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Pressure Not War
I have been busy teaching and writing of late, and the blog has been neglected. But when I have written on the blog, it has usually been to ask that we get serious about thinking through the feasibility of military options for Syria before we either argue for U.S. military intervention or abstain from direct involvement in the conflict. I have been proud, then, to have worked a little bit with Marc Lynch as he wrote this most recent policy paper for the Center for a New American Security (.pdf). Marc has done great work, and it's been rewarding to watch him think through the various options available to policy makers. Those screaming for military intervention should pay especially close attention to pp. 3-7.
we get serious about thinking
we get serious about thinking through the feasibility of military options for Syria before we either argue for U.S. military intervention or abstain from direct involvement in the conflict
Guess I would have to know the definition of “abstain from direct involvement” to determine if I can morally discuss military options because it tends to determine a specific conclusion to ignore part of the subject. Think I am starting to see the future.
I respect Dr. Lynch’s efforts in the paper. Personally my preference is to do a full court press to resolve the issue with China and Russia. I do not see that happening in the daily affairs of the people involved in the administration it has been only at the background level. China has only involved lower level diplomats which is a clue in how they feel on the Syrian subject. Clinton is on her way to Tunisia and the Chinese and Russians have not been invited to the Feb 24th discussion yet they are also “Friends of Syria”. The snub will be noticed.
The US needs to decide what it wants out of this effort. Humanitarian issues were used to sell Libya yet I do not see a continued humanitarian effort in Libya only a mopping up operation to chase MANPADS that long left the storage facilities. The lack of humanitarian effort in Libya leaves me to believe the US was really interested in Libyan regime change. Clinton has distanced herself from Libya the revolution started a year ago.
Is the US after regime change in Syria or does America want to help the Syrian people at any cost including letting Assad’s tribe continue ruling the country? Let there be no words minced that Syria has been a long time thorn in Uncle Sam’s backside. The truthful and honest answer to the given question needs to be said to the American public up front. The reason that I say this is because Russia has full interests in seeing Syria continue as it has. That interest will determine the diplomatic paths that the US can take which are agreeable to Russia, China, Syria, and the US. The US may have to consider not prosecuting war crimes to get Assad to let loose of power. There is no question that Assad’s days are numbered. The US should not set its options to such a moral high that in the end it forces an unwanted war or appears to have lost world influence. A Syrian civil war has already started it could be ended the opportunity is the resistance is still unorganized and has yet to achieve critical mass but the elements already exist.
Lot of issues at stake and this conflict could be a flash point for multiple recent conflicts. Russia has been concerned about anti-missile defense in the region over the past year. Iran has been pushing its nuclear program to completion. America has gone through ten years of war in the region and was worn out its welcome in Iraq and Pakistan. US taxpayers are exhausted with the spending. The US needs to project a Syrian solution that allows all countries to save face while telling Iran the US is still in a position to hold sanctions for Iran’s nuclear program.
If you are planning to pursue military options, all I can say is good luck. Price of US gasoline is going to be something to behold come Memorial Day. That is propaganda for Iran.
The solution for the Syrian conflict is squarely with the Russians and Chinese someone might have to step off their high horse to get the job done.
Hey Exum, you've been
Hey Exum, you've been studying insurgency for quite awhile... what do think are the ingredients of a successful insurgency campaign, you know -- as a practical guide? Remember Luttwak writing a "coup d'etat" for dummies kind of a book, why not write something for insurgents?
It takes the right people for
It takes the right people for foreign policy.
Important characteristics.
1) Knowledgeable
2) Hard working
3) Person that is fully engaged
4) Some one that does not hold US arrogance on their cuff
5) Team player
http://images.politico.com/global/2012/02/120222_hillary_clinton_yellow_...
Obama ran on being a FP Rock Star, time to show U.S. he can do it.
That people in the US can
That people in the US can talk of about the immorality of the Assad regime after the piles of corpses the US military has piled up in the last 10 years is bweilidering. That you can suggest that Assad should face the ICC for 6000 deaths when the for the US 6000 deaths is but what? a couple of weeks work? And the ICC when the US military cannot even bring itself to properly prosecute soldiers who have executed civilians in cold blood?!
