Gulf."
Iraq and Iran both posed dangers to the flow of oil and its control by Saudi Arabia and other
Arab allies-to use the term loosely-of the United States. And just as the U.S. was drawn into wars
with Iran and Iraq when it tried to play one against the other, America's defense of Saudi Arabia
would have grave unintended consequences-such as the creation of al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was outraged
when, in 1990, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd declined his offer to wage holy war against Saddam Hussein
and instead turned to American protection, even permitting the stationing of American military personnel
in Islam's sacred lands. "To liberate Kuwait," writes Bacevich, bin Laden had "offered to raise an
army of mujahedin. Rejecting his offer and his protest, Saudi authorities sought to silence the impertinent
bin Laden. Not long thereafter, he fled into exile, determined to lead a holy war that would overthrow
the corrupt Saudi royals." The instrument bin Laden forged to accomplish that task, al-Qaeda, would
target Americans as well, seeking to push the U.S. out of Muslim lands.
Bin Laden had reason to hope for success: in the 1980s he had helped mujahedin defeat another
superpower, the Soviet Union, in Afghanistan. That struggle, of course, was supported by the U.S.,
through the CIA's "Operation Cyclone," which funneled arms and money to the Soviets' Muslim opponents.
Bacevich offers a verdict on this program:
Operation Cyclone illustrates one of the central ironies of America's War for the Greater Middle
East-the unwitting tendency, while intently focusing on solving one problem, to exacerbate a second
and plant the seeds of a third. In Afghanistan, this meant fostering the rise of Islamic radicalism
and underwriting Pakistan's transformation into a nuclear-armed quasi-rogue state while attempting
to subvert the Soviet Union.
America's support for the mujahedin succeeded in inflicting defeat on the USSR-but left Afghanistan
a haven and magnet for Islamist radicals, including bin Laden.
Another irony of Bacevich's tale is the way in which the end of the Cold War made escalation of
the War for the Greater Middle East possible. The Carter and Reagan administrations never considered
the Middle East the centerpiece of their foreign policy: Western Europe and the Cold War took precedence.
Carter and Reagan were unsystematic about their engagement with the Middle East and, even as they
expanded America's military presence, remained wary of strategic overcommitment. Operation Eagle
Claw, Reagan's deployment of troops to Lebanon in 1983 and bombing of Libya in 1986, and even the
meddling in Iran and Iraq were all small-scale projects compared to what would be unleashed after
the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The military bureaucracy took advantage of the removal of one enemy from the map-Soviet Communism-to
redirect resources toward a new region and new threats. As Bacevich observes, "What some at the time
were calling a 'peace dividend' offered CENTCOM a way of expanding its portfolio of assets." Operation
Desert Storm, and all that came afterward, became possible.
The
Greater Middle East of Bacevich's title centers strategically, if not geographically, upon Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. But its strategic implications and cultural reach are wide, encompassing
Libya, Somalia, and other African states with significant Muslim populations; Afghanistan and Pakistan
(or "AfPak," in the Obama administration's parlance); and even, on the periphery, the Balkans, where
the U.S. intervened militarily in support of Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. That Clinton-era
intervention is examined in detail by Bacevich: "Today, years after NATO came to their rescue," he
writes, "a steady stream of Bosnians and Kosovars leave their homeland and head off toward Syria
and Iraq, where they enlist as fighters in the ongoing anti-American, anti-Western jihad."
Much as George W. Bush believed that liberal democracy would spring up in Saddam Hussein's wake,
the humanitarian interventionists who demanded that Bill Clinton send peacekeepers to Bosnia and
bomb Serbia on behalf of the Kosovars thought that they were making the world safe for their own
liberal, multicultural values. But as Bacevich notes, the Balkan Muslims joining ISIS today are "waging
war on behalf of an entirely different set of universal values."
Bacevich's many books confront readers with painful but necessary truths. The final lesson
of this one is simple: "Perpetuating the War for the Greater Middle East is not enhancing American
freedom, abundance, and security. If anything, it is having the opposite effect."
Daniel McCarthy is the editor of The American Conservative.
"... What is not contested, on the other hand, is that Saudi elites in the business community and even segments of the royal family support extremist groups like al-Qaida. U.S. government cables leaked by WikiLeaks admit "donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide." ..."
"... During the Cold War - and particularly during the Soviet war in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s - the U.S., hand-in-hand with Saudi Arabia, actively encouraged religious extremism. They stressed that socialist and communist movements were often atheistic, and pitted far-right religious fundamentalists against the secular leftists. The remnants of this policy are the extremist movements we see throughout the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia today. ..."
"... In order to decimate the left in the Cold War, the U.S. emboldened, armed and trained the extreme-right. The Frankenstein's monsters it created in the pursuit of this policy are the al-Qaedas and ISISes of the world. ..."
"... Saudi Arabia is truly a country that was created through Western imperialism. Before Roosevelt met with King Ibn Saud, Saudi Arabia was a relatively weak country with little global political influence. It was Western, and principally U.S., patronage that turned Saudi Arabia into what it is today. ..."
"... Women are essentially second-class citizens in Saudi Arabia. They are given nowhere near equal rights with men - who basically own their wives and daughters - and cannot travel without men accompanying them. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing among women, even though many are educated, and they were only just granted the right to vote in December 2015 - although they do not have any actual effectual politicians to vote for under an absolute monarchy. ..."
"... The U.S. will realize that there really is an easy way to stop terrorism: It will stop participating in it, and end its alliance with Saudi Arabia. ..."
"... "There was no 'overthrow.'" ..."
"... I've seen for myself the investments that Saudi Arabia has made in Kyrgyzstan to turn their Muslim majority into a destabilizing force. They pay for brand new Mosques with gleaming spires, and these are the locations where the local Muslims become radicalized and where guns, ammunition and explosives are held. ..."
"... one reason the usa government loves saudi is that the government activities enrich the officers of state. dubya not only promoted a war, he enriched his family with munitions contracts. look at the 'carlyle group.' ..."
"... It's no wonder the average Middle Easterner thinks the US is behind ISIS. ..."
"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really
easy way: stop participating in it." So advised world-renowned public intellectual Noam Chomsky,
one of the most cited thinkers in human history.
The counsel may sound simple and intuitive - that's because it is. But
when it comes to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. ignores it.
Saudi Arabia is the world's leading sponsor of Islamic extremism. It
is also a close U.S. ally.
... ... ...
Saudi Arabia is a theocratic absolute monarchy that governs based on an extreme interpretation of
Sharia (Islamic law). It is so extreme, it has been widely compared to ISIS. Algerian journalist
Kamel Daoud characterized Saudi Arabia in an
op-ed in The New York Times as "an ISIS that has made it."
"Black Daesh, white Daesh," Daoud
wrote, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. "The former slits throats, kills, stones, cuts off hands,
destroys humanity's common heritage and despises archaeology, women and non-Muslims. The latter is
better dressed and neater but does the same things. The Islamic State; Saudi Arabia."
"In its struggle against terrorism, the West wages war on one, but shakes hands with the other,"
Daoud continued. "This is a mechanism of denial, and denial has a price: preserving the famous strategic
alliance with Saudi Arabia at the risk of forgetting that the kingdom also relies on an alliance
with a religious clergy that produces, legitimizes, spreads, preaches and defends Wahhabism, the
ultra-puritanical form of Islam that Daesh feeds on."
In the past few decades, the Saudi regime has
spent an estimated $100 billion exporting its extremist interpretation of Islam worldwide. It
infuses its fundamentalist ideology in the ostensible charity work it performs, often targeting poor
Muslim communities in countries like Pakistan or places like refugee camps, where uneducated, indigent,
oppressed people are more susceptible to it.
Whether elements within Saudi Arabia support ISIS is contested. Even if Saudi Arabia does not
directly support or fund ISIS, however, Saudi Arabia gives legitimacy to the extremist ideology ISIS
preaches.
What is not contested, on the other hand, is that Saudi elites in the business community and even
segments of the royal family support extremist groups like al-Qaida. U.S. government
cables leaked by WikiLeaks admit "donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source
of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide."
Supporters of the Saudi monarchy resist comparisons to ISIS. The regime itself
threatened
to sue social media users who compared it to ISIS. Apologists point out that ISIS and Saudi Arabia
are enemies. This is indeed true. But this is not necessarily because they are ideologically different
(they are similar) but rather because they threaten each other's power.
There can only be one autocrat in an autocratic system; ISIS' self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi refuses to kowtow to present Saudi King Salman, and vice-versa. After all, the Saudi
absolute monarch partially justifies his rule through claiming that it has been blessed and ordained
by God, and if ISIS' caliph insists the same, they can't both be right.
Some American politicians have criticized the U.S.-Saudi relationship for these very reasons.
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham has been perhaps the most outspoken critic. Graham has called extremist
groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda "a product of Saudi ideals, Saudi money and Saudi organizational support."
... ... ...
Sen. Graham has nevertheless insisted that the possibility that elements of the Saudi royal family
supported the 9/11 attackers should not be ruled out. In his 2004 book "Intelligence Matters: The
CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia, and the Failure of America's War on Terror," Graham further argued these
points, from his background within the U.S. government.
The independent, non-partisan Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has
detailed the allegations and possible evidence - or lack thereof - of Saudi ties to the 9/11 attacks
on its website FactCheck.org.
Whatever its role, what is clear is that Saudi Arabia's support for violent extremist groups is well
documented. Such support continues to this very day. In Syria, the Saudi monarchy has backed al-Nusra,
al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. The U.S. government has bombed al-Nusra, but its ally Saudi Arabia is
funding it.
Yet despite its brutality and support for extremism, the U.S. considers the Saudi monarchy a "close
ally." The State Department calls Saudi Arabia "a strong partner in regional security and counterterrorism
efforts, providing military, diplomatic, and financial cooperation." It stated in September 2015
it "welcomed" the appointment of Saudi Arabia to the head of a U.N. human rights panel. "We're close
allies," the State Department remarked.
... ... ...
During the Cold War - and particularly during the Soviet war in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s
- the U.S., hand-in-hand with Saudi Arabia, actively encouraged religious extremism. They stressed
that socialist and communist movements were often atheistic, and pitted far-right religious fundamentalists
against the secular leftists. The remnants of this policy are the extremist movements we see throughout
the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia today.
In order to decimate the left in the Cold War, the U.S. emboldened, armed and trained the extreme-right.
The Frankenstein's monsters it created in the pursuit of this policy are the al-Qaedas and ISISes
of the world.
... ... ...
Saudi Arabia is truly a country that was created through Western imperialism. Before Roosevelt
met with King Ibn Saud, Saudi Arabia was a relatively weak country with little global political influence.
It was Western, and principally U.S., patronage that turned Saudi Arabia into what it is today.
The Saudi monarchy presents itself as modernized, yet it is still feudal in essence. There is almost
no developed civil society in Saudi Arabia, because the regime has made all independent institutionalized
forms of dissent illegal.
Women are essentially second-class citizens in Saudi Arabia. They are given nowhere near equal rights
with men - who basically own their wives and daughters - and cannot travel without men accompanying
them. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing among women, even though many are educated, and they were
only just granted the right to vote in December 2015 - although they do not have any actual effectual
politicians to vote for under an absolute monarchy.
... ... ...
If it is truly interested in stopping terrorism, then, the U.S. and the rest of the West will
heed Chomsky's advice. The U.S. will realize that there really is an easy way to stop terrorism:
It will stop participating in it, and end its alliance with Saudi Arabia.
Ben Norton is a politics staff writer at Salon. You can find him on Twitter at @BenjaminNorton.
Declassified documents describe in detail how US – with British help – engineered coup against
Mohammad Mosaddeq
Monday 19 August 2013
The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup
against Iran's democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also
show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement
in his overthrow.
On the 60th anniversary of an event often invoked by Iranians as evidence of western meddling,
the US national security archive at George Washington University published a series of declassified
CIA documents.
"The military coup that overthrew Mosaddeq and his National Front cabinet
was carried out under CIA direction as an act of US foreign policy, conceived and approved at
the highest levels of government," reads a previously excised section of an internal CIA history
titled The Battle for Iran.
The documents, published on the archive's website under freedom of information laws, describe
in detail how the US – with British help – engineered the coup, codenamed TPAJAX by the CIA and
Operation Boot by Britain's MI6...
Mosaddeq's overthrow, still given as a reason for the Iranian mistrust of British and American
politicians, consolidated the Shah's rule for the next 26 years until the 1979 Islamic revolution.
It was aimed at making sure the Iranian monarchy would safeguard the west's oil interests in the
country.
The archived CIA documents include a draft internal history of the coup titled "Campaign to
install a pro-western government in Iran", which defines the objective of the campaign as "through
legal, or quasi-legal, methods to effect the fall of the Mosaddeq government; and to replace it
with a pro-western government under the Shah's leadership with Zahedi as its prime minister".
{The Nixon administration created a "Twin
Pillars" Middle East policy, in which the U.S.-backed monarchies in Saudi Arabia and Iran
were considered pillars of stability. In 1953, the CIA backed a coup that overthrew Iran's first
and only democratically elected head of state, Mohammad Mosaddegh}
That is a rather odd correlation -- Mr. Nixon was inaugurated in 1973 -- 20 yrs after
the CIA/MI6 (Mossad was likely lurking, too) toppled Mr. Mosaddegh.
The Nixon effect stems from Mr. Kissinger's amorous connection -- he made love to Saudi Arabia,
and they had a child named Petro-$. It was the birth of the greatest financial con in Human history.
If one has a grasp of the nature of the Supreme Power behind that curtain, the events unfolding
in the world right now, make much sense.
I've seen for myself the investments that Saudi Arabia has made in Kyrgyzstan to turn their
Muslim majority into a destabilizing force. They pay for brand new Mosques with gleaming
spires, and these are the locations where the local Muslims become radicalized and where guns,
ammunition and explosives are held.
They were successful in starting an armed revolution against of the Kyrgis government in 2010
in this otherwise peaceful country where Muslims and non-Muslims had coexisted for years in peace
and harmony. (During my visit, I even had a Muslim business owner thank George Bush during
my visit for our USAID support - I was shocked. Muslims are not the enemy. Extremists
and authoritarian governments like SA are. They don't want the two cultures to mix.)
Saudi Arabia is by far the biggest opponent to peace in the Middle East.
one reason the usa government loves saudi is that the government activities enrich the
officers of state. dubya not only promoted a war, he enriched his family with munitions contracts.
look at the 'carlyle group.'
Until the problem of Saudi Arabia is solved, the problems in the Middle East will not be solved.
We thought we could go in the back door by changing Iraq, but we only made things worse. Take
away the oil and we would have invaded after 9/11.
The royal family is basically paying off the radicals to leave them, and their wealth, alone.
Americans have to accept that fact that the U.S. and other western governments prefer fundamentalism
- which sells us oil - to democracy, socialism or Arab nationalism. It loves a good theocracy.
These really are feudal regimes.
In Palestine, in Afghanistan, in Libya, in Iraq and now Syria, the U.S. and its allies have
DIRECTLY funded Al Quada and its offshoots. Much of the weaponry sent from Libya to Syria
for 'secular freedom fighters' ended up in the hands of Daesh. The U.S. has worked to crush
partially secular regimes over and over again, even using the early Islamic Hamas fundamentalists
in Palestine against the PLO, DFLP, PFLP etc. Before that they undermined Nasser, Mossedegh,
and ANY left nationalists in sight.
All for oil. It is still the oil barons and the militarists that back the Saudis and
this will not change until the US. government is undermined itself.
"... And what a joy for the war party that those dastardly Ruskis are now back as Enemy Number One.
Much more fun than scruffy Arabs. The word is out: more stealth bombers, more warships, more missiles,
more troops for Europe. The wicked Red Chinese will have to wait their turn until Uncle Sam can deal
with them. ..."
"... I always find conventions depressing affairs. Rather than the cradle of democracy, they remind
me of clownish Shriners Conventions. Or as the witty Democratic advisor Paul Begala said, `Hollywood
for ugly people.' What, I kept wondering, is the rest of the world thinking as it watching this tawdry
spectacle? ..."
"... One thing that that amazed me was the Convention's lack of attention to America's longest ever
war that still rages in the mountains of Afghanistan. For the past thirteen years, America, the world's
greatest military and economic power, has been trying to crush the life out of Afghan Pashtun mountain
tribesmen whose primary sin is fiercely opposing occupation by the US and its local Afghan opium-growing
stooges. ..."
"... But the war was far from being 'almost won.' The US-installed puppet regime in Kabul of President
Ashraf Ghani, a former banker, holds on only thanks to the bayonets of US troops and the US Air Force.
Without constant air strikes, the US-installed Ghani regime and its drug-dealing would have been swept
away by Taliban and its tribal allies. ..."
"... So the US remains stuck in Afghanistan. Obama lacked the courage to pull US troops out. Always
weak in military affairs, Obama bent to demands of the Pentagon and CIA to dig in lest the Red Chinese
or Pakistan take over this strategic nation. The US oil industry was determined to assure trans-Afghan
pipeline routes south from Central Asia. India has its eye on Afghanistan. Muslims could not be allowed
to defeat the US military. ..."
"... This longest of wars has cost nearly $1 trillion to date – all of its borrowed money – and
caused the deaths of 3,518 US and coalition troops, including 158 Canadians who blundered into a war
none of them understood. ..."
"... No one has the courage to end this pointless war. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Afghans are
being killed. Too bad no one at the Democratic or Republican Conventions had time to think about the
endless war in forgotten Afghanistan. ..."
Anti-Russian hysteria in America reached its apogee this week as Democrats tried to divert attention
from embarrassing revelations about how the Democratic Party apparatus had rigged the primaries against
Bernie Sanders by claiming Vlad Putin and his KGB had hacked and exposed the Dem's emails.
This was rich coming from the US that snoops into everyone's emails and phones across the globe.
Remember German chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone being bugged by the US National Security Agency?
Unnamed US 'intelligence officials' claimed they had 'high confidence' that the Russian KGB or
GRU (military intelligence) had hacked the Dem's emails. These were likely the same officials who
had 'high confidence' that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
Blaming Putin was a master-stroke of deflection. No more talk of Hillary's slush fund foundation
or her status as a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs and the rest of Wall Street. All attention was focused
on President Putin who has been outrageously demonized by the US media and politicians.
Except for a small faux pas – a montage of warships shown at the end of the Democratic Convention
is a blaze of jingoistic effusion embarrassingly turned out to be Russian warships!
Probably another trick by the awful Putin who has come to replace Satan in the minds of many Americans.
And what a joy for the war party that those dastardly Ruskis are now back as Enemy Number
One. Much more fun than scruffy Arabs. The word is out: more stealth bombers, more warships, more
missiles, more troops for Europe. The wicked Red Chinese will have to wait their turn until Uncle
Sam can deal with them.
I always find conventions depressing affairs. Rather than the cradle of democracy, they remind
me of clownish Shriners Conventions. Or as the witty Democratic advisor Paul Begala said, `Hollywood
for ugly people.' What, I kept wondering, is the rest of the world thinking as it watching this tawdry
spectacle?
One thing that that amazed me was the Convention's lack of attention to America's longest
ever war that still rages in the mountains of Afghanistan. For the past thirteen years, America,
the world's greatest military and economic power, has been trying to crush the life out of Afghan
Pashtun mountain tribesmen whose primary sin is fiercely opposing occupation by the US and its local
Afghan opium-growing stooges.
The saintly President Barack Obama repeatedly proclaimed the Afghan War over and staged phony
troops withdrawals. He must have believed his generals who kept claiming they had just about defeated
the resistance alliance, known as Taliban.
But the war was far from being 'almost won.' The US-installed puppet regime in Kabul of President
Ashraf Ghani, a former banker, holds on only thanks to the bayonets of US troops and the US Air Force.
Without constant air strikes, the US-installed Ghani regime and its drug-dealing would have been
swept away by Taliban and its tribal allies.
So the US remains stuck in Afghanistan. Obama lacked the courage to pull US troops out. Always
weak in military affairs, Obama bent to demands of the Pentagon and CIA to dig in lest the Red Chinese
or Pakistan take over this strategic nation. The US oil industry was determined to assure trans-Afghan
pipeline routes south from Central Asia. India has its eye on Afghanistan. Muslims could not be allowed
to defeat the US military.
Look what happened to the Soviets after they admitted defeat in Afghanistan and pulled out. Why
expose the US Empire to a similar geopolitical risk?
With al-Qaida down to less than 50 members in Afghanistan, according to former US defense chief
Leon Panetta, what was the ostensible reason for Washington to keep garrisoning Afghanistan? The
shadowy ISIS is now being dredged up as the excuse to stay.
This longest of wars has cost nearly $1 trillion to date – all of its borrowed money – and
caused the deaths of 3,518 US and coalition troops, including 158 Canadians who blundered into a
war none of them understood.
No one has the courage to end this pointless war. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Afghans
are being killed. Too bad no one at the Democratic or Republican Conventions had time to think about
the endless war in forgotten Afghanistan.
