Democrats are critical of the Iran deal but they stand behind the president in this agreement. The next few years will see if their gamble in supporting the president pays off.
Top congressional Democrats have done a great job laying out the terms of the Iran nuclear deal, a Free Beacon SuperCut finds.
These members of Congress explained how Iran will ramp up its campaign of terrorism and Middle East destabilization with funds gained through the nuclear deal. They expressed “concern”—grave concern, even—over key concessions such as the curtailment of inspections on Iran’s military sites, the removal of a ban on arms sales to Iran, and the 15-year sunset clause on restrictions to Iran’s ability to enrich nuclear material.
Still, as other Democrats have unceasingly reminded us, the Iran deal was ultimately an inviolable vote of conscience for each member of Congress.
Showing posts with label US Foreign Policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Foreign Policy. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
WHO TO HOLD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MIDDLE EAST REFUGEE CRISIS
The American Interest. "Fecklessness 101." Did the Obama administration miss a chance to solve the Syrian crisis in 2012?
Apparently the Obama administration turned down a Russian offer to dump Assad… because the Administration was sure he was going to fall on his own. The Guardian reports:
[Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti] Ahtisaari held talks with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN security council in February 2012. He said that during those discussions, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, laid out a three-point plan, which included a proposal for Assad to cede power at some point after peace talks had started between the regime and the opposition.But he said that the US, Britain and France were so convinced that the Syrian dictator was about to fall, they ignored the proposal.
Glenn Reynolds. USA Today. "The Obama-Hillary Mideast Debacles."
Obama initially called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad, only to back down in the face of opposition from Vladimir Putin. Since then, the United States has postured a bit, but done nothing of consequence. The signal to our enemies: It’s safe to ignore us. The signal to our friends: It’s foolish to rely on us.
Now, as the war in Syria has expanded — with the U.S. arming and supporting various groups that have shown a disturbing tendency to take our guns and then switch sides — refugees are flooding Europe. It is, as Ron Radosh correctly states, Barack Obama’s refugee problem.
This would be bad enough if Syria were the Obama administration’s only foreign policy misstep, but instead it is merely representative of a larger problem. President Obamabragged about Yemen as a showpiece of his administration’s anti-terror program’s success; a few months later, Yemen was taken over by terrorists and now an ugly civil war, featuring Saudi troops, rages there. The administration’s responses, as even the Obama-friendly Vox.com notes, have been ”cringe-worthy.”
Apparently the Obama administration turned down a Russian offer to dump Assad… because the Administration was sure he was going to fall on his own. The Guardian reports:
[Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti] Ahtisaari held talks with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN security council in February 2012. He said that during those discussions, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, laid out a three-point plan, which included a proposal for Assad to cede power at some point after peace talks had started between the regime and the opposition.But he said that the US, Britain and France were so convinced that the Syrian dictator was about to fall, they ignored the proposal.
Glenn Reynolds. USA Today. "The Obama-Hillary Mideast Debacles."
Obama initially called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad, only to back down in the face of opposition from Vladimir Putin. Since then, the United States has postured a bit, but done nothing of consequence. The signal to our enemies: It’s safe to ignore us. The signal to our friends: It’s foolish to rely on us.
Now, as the war in Syria has expanded — with the U.S. arming and supporting various groups that have shown a disturbing tendency to take our guns and then switch sides — refugees are flooding Europe. It is, as Ron Radosh correctly states, Barack Obama’s refugee problem.
This would be bad enough if Syria were the Obama administration’s only foreign policy misstep, but instead it is merely representative of a larger problem. President Obamabragged about Yemen as a showpiece of his administration’s anti-terror program’s success; a few months later, Yemen was taken over by terrorists and now an ugly civil war, featuring Saudi troops, rages there. The administration’s responses, as even the Obama-friendly Vox.com notes, have been ”cringe-worthy.”
Sunday, September 13, 2015
THE REFUGEE CRISIS: FAILURE OF EUROPE, ARABS, AND ISLAM
Walter Russell Mead. The Wall Street Journal. "The Roots of the Migration Crisis."
The Syrian refugee disaster is a result of the Middle East’s failure to grapple with modernity and Europe’s failure to defend its ideals.
What we are witnessing today is a crisis of two civilizations: The Middle East and Europe are both facing deep cultural and political problems that they cannot solve. The intersection of their failures and shortcomings has made this crisis much more destructive and dangerous than it needed to be—and carries with it the risk of more instability and more war in a widening spiral.