Is this do as I say and not as I do some sort of mental psychosis?
And "Asad can no longer participate in a legitimate Syrian government"? And you get to define the legitimacy of a foreign govt? Do you have any poll data that backs up this claim?
The US "should also reassure the Syrian public that abandoning its support for the Asad regime will not unleash the sort of sectarian war that killed hundreds of thousands of people in neighboring Lebanon and Iraq". Really? How is it going to do that since it couldn't do it in Iraq or Afghanistan were it actually occupied or occupies the country? And how are you going to reassure them that Syria isnt going to become a Wahabi client of Saudi Arabia?
"What began as an astonishingly courageous and peaceful protest movement"? Courageous yes, but you should rely on more than the MSM or the SNC to get your facts. Arms were being intercepted going into Syria from almost the start. The Syrian protests were hijacked by the GCC from almost day one and they and their Salafi foot soldiers were on the ground almost immediately. And if you really think they have not "established a foothold" you need to find better sources.
And since you bring up Homs, we should compare Homs after a week of shelling compared to what Falluja looked like after you guys were finished with it (and the number of corpses while we are it).
Or do you want to mention journalists so can talk about Al Jazeera's offices or the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad?
On final question. When will you guys be releasing pdfs on how the world should be sanctioning but not invading Bahrain, Saudi Arabia or Morrocco?
"The US "should also reassure
"The US "should also reassure the Syrian public that abandoning its support for the Asad regime will not unleash the sort of sectarian war that killed hundreds of thousands of people in neighboring Lebanon and Iraq". Really? How is it going to do that since it couldn't do it in Iraq or Afghanistan were it actually occupied or occupies the country? And how are you going to reassure them that Syria isnt going to become a Wahabi client of Saudi Arabia? "
Excellent points, visitor. Answering those questions of yours would require a degree of honesty that we have not yet achieved. In our ignorance and/ or arrogance, we made a a mess of Iraq and opened a Pandora's Box of ills that were festering beneath the surface of that country. We are in no position to even contemplate intervening in Syria.
Every time there is a tax
Every time there is a tax increase the sales pitch goes like this, "it is just a little bit". Lot of little bits make a whole. One of these days, I wish someone would take all the "little increases" collectively over the past five years and lay them out for a complete discussion about what the tax increases really take out of people's discretionary income. Last year it was a 1% sales tax increase for education. This year is a gasoline sales tax increase for roads. I have yet to get to my State's income tax increase (60% more). Waiting to get my real estate tax increase it has gone up 5% every year since my home was appraised in 2006. I appealed the assessment, my democrat tax assessor came back at me with comparables (he did not like mine). When I pointed out that all the features of his comparables were in excess of my homes features he told me to sue him. His exact words were, "you live in a big home you pay more taxes". The home is not much than more than 1800 sqft and I am hoping that one day my assessor sees this ( http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/real_estate/home_sales/index.htm )
I would like to get re-employed so I can pay for all these taxes. My job is in China. Wish I could get rid of my car, the gas prices are killing me.
That is not the subject of this blog is it.
The following is the subject.
Not too long ago the UN increase troop levels in Sudan. Today I read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17131208
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution increasing the number of AU troops in Somalia by 5,000 to more than 17,000. Council members also agreed to extra funding for the mission and to extend its mandate.
Last I checked the US is still paying the lion's share of the UN budget that is one heck of a proxy war the US has going on. Iraq has wound down but there is still a high cost someone has to pay the electricity bill of the US embassy in Iraq with the full Olympic sized pool, weight lifting gym that would not fit in my home, and the cafeteria built for an army. Afghanistan has peaked and the money to support it is still rolling. There is still money being spent in Libya to locate and purchase MANPADs someones idea of a poorly planned gun purchase program. Good news is the price of a MANPAD is down to two AK's. Bad news is the US offers $25M for a ransom on OBL and it only costs two AK's to kill a bunch of westerners on a commercial jet. Did I mention the CIA budget it literally has to be exploding.
We need to consider the conflict as a whole to make a good decision about Syria. A solution of "little bits" is tactical not strategy.
Where is the strategy?