DryBack, Voilà: Wikileaks recently released documents proving that Hillary Clinton took
$100,000 of cash from a company she ran (and worked for in the 80's and 90's) that also funded
ISIS in Syria. French industrial giant, Lafarge, gave money to the Islamic state to operate
their (Lafarge's) cement plant in Syria, and purchased oil from ISIS. Lafarge are also large
donators to Clinton's election and the Clinton Foundation. More is here: http://yournewswire.com/clinton-was-director-of-company-that-donated-money-to-isis/
Lafarge is a regular donor to the Clinton Foundation – the firm's up to $100,000 donation was
listed in its annual donor list for 2015.
rberger -> doublreed
Lame. When Clinton worked as a lawyer, she did some legal work for Lafarge. She later said
on the board. This was in 1991. The so-called association with ISIS happened in 2014. Clinton
did not take $100,000 from the company. The company donated $100,000 to the Clinton
Foundation, which is a non-profit organization and not a cent goes to Clinton.
"... 0bama v Bush43, who was the More Effective Evil? At least Bush43 didn't have the passion for Crapifying social insurance like 0bama did – IIRC Bush43 meekly tried to privatize SS & then let it go. Bush43 didn't push any Rigged Trade Outsourcing deals the size of TPP, perhaps there was a minor one (DR-CAFTA?). ..."
"... I'd guesstimate 0bama is even worse than Bush43. The sad thing is that I fear the Fockin New Guy will be even worse than 0bama ..."
"... Well, Bush43 has Iraq going for him. And IMNSHO, the only reason Obama didn't seriously put "boots on the ground" is that Iraq and Afghanistan broke the army. But I bet they're recovered enough now, and ready for Hillary! ..."
"... Clearly, from Hickenlooper's speech before Clinton, the brass can't wait! ..."
BTW, do you think we "dodge 2 bullets" & make it to Jan 2017 without 0bama being able to implement
his beloved TPP & Grand Ripoff?
Flying Spaghetti Monster Willing, I hope so!
0bama v Bush43, who was the More Effective Evil? At least Bush43 didn't have the passion for
Crapifying social insurance like 0bama did – IIRC Bush43 meekly tried to privatize SS & then let
it go. Bush43 didn't push any Rigged Trade Outsourcing deals the size of TPP, perhaps there was
a minor one (DR-CAFTA?).
0bama's passion is allowing the 1%ers enrichment by parasitically ripping off 99%ers. In contrast
Bush43's passion was neocon Middle East warmongering regime-change, & Christian Theocratic stances
like banning stem cell research & gay marriage, & fellow theocrat SCOTUS nominations.
I'd guesstimate 0bama is even worse than Bush43. The sad thing is that I fear the Fockin New
Guy will be even worse than 0bama.
Perhaps there is a small chance for HClinton to be less bad
than 0bama if the Sanders-ish social democrats (typically labeled Progressives) can force HClinton
to halfway stick to the 2016 platform. Based on HClinton's behavior during the campaign, I doubt
that is possible – she seems to detest the Progressive faction, based off the Kaine nomination
& authoritarian banning of Sanders delegates from the convention floor, etc, & so far HClinton
seems to get away with this "hippie punching" behavior.
One positive aspect is that I feel like that HClinton will be unable to use the 0bama excuses
to valid Progressives' policy critiques of
You are a sexist for critizing Dear Leader! (racist in 0bama's case)
Those Evil Rs won't let her do that policy
These bogus replies are "dead horses" after continual use by 0bamabots, that IMHO will not
be available for HClinton to use.
Well, Bush43 has Iraq going for him. And IMNSHO, the only reason Obama didn't seriously
put "boots on the ground" is that Iraq and Afghanistan broke the army. But I bet they're
recovered enough now, and ready for Hillary!
Clearly, from Hickenlooper's speech before Clinton, the brass can't wait!
"... How can anyone vote for that corrupt warmonger? Seriously, can someone explain why she has
50% of the votes in the USA. Unbelievable. ..."
"... Killary, like Barry, loves killing people. Psychopaths--both of them. ..."
"... I honestly don't care if Trump wins. I don't think it will be good, but whatever. But I know
for a fact that no matter what, Hillary must not win. ..."
"... Oy Vey! It's funny how Liberals, most Muslims etc are offended by Trump but not offended by
the direct policies of the same old warmongers resulting in the deaths of millions of people in the
Middle East for a decade and on going in the sham war on t3rror. The fuck? ..."
Funny the Dems are so hot for Hillary and don't recognize she's a regime-changing warmonger on
a par with Bush, responsible for millions of dead and displaced in Libya, Syria, and Ukraine.
Exactly how nuts do you have to be to think you can go to war with Russia? Even if you come out
on top, what's the environment going to be like? Is emerging from your bunker with 70% of the
population dead and no atmosphere left considered a win? FUCK HILLARY RAW.
I honestly don't care if Trump wins. I don't think it will be good, but whatever. But I know
for a fact that no matter what, Hillary must not win. She's bad news.
WE ARE WITNESSING THE MOST CORRUPT, MAFIA-LIKE.. ANTI AMERICAN WOMAN IN HISTORY OF POLITICS. THERE
ARE REASONS WHY SCANDALS AND LIES AND DEATHS HAVE FOLLOWED HER FOR YEARS.
Truth Archives
Oy Vey! It's funny how Liberals, most Muslims etc are offended by Trump but not offended
by the direct policies of the same old warmongers resulting in the deaths of millions of people
in the Middle East for a decade and on going in the sham war on t3rror. The fuck?
2eyesofhorus
Hillary has become in effect, a NeoConservative, not a Democrat-she votes for war continually
Aisha K
Actually a lot of Muslims don't support Hillary or Trump and prefer Bernie because Bernie really
did vote against the war in Iraq, while Trump only claims he was once against it. Regardless of
that fact, Trump makes a powerful argument against voting for Hillary because of her warmonger
record in Iraq, Libya and any other place she gets involved in, and the damage it has caused the
entire world, including USA.
This Trump ad gives us a taste of what the Democrats will be up against if we have to try to mobilize
the voters behind Hillary to stop him. And why so many of us won't be able to put our hearts into
it. Because on this issue he is absolutely right. Hillary's record on foreign policy is reprehensible
- and terrifying. But it's not just on this issue - she has been lying about many things, among
them the state of the economy. With no public voting record to defend, no fundamental commitment
to the truth or reality, with a prostitute press that selectively forgets what he said yesterday,
Trump can be selectively right - and righteous - on any issue he chooses. Until it no longer suits
him.
Do I think Trump would be better than Clinton on issues of war and peace? Not for a minute.
Would he be worse? Maybe - I'm honestly not sure...
Garou
Take it from me .. She's a monster.
gamira007
+PeaceAndJustice Yes absolutely she is propped up by the MSM and the Corporate death machine.
The Majority do know this woman is pure evil but our rulers hand pick who is prez here cause if
voting did really matter then it would be illegal.
PeaceAndJustice
+Philo Beddoe
Her 'support' is driven by the MSM which is completely controlled by the PRC (Predatory Ruling
Class). Basically the people that believe the television think she is just a swell lady.
"... ISIS is al-Qaeda re-branded and is supported by Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and the Western military alliance. Obama didn't technically 'create' them. Nor did he do anything to stop them. When ISIS first emerged, the US State Department said they were caught completely "flat -footed". ISIS emerged like a mirage in the Iraq desert, fully equipped, fully armed and driving a convoy of matching Toyota trucks! ..."
"... I would like to say that Obama and Hillary Clinton were too weak or complacent to stop the Neoconservatives/Zionists/Establishment from creating ISIS. It was their way of toppling the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and helping Israel to tighten the grip over stolen land. ..."
"... I would like to say watch the "Yuri Bezmenov" interviews, and realize there is no difference between the democrats and establishment GOP, they are the same thing. ..."
"... I was able to see through GW Bush, other establishment RINOs, and was honest enough to see the fraud. ..."
We have been saying that for years that Isis was created and funded by the US ( Obama) he should
have been impeached years ago and to this day he needs to impeached and locked up for life for
all the lives he has killed and for all the crooked deals he has done behind our backs! He is
not even a citizen of the US! Please God help us all!
ISIS is al-Qaeda re-branded and is supported by Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States
and the Western military alliance. Obama didn't technically 'create' them. Nor did he do anything
to stop them. When ISIS first emerged, the US State Department said they were caught completely
"flat -footed". ISIS emerged like a mirage in the Iraq desert, fully equipped, fully armed and
driving a convoy of matching Toyota trucks!
We all know why Hillary and Obama get away with literally murder and treason. The reason is that
it is leverage over them by their puppet masters to ensure they stay on course with the New World
Order agenda. When it is feared that they are getting a bit off script leaks occur of their heinous
crimes and they get back on script. Both of these pathetic scum bags know what awaits them if
they turn away from their puppet master's wishes. At the least prison for life and the worse is
death in so many possible ways that it would be a replay of Kennedy with different patsies. This
is why Hillary has a Cheshire cat grin and Obama plays more golf than any other president. They
know they have a get out of jail free pass.
I would like to say that Obama and Hillary Clinton were too weak or complacent to stop the Neoconservatives/Zionists/Establishment
from creating ISIS. It was their way of toppling the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and helping
Israel to tighten the grip over stolen land.
I would like to say watch the "Yuri Bezmenov" interviews, and realize there is no difference between
the democrats and establishment GOP, they are the same thing. The cancer of the democrat party
bled into the GOP, hence the establishment, and organ of the democrat party. I was able to see
through GW Bush, other establishment RINOs, and was honest enough to see the fraud.
I used my
intellect, my brains, to see what was going on, and left the republican party many years ago.
YOU are still defending the democrat party, Obama, and Hillary. Pathetic.
"... MCINERNEY: I happen to agree with her. I'm not sure why it's just coming out now. I was pushing for the Free Syrian Army. They were a huge ally. We ended up arming the wrong people over there, and, remember, ISIS was formerly Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and so look at what we have now create -- we didn't create it. By doing nothing, we let it create itself. And if we don't stop it now and stop it and protect the Kurds, we have a huge problem not only in the Middle East, but globally. ..."
"... I said, "I'm not defending Assad. As always, I'm interested in the truth, and I just don't believe --" I had to work hard to get to a point where I automatically reject everything I hear coming out of the news media in Washington when the Democrats are in power because, by and large, when it comes to foreign policy, every story is made to cover up for their inadequacies, their incompetence, and the fact that they're wrong about everything. But here's McInerney again because there's a little hidden gem in this sound bite that I want to see, if by some chance, some of you picked up. ..."
RUSH: Now,
I mentioned this, I think, in first hour, previously on the program. Obama has been refusing
to help Iraq for at least a year. A year ago, it would have been easy, comparatively, to wipe
out ISIS. They were still gathering tightly together in their staging zones.
Had you heard of ISIS a year ago? I venture to say that most people heard of ISIS for the
first time in the past couple months. So Obama had plenty of chances. In fact, ladies and gentlemen,
if Obama had wanted to take out ISIS, he would not have formed a supportive relationship with them
in Syria! ISIS is who is "the rebels" in Syria opposing Bashar al-Assad. Before I get
to Syria, I just want to put the exclamation point on this thought.
Barack Obama, the Democrat Party, and the media (their willing accomplices) need Iraq to be always
seen as a Bush miserable failure, a Bush war, a Bush failure. Just as Vietnam was supposed to be
seen as a failure for Nixon. Now, you may be learning for the first time that the rebels in
Syria were ISIS. Over the weekend, it was reported that Hillary Clinton ripped into Obama for
his failure to help the Syrian rebels and that this failure to help the Syrian rebels led to the
rise of ISIS.
It's in The Atlantic in a story by Jeffrey Goldberg. It's a long interview. But there is
this knife-in-the-back criticism that Hillary directs at Obama, a comment that he made while Hillary
was his secretary of state. Do you remember he praised her, "best secretary of state ever"?
She might be, he said. On the day she resigned or the day they announced of her resignation, there
was a joint presser.
Obama is praising Hillary to the nines and talking about how she may be one of the best secretaries
of state ever, and now here comes Hillary back-stabbing Obama by claiming that his failure to help
the Syrian rebels led to the rise of ISIS. Right here it is, Jeffrey Goldberg: "The former
secretary of state, and probable candidate for president, outlines her foreign-policy doctrine.
"She says this about President Obama's: 'Great nations need organizing principles, and "Don't
do stupid stuff" is not an organizing principle.'" It's a slam, but I wonder: Are reset buttons organizing
principles? Because, let's not forget that Mrs. Clinton actually showed up with a Soviet leader...
(pfft, slap myself) a Russian leader with a plastic and red toy that said, in crudely spelled words,
"reset button." I kid you not!
... ... ...
The conventional wisdom was that Assad was gassing his own people. Remember,
Obama, in the previous summer of 2013, issued this red line and dared Assad not
to cross it. (imitating Obama) "You cross that red line, pal, you're gonna
have me to deal with," and we never did anything. But the word was out that
Assad was gassing and harming his own people. And I remember saying on this
program -- Koko, go back to that era and just for the website today, go find what
I said on those days and relink it, 'cause I made the point, I asked the question,
"What if it isn't Assad? What if the people creating mayhem in Syria are
actually Assad's enemies disguising themselves as protesters of Assad and trying
to make it appear as though he's doing this, when in fact he's not?"
And after I'd mentioned that, I got an e-mail from a friend who is somewhat aware of the circumstances
in Iraq and I was told that I was more right than I knew. And Hillary is now coming along and
essentially saying the same thing. She's not suggesting that ISIS was there. She is suggesting
that our lack of doing anything about it led to ISIS taking over the anti-Assad movement, when in
fact it was ISIS all along. ISIS was doing it and they were making it look like Assad did it. And
just like the media was biased toward Hamas, so was the media biased toward the same type of people
in Syria who are trying to make it look like Assad was doing this.
I had never seen any evidence that Bashar Assad -- his father was different. His father,
Hafez al-Assad, was a brutal guy and did commit atrocities to keep people in line. But there's
no evidence that Bashar had really done it. I knew that Al-Qaeda's on the march and they're
trying to gain control. The Muslim Brotherhood's trying to gain control, that whole area. It was
a lot of Christians in Syria that were being beaten up, killed, assaulted, what have you, and it
was made to look like it was Assad, and now we've learned that it wasn't.
The point is I called it. I was right, and that's what Hillary is now claiming that Obama missed
and that she was right about, but she never said it.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Okay. Here's me, folks, from this program on September 11th, 2013. By
the way, Koko, if you want to find the website history to link to what I originally said about this,
find September 2nd, 3rd, 4th, somewhere in there, my memory is. But this was September 11th of last
year.
RUSH ARCHIVE: Here we are 12 years later after 9/11, and think about it. Twelve years
later we are supporting Muslim terrorists in Syria. Muslim terrorists who are threatening to kill
Syrian Christians if they don't convert to Islam. That's who our allies are. Those are
the rebels that Bashar Assad is supposedly gassing. So we're aligned with 'em because we're
aligned against Assad. They're threatening to kill Syrian Christians if they don't convert
to Islam.
RUSH: This was ISIS, folks, and we were anti-Assad. It was made to look like Assad
was doing the gassing. He wasn't, as it turns out. This morning on Fox & Friends, Brian Kilmeade
spoke to retired Air Force Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney about Clinton's remarks criticizing
Obama's handling of ISIS and here's what the general said about Hillary's remarks.
MCINERNEY: I happen to agree with her. I'm not sure why it's just coming out now.
I was pushing for the Free Syrian Army. They were a huge ally. We ended up arming the
wrong people over there, and, remember, ISIS was formerly Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and so look at what we
have now create -- we didn't create it. By doing nothing, we let it create itself. And
if we don't stop it now and stop it and protect the Kurds, we have a huge problem not only in the
Middle East, but globally.
RUSH: Well, that's General McInerney. I've got 15 seconds before the break. It turns
out that my sources on this way back a year ago were absolutely right, that Assad was not the bad
guy.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You know, I tell you what's funny about this is Hillary Clinton. It's clear to me
that Hillary Clinton obviously thinks that foreign policy is still gonna be her strong pantsuit,
as she heads into the campaign. She really does. That's why she's doing all of this.
But I want to play this audio sound bite again from General McInerney, because there's a gem in this
that is another example of how Obama and the left, the Democrats, the media lied for five years,
2004 to 2009. Actually, 2003 to 2008 would be the specific time period, bashing Iraq every
day, every night, every day of the year.
One
other thing. Koko has found exactly what I was talking about. There was a post at RushLimbaugh.com
on September 3rd, "What if Assad Didn't Do It?" And my memory has now been refreshed.
I had a couple of sources and an e-mail from a friend confirm, so three different confirmations here
from people, that what we were getting in the news every day that Assad was gassing his people probably
wasn't true. That it was, it turns out ISIS, at the time known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq that was doing
it, and making it look like it was Assad, and that's who our allies were. We were anti-Assad
and we actually had an alliance, loose though it was, formed with the very people we're now bombing
in Iraq.
I remember I took my fair share of heat, and I always do when I'm not part of the conventional
wisdom. Assad's easy to hate. Assad's a dictator. Assad has a typical bad image and when somebody
says he's gassing his own people, it's automatically believed. And here I came, all of Washington
supports the idea that Assad was doing it, and I said, "I'm not so sure. What if."
"Rush, you didn't have to say anything. Why are you going out on a limb? Why do you want to sound
like you're defending Assad?"
I said, "I'm not defending Assad. As always, I'm interested in the truth, and I just don't believe
--" I had to work hard to get to a point where I automatically reject everything I hear coming out
of the news media in Washington when the Democrats are in power because, by and large, when it comes
to foreign policy, every story is made to cover up for their inadequacies, their incompetence, and
the fact that they're wrong about everything. But here's McInerney again because there's a
little hidden gem in this sound bite that I want to see, if by some chance, some of you picked up.
MCINERNEY: I happen to agree with her. I'm not sure why it's just coming out now.
I was pushing for the Free Syrian Army. They were a huge ally. We ended up arming the
wrong people over there, and, remember, ISIS was formerly Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and so look at what we
have now create -- we didn't create it. By doing nothing, we let it create itself. And
if we don't stop it now and stop it and protect the Kurds, we have a huge problem not only in the
Middle East, but globally.
RUSH: In the early days of 2002 when Bush was traveling the country making the case for
invading Iraq and getting rid of Saddam Hussein, I remember a couple of instances pointing out that
Al-Qaeda, prior to 9/11, had done some training in Iraq. And one of the things that had been
found was a hollowed-out shell of an airliner fuselage.
Now, the conventional wisdom was that Al-Qaeda had never been in Iraq, that Bush was making this
up, or that the intel was all wrong, but likely it was just Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld lying to
make their case, because Al-Qaeda was clearly the enemy after 9/11. Al-Qaeda had hijacked the
planes at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and Al-Qaeda was the evil, Osama bin Laden, and
Bush was going after them in Afghanistan and Saddam in Iraq.
The Democrats and the media, led by Obama starting in 2002, and other Democrats, Teddy Kennedy,
they were all -- I mean, John Kerry, they were all making fun and mocking the idea that Al-Qaeda
had anything to do with Iraq. Al-Qaeda was never in Iraq and nobody can prove it, they said.
Saddam had nothing to do with 911. Now, the Bush people at the time were saying, "We can't
afford --" 9/11 had just happened. "What happened here is real. And any time there is
anybody in the world vowing to do that or more, we are going to take it seriously."
They were making the case for preemptive military strikes. That's what all this was called,
because the left and the Democrats were arguing that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, therefore
it was not moral or strategically wise to hit Iraq. They had nothing to do with it. The
Bush people were saying, whether they did or didn't, it doesn't matter, they're threatening to do
the same thing. And after it's happened once, we are in charge of protecting this country and
defending the people, and we can't sit here and take these threats lightly.
Saddam at the time was lying to the UN inspectors about his weapons of mass destruction.
It turned out that he was big timing and he was trying to look like the most powerful Arab in the
region by being the most feared. So he was lying about at least the size of his weapons of
mass destruction stock. And part of the lie, part of the illusion was to not let the inspectors
in. He wanted everybody to conclude that he had a boatload of the stuff. And the Bush administration
was trying to tell everybody we can't afford to wait to be hit again to take action. We've
got to hit preemptively.
I'll never forget any of this, folks. Because I'll never forget the Democrats arguing about
it. Because the Democrats, even after 9/11, after a week of solidarity went by, the Democrats
conceived a political strategy, the purpose of which was to make sure Bush did not secure any long-lasting
credit for any policy he instituted following 9/11.
Also remember this, along those same lines. Bill Clinton, it was reported -- he later denied
it -- but Clinton, according to some famous well-known Democrats, was lamenting that 9/11 didn't
happen on his watch, because it prevented him an opportunity to show greatness and leadership.
He was upset that it had happened with Bush. If it was gonna happen, why couldn't it have happened
during his time? We reported that and all hell broke loose. A string of denials were forthcoming.
But the point is they politicize everything. There was unity for a week and after that the
Democrats devised a political strategy, the purpose of which was to make sure Bush did not secure
one positive achievement in the aftermath of 911. So these guys began opposing everything Bush
wanted to do when it came to Iraq. At first they even opposed the use of force in Afghanistan.