"We are a nauseating nation," wrote the Saudi journalist 'Ali Sa'd Al-Moussa in Al-Watan on September 5, in reaction to images of Syrians and other refugees fleeing to Europe. The "nation" he was angrily condemning was not only Saudi Arabia, but the greater Arab world. It is a world, he lamented, "that kills people for their opinions or affiliation. Compare [this] to the parallel image: in the central train station in Munich, dozens of German citizens gather to welcome the first train arriving from Budapest carrying hundreds of immigrants...
"Stop talking about the hypocrisy of [Western] morals and values, because reality exposes nothing but our own ugly countenance."
The Syrian refugee disaster is a result of the Middle East’s failure to grapple with modernity and Europe’s failure to defend its ideals.
What we are witnessing today is a crisis of two civilizations: The Middle East and Europe are both facing deep cultural and political problems that they cannot solve. The intersection of their failures and shortcomings has made this crisis much more destructive and dangerous than it needed to be—and carries with it the risk of more instability and more war in a widening spiral.
The crisis in the Middle East has to do with much more than the breakdown of order in Syria and Libya. It runs deeper than the poisonous sectarian and ethnic hatreds behind the series of wars stretching from Pakistan to North Africa. At bottom, we are witnessing the consequences of a civilization’s failure either to overcome or to accommodate the forces of modernity. One hundred years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and 50 years after the French left Algeria, the Middle East has failed to build economies that allow ordinary people to live with dignity, has failed to build modern political institutions and has failed to carve out the place of honor and respect in world affairs that its peoples seek.
Charles Paul Freund. Reason.com "The Arab Press Reacts to the European Refugee Crisis."
"Stop talking about the hypocrisy of [Western] morals and values, because reality exposes nothing but our own ugly countenance."
Friday, September 11, 2015
ANOTHER 9/11 ATTACK COMING?
Former U.S. intelligence officials are giving the warning. Also an interesting interview with a former intelligence operative.
The United States could be facing another 9/11 attack as factions grow deeper among the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, especially with the recently confirmed death of the Taliban's one-eyed leader Mullah Omar, according to a senior U.S. lawmaker, federal law enforcement and intelligence officials.
The tensions between Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and the Taliban is as dangerous a national security threat to the United States as it was before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said Brian Fairchild, who spent two decades with the CIA and has testified before Congress on terrorism.
The United States could be facing another 9/11 attack as factions grow deeper among the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, especially with the recently confirmed death of the Taliban's one-eyed leader Mullah Omar, according to a senior U.S. lawmaker, federal law enforcement and intelligence officials.
The tensions between Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and the Taliban is as dangerous a national security threat to the United States as it was before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said Brian Fairchild, who spent two decades with the CIA and has testified before Congress on terrorism.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
SITUATION OF AMERICA IN THE WORLD
Bill O'Reilly summarizes all of the problems facing American today because of the incompetence in Washington. He could probably add a few more.
Some O'Reilly comments:
Some O'Reilly comments:
- Even though President Obama promised to confront ISIS and downgrade it -- that has not happened.So while ISIS is burning human beings alive, Congresswoman Pelosi is concerned about the social media aspect of the struggle.
- Harry Reid is blaming congress (Republican-controlled) for not doing more to support Obama against ISIS-->O'Reilly thinks this is crazy because many congressman are wanting a reluctant Obama to do more.
- Recently Secretary of State John Kerry met with Putin promising him sanctions would be lifted if he promised to stop seizing more territory. That must have delighted Vlad Putin who I have nicknamed Vlad the invader as he saw once again the U.S.A. desperately trying to appease him.
- China -- that country is now expanding in the specific, seizing territory that does not belong to it and developing its military in a dramatic way. China seeks to dominate Southeast Asia and understands it can now expand without any consequence from the West.
- Next up: a phony nuke deal with Iran that will empower that villainous country. God help the next president of the United States.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
SHEMITAH
Some people have excitedly sent me emails about the Shemitah (Leviticus 25) and its application to America as a result of reading Jonathan Cahn's book, The Harbinger, and watching him on TV. They believe wholeheartedly in what Cahn is saying, but I am a bit of a "Berean" and want to make sure it is not just a false hermeneutic.
I am also concerned because money and marketing are involved and in addition after doing some internet reading, some people are seeing signs in some strange things like the number "7" on a cow's face. It also strikes me a bit like the old "British Israelism" heresy that was using Old Testament verses to argue the British people descended from Israel and were finding Old Testament verses to support its case.
Here is an ad for a $20.00 DVD arguing Cahn's case: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/featured.html. But on YouTube you can see a number of interviews. He is a very good speaker.