"That people in the US can
"That people in the US can talk of about the immorality of the Assad regime after the piles of corpses the US military has piled up in the last 10 years is bweilidering."
"All corpses are created equal" appears to be your mental psychosis. Most normal people would find your glib comparison of Assad to the USA completely absurd and bewildering.
"All corpses are created
"All corpses are created equal" appears to be your mental psychosis."
All innocent ones are.
Its a testament to your personal belief in your moral superiority that makes you think that what the US has done in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what it has sanctioned in Lebanon and Palestine is somehow less evil than what Assad is doing - In fact you probably still think you were the "good guys" in all these scenarios.
1. We still think we are the
1. We still think we are the good guys.
2. After all these years, we're still bewildered and angered by the intransigence of various and sundry Muslim power-brokers.
3. Our culture beats all of theirs: everybody loves blue jeans and rock 'n roll.
4. Shallow? Doesn't matter. We'll win in the long run because our vision of life is more appealing than theirs.
5. In the meantime, got an hour of CNN on the big screen while working out at my gym.
6. Was shots of injured and dead Syrian children interspersed with frowning commentary (no sound).
7. The media message was clear: "You've got to do something."
8. That kind of pressure rarely bodes well -for us or those in distress.
9. Read some bleating about the US being arrogant. Yeah, well....
10. Let's stand on the sidelines and cheer for a regional solution.
V/R JWest
10. Let's stand on the
10. Let's stand on the sidelines and cheer for a regional solution.
V/R JWest
There is one benefit from sitting on our hands. Much of the Arab countries purchased airfare for the jihadist to go to Afghanistan in the 80's. It was their way of getting rid of dead wood and problems.
Sounds like Qatar and the Saudis are doing it again.
As long as the ME is fighting themselves, they are not fighting the West or Israel. Fighting someone is their way.
On one hand the ME asks the West for help when they are in deep sh*t. Then when we pull them out we are no longer good enough and we become the infidel.
Wish these people would make up their minds.
Network news and especially
Network news and especially BBC America are showing lots of dead and mutilated Syrian children. How come we did not see video from Christiane Amanpour of dead Gazan children and Lebanese children during Israel's most recent wog bashings?
Syria is not Bosnia...
Syria is not Bosnia...
Marc's paper does not take into account Sunni-Shia competition over Syria. He does not explain how Sunni and Shia external actors would react to a compromise or if a compromise would be acceptable and those actors would cease their meddling.
Also, Marc does not put Alawite expectations into context based on the experiences of the pro-Gaddafi tribes in Libya, post-revolution. Is the UN willing to extend the kind of guarantees to the Alawites that it did not offer to the pro-Gaddafi tribes? If marginalization and brutalization is the Alawite future in a pariah regime or a post-revolutionary one, well, better to reign in hell than be a slave there!
It would seem that the most merciful solution that anyone could hope for is a quick partition into a Latakia-centered Alawistan, but, hey, better a million civilians die than the UN endorse ethnic partitioning.
"We'll win in the long run
"We'll win in the long run because our vision of life is more appealing than theirs."
You know, I'll bet that's what the Mongols said when they came to the Middle East.
Madam Assad is hot!
Madam Assad is hot! Legitimacy question over. Assad wins.
Better idea. For all those
Better idea.
For all those that want intervention.
Give them a gun and a plane ticket to Syria. Let them show us how its done.
Slaughter and Hillary Clinton can go first and lead the way. THE FIRST FEMALE RANGERS IN BATTLE!!! Strap one on and go.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/opinion/how-to-halt-the-butchery-in-sy...
Two sides of an argument this technology I have given to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKApPJTfkUM
Maybe the Obama
Maybe the Obama administration should not treat Russia and China like the US Congress !
My way or the highway?
Good Diplomacy is about negotiations. First step is to discuss rather than demand. You reap what you sow.
Purchasing a white blouse might be the first step to understanding the problem. On a six-figure tax payer funded salary and the millions in the bank from a career in public service, that should not be hard to do.
American does not want this war.