That's when they asked for the vote a second time.
Remember, there was a memo uncovered, a memo that was written by Jay Rockefeller, Democrat senator
from West Virginia, in which it was stated that as a strategy -- and this had come from James Carville
and Stan Greenberg in a memo. It was then written up by Rockefeller, who was the Intelligence Committee
ranking Democrat in the Senate. He said that they had to make Bush out to be a liar.
And it said if they were to succeed with this, that their strategy depended on convincing people
that Bush was lying about all of this in order to depress and lower his high approval numbers.
So, as I say, here's the gem that was in McInerney's piece ('cause I'm running out of time here).
Throughout all of this in the run-up to invading Iraq, whenever the possibility that Al-Qaeda might
have been in Iraq came up, the Democrats said, "No way!
"Al-Qaeda never found its way to Iraq! They wouldn't know how to get to Iraq if you gave 'em a
map. They haven't been to Iraq. They don't have anything to do with Saddam! They were helpless."
Now listen to what we just heard here. ISIS was originally known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Now, some of you might be saying, "Well, maybe so, Rush, but Al-Qaeda in Iraq didn't exist before
we attacked."
It did!
We were able to confirm that elements of Al-Qaeda did connect with Saddam for training exercises
and so forth. But the point is, in hindsight, look at what we're learning here. ISIS
and Al-Qaeda in Iraq are all over the Middle East, just like the Muslim Brotherhood. And in
Syria, we were actually, stupidity and maybe unknowingly (given this bunch, I could believe it was
unknowingly) supporting them
Because we had concluded that Bashar Assad was the one gassing his own people. I had never
seen any evidence that Assad treated his own people that way. I knew he treated political enemies
that way, which is why it was not a very long leap to making people believe that he might gas his
own people if he's gassed others. Ditto, Saddam and the Kurds. But there hadn't been
any evidence that Bashar Assad gassed his own people.
So, anyway, that's that, and it's just... Some of it's ancient history, but some of it's just
last year and some of it's just yesterday, and so much of it is lies. And so many of these
lies are why we're even here today. So all of these lies about all of this stuff is one of
the very large reasons why Obama was elected in the first place. It's just dispiriting in a
way -- and in another way, surely frustrating, and that's why I've been so ticked off all day.
"... If destroying Syria is the way we "help" Israel, how many other nations must the U.S. destroy to "help" Israel? And before John Hagee's braindead disciples start shouting "Destroy them all!" I remind you that Syria and other parts of the Middle East is the historic home of millions of Christians going back to the time of the Apostle Paul. ..."
"... On the whole, Neocons and Neolibs are people without conscience. At their core, they have no allegiance to the United States or any other country. They are globalists. The only god they serve is the god of power and wealth, and they don't care how many people--including Americans--they kill to achieve it. The blood of millions of dead victims around the world is already dripping from their murderous hands. ..."
Why isn't the Mainstream Media (MSM) in America reporting the fact that Hillary Clinton admitted
in public that the U.S. government created Al Qaeda, ISIS, Al Nusra, etc.? Why does the MSM refuse
to tell the American people that the United States has not ever actually fought ISIS but instead
has surreptitiously and very actively supported ISIS and the other radical Muslim terrorists in the
Middle East? Why has the media refused to reveal the fact that ever since Russia started to fight
a true offensive war against ISIS the terrorist organization has been reduced to almost half?
I'll tell you why: the MSM is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the U.S. government--no
matter which party is in power. The MSM doesn't work for the U.S. citizenry. It doesn't even work
for its corporate sponsors. It works for the Washington Power Elite permanently ensconced in D.C.
(and yes, those same Power Elite control most of those media corporate sponsors).
It is a sad reality that if one wants to get accurate news reporting, one must mostly bypass the
U.S. propaganda media and look to sources outside the U.S. Here is a Canadian publication that covered
the Hillary admission:
"The following video features Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton acknowledging that America
created and funded Al Qaeda as a terrorist organization in the heyday of the Soviet-Afghan war:
"'Let's remember here… the people we are fighting today we funded them twenty years ago.
"'Let's go recruit these mujahideen.
"'And great, let them come from Saudi Arabia and other countries, importing their Wahabi brand
of Islam so that we can go beat the Soviet Union.'"
"What she does not mention is that at no time in the course of the last 35 years has the US ceased
to support and finance Al Qaeda as a means to destabilizing sovereign countries. It was 'a pretty
good idea', says Hillary, and it remains a good idea today:
"Amply documented, the ISIS and Al Nusrah Mujahideen are recruited by NATO and the Turkish High
command, with the support of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel.
"The more fundamental question:
"Should a presidential candidate who candidly acknowledges that 'We created Al Qaeda' without
a word of caution or regret become president of the US, not to mention Hillary's commitment to waging
nuclear war on Russia if and when she becomes president of the United States of America."
The report continues:
"The Global War on Terror (GWOT) is led by the United States. It is not directed against Al Qaeda.
"Quite the opposite: The 'Global War on Terrorism' uses Al Qaeda terrorist operatives as their
foot soldiers.
"'Political Islam' and the imposition of an 'Islamic State' (modeled on Qatar or Saudi Arabia)
is an integral part of US foreign policy."
The report further states:
"It is a means to destabilizing sovereign countries and imposing 'regime change'.
"Clinton's successor at the State Department, John Kerry is in direct liaison with Al Nusra, an
Al Qaeda affiliated organization in Syria, integrated by terrorists and funded by the US and its
allies.
"In a bitter irony, John Kerry is not only complicit in the killings committed by Al Nusra, he
is also in blatant violation of US anti-terrorist legislation. If the latter were to be applied to
politicians in high office, John Kerry would be considered as a 'Terror Suspect'".
Think it through, folks: the U.S. government creates the radical Islamic terror networks that
justify America's "Global War On Terror" which directly results in millions of refugees (and no doubt
plants terrorists among them) flooding Europe. At the same time, it purposely refuses to protect
our own borders and even forces states and local communities to accept hundreds of thousands of Muslim
refugees (but the government is not sending any Christian refugees to America, even though a sizable
percentage of the refugees include Christians also) and pushes NATO to the doorstep of Russia, which
to any objective observer could only be regarded as an overt incitement to war.
Furthermore, why doesn't the MSM report the words of Hillary saying that the "best way to help
Israel" is to destroy Syria? Why doesn't the media acknowledge that official U.S. foreign policy
is to foment perpetual war, not in the name of the safety and security of the United States, but
in the name of "helping" Israel?
Here is how the same Canadian publication covers this part of the story:
"A newly-released Hillary Clinton email confirmed that the Obama administration has deliberately
provoked the civil war in Syria as the 'best way to help Israel.'
"In an indication of her murderous and psychopathic nature, Clinton also wrote that it was the
'right thing' to personally threaten Bashar Assad's family with death.
"In the email, released by Wikileaks, then Secretary of State Clinton says that the 'best way
to help Israel' is to 'use force' in Syria to overthrow the government."
It continues:
"Even though all US intelligence reports had long dismissed Iran's 'atomic bomb' program as a
hoax, (a conclusion supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency), Clinton continues to use
these lies to 'justify' destroying Syria in the name of Israel."
And again:
"The email proves--as if any more proof was needed--that the US government has been the main sponsor
of the growth of terrorism in the Middle East, and all in order to 'protect' Israel.
"It is also a sobering thought to consider that the 'refugee' crisis which currently threatens
to destroy Europe, was directly sparked off by this US government action as well, insofar as there
are any genuine refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria.
"In addition, over 250,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, which has spread to
Iraq--all thanks to Clinton and the Obama administration backing the 'rebels' and stoking the fires
of war in Syria."
If destroying Syria is the way we "help" Israel, how many other nations must the U.S. destroy
to "help" Israel? And before John Hagee's braindead disciples start shouting "Destroy them all!"
I remind you that Syria and other parts of the Middle East is the historic home of millions of Christians
going back to the time of the Apostle Paul.
The truth is, Hillary (and the rest of the grubby gaggle of Neocons) doesn't give a tinker's dam
about Israel. Neocons such as Hillary Clinton simply use Israel (and the misguided passions of Christians
and conservatives who blindly support Israel) as cover to accomplish their real agenda: manipulating
world governments to the enrichment and empowerment of themselves.
Donald Trump is untested. But if Hillary should be elected, I'm confident she would not make it
through her first term without taking us into another G.W. Bush-type war (or worse)--except she will
also add the attempted disarmament of the American people to her nefarious agenda.
That's what Neocons do: they foment war. To their very soul, they are warmongers. And never forget
that Hillary Clinton is a true-blue Neocon. Or if the word "Neoliberal" sounds better to you in describing
Hillary, so be it. They both mean the same thing: WAR.
Here is a good explanation of how both Neocons and Neolibs are working from the same script:
On the whole, Neocons and Neolibs are people without conscience. At their core, they have no allegiance
to the United States or any other country. They are globalists. The only god they serve is the god
of power and wealth, and they don't care how many people--including Americans--they kill to achieve
it. The blood of millions of dead victims around the world is already dripping from their murderous
hands.
And if you think my indictment against the Neocons is an exaggeration, Paul Craig Roberts (Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan) was even more scathing in his condemnation
of them:
"The remaining danger is the crazed American neoconservatives. I know many of them. They are completely
insane ideologues. This inhuman filth has controlled the foreign policy of every US government since
Clinton's second term. They are a danger to all life on earth. Look at the destruction they have
wreaked in the former Yugoslavia, in Ukraine, in Georgia and South Ossetia, in Africa, in Afghanistan
and the Middle East. The American people were too brainwashed by lies and by political impotence
to do anything about it, and Washington's vassals in Europe, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan had
to pretend that this policy of international murder was 'bringing freedom and democracy.'
"The crazed filth that controls US foreign policy is capable of defending US hegemony with nuclear
weapons. The neoconservatives must be removed from power, arrested, and put on international trial
for their horrendous war crimes before they defend their hegemony with Armageddon.
"Neoconservatives and their allies in the military/security complex make audacious use of false
flag attacks. These evil people are capable of orchestrating a false flag attack that propels the
US and Russia to war."
I knew that Hillary would pick a neo-liberal corporate tool. I still think Trump might be worth
voting for - if only to throw sand in the gears of the system - but his picking neo-liberal corporate
tool Mike Pence as VP was disappointing. Business as usual? Mike Pence might be viewed as Jeb Bush copycat.
Apparently the Pence in the ticket is not "America first" but " Israel First". Trump picked a neocon
who voted twice for the Iraq war and also for invasion and regime-change in Libya. This is in contrast
to Trump's own non-interventionist policy. See "Trump's VP Choice a Betrayal: Open Letter to the Campaign
Team":
https://quemadoinstitute.org/2016/07/16/trumps-vp-choice-a-betrayal-open-letter-to-the-campaign-team/
Notable quotes:
"... As a Senator since 2013, Kaine has regularly called for increased US involvement in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. He has consistently supported the Obama administration's reckless brinkmanship against Russia and China, two nuclear-armed powers. He has repeatedly pushed for a Congressional resolution officially declaring war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in order to clear the way for stepped-up US intervention. ..."
"... Like Clinton, Kaine has also supported the creation of a no-fly zone in Syria, an action that would quickly provoke a confrontation with Russia. ..."
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,455,590"
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation
Of Iraq 4,801
Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan :
3,487
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan $1,702,044,597,
In selecting Kaine, Clinton is making clear that she plans on running a right-wing, pro-war campaign
targeted at winning over the military and sections of the Republican Party dissatisfied with Trump,
and particularly with the Republican candidate's attitude toward Russia. Clinton also wanted to repudiate
any association with the issues of social inequality that motivated the widespread support for her
main rival in the primaries, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Kaine is among the most hawkish figures among Senate Democrats. As governor of Virginia from 2006
to 2010, Kaine oversaw billions of dollars in cuts to the state budget. The state of Virginia is
a major center for the military and defense industry, and is home to the Pentagon and the headquarters
of the CIA.
Between 2009 and 2011, Kaine served as the head of the Democratic National Committee, the leadership
body of the Democratic Party. He is close to Wall Street, having recently backed measures to deregulate
banks.
As a Senator since 2013, Kaine has regularly called for increased US involvement in Iraq,
Syria and Afghanistan. He has consistently supported the Obama administration's reckless brinkmanship
against Russia and China, two nuclear-armed powers. He has repeatedly pushed for a Congressional
resolution officially declaring war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in order to
clear the way for stepped-up US intervention.
Like Clinton, Kaine has also supported the creation of a no-fly zone in Syria, an action that
would quickly provoke a confrontation with Russia.
Wise Men of Foreign Affairs have jumped at the chance
to debunk a wild rumor that Hillary Clinton bragged about creating ISIS in her new memoir-truly
an easy layup in the annals of punditry. The rumor even got the name of Clinton's memoir wrong. But,
that's OK: The remaining facts still allow America to feel guilty.
According to
at least one Egyptian blogger, the conspiracy theory-complete with fake quotes from a fantasy
version of Clinton's memoir entitled Plan 360-emerged from the hothouse of Egypt's Pro-Mubarak/Pro-Military
Facebook pages: a social circle in which it is already de rigueur to suggest that the U.S.
and the Muslim Brotherhood secretly conspired to orchestrate the Arab Spring. This screenshot of
a Facebook page for the Egyptian military's counter-terrorism and special operations unit,
Task Force 777, and its reconnaissance
special operations unit, Task Force 999, depicts one of the earliest appearances of the fake Clinton
quotes:
Leaving aside for the moment the question of why Clinton would brag about this covert operation,
in progress, in her memoir, what foreign policy objectives could possibly be achieved by
America manufacturing ISIS? Like: Why do that? To what ends?
One version involves Israel (obviously), and something about balkanizing Israel's Mid-East neighbors
to both justify their nefarious Zionist expansion, or whatever, and remove opposition to it. Another
version,
as The Week pointed out Tuesday, claims that the U.S. would plan to recognize an ISIS
caliphate and that this caliphate would turn out to be (somehow) very amenable to America's strategic
and economic interests.
The hashtag #HilaryClintonsMemoirs (
#مذكرات_هيلاري_كلينتون)
quickly started trending across social media in the region,
Huffington Post UK reported, "with satirical tweets mocking the theory with outlandish claims
about what else the Secretary of State might have written-like a secret CIA plot to close all the
restaurants in Cairo and replace them with McDonalds."
Good one, the Middle East. I'm lovin' it.
Not everyone appreciated the Middle East's jokes, however.
Writing in his "Open Source" column for the
New York Times, Robert Mackey would like you to know that many in the Arab-speaking world
are doing some genuine soul-searching about their culture's own role in the emergence of ISIS and
that these conspiracy theories have simply been a haven for the obstinate and the self-deluded; Muslims
who are too afraid to look themselves and their societies in the mirror.
For instance, the Lebanese scholar Ziad Majed
wrote
on his blog that at least six factors from the recent history of the Middle East helped give
birth to the militant movement, including "despotism in the most heinous form that has plagued
the region," as well as "the American invasion of Iraq in 2003," and "a profound crisis, deeply
rooted in the thinking of some Islamist groups seeking to escape from their terrible failure to
confront the challenges of the present toward a delusional model ostensibly taken from the seventh
century."
That sort of introspection is not for everyone, of course, so a popular conspiracy theory has
spread online that offers an easier answer to the riddle of where ISIS came from: Washington.
Ha, ha. "Washington." What buffoons!
Let's learn a valuable lesson from the psychological projections of these weak-willed Third World
plebes: desert Archie Bunkers and izaar-clad Tony Sopranos too parochial in their worldview
and too much in denial of their own culpability to face this present danger.
America is better than that.
Let us examine with clear eyes all the ways in which our own democratically elected government-in
Washington-is responsible for where ISIS came from.
U.S. Policy in Chechnya
In a report this week on the blistering efficiency and military prowess of ISIS, ABC News reporter
James Gordon Meek got
an incredibly great, short answer as to where the Islamic State gained its technical expertise:
"Probably the Chechens," a U.S. official said.
ISIS, or ISIL, or the Islamic State-whatever you want to call it-was nearly dead in 2007, after
U.S. forces in Iraq and local Sunni tribes successfully joined forces against the group. It wasn't
until the Syrian uprisings that it reemerged as a potent force, after a failed merger with the al-Qaida-affiliated
Syrian rebel group al-Nusra,
lead most of al-Nusra's foreign-born jihadis to defect to ISIS.
"Foreign-born jihadis" here meaning career Islamists like the Chechen groups, which have been
conducting
terror
campaigns, kidnappings, and suicide bombings in Russia, with a reasonable degree of success,
for over 15 years now. Some of the most prominent leaders now fighting with ISIS are Chechens:
the ginger-bearded "rising star" Omar al-Shishani and
the group's Che Guevara, Muslem al-Shishani (the unnervingly studly viking face pictured above).
In addition to Saudi and Pakistani assistance, many of the Chechens were led and supported by the
CIA-trained Afghan mujahideen, up-to-and-including Osama bin Laden: ace mentors, in other words,
with proven experience in a professional terror setting.
When not actively defending the Chechen extremists with
weirdly
bipartisan neocon-neoliberal advocacy groups, policy makers and government officials in Washington
have turned a proactively blind eye to Chechen Islamist activities in Russia and here in the United
States with infamously fatal consequences. Both
the 9/11 Commission Report and
FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley have shown that senior-level officials refused to classify Islamic
terrorists in Chechnya-like their then-leader Ibn al Khattab who had direct contact with bin Laden-as
actual terrorists, thus preventing the FBI from properly investigating "20th hijacker" Zaccarias
Moussaoui before 9/11. Another pre-9/11 FBI investigation, this time into a Florida summer camp run
by the Saudi-funded
World Assembly
of Muslim Youth (WAMY), discovered that the group was showing children videos praising Chechen
bombers, only to be pulled off the case according to an FBI memo,
ID 1991-WF-213589, uncovered by
Greg Palast for the BBC and Vice. Upon further digging by Palast:
Several insiders repeated the same story: U.S. agencies ended the investigation of the bin
Laden-terrorist-Chechen-jihad connection out of fear of exposing uncomfortable facts. U.S. intelligence
had turned a blind eye to the Abdullah bin Laden organisation [yes, WAMY was run by a bin Laden
brother] because our own government was more than happy that our Saudi allies were sending jihadis
to Afghanistan, then, via WAMY, helping Muslims to fight in Bosnia then, later, giving the Russians
grief in Chechnya. The problem is that terrorists are like homing pigeons – they come home to
roost.
As Joe Trento of the National Security News Service, who helped me on the investigation, said,
"It would be unseemly if [someone] were arrested by the FBI and word got back that he'd once been
on the payroll of the CIA… What we're talking about is blow-back. What we're talking about is
embarrassing, career-destroying blow-back for intelligence officials."
A big part of the reason for this sensitivity is that covertly letting the Saudis and their Islamic
radicals chip away at the oil-rich rubble on the fringes of the collapsed Soviet empire has been
America's favored strategy for collecting the spoils of the Cold War.
"The policy of guiding the evolution of Islam and of helping them against our adversaries worked
marvelously well in Afghanistan against the Red Army,"
a former CIA analyst told Swiss journalist Richard
Labévière back in the late 1990s. "The same doctrines can still be used to destabilize what remains
of Russian power, and especially to counter the Chinese influence in Central Asia."
Granted: The events of September 11th made this
grand strategy
a little tricky, domestically, but as you may have noticed over the past few years,
particularly in Russian-allied Syria, it's mostly back on track.
"... Despite Hillary's blatant willingness to be bribed in public, her opponent, Bernie Sanders, has not succeeded in making an issue of Hillary's shamelessness. Both of the main establishment newspapers, the Washington Post and the New York Times have come to Hillary's defense. ..."
"... Hillary is a warmonger. She pushed the Obama regime into the destruction of a stable and largely cooperative government in Libya where the "Arab Spring" was a CIA-backed group of jihadists who were used to dislodge China from its oil investments in eastern Libya. She urged her husband to bomb Yugoslavia. ..."
"... She has pushed for "regime change" in Syria. She oversaw the coup that overthrew the democratically elected president of Honduras. She brought neoconservative Victoria Nuland, who arranged the coup that overthrew the democratically elected president of Ukraine, into the State Department. Hillary has called President Vladimir Putin of Russia the "new Hitler." Hillary as president guarantees war and more war . ..."
"... For the Clintons government means using public office to be rewarded for doing favors for private interests. The Wall Street Journal reported that "at least 60 companies that lobbied the State Department during her [Hillary Clinton's] tenure as Secretary of State donated a total of more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation . ..."
This is an English translation of an article that I wrote for the German
magazine, Compact. I was encouraged by the high level of intelligent discourse that Compact brings
to its readers. If only the US had more people capable of reaching beyond entertainment to comprehending
the forces that affect them, there might be some hope for America.
Compact brings hope to Germany. The German people are beginning to understand that their country
is not sovereign but a vassal of Washington and that their chancellor serves Washington's hegemony
and American financial interests, and not the German people.
Hillary Clinton is proving to be the
"teflon candidate." In her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, she has escaped damage
from major scandals, any one of which would destroy a politician.