Here are a couple of people who are questioning his biblical interpretation. These critics may be wrong, but they do point up issues and failures of the 7 year cycle to have any apparent consistent impact looking back into recent history.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
FALL OF RAMADI
This is a pivotal
turning point showing the failure of U.S. policy and also it is a slap in the
face to the U.S. soldiers who died there not to mention the tens of thousands
of Iraqis who have been and will be killed. Here is a summary of reports
on Ramadi’s takeover by ISIS (although it may be more than you want to read).
But it does show a wide consensus among policy analysts that the fall of
Ramadi is a disaster. Everything the administration has said and done is
quickly degenerating in the Middle East.
Democrats before the War
Started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p-qIq32m8
Before Bush Democrats were arguing
that Saddam was a threat.
Stop It, Liberals: Bush Didn’t Lie About Iraq Having WMDs: The Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/18/stop-it-liberals-bush-didnt-lie-about-iraq-having-wmds/
There is
plenty of criticism that can be leveled against George W. Bush’s decision to
invade Iraq in 2003, but he didn’t deliberately mislead the
country about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Obama: Don’t Stay in Iraq over Genocide: NBC News. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19862711/ns/politics-decision_08/t/obama-dont-stay-iraq-over-genocide/#.VVtQrPlVikp From 2007.
Democratic presidential
hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to
solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq
isn’t a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there.
The Painful Loss of Ramadi: From the Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/the-painful-loss-of-ramadi/393566/
Washington is arguing that Ramadi's fall is not a problem, but they
obviously have to defend the administration's decisions.
Even
as the Islamic State takeover of the capital city of Iraq’s largest province
seemed nearly complete on Sunday, the Pentagon continued to argue that the situation was still “fluid and contested.” That
assessment was countered by reports that “hundreds
of police personnel, soldiers and tribal fighters abandoned the city,” leaving
it and a “large store” of
American weapons in
ISIS hands. The BBC cited a statement “purportedly from IS”
claiming that the city had been “purged.”
It
was also a development that American officials not only didn’t prefer, but
evidently didn’t see coming a month ago, when a senior U.S. official told Foreign Policy it was unlikely that Shiite militias would fight the Islamic
State in Anbar. The Iraqi government’s
growing reliance on Shiite militias to fight ISIS has the potential to
undermine American-trained Iraqi security forces. And the fall of Ramadi
despite a U.S. air campaign aimed at blunting ISIS’s momentum shows the limits
of the American strategy.
The World Will Blame President Obama if Iraq
Falls: From the National Journal. http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/the-world-will-blame-president-obama-if-iraq-falls-20140807 Not so sure this will happen.
A decade later and
after millions of American dollars, thousands of casualties, and seemingly
hundreds of different policies, Iraq is very much broken. Even though he has
boasted of "ending" the U.S. role in the war and even though he
didn't create the situation, Obama very much owns the mess. And he finds
himself on a timetable not of his choosing and very much at odds with his policy.
What Kind of Iraq Did Obama Inherit: Commentary. https://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/06/19/what-kind-of-iraq-did-obama-inherit/ In 2010 White House officials told Larry King
that things were going well in Iraq. So
it is not “Bush’s Fault.”
A
fair-minded reading of the facts, I think, shows that when Mr. Obama was sworn
in, the Iraq war had more or less been won. Things were fragile to be sure. But
the errors that were made during the occupation of Iraq following the fall of
Saddam, which were extremely costly, were corrected in 2007. That was when
President Bush made what is in my estimation his most impressive decision. In
the face of enormous political opposition, with the nation weary of the war,
Mr. Bush implemented a new counterinsurgency strategy, dubbed the “surge” and
led by the estimable General David Petraeus. It resulted in startling gains.
To
sum up, then: post-surge, Iraq was making significant progress on virtually
every front. The Obama administration said as much. The president was not
engaged or eager to sign a new SOFA. A full withdrawal was the right decision.
His own top advisers admitted as much. The president had long argued he wanted
all American troops out of Iraq during his presidency, and he got his wish. He
met his goal.
Obama’s ISIS Strategy Takes a Hit: The Hill. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/242434-obamas-isis-strategy-takes-new-hit
The
White House on Monday acknowledged the seizure represents a “setback” but
signaled it is unlikely to alter its approach to combatting ISIS, which relies
on U.S.-led airstrikes and training Iraqi security forces to fight the ground
war.