“Slaughter and Hillary
“Slaughter and Hillary Clinton can go first and lead the way. THE FIRST FEMALE RANGERS IN BATTLE!!! Strap one on and go.” -- Really...is this the level of communication you are able to express. Perhaps spray paint would be more appropriate for your purpose. There are always people who fight and those who make the decisions; they are rarely the same people. “America” put them there...now we have the pleasure of dealing with that. In truth policies do not change regardless of the administration nearly as much as many wish to believe they will.
As to the clear thinker who followed you… Mr. or Mrs. "America does not want this war." -- Are you sure? Who exactly is included in the "America" you speak of? How certain are you of your assertion?
Nay on a strap-on? It would
Nay on a strap-on? It would be nice to have a Commander in Chief that served during a time of so many wars and conflicts I liked Ike. South Chicago projects do not count. If Hillary can lead from behind she can also lead from the front. She should be proud to have a chance to strap-on arms for her country, anyone's child would be required if a draft was invoked. If Hillary had her way women would be drafted too. Many during Vietnam thought they were too good and went to Canada or University to take a dodge. Many lawyers have died for their country in battle Harvard graduates too even Generals. Is Hillary too good or does she have 4F tattooed on her somewhere at birth? People should live what they believe, you can not just go tell people to die because someone wants to sit in the wagon while others pull it. Personally, I think that Israel and Switzerland have military service right. It is something that you can not experience in a book.
Visitor on February 23, 2012 - 9:58pm
"We'll win in the long run because our vision of life is more appealing than theirs."
.
You know, I'll bet that's what the Mongols said when they came to the Middle East.
Visitor from 9:58pm, I think that is a jolly idea. Lets get out of the way of the people in the ME and let them do what they have done since Allah created sand !! Visitor speaks the truth, these people know how to handle the hoards of time.
If we are going to talk military solutions in Syria, let it be a regional one without US involvement. I am getting the feeling that my $4 Trillion in US tax dollars spent to get rid of a dictatorship in Iraq was not appreciated. At this point if Iraq fails only Iraqis can be found at fault, the country is theirs to keep or lose. Iraqis did not have that choice 15 years ago. What a gift with no strings attached.
"All innocent ones are." No,
"All innocent ones are."
No, they aren't.
Innocents accidentally killed are not equivalent to innocents intentionally killed -- except in your puny brain.
She can color coordinate it
She can color coordinate it is all about self interests with this one. (wannabe Potus)
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/02/25/world/25syria2-span/25syr...
You show your true color when you dress to blend in on a Tunisian Tarmac.
Why would the Pentagon need this so quickly?
http://rt.com/news/pentagon-super-bomb-bunker-039/
When a strap-on does not penetrate deep enough I suppose.
Interesting timing.
http://rt.com/news/pentagon-upgrade-persian-gulf-201/
Good show Panetta looked like you were going to cry talking about Pentagon budget cuts what dog and pony show.
Better strap-on for your coffee pleasure. You don't have to worry about your AN/PEQ-2a flashing your retina
http://www.zazzle.com/longshot_pin_up_mug-168373273243867223
Not even in her best days. Monica ruled the day.
You know, they give Federal grants for this stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcgI0qNpZJA
VISitor ToyNotz
I don't want to hear about
I don't want to hear about burnt Qurans anymore! Souls are being burned alive in Homs & others riot over ink & paper. Where's the logic?!
It IS about burnt Qurans.
The military option that goes into Syria needs to be 100% pure Muslim. No blood payments for burnt children from the US to Syrian families. No Abu Ghraib stories to turn against the US. No $300 monthly stipends for "Sons of whomever". No discussion of the US backing corrupt leaders. No planeloads of skimmed US AID money fling out of a Muslim city to Dubia. No occupying force to call infidels. No complaint about the US causing the country to be unstable or the economic conditions not being good enough. Just a 100% Muslim solution.
The brilliance of the above concept is they can only blame themselves for grinding themselves into dust.
They have to stop being the victim and start being the citizen.
Hamas is backing the Syria opposition. That means any US support for the Syrian opposition is also support for Hamas.
Sanger leaves out the most
Sanger leaves out the most unseen in the Obama administration, the CIA.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/sunday-review/syria-iran-and-the-obama...