Hillary has accepted massive bribes in the form of speaking fees from financial organizations
and corporations.
She is under investigation for misuse of classified data, an offense for which a number of whistleblowers
are in prison. Hillary has survived the bombing of Libya, her creation of a failed Libyan state that
is today a major source of terrorist jihadists, and the Benghazi controversy. She has survived charges
that as Secretary of State she arranged favors for foreign interests in exchange for donations to
the Clintons' foundation.
And, of course, there is a long list of previous scandals: Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate. Diana
Johnstone's book, Queen of Chaos, describes Hillary Clinton as "the top salesperson for the ruling
oligarchy."
Hillary Clinton is a bought-and-paid-for representative of the big banks, the military-security complex,
and the Israel Lobby. She will represent these interests, not those of the American people or America's
European allies.
The Clintons' purchase by interest groups is public knowledge. For example, CNN
reports that between February 2001 and May 2015 Bill and Hillary Clinton were paid $153 million in
speaking fees for 729 speeches, an average price of $210,000.
As it became evident that Hillary Clinton would emerge as the likely Democratic presidential candidate,
she was paid more. Deutsche Bank paid her $485,000 for one speech, and Goldman Sachs paid her $675,000
for three speeches. Bank of American Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Fidelity Investments each
paid $225,000.
Despite Hillary's blatant willingness to be bribed in public, her opponent, Bernie Sanders,
has not succeeded in making an issue of Hillary's shamelessness. Both of the main establishment newspapers,
the Washington Post and the New York Times have come to Hillary's defense.
Hillary is a warmonger. She pushed the Obama regime into the destruction of a stable and largely
cooperative government in Libya where the "Arab Spring" was a CIA-backed group of jihadists who were
used to dislodge China from its oil investments in eastern Libya. She urged her husband to bomb Yugoslavia.
She has pushed for "regime change" in Syria. She oversaw the coup that overthrew the democratically
elected president of Honduras. She brought neoconservative Victoria Nuland, who arranged the coup
that overthrew the democratically elected president of Ukraine, into the State Department. Hillary
has called President Vladimir Putin of Russia the "new Hitler." Hillary as president guarantees
war and more war.
In the United States government has been privatized. Office holders use their positions in order
to make themselves wealthy, not in order to serve the public interest. Bill and Hillary Clinton epitomize
the use of public office in behalf of the office holder's interest.
For the Clintons government means using public office to be rewarded for doing favors for
private interests. The Wall Street Journal reported that "at least 60 companies that lobbied the
State Department during her [Hillary Clinton's] tenure as Secretary of State donated a total of more
than $26 million to the
Clinton Foundation."
"... Then there is Hillary Clinton, who will be this year's nominee. Few Democrats have more consistently favored the use of military force. She voted for the Iraq War. As secretary of state, she urged President Obama to escalate the war in Afghanistan. ..."
"... New York Times correspondent Mark Landler, author of the new book Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power, told me her aides have told him she favored shipping lethal defensive military equipment to the government of Ukraine after the Russian invasion, something Obama rejected. ..."
"... She pushed for U.S. intervention in Libya. She proposed similar action in Syria. She has recounted her advice to her husband in dealing with Serbia in 1999: "I urged him to bomb. ..."
"... Clinton thinks "that American intervention does more good than harm, and that the writ of the United States properly reaches, as George W. Bush once declared, into 'any dark corner of the world.'" ..."
"... Robert Gates, who was defense secretary under Obama, likes and admires Clinton. But when she pressed Obama to bomb Moammar Gadhafi's forces-which Landler says he probably would not have done otherwise-Gates resisted, arguing that Libya was not a vital U.S. interest and that there was no telling what would happen next. "In meetings, I would ask, 'Can I just finish the two wars we're already in before you go looking for new ones?'" he wrote later. ..."
"... Clinton has gotten endless criticism for her handling of the 2012 attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi. She deserves more, but has gotten far less, for recommending an intervention that led to that attack and left Libya in violent turmoil that continues today. ..."
"... The question is why a child of the 1960s, whose husband strenuously avoided being drafted for the Vietnam War, would grow so fond of military power. Obama needs a compelling reason to use force. Clinton needs a compelling reason not to. ..."
"... Obama made the mistake of intervening in Libya, but in a recent interview with The Atlantic, he admitted, "It didn't work," and "Libya is a mess." Clinton, however, has never expressed second thoughts. During his recent visit to Chicago, I asked Landler about her ability to confront the possibility she was wrong. ..."
"... In that instance, she apparently didn't learn from our failed military intervention. If she becomes president, I'm guessing, she'll get another chance. ..."
In an era of endless military conflict, anti-war sentiment abides among Democrats. In 2004, their
presidential nomination went to John Kerry, who was strongly critical of George W. Bush's handling
of the war in Iraq. In 2008, they chose Barack Obama, largely because he had opposed that war. This
year, 12 million people cast ballots for Bernie Sanders, who voted against it.
According to Gallup, 68 percent of Democrats think the Iraq War was a mistake-compared with just
31 percent of Republicans. Two in three reject the use of ground combat troops against Islamic State.
Then there is Hillary Clinton, who will be this year's nominee. Few Democrats have more consistently
favored the use of military force. She voted for the Iraq War. As secretary of state, she urged President
Obama to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
New York Times correspondent Mark Landler, author of the new book Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton,
Barack Obama, and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power, told me her aides have told him she
favored shipping lethal defensive military equipment to the government of Ukraine after the Russian
invasion, something Obama rejected.
She pushed for U.S. intervention in Libya. She proposed similar action in Syria. She has recounted
her advice to her husband in dealing with Serbia in 1999: "I urged him to bomb."
Most Democrats, particularly Obama, have learned to be wary of entangling the United States in
wars of choice. But not Clinton. Despite the disaster in Iraq, the failure in Afghanistan and the
chaos in Libya, she remains a hawk at heart.
Landler, who covered Obama and Clinton for The New York Times, sees a clear difference between
her approach to foreign policy and that of the president she served. Obama believes "the United States
resorts too readily to military force to defend its interests," he writes. Clinton thinks "that
American intervention does more good than harm, and that the writ of the United States properly reaches,
as George W. Bush once declared, into 'any dark corner of the world.'"
Robert Gates, who was defense secretary under Obama, likes and admires Clinton. But when she
pressed Obama to bomb Moammar Gadhafi's forces-which Landler says he probably would not have done
otherwise-Gates resisted, arguing that Libya was not a vital U.S. interest and that there was no
telling what would happen next. "In meetings, I would ask, 'Can I just finish the two wars we're
already in before you go looking for new ones?'" he wrote later.
Clinton has gotten endless criticism for her handling of the 2012 attacks on a U.S. facility
in Benghazi. She deserves more, but has gotten far less, for recommending an intervention that led
to that attack and left Libya in violent turmoil that continues today.
The question is why a child of the 1960s, whose husband strenuously avoided being drafted
for the Vietnam War, would grow so fond of military power. Obama needs a compelling reason to use
force. Clinton needs a compelling reason not to.
Landler attributes this bias to several factors, including her conservative Midwestern upbringing,
her rapport with generals and, in the words of one staffer, "a textbook view of American exceptionalism."
Other reasons come to mind. She saw Democratic senators politically damaged by voting against
the 1991 war against Iraq, and she was not about to take the risk of opposing the next one. As a
woman, she doubtless has felt the need to demonstrate that she can be as tough-as that term is typically
defined in American politics-as any male leader.
Obama made the mistake of intervening in Libya, but in a recent interview with The Atlantic,
he admitted, "It didn't work," and "Libya is a mess." Clinton, however, has never expressed second
thoughts. During his recent visit to Chicago, I asked Landler about her ability to confront the possibility
she was wrong.
"I don't find the same evidence of a learning curve with her," he said. "I would have liked to
see a little more introspection from her on that, because I think that's the key case where she led
the charge, it didn't go the way they hoped it would and there are some really important lessons
to be drawn."
In that instance, she apparently didn't learn from our failed military intervention. If she
becomes president, I'm guessing, she'll get another chance.
"... The permanent war state is the 800-pound gorilla in US society and political life. As the old joke goes, the answer to the question, "Where does an 800-pound gorilla eat?" is, "Anywhere he likes." As long as the organs of "national security" continue to retain the extraordinary power to appropriate budgetary resources and to involve the United States in foreign conflicts without real accountability, US politics will be grotesquely distorted to the profound disadvantage of the movement for fundamental change. The Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Agency will continue to control most of the $1.1 trillion federal discretionary spending budget, crowding out programs that would benefit people. And beyond wielding that obvious financial power, by maintaining the premise that the United States must continue to make war indefinitely, they will also wield an ideological weapon that helps the economic elite maintain the status quo. ..."
"... For more original Truthout election coverage, check out our election section, "Beyond the Sound Bites: Election 2016." ..."
"... But that fundamental obstacle to change was not even mentioned by any of the speakers who introduced the main themes of the conference on the first night. On the second day, US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) strongly denounced moves by powerful interests for a new war for regime change in Syria, but she did not address the underlying system of institutional interests and power that keeps the United States at permanent war. There was one breakout session entitled "Healthcare Not Warfare," which highlighted what people already know -- that spending for war and preparation for war robs the people of resources needed to build a more prosperous and equitable society. But it was evidently an afterthought for conference organizers, and did not interest many of the attendees, drawing perhaps 30 people. ..."
"... The Sanders campaign never explicitly raised the issue of the permanent war state during the primary election contest, either. He did present a sharp contrast to Hillary Clinton when they debated foreign policy, effectively demolishing her position urging a more militarily aggressive policy in Syria. He called for a policy that "destroys ISIS" but "does not get us involved in perpetual warfare in the quagmire of the Middle East."But he never talked about ending the unprecedented power that national security institutions have seized over the resources and security of the American people. ..."
"... The power of the military-industrial-congressional complex that has morphed into a permanent war state has long been the real "third rail" in US politics, which anyone aspiring to national office touches only at the risk of being branded "anti-American." News media coverage constantly reinforces the idea that US global military presence and aggressiveness are legitimate responses to foreign threats. So, for politicians, explaining why the power of that combination of institutions is a danger not only to people's economic interests, but also to their physical security is seen as extremely difficult and fraught with political risk. Sanders, who had no problem opposing specific wars, undoubtedly feared that an effort to deal with the interests and power behind the wars that most Americans oppose would force him to respond to attacks from the Clinton camp and the corporate media, and thus interfere with his populist message. ..."
"... Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare ..."
The People's Summit in Chicago June 17-19 dramatically displayed both the strengths and the vulnerabilities
of what has emerged in 2016 as one of the most potentially powerful movements for fundamental change
in the United States in many decades. The event, which brought together 3,000 committed movement
activists to rally in support of the "political revolution" given impetus by Bernie Sanders' campaign,
was an opportunity to ensure that the movement will not dissipate in the wake of Hillary Clinton's
clinching the Democratic nomination.
The leaders of the movement sought to use the summit to reconcile conflicting activist views on
the relationship between movement organizations and electoral politics. The summit may have succeeded
in keeping the coalition of those who privilege electoral politics and those who see it as a distraction
from their local struggles from splitting up. But despite the political sophistication and pragmatism
of the organizers, the gathering failed to deal seriously with the problem of the "permanent war
state" -- the central power bloc in the US government that looms menacingly over everything the movement
hopes to accomplish.
The permanent war state is the 800-pound gorilla in US society and political life. As the
old joke goes, the answer to the question, "Where does an 800-pound gorilla eat?" is, "Anywhere he
likes." As long as the organs of "national security" continue to retain the extraordinary power to
appropriate budgetary resources and to involve the United States in foreign conflicts without real
accountability, US politics will be grotesquely distorted to the profound disadvantage of the movement
for fundamental change. The Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Agency will continue to control
most of the $1.1 trillion federal discretionary spending budget, crowding out programs that would
benefit people. And beyond wielding that obvious financial power, by maintaining the premise that
the United States must continue to make war indefinitely, they will also wield an ideological weapon
that helps the economic elite maintain the status quo.
But that fundamental obstacle to change was not even mentioned by any of the speakers who
introduced the main themes of the conference on the first night. On the second day, US Rep. Tulsi
Gabbard (D-Hawaii) strongly denounced moves by powerful interests for a new war for regime change
in Syria, but she did not address the underlying system of institutional interests and power that
keeps the United States at permanent war. There was one breakout session entitled "Healthcare Not
Warfare," which highlighted what people already know -- that spending for war and preparation for
war robs the people of resources needed to build a more prosperous and equitable society. But it
was evidently an afterthought for conference organizers, and did not interest many of the attendees,
drawing perhaps 30 people.
The permanent war state is the 800-pound gorilla in US society and political life.
The Sanders campaign never explicitly raised the issue of the permanent war state during the
primary election contest, either. He did present a sharp contrast to Hillary Clinton when they debated
foreign policy, effectively demolishing her position urging a more militarily aggressive policy in
Syria. He called for a policy that "destroys ISIS" but "does not get us involved in perpetual warfare
in the quagmire of the Middle East."But he never talked about ending the unprecedented power that
national security institutions have seized over the resources and security of the American people.
It is not difficult to see why Sanders did not take on that larger issue. The power of the
military-industrial-congressional complex that has morphed into a permanent war state has long been
the real "third rail" in US politics, which anyone aspiring to national office touches only at the
risk of being branded "anti-American." News media coverage constantly reinforces the idea that US
global military presence and aggressiveness are legitimate responses to foreign threats. So, for
politicians, explaining why the power of that combination of institutions is a danger not only to
people's economic interests, but also to their physical security is seen as extremely difficult and
fraught with political risk. Sanders, who had no problem opposing specific wars, undoubtedly feared
that an effort to deal with the interests and power behind the wars that most Americans oppose would
force him to respond to attacks from the Clinton camp and the corporate media, and thus interfere
with his populist message.
The permanent war state also appears to be outside the political comfort zone of National Nurses
United, the single most influential organization in planning and funding the People's Summit. As
a senior official of National Nurses United explained, the organization is able to talk about corporate
control of the health care system because nurses constantly see the consequences in their own work,
but most have no such personal experiences enabling them to talk about the war system.
But despite these understandable reasons for taking a pass on the issue, the leadership of the
movement inspired by the Sanders campaign is making a big mistake by failing to take on the problem
of the permanent war state. The popular organizations represented in Chicago understand this, but
they have hesitated to go up against the most powerful combination bureaucratic interests the world
has ever known, in part because they have not had any clear idea about how those interests could
be defeated. What has been not been tried, however, is a strategy that attacks the war system where
it is most vulnerable -- the fact that the war system bureaucrats have systematically pursued their
own personal and institutional interests at the expense of the American people.
The publicly available records of US intervention and war, especially since the beginning of the
Cold War, reveal an endless succession of policies and programs that were utterly useless and provoked
reactions from states and from non-state actors that threatened the safety of the American people.
But the policy makers preferred those policies, because they gave them and their organizations more
power, more budgetary resources, more people under their command, more new technology, more foreign
bases and perquisites, and more lucrative jobs and contracts when they leave the government for private
companies.
All the services were looking for a boost in military appropriations when they pushed Presidents
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to intervene militarily in Vietnam. The US Air Force sold its
"shock and awe" strategy for regime change in Iraq to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in
order to capture a larger share of the military budget. The CIA got control over a major new mission
when it convinced President George W. Bush to launch a drone war in Pakistan.
But the American people suffered the direct and indirect consequences of these wars in each case.
The fundamental conflict between the national interest and the personal and bureaucratic interests
of the policy makers of the permanent war state explains why the system has continued to produce
uniformly disastrous policies decade after decade.
So the strategy of the movement that the Sanders campaign has mobilized must include a broadly
concerted campaign that explains to young people, disaffected working-class people and others how
the permanent war state produces winners and losers. The winners are the national security organs
themselves, as well as those who make careers and fortunes from the permanent state of war. The losers
are those who must suffer the socioeconomic and other consequences of such reckless policies. Such
a campaign should aim at nothing less than taking away the flow of money and the legal authority
that the permanent war state has seized on the pretext of "threats" that are largely of its own making.
Even though the permanent war state seems to be at the peak of its power, like all essentially
hollow institutions, it has a serious political vulnerability. Millions of Americans know that the
wars the war-state agencies have wrought over the past half century -- from the Vietnam War to the
war in Afghanistan -- were worse than useless. So the legitimacy of the permanent war state is extremely
tenuous. A determined campaign to challenge that legitimacy, carried out with sufficient resources
over a few years with the participation of a broad coalition, could shake it to its roots. Such a
campaign must be included in the work to open up new political spaces and propel the movement for
change. Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission
.
Gareth Porter is an independent investigative journalist and historian writing on US national
security policy. His latest book, Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear
Scare , was published in February of 2014. Follow him on Twitter:
@GarethPorter .
51 neocons that need to be send to Afghanistan for some on site learning. Nuland's
birds of feather try to get worm places in Hillary new administration, playing on
her war hawk tendencies... Those "diplomats" forgot about the existence of Saudis
and other theocracies which are much more brutal and less democratic, viewing woman
as domestic animals. These are dark times for American foreign policy. the easy
part is to depose Assad. But what might happen after Assad is disposed of?
You know, the hard part, what follows?
Notable quotes:
"... These Diplomats should be fired as idiots. Did they not just live through the Iraqi occupation, destruction and disaster? ..."
"... Are you a bit confused as to who these neocon dissenters at State support in the Syrian civil war? ..."
"... This is simply a roll call of neocon diplomats making a case for another non-strategic war that would badly hurt US interests. It does not represent State Department policy. The neocons have been very persistent in securing career appointments at State for decades now. ..."
"... You are pushing the world closer to war. ..."
"... what is intolerable about the position of the 51 "diplomats" in the memo is that it is their (failed) efforts to dislodge Assad by proxy, facilitating and organizing the flow of arms that more often than ended up in the hands of hard-line jihadists, that has led to almost 400,000 deaths (not to mention wounded) and the flight of over a million refugees. ..."
"... Wow, sounds like some housecleaning is needed at State. Whatever happened to jaw-jaw being better than war-war? If they are so keen on military action, they're in the wrong building. I'm sure some of the overworked troops and officers in the armed forces would be happy to let these guys take a few of the chances of getting shot or blown up that they deal with daily. ..."
"... It is troubling that the State Department, long a bulwark of common sense against America's foreign adventurism, has become as hawkish as its former head, Hillary Clinton. ..."
"... The Middle East Institute is financed, primarily, by the petroleum and arms industries. The Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy has HRC's close ally, Dennis Ross; who, with Martin Indyk, founded AIPAC in the mid-80's. ..."
"... This group's contention that direct confrontation with Russia could be avoided echoes their 2002 claim that Operation Iraqi Freedom would be a three month cake walk. ..."
"... Since WWII, U.S. foreign policy has been rooted in the projection and use of force (covert and overt) as the primary means to achieve whatever goals the executive office seeks. It placed the world on notice that the U.S. was ready and willing to use violence to back its foreign policy objectives. Just as in Vietnam and before the disastrous decision to escalate the use of ground forces, President Johnson's national security advisors (all holdovers from Kennedy's Presidency) pressed Johnson to use aerial bombardment against N. Vietnam to induce them to seek a negotiated peace that would allow the U.S. to withdraw from the conflict and save face while preserving the policy of projecting force as a means to maintain world order in accordance with U.S. designs. ..."
"... My oldest son is now completing his sixth Afghan/Iraq tour.I don't want him in Syria. Let these 51 diplomats volunteer their sons/daughters for Syria.That'll demonstrate their commitment.I'll bet not one of these 51 "geniuses" has a child on active military duty in Iraq/Afghan. ..."
"... These folks are, it appears, mid-level foreign service officers like I was. They are utterly unqualified to make these judgements as the Department of State is a failed organization culturally and functionally. Like HRC, who is still advocating for forced regime change if she wins, they have learned nothing from the past and again have no answer for what follows Asad being deposed. A majority Sunni regime in Syria will tear Iraq apart and there is no likelihood of it avoiding the trajectory of other "pluralistic" Arab state attempts. The fact that State has no culture of strategic analysis informing operational design and operational planning which, in turn, spawn series of tactical events, comes clear in situations like this. Doing nothing is the best case here. Tragic but still the best case. President Obama has seen this. Asad needs to regain control of Syria's territory, all of it. Feeding the hopes of the Ahmed Chalabi equivalents in Syria is perpetuating the violence. And, there is no room for an independent Kurdistan in the region, nor is it in the United States' interest for there to be one. ..."
"... That's the same class of people who figured that invading in Iraq in 2003 would turn out all right. ..."
"... Exhibit A being Samantha Power, the latest in a long line of militaristic, European-born white Americans (see Albright, Kissinger, Brzezinski) who believe that American firepower can bring order to the world. ..."
"... Sorry hawkish diplomats, but you're living in a fantasyland where the invasion of Iraq in 2003 did not permanently tarnish the image of the USA and wreck its credibility as an honest arbiter. That is the reality all US presidents will have to face in the post-Bush 43 era. ..."