Obama’s Middle East Policy is in a State of
Collapse: Powerline.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/05/obamas-middle-east-policy-is-in-a-state-of-collapse.php
It seems as
though things couldn’t possibly get worse, but they almost certainly will. We
are seeing the fruit of a set of policies that were based on the false premise
that problems in the Middle East are mostly the fault of the United States. Not
only were such policies misbegotten, they have been executed incompetently. The
resulting collapse is occurring with sickening speed.
Pentagon:
Islam State on The Defensive, Just not in Ramadi: Foreign Policy. http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/18/pentagon-islamic-state-on-the-defensive-just-not-in-ramadi/ The Pentagon spins the situation, but where
do we have ISIL on the “defensive”?—Mosul has also fallen within the past year. What will happen if Baghdad falls? The Pentagon is shifting the blame to Iraqi
leaders, but the administration got rid of all of Bush’s Iraqi leaders for
these guys who they are now saying a bad leaders. Go figure.
Bob Gates:
“U.S. Has no Middle East Strategy “at all”: Politico. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/robert-gates-us-no-middle-east-strategy-118083.html
Gates says the US is playing it “day by
day”—this is not a strategy! What could
go wrong?
Susan Rice:
With Ramadi’s Fall, “a long slog” ahead against ISIL: USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/19/capital-download-susan-rice-isis-iran/27536981/
An administration official admits that this is not a good situation, but she
has not solutions.
ISIS
capture of Ramadi renews criticism over US troop pullout, airstrike strategy: FoxNews.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/19/islamic-state-capture-ramadi-renews-concerns-about-us-foreign-policy-left/
The Islamic State’s capture of the Iraqi city of Ramadi is
sparking renewed criticism of Obama administration policies in the region --
from the decision to withdraw virtually all U.S. troops in 2011 to the current
anti-ISIS strategy that relies mostly on airstrikes.
White House Steps Up Warnings About Terrorism on
US Soil: Los
Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-terror-threat-20150518-story.html#page=1
If the US can’t stop ISIS in Iraq, how is it going to stop ISIS in the US?
Monday, October 27, 2014
BUMBLING IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Headline from Politico; "Team of Bumblers? Are Susan Rice and Chuck Hagel equal to today’s new national-security challenges."
This is pretty tough criticism coming from the more liberal Politico. The response to the ISIS threat was clearly muddled.
Unfortunately, the White House failed to consult with the Pentagon—which would be doing most of the rolling back—on the timing or details of the announcement.
According to multiple sources, behind the scenes a few things went badly awry in the launch of Obama’s new policy. First, the Pentagon was surprised by the president’s timing, according to a senior defense official. “We didn’t know it was going to be in the speech,” he said, referring to Obama’s Sept. 10 address to the nation. Second, the White House neglected to give Pentagon lawyers a chance to revise and approve the proposed legislative language before it went to the Hill, which is considered standard practice. Staffers working for Rep. Buck McKeon, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said they were appalled by what they saw: language so sloppy that it failed to mention adequate protections against so-called “green-on-blue” attacks by trainees on American troops, and effectively left the Defense Department liable for funding the mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—even though the president was telling members of Congress he didn’t need money for this new mission, since the Saudis were putting it up. “What came over would have not have been a mission the DoD could have executed,” says a senior Republican committee staffer.
This is pretty tough criticism coming from the more liberal Politico. The response to the ISIS threat was clearly muddled.
Unfortunately, the White House failed to consult with the Pentagon—which would be doing most of the rolling back—on the timing or details of the announcement.
According to multiple sources, behind the scenes a few things went badly awry in the launch of Obama’s new policy. First, the Pentagon was surprised by the president’s timing, according to a senior defense official. “We didn’t know it was going to be in the speech,” he said, referring to Obama’s Sept. 10 address to the nation. Second, the White House neglected to give Pentagon lawyers a chance to revise and approve the proposed legislative language before it went to the Hill, which is considered standard practice. Staffers working for Rep. Buck McKeon, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said they were appalled by what they saw: language so sloppy that it failed to mention adequate protections against so-called “green-on-blue” attacks by trainees on American troops, and effectively left the Defense Department liable for funding the mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—even though the president was telling members of Congress he didn’t need money for this new mission, since the Saudis were putting it up. “What came over would have not have been a mission the DoD could have executed,” says a senior Republican committee staffer.
And as the article continues, the story gets even worse. The Obama administration is all about politics and not solving problems.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
YEMEN
The situation in Yemen is often not covered by the media. Now it looks like the Obama administration has "lost Yemen" to radical Islamists.