Mr. Obama is willing to use unilateral force when America’s direct national interests are threatened — the bin Laden raid is the most vivid example. But when the threat is more diffuse, more a matter of preserving global order, his record shows that he insists on United Nations resolutions and the participation of many allies.
The CIA, proxy wars, and humanitarian conflicts shield this administration from political losses from both sides of the party spectrum. If the effort can not be put in to print for the American public to read Obama has no problem with using unilateral assets anywhere in the world for any reason other than full and direct national interests. That is Obama doctrine.
Why is it that the CIA has militarized to the extent it has? Why is it that America hires so many contractors (Soldiers of Fortune)? Private companies do not disclose. The DEA, FBI, and ICE are armies in themselves.
Clean hands look good in the polls. Obama launders political responsibility by controlling information. He can prosecute his political opponents by classifying data. That is the Obama Doctrine doing anything if he can get away with it by finding a legal loophole to serve his party.
Laundering the impact of Syria in the 2012 elections is going to be hard to do. It is too visible the world is watching.
All this talk of strap-ons
All this talk of strap-ons has me a-tweeter--time to end being *Exiled*!!!
Dr Josh,February 26, 2012 -
Dr Josh,February 26, 2012 - 2:39pm
Being a-tweeter can lead to managing your time and prose unwisely.
http://rt.com/news/syria-referendum-china-putin-275/
The United States is beginning to realize the complexity of the situation in Syria and is showing signs of slightly backing off from their previous energetic push for regime change in the country, Jeremy Salt, a professor at Bilkent University, told RT.
.
“While we hear a lot of rhetoric from Hillary Clinton, she herself is showing signs of being more aware of complexities inside Syria,” Salt said. “She was talking about the complex factors, saying ‘Well we want to do something, but we do not know what to do,’ and she was talking about the fact that while there are problem areas in Syria, there are large areas in the country unaffected.”
.
“You can see there is certain change of the discourse here which indicates the Americans are not certain what step to take next,” the professor added
Hillary can pound the reset button into particles, it will not do her any good now. The wedge was driven too deep. Politics of division will haunt anyone. It is a lack of trust and a complete void between agendas. That is not good Foreign Policy and it certainly does not work at home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK1urbhdn9Y
Funny how the world looks at America through its leaders, don't think the Youtube is complementary. Hillary is looking a little old.
(pssst it aint Bush doing this anymore!)
I can see that China and Russia are not options for Syria anymore. Good luck on your military intervention.
Dr. Exum, Do you agree with
Dr. Exum,
Do you agree with Matthew Hoh that the Afghan surge failed and, if so, shouldn't that inform any actions in Syria?
Thanks,
Tyler Healey
A few quotes from
A few quotes from Reconstructing Iraq might be worth bearing in mind with any discussion about action in Syria. From Douglas Lovelace's foreword, "If this nation and its coalition partners decide to undertake the mission ..., they will also have to be prepared to dedicate considerable time, manpower, and money to the effort to reconstruct ... after the fighting is over. Otherwise, the success of military operations will be ephemeral, and the problems they were designed to eliminate could return or be replaced by new and more virulent difficulties." From the summary, "national objectives can often be accomplished only after the fighting has ceased."
Whatever else one might say about Lynch's thesis, if you are inclined to use force in Syria, then you have to consider what is needed for that use of force to have the desired effect. As Crane/Terrill and Lovelace pointed out, the opportunity to realize those objectives would only come after the fighting ends and without commitment to that process, the replacement of the status quo could be worse. If nothing else, Lynch's prescribed actions would provide the groundwork for what comes after Assad.
In re: "Jailcell Love" I
In re: "Jailcell Love"
I really liked "Coup d'Etat: A Practical Handbook." I doubt Abu M will write "Insurgency: A Practical Handbook," but hope he's still reading the comments and, if so, will consider doing so.
ADTS
Can you give a reading
Can you give a reading recommendation for the 2006 Israel Lebanon war (34 day war)?
Looking more at the military tactics side rather than political build up/aftermath...