"... Are those 51 U.S. Diplomats responsible for advising the Obama Administration to bomb Libya back in 2011? Apparently they have not learned from their mistakes. Or maybe they should just go work for their true Employer, The Military Industrial Complex. ..."
"... This is reckless and irresponsible. US backed "moderates" are fighting elbow to elbow with the Nusra Front and other radicals groups; that is why the cease-fire is collapsing. ..."
"... If we weaken Assad, Islamists will take over Damascus and if Damascus falls, soon Beirut will follow. These folk at State are neo cons, as usual shooting from the hip. ..."
"... Vietnam, 212,000 dead and countless north and south Vietnamese and citizens. Unjust and unwarranted war on Iraq with 4,491 and counting dead and countess Iraqi citizens. Now, Syria? Are you wanting the draft returned? You asking for boots on the ground? How about you 50 join up. I will willingly pay for taxes just arm you and send you in. Along with every other know it all who wants us 'TO DO MORE'!! Spare me. You have learned NOTHING in your past failures, have you? 1956, Iran. Cause the over throw of a duly elected government for the Shahs which led to 1980 revolution to fear of them acquiring nuclear weapons. Vietnam led to 'WHAT'? Now Iraq. ..."
"... The worse destabilization in that area I can remember. Not even during their many attacks on Israel when Egypt got a clue. Fire Saddam Hussein's soldiers and they become ISIS by 2006, yet one bright senator lied and said Obama caused them when we left which was President Bush's treaty Maliki. They did not want us there. Leave per the Iraqi people, also. When ISIS showed up they ran and left the weaponry we gave them and the money in the banks for them to grab. Now, you want us steeped into Syria. It's been said, hindsight is 20/20, ..."
"... In these so called diplomats cases, it is totally and legally blind. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles has a better perception and one of them is dead. ..."
"... The war hawks, so comfortably away from the battle, are banging those drums of war again. Easy to do when your life and the lives of your fellow military are not at risk. ..."
"... We all know now that the invasion of Iraq by Mr. Bush junior was a) a mistake, and b) a War Crime - there were no threatening WMDs nor did Saddam hold hads with Al Quaeda (he was, actually, their worst enemy - and our security!), so, Iraq was c) total stupidity. It was an aggressive war without any cause - for the USA! ..."
"... This is much more about what Mark Landler thinks than about what those generic diplomats think. The Times's principal hawk, Landler has book and a series of articles pushing his neocon view. I guess we should assume the Times agrees. ..."
"... Having spent substantial time as a private consultant at the US Embassy in Kabul I was shocked by the lack of feelings of midlevel officials there with regard to the dead and injuries of American Troops. The Embassy shared a wall with the ISAF/NATO Main Quarters and every single day the US Flag there was half-mast to acknowledge the dead of our troops on that day in that country. The Embassy never shared this sadness and all midlevel officials there were only concerned about their paycheck, quality of meals served, having a drink, going for a swim, and their frequent trips back to the US; for such people wanting to have a say in when to fight in Syria is a sad state of affair. ..."
"... Perhaps we should figure out one take-down before we move on to the next. After 13 years, we still haven't figured out life in Iraq without Saddam. Any thoughts, neocons, on what might happen after Assad is disposed of? You know, the hard part, what follows? ..."
"... Get Rid of Assad, make relations with Russia worse (they back Assad) and allow ISIS to effectively take over Syria. Sounds like a great plan. I guess our military-industrial complex is getting itchy for a new war. And, of course, doing what these diplomats want will also result in putting boots on the ground. This will be a great legacy for Ms. Clinton (under her watch ISIS came into being), Mr. Kerry (who continued Clinton's failed legacy) and Mr. Obama (the Nobel Peace Prize president; who wasn't). ..."
"... The signers of the dissent letter are militarist neocons (of the Victoria Nuland ilk). More than any other, these people and their CIA collaborators are responsible for the death and destruction in Syria and the ensuing refugee crisis. They can't even give a cogent reason for deposing Assad other than point to the carnage of the civil war they fomented-as if Assad were solely responsible. Assad is acting no differently than the US did during it's own Civil War. ..."
"... The value of the memo can be summed up in one sentence as described in the article itself "what would happen in the event that Mr. Assad was forced from power - a scenario that the draft memo does not address." ..."
"... I wonder about the arrogance of these mid-level State Department foreign service officers. ..."
"... Sure -- a few well-placed cruise missiles will make it all good. Yeah, right. ..."
"... Absolutely amazing. My first question is who released this memo? Having a back channel does not permit anyone to unilaterally decide to release information that could cost lives and ruin negotiations that the releasing person knows nothing about. If you do not like the chain of command, then leave. We cannot continue to be involved in sectarian conflicts that cannot be resolved except by the combatants. Haven't we learned anything from Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Vietnam? No neocon insanity. We have lost enough lives and treasure in the ME. ..."
"... Are these the same ingrates who urged Bush to attack Iraq - his legacy - ISIS! ..."
"... As a 26 year Marine Corps combat veteran I have a hard time trying to figure out what is going on here, and a harder time not becoming totally disgusted with our State Department. ..."
"... My suggestion would be that we arm these 51 individuals, given them a week's worth of ammunition and rations, and drop them into Syria, I am sure they can lead the way in showing us how to solve the mess in the ME. ..."
"... It's the fact that these are not "widely known names" which scares me most. However, Western-instituted regime change in that region has proven disastrous in every single country it has been tried. If possible, I would investigate these diplomats' ties to defense contractors. ..."
"... US intervention created the rubble and hell that is now Syria. When Assad had full control of Syria, the human rights of the people of Syria suffered under him but many if not most people led a civilised life. They had water and electricity. Past US interventions created Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. To puy it simply, life expectancy in all these countries dropped by 20 to 30 years after the US intervened, each time with the highest utopian ideals, and increased the power of Sunni supremacists after each act. ..."
"... Let's not forget that Bush's hasty appointment of Paul Bremer as the hapless Governor of Iraq following the defeat of Hussein's military regime led immediately to the disbanding of the entire Iraqi military, an incredibly short-sighted and reckless move that essentially unleashed 400,000 young trained fighters (including a honed officers corps) absent support programs to assimilate back into Iraqi society, only to have them emerge as readily available fodder essential for ISIS's marshalling a strong military force almost overnight. A huge price is now being exacted for this astounding stupidity. ..."
"... This is conveniently laying grounds for Hillary's grand comeback to the theatre of "humanitarian interventionism" in the Middle East. God help us all, as this is a prelude to the WW3. ..."
"... Wow the neo-cons are beating the war drums yet again! They have already created a huge mess throughout the Middle East with wars and revolutions directly attributable to the United States in invading Afghanistan and Iraq under false pretenses, helping overthrow the government in Libya, and arming rebels in Syria and Yemen. ..."
"... Unfortunately if Hillary Clinton wins, she is a neo-con puppet and we will be at war in Syria and/or Iran within a year or two. God help us! ..."
"... First of all, if this was a channel for employees to share "candidly and privately" about policy concerns, why is it on the front page of the NY Times? Additionally, as usual, it seems the war hawks are hawking war without thought for what comes next. We've done this most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, all of which are now failed states and havens for terrorists. Because this seems rather obvious, either we are pathologically incapable of learning from past mistakes, or there are people who have an agenda different from the publicly stated one. ..."
"... The U.S. has a lengthy, very sordid history of leaping into the fray in areas such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central America and Afghanistan, among others - all with catastrophic results, for which we never seemed to have a credible, well- crafted plan, nor have we ever comprehended the millennia of internecine tribal hatred and sectarian warfare. ..."
"... I am more scared of US diplomats and politicians than terrorists! Have they learned nothing from the US efforts to create western style democracy in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria (by supporting separatists att an early stage). The US diplomats proposal would ensure more chaos, death and prolonged wR. 38 % of the population are Alewits. They will be killed, Christians will be killed. ..."
ScottW, is a trusted commenter Chapel Hill, NC 16 hours ago
These Diplomats should be fired as idiots. Did they not just live
through the Iraqi occupation, destruction and disaster?
A few years ago, a diplomat who quit was complaining about Syria at a
conference I attended. When I asked who would fill the void if Assad was
deposed he said, "That is a difficult question to answer." What he really
meant to say is, "I don't have a clue."
We have already disrupted Syria by supporting rebels/terrorists. The
region cannot tolerate another Iraq.
Dan Stewart, NYC 16 hours ago
Are you a bit confused as to who these neocon dissenters at State
support in the Syrian civil war?
Here's a helpful hint:
If they have beards down to their belt buckles and seem to be hollering
something about Allah, those are the guys the neocons support.
If they're recently shaved and wearing Western attire, in other words,
if they look like anyone you might bump into on a US city street, those
are the people the neocons call the enemy.
Retroatavist, DC 10 hours ago
This is simply a roll call of neocon diplomats making a case for
another non-strategic war that would badly hurt US interests. It does not
represent State Department policy. The neocons have been very persistent
in securing career appointments at State for decades now. It's as if
we hadn't forgotten the endless horrible mess they got us and the rest of
the world into by breaking Iraq and destroying all its institutions with
the insane de-baathification policy. And it all started with a similar steady
drumbeat for war throughout the mid and late '90s and up to the 2003 disastrous
invasion. Did we not learn anything? Really: Whose interest would an
open US war against Assad really serve, and what predictable outcome would
be in the US's strategic favor?
Robert Sawyer, New York, New York 14 hours ago
How many among the 51 are members of "Hillary's Legions, " the same geniuses
responsible for the unqualified success we achieved in Libya?
Gennady, Rhinebeck 16 hours ago
Stop this irresponsible reporting. You are pushing the world closer
to war. Humanitarian support is all we should bring to the Syrian people,
regardless of which side they are on.
ScottW, is a trusted commenter Chapel Hill, NC
These Diplomats should be fired as idiots. Did they not just live through
the Iraqi occupation, destruction and disaster?
A few years ago, a diplomat who quit was complaining about Syria at a
conference I attended. When I asked who would fill the void if Assad was
deposed he said, "That is a difficult question to answer." What he really
meant to say is, "I don't have a clue."
We have already disrupted Syria by supporting rebels/terrorists. The
region cannot tolerate another Iraq.
Alyoshak, Durant, OK
Isn't Congress supposed to declare war, and the President command our
armed forces when such declarations occur? But what is intolerable about
the position of the 51 "diplomats" in the memo is that it is their (failed)
efforts to dislodge Assad by proxy, facilitating and organizing the flow
of arms that more often than ended up in the hands of hard-line jihadists,
that has led to almost 400,000 deaths (not to mention wounded) and the flight
of over a million refugees. But no, these casualties have nothing to
do with our attempts at regime change, No!, the blame for them lies squarely
upon Assad for not scooting out of town immediately and submissively when
the U.S. decided it was time for him to go. So now we're supposed to double-down
on a deeply immoral and flawed strategy? How many more Syrians' lives must
be ruined to "save" them from Assad?
Everyman, USA 16 hours ago
Wow, sounds like some housecleaning is needed at State. Whatever
happened to jaw-jaw being better than war-war? If they are so keen on military
action, they're in the wrong building. I'm sure some of the overworked troops
and officers in the armed forces would be happy to let these guys take a
few of the chances of getting shot or blown up that they deal with daily.
Dan, Alexandria 16 hours ago
It is troubling that the State Department, long a bulwark of common
sense against America's foreign adventurism, has become as hawkish as its
former head, Hillary Clinton.
I am grateful to President Obama for resisting this foolishness, but
make no mistake, no matter who gets into office in January, the kind of
farcical, counterproductive, unrealistic "limited engagement" advocated
by these so-called diplomats will be our future. Clinton is champing at
the bit for it, and Trump is too weak to do anything but go along with it.
Clark M. Shanahan, Oak Park, Illinois 16 hours ago
Sadly, they'll most likely have a more accommodating commander and chief
with HRC.
The Middle East Institute is financed, primarily, by the petroleum
and arms industries. The Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy has
HRC's close ally, Dennis Ross; who, with Martin Indyk, founded AIPAC in
the mid-80's.
This group's contention that direct confrontation with Russia could
be avoided echoes their 2002 claim that Operation Iraqi Freedom would be
a three month cake walk.
Paul Cohen, is a trusted commenter Hartford CT 15 hours ago
Since WWII, U.S. foreign policy has been rooted in the projection
and use of force (covert and overt) as the primary means to achieve whatever
goals the executive office seeks. It placed the world on notice that the
U.S. was ready and willing to use violence to back its foreign policy objectives.
Just as in Vietnam and before the disastrous decision to escalate the use
of ground forces, President Johnson's national security advisors (all holdovers
from Kennedy's Presidency) pressed Johnson to use aerial bombardment against
N. Vietnam to induce them to seek a negotiated peace that would allow the
U.S. to withdraw from the conflict and save face while preserving the policy
of projecting force as a means to maintain world order in accordance with
U.S. designs.
Nixon carried on this bombing for peace strategy to insane war crime
level. This heavy reliance on military force over a diplomatic solution
has never worked. It didn't work for our knee-jerk response to 9/11 by immediately
resorting to military force without first thinking through the consequences.
We are now into our 15th year of aggression against the Muslim World. The
time is long past due to question our failed policy and seek an alternative
solution.
Bud, McKinney, Texas 16 hours ago
My oldest son is now completing his sixth Afghan/Iraq tour.I don't
want him in Syria. Let these 51 diplomats volunteer their sons/daughters
for Syria.That'll demonstrate their commitment.I'll bet not one of these
51 "geniuses" has a child on active military duty in Iraq/Afghan.
Abu Charlie, Toronto, Ontario 14 hours ago
These folks are, it appears, mid-level foreign service officers like
I was. They are utterly unqualified to make these judgements as the Department
of State is a failed organization culturally and functionally. Like HRC,
who is still advocating for forced regime change if she wins, they have
learned nothing from the past and again have no answer for what follows
Asad being deposed. A majority Sunni regime in Syria will tear Iraq apart
and there is no likelihood of it avoiding the trajectory of other "pluralistic"
Arab state attempts. The fact that State has no culture of strategic analysis
informing operational design and operational planning which, in turn, spawn
series of tactical events, comes clear in situations like this. Doing nothing
is the best case here. Tragic but still the best case. President Obama has
seen this. Asad needs to regain control of Syria's territory, all of it.
Feeding the hopes of the Ahmed Chalabi equivalents in Syria is perpetuating
the violence. And, there is no room for an independent Kurdistan in the
region, nor is it in the United States' interest for there to be one.
AR, is a trusted commenter Virginia 15 hours ago
How undiplomatic. I don't care that these people are diplomats and that
many of them probably have impeccable academic pedigrees with degrees from
the usual suspects such as the Ivy League schools, SAIS, the Fletcher School
of Law and Diplomacy, and Kennedy. That's the same class of people who
figured that invading in Iraq in 2003 would turn out all right. Obama
is correct to ignore these people, who more often than not are possessed
by the notion of American Exceptionalism. Exhibit A being Samantha Power,
the latest in a long line of militaristic, European-born white Americans
(see Albright, Kissinger, Brzezinski) who believe that American firepower
can bring order to the world.
Let this be made clear: Any escalation of American involvement in Syria
will be interpreted as 1) an attempt to enhance the national security of
Israel, 2) a means of benefiting the revenue stream of the American military
industrial complex, or 3) both. Only the most naive and foolish people,
since the absolutely disastrous events of 2003, would be inclined to believe
that American military intervention in Syria is motivated mainly by humanitarian
impulses.
Sorry hawkish diplomats, but you're living in a fantasyland where
the invasion of Iraq in 2003 did not permanently tarnish the image of the
USA and wreck its credibility as an honest arbiter. That is the reality
all US presidents will have to face in the post-Bush 43 era.
Robert Roth, NYC 14 hours ago
Everyone closes their eyes and imagines all the bloodshed they will prevent
by all the bloodshed they will cause.
Samsara, The West 16 hours ago
Have Iraq and Libya taught these State Department officials NOTHING??
Simon, Tampa 15 hours ago
The neo-cons who love regime change that never works. Let us examine
their track record:
Iraq - a mess and infested with ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Libya - now an anarchist state infested with ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Yemen - bombing and murdering thousands of innocents and Al Qaeda.
Syria, the only secular Arab state, destroyed and infested with ISIS
and Al Qaeda. The only reason Syria hasn't completely fallen apart is thanks
to Assad and his Sunni dominated army, Iran, and the Russians. So of course,
these neo-cons want to complete the job at the behest of the money they
will be getting from the Saudis and the other Gulf States.
Don't worry you warmongering greedy neocon, Hillary Clinton is one of
you and will be president soon enough.
Title Holder, Fl 15 hours ago
Are those 51 U.S. Diplomats responsible for advising the Obama Administration
to bomb Libya back in 2011? Apparently they have not learned from their
mistakes. Or maybe they should just go work for their true Employer, The
Military Industrial Complex.
Andrea, New Jersey 15 hours ago
This is reckless and irresponsible. US backed "moderates" are fighting
elbow to elbow with the Nusra Front and other radicals groups; that is why
the cease-fire is collapsing. Syrians and Russians can not split hairs
on the battlefield.
If we weaken Assad, Islamists will take over Damascus and if Damascus
falls, soon Beirut will follow. These folk at State are neo cons, as usual
shooting from the hip.
Jett Rink, lafayette, la 15 hours ago
Here's the thing most people don't get about ISIS. They thrive on us
being involved in the Middle East. They are willing to kill other Muslims
in order to keep us involved. As long as we are there, terrorism will persist,
over there and here too. They are playing us like chumps. They use our tendency
to knee-jerk reactions against us. They're out smarting us at every juncture.
Of course it's human nature to want to help people in such dire straights.
But that's exactly what ISIS wants, and correctly predict, that we'll do.
So as long as they out-think us, they'll continue to win.
If you want to help the innocent people caught in the cross-hairs of
ISIS, the best thing we could possibly do is pack up and leave. There'll
be some more carnage, but eventually the backlash from within will force
them to stop the wrecking and killing. Many people will die, but in the
end, the tally would be far fewer.
Their goal is to keep us engaged. Ours should be to get out! As long
as we stay, they win. And that's how they're able to convince long-wolf's
to strike us here, even when here is home to them too.
Joane Johnson, Cleveland, Ohio 15 hours ago
Vietnam, 212,000 dead and countless north and south Vietnamese and
citizens. Unjust and unwarranted war on Iraq with 4,491 and counting dead
and countess Iraqi citizens. Now, Syria? Are you wanting the draft returned?
You asking for boots on the ground? How about you 50 join up. I will willingly
pay for taxes just arm you and send you in. Along with every other know
it all who wants us 'TO DO MORE'!! Spare me. You have learned NOTHING in
your past failures, have you? 1956, Iran. Cause the over throw of a duly
elected government for the Shahs which led to 1980 revolution to fear of
them acquiring nuclear weapons. Vietnam led to 'WHAT'? Now Iraq.
The worse destabilization in that area I can remember. Not even during
their many attacks on Israel when Egypt got a clue. Fire Saddam Hussein's
soldiers and they become ISIS by 2006, yet one bright senator lied and said
Obama caused them when we left which was President Bush's treaty Maliki.
They did not want us there. Leave per the Iraqi people, also. When ISIS
showed up they ran and left the weaponry we gave them and the money in the
banks for them to grab. Now, you want us steeped into Syria. It's been said,
hindsight is 20/20,
In these so called diplomats cases, it is totally and legally blind.
Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles has a better perception and one of them is
dead.
Bev, New York 16 hours ago
Yes the war machine wants more wars. Who will take the place of the evil
Assad? We have removed a number of evil dictators in that area of the world
and all it has done is sap our resources, killed hundreds of thousands of
innocents, made millions hate us, and created vacuums of power which are
then filled with Saudi-assisted ISIS - AND profited our war machine (that's
the important part!) We need less involvement in the Mideast, not more.
Bring them all home and start transitioning from a war economy to an economy
that serves the American citizens here.
ME, Toronto 13 hours ago
Thank goodness Obama kept his head and didn't (and hopefully won't) listen
to such crazy advice. To call the signers "diplomats" is a real stretch.
It seems that somewhere back in time various U.S. "diplomats" decided that
they have the right to decide who and what the government should be in various
jurisdictions throughout the world. Of course this is motivated by purely
humanitarian concerns and love of democracy and not the self-interest of
the U.S., as in having a friendly government in place. As despicable as
some governments are, the lessons over many years now should be that military
strikes are just as (maybe more) likely to produce something bad as anything
good. Better to talk and try to influence the development of nations through
positive reinforcement (as Obama has done in Iran). Undoubtedly this is
a slow and somewhat frustrating process but that is something real "diplomats"
should be good at. If this process had been pursued in Syria we would all
be better off today and especially the Syrian people.
Mitchell, New York 16 hours ago
I assume these people at State also believe in the Tooth Fairy. The fantasy
of "moderate" rebels who will be grateful to us after they depose a tyrant
and put in a fair democratic government that takes into account all of our
Western ideals and freedoms is so unrealistic that these people at State
need to find a job where their last words are, "Can I supersize that for
you?" Our involvement in the Middle East displacing despots and replacing
them with chaos has been the biggest disaster in foreign policy in many
decades. Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and even Syria (remember the line in the sand?).