Nobody saw it coming. On Sept. 20, Yemen’s Huthi movement executed a political coup so stealthy that the world hardly noticed, and so momentous that local commentators are dividing modern Yemeni history into before and after the Huthi assent to power. The Huthis, a Shiite-led rebel group with a power base in Yemen’s far north, have been waiting for this moment since the early 2000s, when their civil rights campaign was forced to take up arms in self-defense.
Nobody saw it coming. On Sept. 20, Yemen’s Huthi movement executed a political coup so stealthy that the world hardly noticed, and so momentous that local commentators are dividing modern Yemeni history into before and after the Huthi assent to power. The Huthis, a Shiite-led rebel group with a power base in Yemen’s far north, have been waiting for this moment since the early 2000s, when their civil rights campaign was forced to take up arms in self-defense.
Monday, October 13, 2014
WAR AGAINST ISIS
According to the left-wing Independent Obama's ISIS bombing policy is not working.
The US-led air attacks launched against Islamic State (also known as Isis) on 8 August in Iraq and 23 September in Syria have not worked. President Obama's plan to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State has not even begun to achieve success. In both Syria and Iraq, Isis is expanding its control rather than contracting.
The US-led air attacks launched against Islamic State (also known as Isis) on 8 August in Iraq and 23 September in Syria have not worked. President Obama's plan to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State has not even begun to achieve success. In both Syria and Iraq, Isis is expanding its control rather than contracting.
Friday, October 03, 2014
INSIDERS TURNING ON OBAMA?
A discussion of Leon Panetta's new book and his disagreements with the administration he served in. He believes some troops should have been kept in Iraq.
And John Fund summarizes some of the criticism which now involves right-hand woman, Valerie Jarrett.
On Capitol Hill, members of both parties are more and more mystified at Obama’s apparent disengagement from parts of his job. Months before he dropped the ball on ISIS, he failed to keep himself properly apprised of the problems with Obamacare’s website. Jarrett appears to exercise such extraordinary influence that in some quarters on Capitol Hill she is known as “Rasputin,” a reference to the mystical monk who held sway over Russia’s Czar Nicholas as he increasingly lost touch with reality during World War I.
And John Fund summarizes some of the criticism which now involves right-hand woman, Valerie Jarrett.
On Capitol Hill, members of both parties are more and more mystified at Obama’s apparent disengagement from parts of his job. Months before he dropped the ball on ISIS, he failed to keep himself properly apprised of the problems with Obamacare’s website. Jarrett appears to exercise such extraordinary influence that in some quarters on Capitol Hill she is known as “Rasputin,” a reference to the mystical monk who held sway over Russia’s Czar Nicholas as he increasingly lost touch with reality during World War I.
BIDEN ON THE CONDITION OF THE WORLD
Vice President Biden sees the world "fraying at the seams." He doesn't seem very optimistic about the future. The administration in which he serves surely has done something to contribute to the problems we have in the world today. He says he optimistic, but it sure doesn't sound that way.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
ISRAELI AND US BOMBING
I was wondering when this issue would surface. What is the difference between Israel bombing Hamas in Gaza and the US bombing ISIS in Syria and Iraq?
The air attack by American and Arab forces against ISIS and other terrorist targets parallels Israel's air attacks against Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza. According to retired General Wesley Clark, the United States air attacks are designed to degrade and destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist groups, including the electricity grid, the sources of their finance and other mixed military-civilian targets.
It has been easy for the international community to apply these rules rigidly and unrealistically when the only country to which it applies them is the nation-state of the Jewish people. But now it will have to apply them across the board, and that will require defining them in a sensible and realistic way that does not give undue advantage to terrorists who refuse to comply with the rule of law.
The air attack by American and Arab forces against ISIS and other terrorist targets parallels Israel's air attacks against Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza. According to retired General Wesley Clark, the United States air attacks are designed to degrade and destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist groups, including the electricity grid, the sources of their finance and other mixed military-civilian targets.
Israel was criticized by Washington and others for its missile attack on Hamas even when Hamas was sending missiles into Israel. But now America seems to be acting like Israel. Do we have a double standard? And what will happen when the US and its Arab allies hit ISIS targets where women and children are?
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
SYRIAN AIRSTRIKES
A good summary of Obama's switch in policies from the Independent (UK).
As America and its Arab allies targeted Islamic militants in Syria for the first time, killing at least 120 of them, it is evident that Washington is no longer giving priority to removing President Bashar al-Assad from power. This means the US is shifting away from its policy of the past three years when it insisted that no negotiations were possible except about his removal.