Thanks
Finally some truth out of
Finally some truth out of this one.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/29/us-syria-idUSL5E8DB0BH20120229
Asked by a U.S. senator whether Assad could be called a war criminal, Clinton told a Senate hearing: "There would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category." She added, however, that using such labels "limits options to persuade leaders to step down from power."
Speaks with fork tongue. You do not get a lot of votes for saying the following.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/us-drawing-up-new-un-resolution-o...
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Tunis that the Russian and Chinese action on Syria had been "despicable".
Aren't these the same people that ran on a 2008 platform to IMPROVE relations with the rest of the world? Lets see how much of the world population does Russia and China represent? Hummmm....
Hillary is driving and Russia is Burger Whip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOyQfd7OqIY
How's that for a metaphor? Must be a pain to complain then get the window shut in your face.
Guess the stick in the new UN resolution will be humanitarian corridors and UN troops : (
If you saw her recent
If you saw her recent appearance on the PBS Newshour, you'd realize Professor Slaughter won't be available to invade Syria. She has her hands full, apparently, as our special envoy to the Klingon Empire . . .
All right Charlie!
All right Charlie! Klingons!
Klingons are fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzja8u6ueg8
or was that biker chicks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjEgZ-VMFvo ?
Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. Interesting breed those are.
Is the Klingon Empire
Is the Klingon Empire anywhere close to the Horn of Africa?
http://www.rttnews.com/1826826/us-pledges-64-million-in-humanitarian-aid...
This was announced on Thursday by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton while speaking at the London Conference on Somalia.
.
It brings Washington's emergency assistance since 2011 up to more than $934 million, including more than $211 million for lifesaving programs in Somalia.
Add in the UN commitment in the Horn.
What are you people trying to do in Washington? Billion for Libya other billion for the Horn. Money for Afghanistan and more for Yemen. Screwing around in Syria. Countless other budgets. It is the gift that keeps on giving.
Americans are going to need that money to pay for their gasoline this summer or someone else is going to be jobless. All of us do not have six-figure salaries, tenure, pension, and work at Princeton.
The world has grown up, stop being a helicopter parent.
"Billion for Libya other
"Billion for Libya other billion for the Horn. Money for Afghanistan and more for Yemen. Screwing around in Syria."
A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon you're talking real money.
I wouldn't mind these Captcha thingies so much if they were actually decipherable.
Dr. Ford a smart person like
Dr. Ford a smart person like you, educated at Harvard, should be able to decipher the new 2013 State Department Budget dated 13Feb12.
The Function 150 budget is not whole there is spending off budget. One place is the OCO spending. Collectively but not completely the State budget has increased year-to-year. Cost of inflation is usually used to dull the senses of the reader. What you have to realize is inflation has never been so low.
Total requested State spending for FY2013 adds up $59 Billion give or take a few billion that is just in Function 150. Last year it was $56 billion. Collectively State wastes less than 2% of the Federal Budget. What is hard to see is the synergy and overlap between all government budgets not limited to retirement, benefits, and opportunity costs. The total spending is very much higher. I will let you go through the UN’s multiple budgets to capture the total cost of operations in the Horn of Africa. Those UN budgets are a real Captcha 22, it is how you hide spending.
.
BTW....Women's and gay rights do not belong in the State Department Executive statement as line item agendas. The monies in federal programs come from all walks of American life and the program wording should reflect all walks of people represented. Not everyone in America agrees with Hillary Clinton therefore she needs to learn to use a broader brush when she signs an official document.
It is only fair to those whose money she spends. It is about being fair isn't it.
From the twitter feed. Army
From the twitter feed.
Army Officer and mother of two? Birth control to be a good soldier and mother? Rush Limbaugh?
Jeepers this a distorted issue.
1) This started with religious beliefs not the Army, think I am already paying the bill for this Army's bedroom fun.
2) When did Rush Limbaugh, a commercially paid radio host, become the spokes person for Congress?
3) When did having sex become health care?
The issue is how contraception is defined and who pays for it.
Remember when the US had major Tornado destruction in the southern states, it was the first or second year of Obama's term. Many Americans died and many more had real money losses. In some cases Obama never showed up for any visits of any kind. Later he made the trip of view the destruction. There was a lot of discussion in the press and within the administration as to if a President with all the higher level tasks of office should have to be bothered with day-to-day issues like Tornadoes. Has Obama even cared about the Tornadoes happening this spring in the Midwest and southern states. F*CK NO.
