in Foreign policy, International Situations 1,071 Words

Always State The Obvious

I will return to my first love, my passion for international relations, there is not going to be nay thing worth reporting in politics for the Congress will play the Benghazi game until their summer break so they can go back home and spend time on their knees in front of wealthy donors………..

You know it always amuses me when our beloved country states the obvious.  From the beginning of the Syrian conflict people have been telling the government that we should be more discerning when we give our aid, especially when it involves the use of weapons.  But as always the mental midgets like Sen. McCain seems to think that the answer to all conflicts is for American to throw arms at it and it will always be much better.

I have not been alone in my stated opposition to such irresponsible use of our resources.  Now it seems that our dynamite intel gathering organization, the CIA, has issued a statement…….

Here is a tweet from Foreign Policy’s Twitter feed:

If you have to worry that your proxy militias will turn your own weapons against you, maybe it’s not such a good idea to give them weapons in the first place. Just a thought.

That is something akin to Homer Simpson’s reaction when he finally realizes the errors of his ways…..Doh!

But wait!

Now there is more to the story………this from the UK’s Independent written by Patrick Cockburn…………

It is only a matter of time before jihadis in al-Qa’ida-type groups that have taken over much of eastern Syria and western Iraq have a violent impact on the world outside these two countries. The road is open wide to new attacks along the lines of 9/11 and 7/7, and it may be too late to close it.

Those who doubt that these are the jihadis’ long-term intentions should have a look at a chilling but fascinating video posted recently by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), formerly al-Qa’ida in Iraq. It shows a group of foreign fighters burning their passports to emphasise their permanent commitment to jihad. Many of the passports thrown into the flames have grass-green covers and are Saudi; others are dark blue and must be Jordanian. Some of the fighters show their faces while others are masked. As each one destroys his passport, sometimes tearing it in half before throwing it into the fire, he makes a declaration of faith and a promise to fight against the ruler of the country from which he comes.

Threats, such as those made by the group burning their passports, are creating something near panic among Iraq’s neighbours, who were slow to take on board last year that Syrian armed opposition had come to be dominated by al-Qa’ida or its clones. A report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), “The Rising Cost of Turkey’s Syrian Quagmire”, published last week, cites a Turkish official saying: “The armed al-Qa’ida element will be a problem for the Turks. As a secular country, we do not fit with their ideology. What happens if they can’t get what they want in Syria? They will blame Turkey and attack it.” Bear in mind that the thousands of foreign jihadis who have poured into Syria and Iraq mostly got there by crossing the 510-mile-long Turkish-Syrian border. The head of an influential Turkish think tank is quoted by ICG as saying that “When Turkey starts arresting them [jihadis], which it will do, we know what will happen. There will be bombs all over Turkey.”

There is a storm brewing and it shall not bode well for the us and the western allies……and sorry but it seems the US is aiding them in their desire to attack the West……How?  By recognizing some as “foreign missions”……HUH?

The Obama Administration has announced today that it will recognize the DC office of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) as an official diplomatic mission, dubbing them the “legitimate representative of the Syrian people.”

Top SNC figure Ahmad Jarba touted the move as a major blow to the Assad government’s legitimacy, though since the SNC is itself a relatively trivial rebel faction, a secular bloc in Turkey with no real support among the assorted Islamist fighters dominating the rebellion, the move doesn’t seem nearly so significant.

The State Department followed up the move with a promise for another $27 million in aid for the SNC. Such subsidies are effectively the group’s only source of revenue, as it continues to lobby for more subsidies on the notion that it will eventually be installed by the US or other powers as the new government of Syria.

The State Department’s statement on the matter also angrily condemned the upcoming Syrian election as unacceptable. The remaining territory of the Syrian government will be voting in early June, though President Assad is expected to win by a huge margin.

There are so many twists and turns in this situation that it gets confusing even for someone with international experience…….and then this came to my sight……….

American-made anti-tank missiles are surfacing in Syria as part of a “pilot program” to boost rebel groups but make sure the powerful weapons do not fall into the wrong hands.

The anti-tank missiles, called TOWs, are sophisticated weapons designed to kill enemy tanks and blow up reinforced bunkers.

The new program is meant to aid the rebels fighting the Syrian government’s armored forces but make sure the weapons don’t reach radical Islamist groups also fighting the regime of Bashar Assad, said a former senior government official who has been informally briefed on the program. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss intelligence matters.

Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, would not comment on specific weapons or types of support, but told USA TODAY there has been “a limited expansion” of support to rebel groups.

This is just a great illustration of the complete idiocy of our foreign policy leaders…..they are worried that some of the weapons could come back to bite us in the ass and we send them more that can be used……..where is the logic in all of this?

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