This conclusion is troubling:
Though air strikes will inflict casualties on Isis in Syria and Iraq, they will not be enough to defeat the group and may not even contain it. Much will depend on how far the US is prepared to give tactical support to those fighting Isis on the ground in Syria.
And Obama goes to war with weapons he wanted to scrap.
The president launches attacks on the Islamic State with two weapons systems that were targeted for elimination by the administration years before their usefulness ended or any replacements were ready.
With the decision to launch air and missile strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, in addition to ongoing strikes in Iraq in what is said to be the start of a long and sustained campaign to "degrade and destroy" the terrorist group, President Obama has stumbled upon a revelation:
The military whose budgets he's slashed and weapons systems he opposed is suddenly quite useful.
As America and its Arab allies targeted Islamic militants in Syria for the first time, killing at least 120 of them, it is evident that Washington is no longer giving priority to removing President Bashar al-Assad from power. This means the US is shifting away from its policy of the past three years when it insisted that no negotiations were possible except about his removal.
This conclusion is troubling:
Though air strikes will inflict casualties on Isis in Syria and Iraq, they will not be enough to defeat the group and may not even contain it. Much will depend on how far the US is prepared to give tactical support to those fighting Isis on the ground in Syria.
And Obama goes to war with weapons he wanted to scrap.
The president launches attacks on the Islamic State with two weapons systems that were targeted for elimination by the administration years before their usefulness ended or any replacements were ready.
With the decision to launch air and missile strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, in addition to ongoing strikes in Iraq in what is said to be the start of a long and sustained campaign to "degrade and destroy" the terrorist group, President Obama has stumbled upon a revelation:
The military whose budgets he's slashed and weapons systems he opposed is suddenly quite useful.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
ISIS & THE WASHINGTON ELITE
Angel Codevilla argues that the Washington crowd is fooling itself in this fight with ISIS.
This indulgence so overwhelms our ruling class’s perception of reality that the recipes put forth by its several wings, little different from one another, are identical in the one essential respect: none of them involve any plans which, if carried out, would destroy the Islamic State, kill large numbers of the cut-throats, and discourage others from following in their footsteps. Hence, like the George W. Bush’s “war on terror” and for the same reasons, this exercise of our ruling class’s wisdom in foreign affairs will decrease respect for us while invigorating our enemies.
This indulgence so overwhelms our ruling class’s perception of reality that the recipes put forth by its several wings, little different from one another, are identical in the one essential respect: none of them involve any plans which, if carried out, would destroy the Islamic State, kill large numbers of the cut-throats, and discourage others from following in their footsteps. Hence, like the George W. Bush’s “war on terror” and for the same reasons, this exercise of our ruling class’s wisdom in foreign affairs will decrease respect for us while invigorating our enemies.
The quote by Representative Duncan Hunter (R, CA) is right on: “We need to crush ISIS and not work on arming more Islamic radicals. Just what would arming these people accomplish?”
Evidently the CIA doesn't think the Obama ISIS policy has a chance.
He added that, as the CIA sees it, the ramped-up backing of rebels is an expansion of a strategy that is already not working. “The CIA also believes that its previous assignment to accomplish this was basically a fool’s errand, and they are well aware of the fact that many of the arms that they provided ended up in the wrong hands,” the congressman said, echoing intelligence sources.
Also troubling is that the ambassador handling ISIS policy, Anne Patterson, was a supporter of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. She is not well-liked in Egypt as a result. Also she was very optimistic about US policy in Libya--Libya is in shambles (not to mention the Benghazi affair).
The country seems to be in the very best of hands.
But the founder of Blackwater says he could take care of the job, but the Obama administration put this controversial private contractor out-of-business.
“It’s a shame the [Obama] administration crushed my old business, because as a private organization, we could’ve solved the boots-on-the-ground issue, we could have had contracts from people that want to go there as contractors; you don’t have the argument of U.S. active duty going back in there,” Prince said in an on-stage discussion featuring retired four-star Gen. James Conway. “[They could have] gone in there and done it, and be done, and not have a long, protracted political mess that I predict will ensue.”
Evidently the CIA doesn't think the Obama ISIS policy has a chance.
He added that, as the CIA sees it, the ramped-up backing of rebels is an expansion of a strategy that is already not working. “The CIA also believes that its previous assignment to accomplish this was basically a fool’s errand, and they are well aware of the fact that many of the arms that they provided ended up in the wrong hands,” the congressman said, echoing intelligence sources.