A single Georgetown law student becomes the topic of discussion of a private talk show host and Obama makes her a prime agenda item including a personal call to the individual. One person at the top of a President's busy agenda and no one in the press finds that to be an issue of priority. It might as well be a line item in H. Clinton's Executive discussion at the State Department !
What is on display is Obama's Foreign Policy. The issue is Syria and Iran we have not finished Afghanistan or the proxy wars in the Horn of Africa.
Get real. What's next contraception paid by the US taxpayer for all the people in Africa? Opps, I forgot that we are already doing that! It is part of the State Department's agenda!
How's the US economy? Getting any interest off your interest producing accounts? Home value increase? Unemployment falling? Paying more at the pump for fuel? State Pension systems fully funded? I can keep going forever.
Smoke and mirrors out of administration that that can not prioritize. First two years on health care while the economy burned George Bush did not set that agenda. It was set by Nancy Pelosi, the DNC, and Obama himself. The Nation's economy should be rolling three F*CKING years after the fact. Who is driving the bus?
Today is about Foreign Policy and the US economy.
A very well written and
A very well written and argued piece by Dr. Lynch. The prospect for military options to resolve the violence in Syria appears dim. Additionally, his proposals for waging a barrage of diplomatic efforts are noteworthy and should be taken seriously by policy-makers. I find only one, but highly significant fault in his work; his argument is weakened by the assumption that the Asad regime is susceptible to diplomatic and isolation efforts. Dr. Lynch hedges his argument by failing to address the possibility of diplomatic failure. What recourse is the international community then left with? Military action? Neglect? Diplomacy that does not work?
I do not believe that Asad and his senior cronies are willing to capitulate solely in the face of diplomacy. Any argument that does not account for the psychology of a dictator is bound to derive faulty conclusions. Every action Asad takes, like others before him (e.g. Hussein and Gaddafi), is intended to accomplish a single, overarching objective; maintaining his power.
coopertrooper on March 3,
coopertrooper on March 3, 2012 - 10:04am
Silly you. Hillary said that the US would not provide arms directly to Syria, she didn't say anything about the US helping our allies to supply arms. France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are doing their share.
If the scuttlebutt is right the US is training Syrians across the border in Jordan and Turkey for the cause.
US drones are over flying Syria, Clinton never said anything about NOT supplying intelligence to Syrians.
If the Red Cross gets in information will get out for the UN actors to use.
Thing you have to remember is a shooting war will sink Obama's re-election. Gasoline in the US will rise and the deficit war spending will soar. The US volunteer army is already strained with Afghanistan. Iran is just getting going. UN troops are planned and those still come at a cost to the US taxpayer.
Rockstar status, rockstar problems. Now he can earn his keep for the next 20-30 years.
Still belly-aching over Rush
Still belly-aching over Rush Limbaugh in the Twitter feed.
Everyone knows that Rush is full of hot air. The 99% were at the mall this week-end looking at all the stuff that they cannot afford because the economy sucks. I really do not think the 99% care! Keep up the belly-aching over Rush and you become the problem you have your apology. Religious beliefs have been protected in all 50 States of the Union, Obama and the Democrats are wrong on their stance concerning the Catholic Church. There are many places women can work that will pay for the "pill". The Catholic Church does not ban contraception, just the form that some people want us to believe is health care. The issue is about defining contraception and who pays for it. What surprises me is nothing is being said about the health care concerns about pumping women's bodies full of hormones to avoid a natural process. The adverse effect of the "pill" is medical fact. It comes down to a balancing act of what you want to die of first.
Does a single individual rate a call from POTUS cause she was attacked by the US media? The media attack people every day! If women can take care of themselves, then this female LAW STUDENT can slap old RUSHIE with a SLANDER SUIT! Why didn't a HARVARD LAW STUDENT ( who says he is a law professor in Chicago) THINK OF THAT????
How are those Tornado's in the south? People are really dieing you know. Damages are real.