We should join with Russia in destroying ISIS and use our leverage to push
Assad to make some level of concessions.
Dan, Sandy, UT 15 hours ago
Here we go again. The war hawks, so comfortably away from the battle,
are banging those drums of war again. Easy to do when your life and the
lives of your fellow military are not at risk.
Second thought, as stated by a political comedian/satirist, let the Middle
East take its own trash out.
I couldn't agree more.
blackmamba, IL 16 hours ago
Since 9/11/01 only 0.75% of Americans have volunteered to put on the
military of any American armed force. They have been ground to emotional,
mental and physical dust by repeated deployments. Getting rid of Arab dictators
has unleashed foreign ethnic sectarian socioeconomic political educational
civil wars that cannot be resolved by American military power.
Assad is an Arab civil secular dictator. Just like many of Americas Arab
allies and unlike those American Arab allies who are Islamic royal fossil
fuel tyrants. But Assad is an Alawite Shia Muslim allied with Russia. The
alternatives to Assad are al Qaeda, ISIL and al Nusra. Diplomats need to
stick to diplomacy.
Jo Boost, Midlands 16 hours ago
This situation is not that simple.
There is not -as people in Washington who know better have told for years
now- one big bad wolf called Assad preying and devouring all poor little
peaceful lambs (who, accidentally, have been armed to their teeth by a certain
Ms. Clinton and her Saudi friends - even with poison gas which was, then,
blamed on the said Assad).
We have here a follow-up civil war to the (also US started) one in Libya.
Let us just look at International Law, as understood since the Nuremberg
Trials:
We all know now that the invasion of Iraq by Mr. Bush junior was
a) a mistake, and b) a War Crime - there were no threatening WMDs nor did
Saddam hold hads with Al Quaeda (he was, actually, their worst enemy - and
our security!), so, Iraq was c) total stupidity. It was an aggressive war
without any cause - for the USA!
But a great cause for Saudi "Royals" whose cousins had been thrown out of
Iraq, which is good enough cause, in Arab customs, for a bloody feud and
revenge.
The same applies to Syria, and could one, therefore, still wonder why ISIL
was so well equipped for the follow-up (envisaged) invasion?
Libya was a danger for Saudi Autocrates, because a secular Arab country
with such a living standard from fair distribution of oil wealth would be
a dangerous advertisement for a Mother of All Arab Springs in the desert.
So, we have one side with interest - and one without any - but the latter
does the dirty work. Is there more than one tail that wags the US dog?
Bonnie Rothman, NYC 13 hours ago
How brilliant---not! And what do these 50 people expect to happen if
and when Assad falls, chaos prevails and ISIS rushes in? Not to mention
the immediate nasty confrontation with Putin. This isn't 1941 and big Armies
and big bombs are useless, USELESS against ISIS which operates like cancer
cells in the human body. And the last time we toppled a tyrant we midwived
the ISIS group which is funded by the Saudis which is funded by our own
use of oil. Don't you dopes ever read history and see the "whole" problem?
Sheesh.
Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma, is a trusted commenter Jaipur, India. 16
hours ago
Given the complexity of the Syrian crisis and the multipower stakes involved
in Syria, it would be foolish for the US to direct its unilateral military
fury at toppling the Assad regime ignoring its fall out and the military
financial cost to the US itself, specially when except for meeting the common
challenge and threat of the ISIS no direct national interests are at stake
for the US in Syria. The state department's dissenting memo to the President
seems an attempt by the vested interests to further complicate President
Obama's Middle East policy that's on the right track following the Iran
deal.
Dennis Sullivan, NYC 16 hours ago
This is much more about what Mark Landler thinks than about what
those generic diplomats think. The Times's principal hawk, Landler has book
and a series of articles pushing his neocon view. I guess we should assume
the Times agrees.
Rudolf, New York 7 hours ago
Having spent substantial time as a private consultant at the US Embassy
in Kabul I was shocked by the lack of feelings of midlevel officials there
with regard to the dead and injuries of American Troops. The Embassy shared
a wall with the ISAF/NATO Main Quarters and every single day the US Flag
there was half-mast to acknowledge the dead of our troops on that day in
that country. The Embassy never shared this sadness and all midlevel officials
there were only concerned about their paycheck, quality of meals served,
having a drink, going for a swim, and their frequent trips back to the US;
for such people wanting to have a say in when to fight in Syria is a sad
state of affair.
pat knapp, milwaukee 16 hours ago
Perhaps we should figure out one take-down before we move on to the
next. After 13 years, we still haven't figured out life in Iraq without
Saddam. Any thoughts, neocons, on what might happen after Assad is disposed
of? You know, the hard part, what follows?
Mike Edwards, Providence, RI 16 hours ago
In what way do the views of the State Department officials in ISIS differ
from those in the US State Department who signed this memo?
Recent terrorist attacks in France and the US have been inspired by ISIS,
not Mr. Assad. ISIS is our enemy right now. Let Mr. Assad do what he can
to eliminate them.
And haven't we learnt that the removal of a head of State, be it in Iraq,
Afghanistan or Libya does not lead to an improvement; it actually causes
an outright deterioration.
Finally, please let's also do away with this twaddle about "moderate"
forces being present in the Middle East, ready to enact our fantasy of what
a peaceful Middle East should be like. They don't exist in the Middle East.
Ask the Israelis. Those moderates that do exist seem to serve one purpose,
which is to hand over the weapons supplied to them by the West to the terrorists.
I wish the signatories would have had the guts to spell it out. The Middle
East is home to a number of weal nations, a situation the stronger ones
don't wish to correct. The only solution would be for the West to take over
the running of those countries and provide for their policing and defense,
as once the West leaves, a vacuum is created allowing terrorist groups to
proliferate.
I doubt there is any appetite in the West for such a cause.
Donald, Yonkers 16 hours ago
Interesting how these " moderate" Syrian rebels so often fight alongside
al Nusra.
The death toll in Syria is as high as it is because the rebels have outside
help, Somehow no one in the American mainstream, including the NYT, ever
points this out. Incidently, note how the NYT always uses the largest estimates
for the death toll-- quite different from what they did in Iraq.
Nick Metrowsky, is a trusted commenter Longmont, Colorado 17 hours
ago
Get Rid of Assad, make relations with Russia worse (they back Assad)
and allow ISIS to effectively take over Syria. Sounds like a great plan.
I guess our military-industrial complex is getting itchy for a new war.
And, of course, doing what these diplomats want will also result in putting
boots on the ground. This will be a great legacy for Ms. Clinton (under
her watch ISIS came into being), Mr. Kerry (who continued Clinton's failed
legacy) and Mr. Obama (the Nobel Peace Prize president; who wasn't).
So, guess what? The US starts bombing Syria, Assad will use human shields.
ISIS is already using human shields. So, the US will have more innocent
blood on their hands. Of course, the US follows through with these diplomats
idea, ISIS, and their allies, will increase the risk of terrorism attacks
in the US. More mass shootings and bombings.
Of course, in an election year, the political rhetoric will be pushed
up a notch between the two wonderful people now running for president. Both
who are more than willing to love the diplomat's idea to show they are "strong".
Mr. Obama may or may not follow through, but he hand may be forced. Clinton
or Trump will go after him, as both would pull the trigger first and ask
questions later.
But, rest assured,. if you feel that a terrorist is lurking around each
corner now, just wait until the US decides that getting in the middle of
the Syrian civil war is some warped good idea.
Diplomacy can be messy, as can politics.
Dan Stewart, NYC 16 hours ago
The signers of the dissent letter are militarist neocons (of the
Victoria Nuland ilk). More than any other, these people and their CIA collaborators
are responsible for the death and destruction in Syria and the ensuing refugee
crisis. They can't even give a cogent reason for deposing Assad other than
point to the carnage of the civil war they fomented-as if Assad were solely
responsible. Assad is acting no differently than the US did during it's
own Civil War.
For five years the US has been promoting Muslim extremists in Syria that
move with fluidity between the ranks of ISIL, al Nusra, al Qeada, etc. There
are no reliable "moderates" in Syria. The best hope for a stable Syria lies
only with Bashar Assad, the secular Western-trained optometrist (and his
J.P. Morgan investment banker wife, Asma), who has kept Syria stable and
free of terrorists for decades.
To end the killing in Syria, and to defeat ISIL, the US should immediately
stop arming and funding the Islamic jihadists trying to overthrow the Assad
government and join with Russia to support Assad's military in regaining
control over all Syrian territory and borders.
CT View, CT 17 hours ago
The value of the memo can be summed up in one sentence as described
in the article itself "what would happen in the event that Mr. Assad was
forced from power - a scenario that the draft memo does not address."
Why on earth would we support deposing a secular dictator who has multi-ethnic
multi-religious support in favor of a non-secular/ie religious leadership
that has no moderates...remember we tried to train vetted moderates, we
found about 2 dozen and gave up on the program after half were killed and
the rest defected to the radicals WITH THE WEAPONS WE SUPPLIED. Perhaps,
since the military is anti-intervention and these diplomats are pro-intervention,
the diplomats can take the front line...would that change their opinion?
Gimme Shelter, 123 Happy Street 17 hours ago
I wonder about the arrogance of these mid-level State Department
foreign service officers. Do they think the National Security Council
hasn't considered all options with respect to the use of air power to affect
the political situation in Syria? Do they think the President is unaware
of the what is required to stem the humanitarian crisis? How certain are
they that their recommendations will lead to their desired outcome? Do they
not realize their actions undermine the commander in chief in effectively
addressing these issues?
Sure -- a few well-placed cruise missiles will make it all good.
Yeah, right.
Wayne, Lake Conroe, Tx 7 hours ago
Absolutely amazing. My first question is who released this memo?
Having a back channel does not permit anyone to unilaterally decide to release
information that could cost lives and ruin negotiations that the releasing
person knows nothing about. If you do not like the chain of command, then
leave. We cannot continue to be involved in sectarian conflicts that cannot
be resolved except by the combatants. Haven't we learned anything from Iraq,
Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Vietnam? No neocon insanity. We have lost enough
lives and treasure in the ME.
Chagrined, La Jolla, CA 10 hours ago
Are these the same ingrates who urged Bush to attack Iraq - his legacy
- ISIS!
Real Americans don't want any more squandered blood and treasure in wars
in the Middle East!
It is sad that our tax dollars pay the salaries for these insidious State
Department war mongering fools. How many neocons are among them?
The war in Syria is tragic as was the war in Iraq. Even more tragic would
be more squandered American blood and treasure.
Fifteen hundred American Jews joined the IDF terrorists to commit the
"Gaza Genocide." Perhaps they will volunteer to go to Syria.??
President Obama has the intellect, sophistication and morals not to repeat
the mistakes of the Bush administration. These State Department rank and
file are obviously attempting to undermine him just as many members of congress
attempted to undermine him by supporting Netanyahu and Israel during the
Iran Diplomacy debate. Betraying America has become sport for so many insidious
ingrates. America deserves better!
xtian, Tallahassee 11 hours ago
As a 26 year Marine Corps combat veteran I have a hard time trying
to figure out what is going on here, and a harder time not becoming totally
disgusted with our State Department.
So these 51 mid-level diplomates want to bomb a bit more, and that is
going to do what????? And how will that bring peace to that region of the
world? Oh, and by the way, the Department of Defense is not in agreement
with that course of action. How wonderful.
My suggestion would be that we arm these 51 individuals, given them
a week's worth of ammunition and rations, and drop them into Syria, I am
sure they can lead the way in showing us how to solve the mess in the ME.
David Henry, Concord 17 hours ago
War is easy to do. Ask "W."
Lives matter! These "diplomats" should be fired.
Yinka Martins, New York, NY 17 hours ago
It's the fact that these are not "widely known names" which scares
me most. However, Western-instituted regime change in that region has proven
disastrous in every single country it has been tried. If possible, I would
investigate these diplomats' ties to defense contractors.
PKJharkhand, Australia 7 hours ago
US intervention created the rubble and hell that is now Syria. When
Assad had full control of Syria, the human rights of the people of Syria
suffered under him but many if not most people led a civilised life. They
had water and electricity. Past US interventions created Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Libya. To puy it simply, life expectancy in all these countries dropped
by 20 to 30 years after the US intervened, each time with the highest utopian
ideals, and increased the power of Sunni supremacists after each act.
Jai Goodman, SF Bay Area 7 hours ago
These "diplomats" should instead be urging US to pressure Turkey and
Saudi to stop supporting terrorists in the region. Both Al Nusra and ISIS.
That'll be the right step.
Thank you.
cml, pittsburgh, pa 10 hours ago
How many of these are the same (or same sort) of "wise" men that advised
ignoring our weapon's inspectors and invading Iraq? They're living inside
an echo chamber. In a world of imperfect choices I would prefer Assad to
the Nusra Front or ISIL, as apparently our president does as well.
Lawrence, Washington D.C. 15 hours ago
How many of those 51 diplomats haves served in front line units and seen
combat? How many have their children in uniform? They wouldn't allow it.
Each bombing mission costs more than a million dollars, and we live in a
nation of Chiraq and Orlando.
We have more pressing needs at home, and you can't fix stupid mixed with
superstition, topped with hatred.
These diplomats want to continue to strap suicide vests on the rest of us,
while they sip champagne.
Out now, no more of our children wasted for corporate profits.
John, San Francisco 15 hours ago
50 employees? There are approximately 24,000 employees in the state department.
That's 0.002833%. Not really a significant voice. Don't listen.
Vanessa Hall, is a trusted commenter Millersburg MO 13 hours ago
Reminds me of those 47 idiots in the House who signed on to the warmonger
Tom Cotton's treasonous letter.
John Townsend, Mexico 15 hours ago
Let's not forget that Bush's hasty appointment of Paul Bremer as
the hapless Governor of Iraq following the defeat of Hussein's military
regime led immediately to the disbanding of the entire Iraqi military, an
incredibly short-sighted and reckless move that essentially unleashed 400,000
young trained fighters (including a honed officers corps) absent support
programs to assimilate back into Iraqi society, only to have them emerge
as readily available fodder essential for ISIS's marshalling a strong military
force almost overnight. A huge price is now being exacted for this astounding
stupidity.
Hobart, Los Angeles, CA 7 hours ago
This is conveniently laying grounds for Hillary's grand comeback
to the theatre of "humanitarian interventionism" in the Middle East. God
help us all, as this is a prelude to the WW3.
rice pritchard, nashville, tennessee 12 hours ago
Wow the neo-cons are beating the war drums yet again! They have already
created a huge mess throughout the Middle East with wars and revolutions
directly attributable to the United States in invading Afghanistan and Iraq
under false pretenses, helping overthrow the government in Libya, and arming
rebels in Syria and Yemen. Apparently no regime that does not knuckle
under to the U.S. war machine is "fair game". This turmoil is sending millions
of refugees fleeing their homeland, many trying to swamp Europe, but the
arm chair warriors in the diplomatic corps, Congress, Wall Street, and the
military contractors still cry for more intervention, more bombing, more
blockades, more invasions, etc.! Sheer madness! The more America meddle
in the Middle East the worse things become and unrest and fighting spread.
Unfortunately if Hillary Clinton wins, she is a neo-con puppet and we
will be at war in Syria and/or Iran within a year or two. God help us!
xmas, Delaware 13 hours ago
HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST????? When people demand an invasion of a foreign
country, can they please add the total cost of the bill to their request?
Instead of saying "we need to invade," can they say, "I want your support
to spend $1.7 trillion for invading this other country for humanitarian
reasons. Oh, by the way, sorry, about all the cuts to domestic spending.
We just don't have the money." We spent $1.7 TRILLION on Iraq. $1.7 TRILLION.
I can think of several things I would have preferred to spend a fraction
of that on. I'm sure you can too.
Robert G. McKee, Lindenhurst, NY 12 hours ago
This is a very interesting development within the walls of the State
Department. There seems to be much enthusiasm for escalating war in the
Middle East. My only question is does this enthusiasm extend to the deaths
and maiming of these same State Department officials' children and grandchildren?
Or do they propose that other people's children should die pursuing their
high ideals in this endless and fruitless religious civil war in Syria?
Kathy, Flemington, NJ 13 hours ago
First of all, if this was a channel for employees to share "candidly
and privately" about policy concerns, why is it on the front page of the
NY Times? Additionally, as usual, it seems the war hawks are hawking war
without thought for what comes next. We've done this most recently in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Libya, all of which are now failed states and havens for
terrorists. Because this seems rather obvious, either we are pathologically
incapable of learning from past mistakes, or there are people who have an
agenda different from the publicly stated one.
Rebecca Rabinowitz, . 13 hours ago
The U.S. has a lengthy, very sordid history of leaping into the
fray in areas such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central America
and Afghanistan, among others - all with catastrophic results, for which
we never seemed to have a credible, well- crafted plan, nor have we ever
comprehended the millennia of internecine tribal hatred and sectarian
warfare. We have "been there, done that" countless times, at the
cost of our precious military blood and treasure, and incurring the
enmity of hundreds of millions of people. I empathize with the
frustration of these State Department employees - but apparently, they
do not recall our overthrow of the Shah of Iran when it suited our
"cause du jour," or our fraudulent "domino theory" in Vietnam, or the
hard reality that no one has ever successfully invaded or "governed"
Afghanistan, not to mention being able to battle ideology with weapons.
The President has already presided over significant mission creep in the
Iraq cesspool left by the Cheney-Bush neo-con crowd. His judicious
caution is to be lauded when it comes to Syria. Are these mid-level
State Department employees advocating a war against Vladimir Putin?
Yngve Frey, Sweden 12 hours ago
I am more scared of US diplomats and politicians than terrorists!
Have they learned nothing from the US efforts to create western style democracy
in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria (by supporting separatists att an
early stage). The US diplomats proposal would ensure more chaos, death and
prolonged wR. 38 % of the population are Alewits. They will be killed,
Christians
will be killed.
The only way will probably be to work with Russia and
force other opposition groups to sign a peace agreement. Then we should
arrange an intensive training course for US diplomats as well as Syrian
leaders: "There is no final truth: we have to learn the art of tolerance
and accept to live in a society where people you don't agree with also can
live."
Looks like State Department became a paradise for neocons. Our presidents come
and go, Republican or Democrat, but our Strangeloves remain a permanent fixture.
Notable quotes:
"... The State Department and the CIA's 'Plan C' (or are they on 'Plan D' yet?) is an independent Syrian Kurdistan. ..."
"... A desperate attempt to save the rebels, who now hate them and completely understand how they have been thrown under the bus by the State Department neocons. I really don't think the rebels will be the least bit impressed by the phony theatrics of a internal memo by mid-level bureaucrats. ..."
"... The Pentagram is in a bit of a different pickle. They have to do something to stop the Wahhabi head-choppers, but its a bit like herding cats. The best they've come up with is ginning up the SDF to take/hold ISIS territory. But they can't arm the Kurds or Arab members with any REAL weapons because that would anger Turkey. So they give them a bunch of eastern European AKs and a few pickup trucks with anti-aircraft guns, promise air support and toss in a few SF guys ..."
"... The MSM (as CIA lapdogs are paid to do) constantly try to reinforce the message that the independent YPG/YPJ militias are somehow 'the PYD's army'. Nothing is further from the truth - it's all MSM spin to create the impression that the Syrian Kurds uniformly desire the usurped PYD vision of an independent Kurdistan. In reality, the U.S. State Department neocons and the CIA are the ones that want an independent Syrian Kurdistan for their own scheming (and to deny Assad the land/water/oil). The MSM is constantly on message with this to set the narrative to the American public for Syrian partition - most people have no clue. ..."
"... For what it's worth, Assad is keenly aware of his history with the Kurds. Even by Kurdish media reports , he is willing to work with the Syrian Kurds as part of a unified Syrian state. He does not object to Kurdish rights or autonomy, just the U.S. meddling to goad the PYD into creating a separate Kurdish state. ..."
"... The whole Syria nightmare was planned from the US Embassy in Damascus in 2006 because Assad was so broadly popular in the country and "the region." Can't have that so a strategy was drummed up: http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-and-conspiracy-theories-it-is-a-conspiracy/29596 ..."
"... I'm sure the US will throw the Syrian Kurds "under the bus" when their usefulness is finished. I'm sure also that a lot of Syrian Kurds know this, and are hedging their bets. ..."
"... http://www.globalresearch.ca/france-building-military-bases-in-syria-report/5531259 "The use of proxy forces to destroy the secular government of Syria is now starting to give way to stealth methods of direct ground deployment of Western Special Forces and ground troops under the guise of assistance and coordination with "moderate" terrorists. "With a wide variety of Western-backed terrorist groups ranging from "extremist" terrorists like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and al-Nusra to the "moderate" terrorists of the FSA and the loose collection of terrorists, Kurds, and Arabs like the SDF, the West has a kaleidoscope of proxy forces on the ground already. ..."
"... So Russian peace talks with US evil empire in Syria were a disaster, which makes Putin look like an idiot, as well as the supporters of this idiocy. As well as Russian invitations for the US to join it in Syria makes it one of the most stupidest invitations ever. ..."