Also troubling is that the ambassador handling ISIS policy, Anne Patterson, was a supporter of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. She is not well-liked in Egypt as a result. Also she was very optimistic about US policy in Libya--Libya is in shambles (not to mention the Benghazi affair).
The country seems to be in the very best of hands.
But the founder of Blackwater says he could take care of the job, but the Obama administration put this controversial private contractor out-of-business.
“It’s a shame the [Obama] administration crushed my old business, because as a private organization, we could’ve solved the boots-on-the-ground issue, we could have had contracts from people that want to go there as contractors; you don’t have the argument of U.S. active duty going back in there,” Prince said in an on-stage discussion featuring retired four-star Gen. James Conway. “[They could have] gone in there and done it, and be done, and not have a long, protracted political mess that I predict will ensue.”
Saturday, August 30, 2014
OBAMA DOES HAVE A STRATEGY
Michael Ledeen argues that Obama does have a plan--he is trying to establish an alliance with Iran and is using Valerie Jarrett (of Iranian descent) as a major intermediary to the ayatollahs.
The actual strategy is detente first, and then a full alliance with Iran throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It has been on display since before the beginning of the Obama administration. During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies. The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller, who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine. Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.
Ever since, President Obama’s quest for an alliance with Iran has been conducted through at least four channels: Iraq, Switzerland (the official U.S. representative to Tehran), Oman and a variety of American intermediaries, the most notable of whom is probably Valerie Jarrett, his closest adviser. In recent months, Middle Eastern leaders reported personal visits from Ms. Jarrett, who briefed them on her efforts to manage the Iranian relationship. This was confirmed to me by a former high-ranking American official who says he was so informed by several Middle Eastern leaders.
The actual strategy is detente first, and then a full alliance with Iran throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It has been on display since before the beginning of the Obama administration. During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies. The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller, who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine. Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.
Ever since, President Obama’s quest for an alliance with Iran has been conducted through at least four channels: Iraq, Switzerland (the official U.S. representative to Tehran), Oman and a variety of American intermediaries, the most notable of whom is probably Valerie Jarrett, his closest adviser. In recent months, Middle Eastern leaders reported personal visits from Ms. Jarrett, who briefed them on her efforts to manage the Iranian relationship. This was confirmed to me by a former high-ranking American official who says he was so informed by several Middle Eastern leaders.
THE PENTAGON AS SCAPEGOAT
A pretty strong indictment of President Obama by Charles Krauthammer regarding Obama's leadership and decision-making process.
PUTIN'S LATEST MOVES INTO UKRAINE
Andrew Stuttaford at the National Review writes about the "Guns of August" which is a term used regarding the start of battles in World War I. He quotes from an article by Anne Applebaum in Slate which discusses the new maps circulating in Russia showing the borders of Catherine the Great.
…In the past few days, Russian troops bearing the flag of a previously unknown country, Novorossiya, have marched across the border of southeastern Ukraine. The Russian Academy of Sciences recently announced it will publish a history of Novorossiya this autumn, presumably tracing its origins back to Catherine the Great. Various maps of Novorossiya are said to be circulating in Moscow. Some include Kharkov and Dnipropetrovsk, cities that are still hundreds of miles away from the fighting. Some place Novorossiya along the coast, so that it connects Russia to Crimea and eventually to Transnistria, the Russian-occupied province of Moldova. Even if it starts out as an unrecognized rump state—Abkhazia and South Ossetia, “states” that Russia carved out of Georgia, are the models here—Novorossiya can grow larger over time….
…In the past few days, Russian troops bearing the flag of a previously unknown country, Novorossiya, have marched across the border of southeastern Ukraine. The Russian Academy of Sciences recently announced it will publish a history of Novorossiya this autumn, presumably tracing its origins back to Catherine the Great. Various maps of Novorossiya are said to be circulating in Moscow. Some include Kharkov and Dnipropetrovsk, cities that are still hundreds of miles away from the fighting. Some place Novorossiya along the coast, so that it connects Russia to Crimea and eventually to Transnistria, the Russian-occupied province of Moldova. Even if it starts out as an unrecognized rump state—Abkhazia and South Ossetia, “states” that Russia carved out of Georgia, are the models here—Novorossiya can grow larger over time….
Applebaum is predicting that Putin will test NATO in the foreseeable future. Stuttaford discusses other the comments of several other writers critical of Obama and the West's response and indicating a growing fear in Eastern Europe about Russian aggression against them.
Friday, August 29, 2014
STOPPING ISIS
Henry Kissinger has an essay on the need for a new geopolitical response to the events in the Middle East and the Ukraine.