This is the real meat. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/world/middleeast/israels-backers-in-ai...
This election is about swing votes. That is why Obama can take a time-out to call a single individual about her issues with Limbaugh, he is electioneering. The question is what is Obama going to do with the Jewish vote in America. Bibi has a lot to say in the 2012 campaign and OB1 is going to put a big wet one Bibi's you-know-what to make him not bomb Iran (plus anything else Bibi wants, Bibi gets). Jewish defense can be proactive.
If Obama does NOT bomb Iran he will look like Jimmy Carter Iran is not going to cave into sanctions. If Obama does bomb Iran gasoline prices are going to go sky high and all those goodies that the 99% want at the mall will be further out of reach. The economy will skid to a halt. BYE BYE Four more years.
There are only a few options open to Obama on Iran and Syria. Think even Dr. Ford could decipher what those options might be ; ) maybe OB1 will call her to discuss it on his way to look at tornado damage this week.
As Syria spirals towards
As Syria spirals towards chaos, CNN asks: How did Lindsay Lohan do on Saturday Night Live?
SNL == Chicago == Bears Duh!!!!!
Man don't you know the Windy City. That stuff is important ! Think anyone North of I 80 in Illinois cares about Syria, they are F*ing for Chicago and could give a F less for anything south of I80 or anywhere else unless they do not pay their taxes to support road construction and schools in C or C-burbs.
Call the previous WH C of S and see if Chicago has first priority!
If you are number one, the C-Mayor will take the time out of his day to phone you ! Maybe?
Turn the picture below up and you will be number one.....
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He will never write the book
He will never write the book because he's smart..... and doesn't want his FBI file growing 5xs larger than it is now.
He would most likely be demonized, for example like the authors of "Steal This Book" or The Anarchist Cookbook.
Military intervention for
Military intervention for whom? With whom? To what end?
We are already in the process of making a grave mistake by making the Istanbul-based SNC the "sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people." As best as we can understand, the groups fighting the regime on the ground do not recognize the SNC or any other body as representing them. Nor to they recognize the so-called Free Syrian Army. Among other things, this group of exiles has been approaching the future of Syrian governance along the same mentality of sectarianism that caused so much havoc in Iraq. Once more the notion of self-fulfilling prophecy. These exiles are saying what we want to hear. They are, for instance, assuring their Turkish hosts regarding Kurdish aspirations with regard to a post-Asad Syria and are no doubt promising us that they will allow intervention to go after whatever AQ or other jihadis have entered the fray. One can only guess at what they are promising the various Arab states that recognize them.
This situation is not like Libya. So, let's think this through. If we go in or send in arms...who are they given to, who do we fight with? We could end up working against those who have sacrificed over the past year or worse yet, end up a party to a civil war. Let's hope that for once, modesty will prevail with regards to our understanding of a complex situation and our ability to contribute positively to its solution.
The only reason that there is
The only reason that there is a seeming restraint in intervening militarily in Syria is because the Iran issue is not yet fully decided. It's basic economy of force logic -- to reserve one's full capability to the main theater, and the fact of the matter is Syria remains a sideshow from the perspective of American policymakers and war planners.
It cannot be denied that the Syrian sitcom is part and parcel of the Iranian drama.
*reading The Alien Invasion Survival Handbook: A Defense Manual for the Coming Extraterrestrial Apocalypse by Mumfrey
1. Visitor 11:12 comments
1. Visitor 11:12 comments thought provoking.
2. Now we have Senator McCain asking for bombing in Syria to support the insurgents.
3. Given our handle on the situation, the words and the action are stirring the pot.
4. Want to be convinced the results will benefit either the United States or the Syrian man on the street.
5. Report from the gym: the Syrian Horror Show ,ably depicted by CNN, continues.
6. Do something. Do anything. Make it go away.
V/R JWest
i sure hope you arent
i sure hope you arent teaching COIN.
and yawn. you guys are impossibly thick.
the reason we could support NATO in Libya, and the reason we cant intervene in Syria, is that Libya shares no border with Our Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Israel, and Syria does.
All Assad has to do is start lobbing Kassems over the border and all hell breaks loose.
that is the veiled threat, dumbos.
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