"... A preview on America's future strategies? http://www.cnas.org/sites/default/files/publications-pdf/CNASReport-EAP-FINAL.pdf ..."
"... The Iranians have been warring with Kurds by the border with Turkey. Neither the Turks nor the Iranians - nor the Syrians, but they do need the Kurds now - want a Kurdistan. The Kurds must know by now - must have been betrayed enough by now - to know that the US will tell them anything, promise them anything, and deliver nothing but betrayal in the end. ..."
"... As regards the State Department, the Pentagon, the US government ... what's required is a neo-con purge, top to bottom. They are all working against American interests and against the American people. and have been for the past two decades. The likelihood of such a purge is about zero. Neither Trump nor Hillary has the will or the backbone to stand up to anyone. Trump's all mouth and looking out for number one, and Hillary's plugged in to the money-mosaic as well. Obama's getting ready to cash in his chips. ..."
"... @9 Tom I am amazed at your unflagging obsession with holding Putin responsible for the US/UK/EU/NATO/GCC destruction of Syria. You've set him up as your omnipotent god and he's failed you, somehow. Putin, Rusia, is not responsible for the death, devastation, and destruction of Iraq, Syria, Libya or the rest of the middle east or north africa. You're throwing your stones at the wrong guy, at the only guy who's done anything at all to help the Syrians and to forestall the monstrous neo-con plan. ..."
"... Israeli bombed military base in Homs province with impunity from S400 http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.723701 ..."
"... There is more about Russian de-facto acquiescence for Syrian partition and pivot to Israel: STRANGE DAYS: Did Israelis Pivoted to Russia? Or the other way around. https://syrianwarupdate.wordpress.com/ ..."
"... On the bright side, maybe the 50 signatures are just trying to get noticed by the Clinton transition crew. ..."
"... The document you posted is a typical wet dream written by utterly incompetent neocons (Kagan's and Zoellik names are a tell), people who can not and must not be allowed to operate with serious strategic and operational categories in any "advisory" role. ..."
"... i read about 30 of 160 or so comments on this article at NYT. given who the audience of that shit rag is & that comments are vetted, overwhelmingly commenters stated increased military involvement is retarded. ..."
"... It is exactly the other way around. How can Russia, which dwarfs Israel in every meaningful category -- from economy to military -- and who does remember her history well can "pivot" to largely regional player -- I don't know. Russian "neocons" are a dramatically different breed than US ones, for starters they are much more educated and, actually, support Assad. Israel's pivot to Russia in some sense is inevitable, albeit it could be fairly protracted, with Russia being observed as honest broker. They are not completely stupid in Israel and are very aware of real situation in American politics, economy and military. In other words -- they know how to count and see who pulls the strings. And then there is another "little tiny" factor--Israelis know damn well who won WW II in Europe. It matters, a great deal. ..."
"... I note that the 'moderate' Hillary Clinton is a blood-soaked queen of chaos, who if elected is certain to embroil us in pointless wars and spread death and devastation across even more of the world. I say this not because I am psychic, but because that is her unambiguous record. ..."
"... Donald Trump is admittedly a gamble, but depute his over-the-top stage persona, his track record is of actually getting along with people and brokering stable working relationships. ..."
"... At this point I wish I could vote for Richard Nixon (!), but we have the choice that we have... ..."
"... This piece out of the NYT is pure propaganda. Period. Here's the big clue - where's the memo? It's not embedded in the article. It can't be found anywhere on the web. It's b/c it doesn't exist. The reader is 'TOLD' by a third party journalist few follow who writes for a MIC/Political/Policy corporate mouthpiece. ..."
"... We see the point of all the saber-rattling by NATO on Russia's borders: to get Putin tied up in a diversionary direct threat to Russia, thereby mitigating or eliminating his efforts in behalf of Assad. And you know what? Americans on the street couldn't care one way or the other what Obama or CIA or DoS does or says about Syria. 280,000 dead, millions displaced and Americans are more concerned by a factor of 1000 about 4 dozen gays in Orlando. ..."
"... Saudi Arabia rejoining Turkey: http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950326000441 ..."
"... These 51 useful idiots are IMO auditioning for the Clinton team while also providing cover for the neo-cons above them like Nuland, Powers, etc. And directionless Kerry says he'll rush home to confer with these idiots rather than dismissing them out of hand. Kerry could only be useful to anyone if Lavrov was in the room with him at all times to keep him in line -- otherwise he reverts to his normal mindless servant of US empire viewpoint, which is to follow whichever way the winds of power are blowing through Washington, DC. ..."
"... Hillary is the neocon's neocon. Pravy Sektor's honorary storm trooper Vicky Nuland is a Hillary protege. NYT has been positioning its readers to embrace Kerry's Plan B for the last month-plus. ..."
"... How many of these diplomats were bribed by Saudi Arabia? ..."
"... This clown Kagan is also the husband of the infamous Victoria Nuland who somehow, defying all logic, still has her job post imbroglio that is the Ukraine today. Hell, she's probably being hailed for that and is an inspiration for lowly State employees. ..."
"... Thank you Victoria, for giving Crimea back to the Russian Federation where it belongs. ..."
"... There are almost exactly 7 months until either Trump or Clinton takes office (presuming that the elites manage to completely control any bad news prior to the Dem nominating convention in late July; if the email dam breaks after that I have no idea what the Dem elites will do, but I figure they won't choose the obviously best candidate against Trump, Bernie). ..."
"... State Department Diplomats who have captained failure after failure? If these people were Russian or Chinese they would have been executed for their serial failures in the ME and Afghanistan. The main problem with being 'exceptional' is that the 'exceptional' ones never make a mistake. "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength" ..."
"... So I was kind of wondering what psychopathic qualities the U.S. War... er, State Department is looking for in potential parasitic career bureaucrats, and came across this self-promotion page on their site. They seem to feel that working for them immerses you in a 'Culture of Leadership'. I guess the 'Culture of Chaos and Death' theme, although more neocon-appropriate, was shot down in favor of tempting potential employees with the possibility of more power and control. Offered for your enjoyment and/or revulsion: Congratulations on taking the first step towards your new career! Picture Hillary watching streaming video of Stevens get whacked in Benghazi when you read through that list of Leadership and Management Principles. rg the lg | Jun 17, 2016 3:17:01 PM | 47 There are times the depressing mood on MoA is mitigated by some of the rather classic spelling errors. I sometimes wonder if they might be intentional in order to lighten the mood? Or not ... Counterpunch had a great article: http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/17/the-case-for-not-voting-in-defense-of-the-lazy-ungrateful-and-uniformed/ ..."
"... No respect for R2P warriors at the State Department, nor for HRC, Susan Rice and Samantha Power. ..."
"... Saudi Arabia desperately needs battlefield success, or there will be a prince, I mean price, to pay http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-officials-fear-saudi-collapse-if-new-prince-fails-n593996 ..."
"... "Earlier this week as America was trying to make sense of the deadliest case of Islamic terrorism on US soil since 9/11, I wrote a detailed article here at Breitbart News that laid out the clear factual case about Hillary Clinton's top assistant Huma Abedin. I showed how she has deep, clear, and inarguable connections to a Saudi Arabian official named Abdul Omar Naseef, a powerful Kingdom insider who has helped lead a group called the Muslim World League. The Muslim World League is the huge "charity" whose goal is to spread Islam throughout the world and which has been connected to terror groups like Al Qaeda. If that sounds like a serious accusation, you're damn right it is." ..."
"... By 'public domain', Kirby means on some writer's desk at the NYT, never to be seen by the unwashed masses. To be fair, the State Department's "Dissent Memo" program is supposed to be confidential even within the State Department itself to encourage its use. Mark Landler said in his article that a draft of it was leaked by 'a State Department official' to the NYT. So some skepticism of the existence or eventual submission of the actual memo is warranted. Not that Landry is lying or hasn't verified it, but the State Department official obviously has an agenda by providing it to the NYT. The NYT has its own agenda filled as well by prominently posting the article on the top of the front page . ..."
"... Wonder how many of these 51 war mongers were appointed by Hillary. ..."
"... The FBI is stonewalling, keeping the contents of Mateen's 911 call unavailable - though it's part of the public record - presumably because it undermines the "ISIS did it" meme poured over the Orlando mass murder. Apparently Mateen may have mentioned ISIS not quite in the same light as has been portrayed. ..."
"... Now the NYTimes/WSJ are doing the same thing with the 50 dancing diplomats. Releasing what they want us to know and redacting what we want to know : the names of those 50 dancing diplomats. ..."
"... I suppose it comes under the CIA's blanket excuse for secrecy? "Methods and means", or whatever their boilerplate. ..."
"... No doubt the State Department dwarves were ginned up by "Cookies" Nuland and Count Kagan by visions of "x memorandum" of 1946 immortality by attacking the resistance to an unipolar hegemony. Mixing it up in Syria with the Russian presence seems civilization limiting at the outer limits of challenge/ response in a military confrontation. ..."
WASHINGTON - More than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal
memo sharply critical of the Obama administration's policy in Syria, urging
the United States to carry out military strikes against the government of
President Bashar al-Assad to stop its persistent violations of a
cease-fire in the country's five-year-old civil war.
Note that it was Ahrar al Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra and other U.S. paid and supported
"moderates" who on April 9
broke the ceasefire in Syria by attacking government troops south of Aleppo.
They have since continuously bombarded the government held parts of Aleppo which
house over 1.5 million civilians with improvised artillery.
Back to the piece:
The memo, a draft of which was provided to The New York Times by
a State Department official , says American policy has been "overwhelmed"
by the unrelenting violence in Syria. It calls for "a judicious
use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive
a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process."
...
The names on the memo are almost all midlevel officials - many of them career
diplomats - who have been involved in the administration's Syria policy
over the last five years, at home or abroad. They range from a Syria desk
officer in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs to a former deputy to the
American ambassador in Damascus.
While there are no widely recognized names, higher-level State Department
officials are known to share their concerns. Mr. Kerry himself has
pushed for stronger American action against Syria, in part to force
a diplomatic solution on Mr. Assad.
...
The State Department officials insisted in their memo that they were
not "advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation
with Russia," but rather a credible threat of military action to keep Mr.
Assad in line.
These State Department loons have their ass covered by Secretary of State
Kerry. Otherwise they would (and should) be fired for obvious ignorance. What
"judicious" military threat against Russian S-400 air defense in Syria is credible?
Nukes on Moscow (and New York)?
In the memo, the State Department officials argued that military action
against Mr. Assad would help the fight against the Islamic State because
it would bolster moderate Sunnis , who are necessary allies
against the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Would these "diplomats" be able to name even one group of "moderate Sunnis"
in Syria that is not on the side of the Syrian government? Are Ahrar al-Sahm
and the other U.S. supported groups, who recently
killed 50 civilians out of purely sectarian motives when they stormed the
town of Zara, such "moderate Sunnis"?
These 50 State Department non-diplomats, and the stinking fish head above
them, have obviously failed in their duty:
"Diplomats" urging military action do nothing but confirm that they
do not know their job which is diplomacy, not bombing. They failed.
These "diplomats" do not know or do not want to follow international
law. On what legal basis would the U.S. bomb the Syrian government and its
people? They do not name any. There is none.
To what purpose would the Syrian government and the millions of its
followers be bombed? Who but al-Qaeda would follow if the Assad-led government
falls? The "diplomats" ignore that obvious question.
The NYT writer of the piece on the memo demonstrates that he is just as stupid
or dishonest as the State Department dupes by adding this paragraph:
[T]he memo mainly confirms what has been clear for some time: The State
Department's rank and file have chafed at the White House's refusal
to be drawn into the conflict in Syria .
How is spending
over $1 billion a year to hire, train, arm and support "moderate rebels"
against the Syrian government consistent with the claim of a U.S. "refusal to
be drawn into the conflict"?
It is obvious and widely documented that the U.S. has been fueling the conflict
from the very beginning throughout five years and continues up to today to
deliver thousands of tons of weapons to the "moderate rebels".
All the above, the "diplomats" letter and the NYT writer lying, is in preparation
of an open U.S. war on Syria under a possible president Hillary Clinton. (Jo
Cox, the "humanitarian" British MP who was murdered yesterday by some neo-nazi,
spoke
in support of such a crime.)
The U.S. military
continues to reject an escalation against the Syrian government. Its reasonable
question "what follows after Assad" has never been seriously answered by the
war supporters in the CIA and the State Department.
Unexpected support of the U.S. military's position now
seems to come from the Turkish side. The Erdogan regime finally acknowledges
that a Syria under Assad is more convenient to it than a Kurdish state in north-Syria
which the U.S. is currently helping to establish:
"Assad is, at the end of the day, a killer. He is torturing his own people.
We're not going to change our stance on that," a senior official from the
ruling AK Party told Reuters, requesting anonymity so as to speak more freely.
"But he does not support Kurdish autonomy. We may not like each
other, but on that we're backing the same policy ," he said.
Ankara fears that territorial gains by Kurdish YPG fighters in northern
Syria will fuel an insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which
has waged an armed struggle in Turkey's southeast for three decades.
The Turks have suddenly removed their support for their "Turkmen" proxies
fighting the Syrian government in Latakia in north west Syria. Over the last
few days the "Turkmen" retreated and the Syrian army
advanced . It may soon reach the Turkish border. Should the Latakia front
calm down the Syrian army will be able to move several thousand troops from
Latakia towards other critical sectors. The Turkish government, under the new
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, is now also
sending peace signals towards Russia.
The situation in Syria could rapidly change in favor of the Syrian government
should Turkey
change its bifurcating policies and continue these moves. Without their
Turkish bases and support the "moderate rebels" would soon be out of supplies
and would lack the ability to continue their fighting. The Russians and their
allies should further emphasize the "Kurdish threat" to advance this Turkish
change of mind.
The race to preempt a Hillary administration war on Syria, which the "diplomats"
memo prepares for, is now on. May the not-warmongering side win.
This is the Yankees trying to pretend that they're still exceptionally invincible,
in order to conceal the fact that they never were. One only need look at
all the tentative tiptoeing around China & Russia to see that they're trying
to convince themselves that Russia and China are run by people as loony
and disconnected as the self-seducers in charge of AmeriKKKan Foreign Policy.
SmoothieX got it 100% right in the previous thread..
"The names on the memo are almost all medeival offiCIAls ..."
There, fixed it for you. Enjoying the calm before the Goldman Sturm,
the takeover of the US Executive in 2017 for the Final Solution on liberating
the Fifth Quintile's Last Free Life Savings, and plunging the globe into
a New Dark Ages: Trump or Clinton, allatime same-same.
The State Department and the CIA's 'Plan C' (or are they on 'Plan D'
yet?) is an independent Syrian Kurdistan.
The FSA Sunnistan plan has been going down the tubes for months. With
the imminent fall of the last few FSA strongholds, the State Department
has gone berserk with their latest standoff bombing memo 'leak' nonsense.
A desperate attempt to save the rebels, who now hate them and completely
understand how they have been thrown under the bus by the State Department
neocons. I really don't think the rebels will be the least bit impressed
by the phony theatrics of a internal memo by mid-level bureaucrats.
The Pentagram is in a bit of a different pickle. They have to do
something to stop the Wahhabi head-choppers, but its a bit like herding
cats. The best they've come up with is ginning up the SDF to take/hold ISIS
territory. But they can't arm the Kurds or Arab members with any REAL weapons
because that would anger Turkey. So they give them a bunch of eastern European
AKs and a few pickup trucks with anti-aircraft guns, promise air support
and toss in a few SF guys. This almost works, but not completely. For
what it's worth, I don't think the Pentagram cares at all about an independent
Syrian Kurdistan, unifying the cantons or who gets what land/resources,
as long as it's taken from ISIS. When ISIS is wiped out, the SDF
will cease to exist and the SF guys will leave. The SDF and especially the
YPG/YPJ will NOT ever be incented to provoke or go to war with Assad after
ISIS is gone. That's a problem for the State Department and CIA.
The neocon State Department and CIA - normally at odds with the Pentagon's
increasing reluctance to get involved at all - are taking this opportunity
to agitate for an independent Kurdistan. This is done by funding the Kurdish
PYD political party which purports to speak for all Kurds. The State Department
and CIA also fund the PYD's growing Asayish thug secret police 'enforcers'.
The PYD took control of Rojava by throwing out all the other political parties
last year and crowning itself the King of all Syrian Kurds. But most Kurds
don't trust the PYD, figuring that either Assad or the U.S. is really pulling
the strings. The Kurds agree with the original PYD ideology, but not its
current land/resource-grabbing frenzy NOR the kind of independent Kurdistan
the PYD is suggesting. They want more rights and control of their affairs,
but they do not want an actual or de facto independent Syrian Kurdistan.
The MSM (as CIA lapdogs are paid to do) constantly try to reinforce
the message that the independent YPG/YPJ militias are somehow 'the PYD's
army'. Nothing is further from the truth - it's all MSM spin to create the
impression that the Syrian Kurds uniformly desire the usurped PYD vision
of an independent Kurdistan. In reality, the U.S. State Department neocons
and the CIA are the ones that want an independent Syrian Kurdistan for their
own scheming (and to deny Assad the land/water/oil). The MSM is constantly
on message with this to set the narrative to the American public for Syrian
partition - most people have no clue.
For what it's worth, Assad is keenly aware of his history with the
Kurds. Even by
Kurdish media reports , he is willing to work with the Syrian Kurds
as part of a unified Syrian state. He does not object to Kurdish rights
or autonomy, just the U.S. meddling to goad the PYD into creating a separate
Kurdish state. The U.S. State Department does NOT want Rojava to be
part of Syria or the Syrian State and spins the Assad/Kurd relation as antagonistic
in the MSM. This is the 'Plan C' Syrian partition scheme. Hopefully, the
average Kurd can see through their scheming and will not follow the dictates
of a usurped PYD to go to war with Syria for their independence. They would
be better off dumping and outlawing the PYD completely and working with
the new Syrian government on the future AFTER ISIS (and hopefully without
any U.S. State Department and CIA).
Your assessment above is a supremely eloquent assessment and a scream
for sanity to return. Thank you so very much for your always illuminating
writings.
I think you're quite right. That corresponds with what I've thought for
some time. I'm sure the US will throw the Syrian Kurds "under the bus"
when their usefulness is finished. I'm sure also that a lot of Syrian Kurds
know this, and are hedging their bets.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/france-building-military-bases-in-syria-report/5531259
"The use of proxy forces to destroy the secular government of Syria
is now starting to give way to stealth methods of direct ground deployment
of Western Special Forces and ground troops under the guise of assistance
and coordination with "moderate" terrorists. "With a wide variety of Western-backed
terrorist groups ranging from "extremist" terrorists like ISIS, al-Qaeda,
and al-Nusra to the "moderate" terrorists of the FSA and the loose collection
of terrorists, Kurds, and Arabs like the SDF, the West has a kaleidoscope
of proxy forces on the ground already.
"Yet, even as Syria's military clashes with the West's proxies, the United
States, Britain, and France have begun moving in Special Forces soldiers
to assist in the mission of destroying the Syrian government, a mission
that Israeli, Jordanian, and Turkish officers have joined in as well. That
is, of course, despite the fact that Russian Special Forces are on the ground
fighting on the side of the Syrian military.
"Likewise, both the United States and Russia are busy building military
bases in the northern regions of Syria to use as staging grounds for new
operations."
So Russian peace talks with US evil empire in Syria were a disaster,
which makes Putin look like an idiot, as well as the supporters of this
idiocy. As well as Russian invitations for the US to join it in Syria makes
it one of the most stupidest invitations ever.
Since B is not mentioning it, he might as well not mention that the French
terrorist invaders along with the already US terrorists, and possibly German
invaders will be occupying parts of Syria.
Oh, but that's alright because Putin invited the evil minions of the
Us empire into Syria, you know, because the bad PR opportunity is a much
better outcome then world War three.
The Iranians have been warring with Kurds by the border with Turkey.
Neither the Turks nor the Iranians - nor the Syrians, but they do need the
Kurds now - want a Kurdistan. The Kurds must know by now - must have been
betrayed enough by now - to know that the US will tell them anything, promise
them anything, and deliver nothing but betrayal in the end.
As regards the State Department, the Pentagon, the US government
... what's required is a neo-con purge, top to bottom. They are all working
against American interests and against the American people. and have been
for the past two decades. The likelihood of such a purge is about zero.
Neither Trump nor Hillary has the will or the backbone to stand up to anyone.
Trump's all mouth and looking out for number one, and Hillary's plugged
in to the money-mosaic as well. Obama's getting ready to cash in his chips.
It looks to be more of the same, until they really do go after Russia,
when it will be all over for all of us. I can't imagine that they really
believe they can get away with this, but this bunch is all 'mid-level',
'just following orders', it won't be 'their fault' and that's the level
they're working at. The people calling the tune think they can play the
real world as they do their fake financial world, making up new rules as
they go along, as they redefine success after each of their serial failures.
Talk about boiled frogs. How in the hell have we let it get this far?