To play a responsible role in the evolution of a 21st-century world order, the U.S. must be prepared to answer a number of questions for itself: What do we seek to prevent, no matter how it happens, and if necessary alone? What do we seek to achieve, even if not supported by any multilateral effort? What do we seek to achieve, or prevent, only if supported by an alliance? What should we not engage in, even if urged on by a multilateral group or an alliance? What is the nature of the values that we seek to advance? And how much does the application of these values depend on circumstance?
For the U.S., this will require thinking on two seemingly contradictory levels. The celebration of universal principles needs to be paired with recognition of the reality of other regions' histories, cultures and views of their security. Even as the lessons of challenging decades are examined, the affirmation of America's exceptional nature must be sustained. History offers no respite to countries that set aside their sense of identity in favor of a seemingly less arduous course. But nor does it assure success for the most elevated convictions in the absence of a comprehensive geopolitical strategy.
While Obama is looking for a strategy, Angelo Codevilla, writes about his proposals to end the ISIS threat at The Federalist. The physical destruction of ISIS is one thing but it is the spirit of ISIS that must be destroyed. He also advocates pressuring Qatar and Turkey who are giving ISIS support.
Killing the IS requires neither more nor less than waging war—not as the former administration waged its “war on terror,” nor by the current administration’s pinpricks, nor according to the too-clever-by-half stratagems taught in today’s politically correct military war colleges, but rather by war in the dictionary meaning of the word. To make war is to kill the spirit as well as the body of the enemy, so terribly as to make sure that it will not rise again, and that nobody will want to imitate it.
A captured Dell computer reveals Isis plans, including the use of biological warfare.
The laptop also includes a 26-page fatwa, or Islamic ruling, on the usage of weapons of mass destruction. "If Muslims cannot defeat the kafir[unbelievers] in a different way, it is permissible to use weapons of mass destruction," states the fatwa by Saudi jihadi cleric Nasir al-Fahd, who is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. "Even if it kills all of them and wipes them and their descendants off the face of the Earth."
Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle born improvised explosive devices (VBIED). High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has been issued. Agents across a number of Homeland Security, Justice and Defense agencies have all been placed on alert and instructed to aggressively work all possible leads and sources concerning this imminent terrorist threat.
Chechens trained ISIS fighters.
To play a responsible role in the evolution of a 21st-century world order, the U.S. must be prepared to answer a number of questions for itself: What do we seek to prevent, no matter how it happens, and if necessary alone? What do we seek to achieve, even if not supported by any multilateral effort? What do we seek to achieve, or prevent, only if supported by an alliance? What should we not engage in, even if urged on by a multilateral group or an alliance? What is the nature of the values that we seek to advance? And how much does the application of these values depend on circumstance?
For the U.S., this will require thinking on two seemingly contradictory levels. The celebration of universal principles needs to be paired with recognition of the reality of other regions' histories, cultures and views of their security. Even as the lessons of challenging decades are examined, the affirmation of America's exceptional nature must be sustained. History offers no respite to countries that set aside their sense of identity in favor of a seemingly less arduous course. But nor does it assure success for the most elevated convictions in the absence of a comprehensive geopolitical strategy.
While Obama is looking for a strategy, Angelo Codevilla, writes about his proposals to end the ISIS threat at The Federalist. The physical destruction of ISIS is one thing but it is the spirit of ISIS that must be destroyed. He also advocates pressuring Qatar and Turkey who are giving ISIS support.
Killing the IS requires neither more nor less than waging war—not as the former administration waged its “war on terror,” nor by the current administration’s pinpricks, nor according to the too-clever-by-half stratagems taught in today’s politically correct military war colleges, but rather by war in the dictionary meaning of the word. To make war is to kill the spirit as well as the body of the enemy, so terribly as to make sure that it will not rise again, and that nobody will want to imitate it.
A captured Dell computer reveals Isis plans, including the use of biological warfare.
The laptop also includes a 26-page fatwa, or Islamic ruling, on the usage of weapons of mass destruction. "If Muslims cannot defeat the kafir[unbelievers] in a different way, it is permissible to use weapons of mass destruction," states the fatwa by Saudi jihadi cleric Nasir al-Fahd, who is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. "Even if it kills all of them and wipes them and their descendants off the face of the Earth."
ISIS has another recruit, the Fort Hood shooter. I thought the government and the media said this guy wasn't a terrorist lurking in the military?
And the government and media do not seem concerned about terrorists crossing the Mexican border. On ABC Nightly News this Friday there was no mention of this possibility.
Chechens trained ISIS fighters.
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