I am amazed at your unflagging obsession with holding Putin responsible
for the US/UK/EU/NATO/GCC destruction of Syria. You've set him up as your
omnipotent god and he's failed you, somehow. Putin, Rusia, is not responsible
for the death, devastation, and destruction of Iraq, Syria, Libya or the
rest of the middle east or north africa. You're throwing your stones at
the wrong guy, at the only guy who's done anything at all to help the Syrians
and to forestall the monstrous neo-con plan.
This letter may be, as
b says, a measure of theneo-cons' fear that it will all be over for 'their
guys' in Syria by 21 January. If that were to come to pass, Vladimir Putin
will have had a big hand in it.
Nicola @10 from your link 'Extending American power' I had to laugh at this...
4. "All of which provides the basis for our strong belief
that the United States still has the military, economic,
and political power to play the leading role in pro
-tecting a stable rules-based international order". 'Rules based',ha, the
US is the leading regime change state, acting always contrary to International
law to benefit its hegemonic ambitions. All five veto wielding powers and
their friends are above International law for all time. Thankfully, Russia
and China cannot be threatened militarily and will confront the monstrous
US designs in Syria, once the head choppers are defeated the victors should
move against the real source of terrorism in the region, Saudi Arabia and
the various GCC satraps. b's article above is excellent and is echoed in
this piece in Antiwar.com
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2016/06/16/something-going-worse-thought/
There are other worrying development in Syroi a namely changing of Riusssian
attitude to Assaad. First Lavrov said that Russia is not Syrian government
ally, they just fight terrorists together. An obvious nonsense.
And now this.
Israel, following several similar air raids in previous months just bombed
SAA installation in Homs province, in the middle of Syria just 45 second
flight of S400 rockets located in latakia, while Netanyahu was smiling with
Putin in Moscow.
Can you explain WTF? All of that while IDF artillery provides cover for
ANF commanded by formed ISIL commander in Golan Heights foothills,
There is more about Russian de-facto acquiescence for Syrian partition
and pivot to Israel: STRANGE DAYS: Did Israelis Pivoted to Russia? Or the
other way around.
https://syrianwarupdate.wordpress.com/
This is not preview nor is it a strategy, since strategies are based
on more or less professional and realistic, I may add, assessments of the
outside world. I do not have any recollection of any serious US doctrinal
(policy or military wise) document in the last 20 years written from the
position of comprehensive situational awareness--this is a non existent
condition among most of US current "power elites". The document you
posted is a typical wet dream written by utterly incompetent neocons (Kagan's
and Zoellik names are a tell), people who can not and must not be allowed
to operate with serious strategic and operational categories in any "advisory"
role. They simply have no qualifications for that and are nothing more
than a bunch of ideologues and propagandists from Ivy League humanities
degree mill. Back to "preview"--it is a dominant ideology of "exceptionalism"
which afflicted US "elites" today, this document is just another iteration
of this ideology.
i read about 30 of 160 or so comments on this article at NYT. given
who the audience of that shit rag is & that comments are vetted, overwhelmingly
commenters stated increased military involvement is retarded. Of course,
many of those speak from ignorance of what's really going on, but the knee-jerk
suspicion of US Syria policy & these FSO dickheads seems a good sign.
There is more about Russian de-facto acquiescence for Syrian partition
and pivot to Israel:
It is exactly the other way around. How can Russia, which dwarfs
Israel in every meaningful category -- from economy to military -- and who
does remember her history well can "pivot" to largely regional player --
I don't know. Russian "neocons" are a dramatically different breed than
US ones, for starters they are much more educated and, actually, support
Assad. Israel's pivot to Russia in some sense is inevitable, albeit it could
be fairly protracted, with Russia being observed as honest broker. They
are not completely stupid in Israel and are very aware of real situation
in American politics, economy and military. In other words -- they know
how to count and see who pulls the strings. And then there is another "little
tiny" factor--Israelis know damn well who won WW II in Europe. It matters,
a great deal.
I note that the 'moderate' Hillary Clinton is a blood-soaked queen
of chaos, who if elected is certain to embroil us in pointless wars and
spread death and devastation across even more of the world. I say this not
because I am psychic, but because that is her unambiguous record.
Donald Trump is admittedly a gamble, but depute his over-the-top
stage persona, his track record is of actually getting along with people
and brokering stable working relationships.
This November I'm going for the wild-card who at least sounds rational
(if you listen to what he actually proposes, and not his style) and has
a track record of actually being pragmatic, over certain doom.
At this point I wish I could vote for Richard Nixon (!), but we have
the choice that we have...
This piece out of the NYT is pure propaganda. Period. Here's the big
clue - where's the memo? It's not embedded in the article. It can't be found
anywhere on the web. It's b/c it doesn't exist. The reader is 'TOLD' by
a third party journalist few follow who writes for a MIC/Political/Policy
corporate mouthpiece.
If an article does not link to an original source OR quotes only 'anon
sources' be skeptical. Journalism, especially alt news journalists, site
original sources AND try like hell to get sources to go on the record.
My apologies in advance if I'm being offensive to our generous host.
That is not my intent. Rather, it's venting a long held frustration I've
had with the division within corporate newsrooms who are there solely to
sell the readers the news, even if it's made up out of thin air.
Yeah . . .agree 90%. Here are some minor details that need to be tidied
up, and a couple thoughts.
1.
b: it was Ahrar al Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra and other U.S. paid
and supported "moderates" who on April 9 broke the ceasefire in
Syria.
This is not quite accurate. Resolution 2254 exempted al Nusra from
the cease-fire, not sure about al Sham and whatever others you are referring
to. If they were excluded from the cease-fire, then they couldn't break
it.
2.
The NYT writer is Mark Landler, not Lander. If you're going to accuse him
of being stupid or dishonest, you want to get the name right. Mark Lander,
whoever he is, might have a pack of bulldog lawyers.
3.
I don't see in Landler's article a link to the memo or a list of the people
who signed it. Someone needs to publish that list of signatories to preserve
the record of who the DOS idiots are.
4. We see the point of all the saber-rattling by NATO on Russia's borders:
to get Putin tied up in a diversionary direct threat to Russia, thereby
mitigating or eliminating his efforts in behalf of Assad. And you know what?
Americans on the street couldn't care one way or the other what Obama or
CIA or DoS does or says about Syria. 280,000 dead, millions displaced and
Americans are more concerned by a factor of 1000 about 4 dozen gays in Orlando.
Thanks for sharing your outrage, b. I completely agree. I have been ranting
about this all morning and it's good to see someone else stating the case
so the rest of us don't feel isolated in our anger at this vicious and dangerous
stupidity. These 51 useful idiots are IMO auditioning for the Clinton
team while also providing cover for the neo-cons above them like Nuland,
Powers, etc. And directionless Kerry says he'll rush home to confer with
these idiots rather than dismissing them out of hand. Kerry could only be
useful to anyone if Lavrov was in the room with him at all times to keep
him in line -- otherwise he reverts to his normal mindless servant of US
empire viewpoint, which is to follow whichever way the winds of power are
blowing through Washington, DC.
CIA .... YPG .... ALNUSRA.... FSL , all these acronyms are so confusing
, how about considering the level of sanity and intelligence of these groups
( which is probably below that of a wounded flea .... ) why not call them
Scoobidoos vs the Syrian Army
so the article would go something like this :
In the memo, the Scoobidoos State Department officials argued that military
action against Mr. Assad would help the fight against the Scoobidoos because
it would bolster moderate Scoobidoos, who are necessary allies against the
group, also known as Scoobidoos .
I thought it was a "cessation of hostilities" not a case fire. The difference
is not trivial, and State Department employees should know the difference.
The signers are either incompetent or evil (not mutually exclusive, of course).
dont think landler is stupid. dishonest and deceiving would be my say. he
is a nyt's jew writing, maybe lying, regarding syria. NYT: only news acceptable
to jews. sometimes, many times we have to make up stories and facts to (maybe)
fit.
cant find any of the dissenting names.
like to know how many are jew if story not total fake
then there is the political hatchet job on the russian track/field olym
team.
I think the key takeaway is b's last two sentences: "The race to preempt
a Hillary administration war on Syria, which the 'diplomats' memo prepares
for, is now on. May the not-warmongering side win."
Hillary is the neocon's neocon. Pravy Sektor's honorary storm trooper
Vicky Nuland is a Hillary protege. NYT has been positioning its readers
to embrace Kerry's Plan B for the last month-plus.
Whether during or shortly after Hillary's first 100 days in office, U.S.
military engagement with Libya and Syria will likely be significantly greater
than it is now.
This is the exact reason the Ministers of Defense of Syria, Russia and Iran
held meeting in Teheran just recently. My assumption is they are planning
on rolling up the acres, so to speak in Syria. All before the new POTUS
comes to office. Also, Hezbollah just announced it's sending in reinforcements
to the battlefield. All this while the Chinese continue to sleep. Sigh.
The Kurds are the last great hope for the oil and especially natural
gas pipelines dream from the GCC to Europe, but still, Israel is not happy.
They wanted a branch-off pipeline for themselves. Also Jordan was to get
a small branch-off too. Israel is no more than a parasite, look up the definition.
It's exact. Turkey would benefit economically due to transit fees. That's
why the Turks are so heavily involved. Turkey, who's economy is done for
due to Chinese cheap products swamping the M.E; is crashed. Jordan is broke
(hence they allow the head choppers to be trained on their territory). The
U.S is the overlord who wants this project to be implemented so as to deny
Russia the European market (see Saudia too).
Netanyahu has visited Russia 3-4 times (not sure)to dissuade Putin on
his support for Bashar ( who said yes to the Friendship pipeline- Running
from Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria..to the Mediterranean thru to Greece, Europe).
No other World leader makes that many visits is such a short time to another
capital. Netanyahu obviously failed in his endeavor, as the Russians are
familiar with these Zionist snakes very well. All they have to look at is
the genocide perpetrated by said Zionists in their very own 20th Century
history. I even read that Putin irked Netanyahu when Putin offered him back
the Pale of Settlement if they wanted to make the smart choice. Beautiful
if true. Probably wishful thinking tho.
Anyways, Israel runs the U.S State Department(see, the Crazies in the
Basement). They don't call it Foggy Bottom for nothing. Must be foggy now
due to too many employess smoking bongs in the downstairs cafeteria, hence
the ridiculous memo. Also the writer of the memo is most certainly another
member of the chosen tribe.
Yes, a 'Night of the Broken Glass' or 'Night of the Long Knives' is much
needed to save Humanity essentially. But don't hope for it. Congress, Capital
Hill leaders , MSM heads and head anchors, most everybody in the Whit house(except
the kitchen staff) would have to be rounded up.
The only hope would have been the U.S Military Officer Corp. before the
great purges post 9-11. Now it's I'm possible. God help the American people
and the World.
This clown Kagan is also the husband of the infamous Victoria Nuland
who somehow, defying all logic, still has her job post imbroglio that is
the Ukraine today. Hell, she's probably being hailed for that and is an
inspiration for lowly State employees.
Thank you Victoria, for giving Crimea back to the Russian Federation
where it belongs.
There are almost exactly 7 months until either Trump or Clinton takes
office (presuming that the elites manage to completely control any bad news
prior to the Dem nominating convention in late July; if the email dam breaks
after that I have no idea what the Dem elites will do, but I figure they
won't choose the obviously best candidate against Trump, Bernie).
Seven months. If Russia lends more of its strength, is it possible to
gain the territory and hold it to the point that, oh, the West's illegal
bases will have to close down? Or might the West actually directly take
on Russia/Syrian government forces? Claiming, of course, some version of
R2P
State Department Diplomats who have captained failure after failure?
If these people were Russian or Chinese they would have been executed for
their serial failures in the ME and Afghanistan. The main problem with being
'exceptional' is that the 'exceptional' ones never make a mistake. "War
is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength"
So I was kind of wondering what psychopathic qualities the U.S. War...
er, State Department is looking for in potential parasitic career bureaucrats,
and came across this self-promotion page on their site. They seem to feel
that working for them immerses you in a 'Culture of Leadership'. I guess
the 'Culture of Chaos and Death' theme, although more neocon-appropriate,
was shot down in favor of tempting potential employees with the possibility
of more power and control.
There are times the depressing mood on MoA is mitigated by some of the rather
classic spelling errors. I sometimes wonder if they might be intentional
in order to lighten the mood?
In the inner halls of Pentagramagon nothing succeeds financially like
serial designed failure ...
KABUL, Afghanistan - "The new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has submitted
his first three-month assessment of the situation in the war-torn country
and what it's going to take to defeat the Taliban, a U.S. military official
has told The Associated Press.
And though the content of the review by Army Gen. John W. Nicholson is
secret, the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan received a major incentive this
month when President Obama decided to expand America's involvement with
more airstrikes against insurgents, giving the U.S. military wider latitude
to support Afghan forces, both in the air and on the ground."
No respect for
R2P warriors at the State Department, nor for HRC, Susan Rice and Samantha
Power. Jo Cox as former Oxfam executive was moved by the same massacres
of Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Darfur. Unwittingly (?) the R2P argument was used
by the Obama White House to intervene in Libya and Syria. The US took R2P
a step further to force regime change which is illegal by International
law. See George Bush and
Tony Blair to white-wash the cruelty of torture, rendition, Abu Ghraib,
extrajudicial assassinations, etc, etc. Former US Ambassador to Syria Robert
S. Ford was an apprentice of John Negroponte in Baghdad, Iraq.
If I were Assad, I would be shaking in my boots right now and having Gaddafi
dreams. Russia has clearly allied itself closely to Israel and Nato in Syria.
Some kind of sanctions relief deal must be in the works. Syria will be split
up soon. Assad is a dead man.
For Israel to bomb the Syrian military right under the nose of Russian
s-400s? Russia, supposedly so dedicated to defending sovereignty, smiles
and yawns benignly? A dirty deal has been made...
"Earlier this week as America was trying to make sense of the deadliest
case of Islamic terrorism on US soil since 9/11, I wrote a detailed article
here at Breitbart News that laid out the clear factual case about Hillary
Clinton's top assistant Huma Abedin. I showed how she has deep, clear, and
inarguable connections to a Saudi Arabian official named Abdul Omar Naseef,
a powerful Kingdom insider who has helped lead a group called the Muslim
World League. The Muslim World League is the huge "charity" whose goal is
to spread Islam throughout the world and which has been connected to terror
groups like Al Qaeda. If that sounds like a serious accusation, you're damn
right it is."
"The three questions are very simple, very straightforward, and, frankly,
anybody can research the answers themselves. They are:
1) What is Huma's relationship with a Saudi Arabian official named Abdullah
Omar Naseef?
2) Was he the founder of a Saudi charity called the Rabita Trust?
3) Right after 9/11, was the Rabita Trust put on a list by the U.S. government
of groups that were funding terrorism?"
"If I were Assad, I would be shaking in my boots right now and having
Gaddafi dreams."
Interesting opinion? If you made a list of democratically elected Presidents
and National Leaders the US/GB/ISR axis have terminated you will fill a
book. From Patrice Lumumba to Hugo Chavez the list goes on and on.
Could you supply me with a list of National Leaders that Russia under
Putin has terminated?
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Department of State has no plans to make public
an internal memo calling for the United States to take military action
against Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, US Department of
State spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing on Friday. "There's
no plans to make it public," Kirby stated when asked when the State
Department would release the dissent letter.
Furthermore, Kirby said there will be no investigation as to how
the letter ended up in the public domain.
By 'public domain', Kirby means on some writer's desk at the NYT,
never to be seen by the unwashed masses. To be fair, the State Department's
"Dissent Memo" program is supposed to be confidential even within the State
Department itself to encourage its use. Mark Landler said in his article
that a draft of it was leaked by 'a State Department official' to the NYT.
So some skepticism of the existence or eventual submission of the actual
memo is warranted. Not that Landry is lying or hasn't verified it, but the
State Department official obviously has an agenda by providing it to the
NYT. The NYT has its own agenda filled as well by prominently posting the
article
on the top of the front page .
Nyt participating in these pressures is coordinated with medecins sans frontiere
announcing today that they ll refuse eu money to protest on the treatment
of refugees and with recent surge in french and uk msm of so called white
helmets exclusive pictured
The U.S. administration sought on Friday to contain fallout from a leaked
internal memo critical of its Syria policy, but showed no sign it was willing
to consider military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
forces called for in the letter signed by dozens of U.S. diplomats.
Several U.S. officials said that while the White House is prepared to
hear the diplomats' dissenting viewpoint, it is not expected to spur any
changes in President Barack Obama's approach to Syria in his final seven
months in office.
One senior official said that the test for whether these proposals for
more aggressive action are given high-level consideration will be whether
they "fall in line with our contention that there is no military solution
to the conflict in Syria."
It's important for Russia to ensure that the remains of the first "Israeli"
jet it shoots down falls to earth inside Syria. If you've seen a story about
the IAF doing something courageous it's bullshit.
The EU-Turkey deal's financial package includes one billion euros
in humanitarian aid. There are undoubtedly needs in Turkey, a country
which currently hosts close to three million Syrian refugees, but this
aid has been negotiated as a reward for border control promises, rather
than being based solely on needs. This instrumentalisation of humanitarian
aid is unacceptable.
Last week the European Commission unveiled a new proposal to replicate
the EU-Turkey logic across more than 16 countries in Africa and the
Middle East.
These deals would impose trade and development aid sanctions on countries
that do not stem migration to Europe or facilitate forcible returns,
rewarding those that do. Among these potential partners are
Somalia ,
Eritrea , Sudan and Afghanistan – four of the top ten* refugee generating
countries.
kreepy kerry is "running out of patience" since his most desired regime
change isn't happening fast enough. How many others are in the works? I'm
running-out-of-patience waiting for the regime change anyone with 1/2 a
brain wants, right here in the U.S. Regime Change US. It's our turn. I just
read Putin's speech at the St. Petersburg Int'l Forum. He must have used
the word "cooperation" at least 20 times. We need such a great leader. Terroristic
turds like kerry and co. belong in jail.
50 diplomats petition president for war. Was that written by Orwell? Isn't
it enough that this "peaceful" nation arms the world and places economic
"pressure" on those nations that displease her to the point of causing millions
to die - do we really have to "kill the village to save it?" Yes, I agree,
each and every one of those "career diplomats" should be looking for other
work. They have not merely lost their way, they have lost their minds. My
contempt for them is manifest, as is my contempt for the entire MIC. That
those trained in diplomacy should send such a despicable petition illuminates
the deep corrupting influence of American Exceptionalism - a force for the
kind of nationalism Germany endured 1933-45. Idiots.
Allow me to further my argument against American Exceptionalism. It is
not merely the fact that the U.S. is far from exceptional. From education
to infant mortality, the U.S. is woefully behind much of the world. My objection
is that belief in exceptionalism leads to moral decay. It is the functional
equivalent of the 19th Century preachers who endorsed slavery, who preached
that negroes carried the mark of Cain, etc. Whites were God's chosen. The
pseudo-righteousness that preaching created in believers was largely responsible
for America's Civil War. Americans will be better people, with a better
society, if we dispel this myth immediately. We're OK, you're OK. Then we
could have peace. Wouldn't that be nice?
So Hillary, the bloodthirsty Goddess of War, is longing for a second Libya,
i.e., a Syria smashed to smithereens, in ashes and ruins, ruled by a chaotic
bunch of mad Takfiri extremists, at war all against all. The Queen of Chaos,
indeed, loves these scenarios. Especially because her quick attack as first
thing should she win the White House would shut the mouths of her critics
wanting her prosecuted for her crooked political and business corruption.
But she and her State Department surrogates would be in for a surprise:
Russian and Syrian defences would not remain silent. And afterwards, what
would be left? How would the Exceptionalist who "gets things done" proceed?
The FBI is stonewalling, keeping the contents of Mateen's 911 call unavailable
- though it's part of the public record - presumably because it undermines
the "ISIS did it" meme poured over the Orlando mass murder. Apparently Mateen
may have mentioned ISIS not quite in the same light as has been portrayed.
Now the NYTimes/WSJ are doing the same thing with the 50 dancing
diplomats. Releasing what they want us to know and redacting what we want
to know : the names of those 50 dancing diplomats.
I suppose it comes under the CIA's blanket excuse for secrecy? "Methods
and means", or whatever their boilerplate.
Releasing their names might give us the means to track the 5th column
as it winds its way through 'our' government, and that must be prevented
at all costs. Think it might lead through Hillary? Seems no doubt here.
No doubt the State Department dwarves were ginned up by "Cookies" Nuland
and Count Kagan by visions of "x memorandum" of 1946 immortality by attacking
the resistance to an unipolar hegemony. Mixing it up in Syria with the Russian
presence seems civilization limiting at the outer limits of challenge/ response
in a military confrontation.
Hillary Comes Out as the War Party Candidate
On June 2, a few days before the California primary, Hillary Clinton gave up trying to compete
with Bernie Sanders on domestic policy. Instead, she zeroed in on the ...
The
Making of a Disaster - The New York Times The Making of a Disaster. Roger Cohen AUG. 25, 2014. ... the next you're running around Syria
with a machine gun," said Ghaffar Hussain, ...
The Last but not LeastTechnology is dominated by
two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand ~Archibald Putt.
Ph.D
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