Day: September 2, 2014

Check The Crisis Report

My readers know that I am extremely interested in international situations……I have been ever since I survived the war in Vietnam……conflict and war is a fascinating subject……and if one pays attention then one can see where the problems will develop and where the US could be drawn into even more armed conflicts.

I subscribe to the Crisis Group……and institution that keeps watch on conflicts and analyzes the chances of them turning into a world problem…..in there latest crisis report they have found several problems brewing…..click on the country and read their analysis……

 

Take a few minutes and read their analysis and then you will be able to check your politicians and their responses to situations…………Being fore warned goes a long way to avoiding the use of American forces and the deaths and maiming that comes from that use.

Middle East: Shall We Dance?

Most anyone that follows the international news will know that Libya since the ousting of Qaddafi has been a hot bed to violence……this faction fighting that faction and no one is really in control……but recently there was an airstrike on an Islamic faction…….in case you missed it……

(Newser) – Egypt and the United Arab Emirates launched airstrikes at militias in Libya twice over the last week without Washington’s approval, four US officials tell the New York Times. Egypt, in fact, denied any involvement in the attacks. The first strikes came last week in Tripoli, destroying a weapons depot “controlled by Islamist-friendly militias” and blowing up six people, the Times says. The second, on Saturday, struck a warehouse, vehicles, and rocket launchers run by “Islamist-allied militia.” Militants rebounded by seizing Tripoli’s airport, which was then destroyed by fire yesterday amid strikes by “unidentified war planes,” Reuters reports.

The UAE and Egypt had attacked Libya before, US officials say: A military team from Egypt (possibly comprised of Emirates fighters) recently leveled an Islamist camp in Libya. That may have encouraged the UAE and Egypt to think they could attack undetected again, the officials said. The strikes represent a new salvo in the Middle East conflict between Islamists and old-school autocratic leaders, the Times notes. Much Twitter reaction is focusing on how the UAE and Egypt, both close US allies, apparently launched the attacks without calling Washington first, the Atlantic Wire reports. Tweets Yair Rosenberg: “The problem w/ leading from behind is sometimes you get left behind.”

Now that attack has brought an interesting thought….at least to me…..if Saudi and UAE are willing to go it alone against Islamists could they be the partners we need in our fight against the IS?

The US is scrambling to find allies for the war on IS…..but they say assad is NOT one of those considered………

Newser) – After OKing airstrikes in Iraq and spy flights over Syria in an attempt to rein in ISIS, President Obama has started rallying international allies to expand efforts against the militant Sunni group—efforts that may include even more airstrikes in Iraq and possible military action in Syria, reports the New York Times. One thing he won’t be doing: partnering with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who also has a vested interest in purging his country of the insurgents. “We’re not going to ask for permission from the Syrian regime,” a State Department spokeswoman tells the Washington Post.

Although Syria warned Monday that it would consider any US strikes against ISIS in its country “an act of aggression” if not coordinated with its government, it indicated that it’s “ready to cooperate and coordinate on the regional and international level in the war on terror,” notes the Post. This may be part of the reason why the Obama administration is working behind the scenes to bolster its international support: In addition to getting longtime allies Britain and Australia on board for potential air campaigns, unnamed administration officials say they’re asking Turkey for the use of its military bases, trying to gather intelligence from Jordan, and requesting financial assistance from Saudi Arabia, which supports Syrian opposition forces, notes the Times. “Rooting out a cancer like [ISIS] won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick,” Obama said in a speech yesterday, adding “that the militants would be ‘no match’ for a united international community.”

Writer Bobby Ghosh has brought up an interesting premise and ask a valuable question…….since the attack on Libya there is the possibility that we could have found the needed allies for the coming storm……….

Newser) – Neither nation is admitting it exactly, but it seems that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates joined forces earlier this month to bomb sites held by Islamist militants inside Libya. This is actually a huge milestone in the Arab world, writes Bobby Ghosh at Quartz, and one that should cause concern among militants fighting for the Islamic State, or ISIS. “Why is it a game-changer?” writes Ghosh. “Because it marks the first time two Arab nations have teamed up to launch military operations against Islamists in a third.”

What’s more, “it was the first time two Sunni Muslim nations struck radical Sunni groups in a third Sunni country.” With the precedent now set, these two nations and others could be emboldened to form a coalition to go after the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Considering that other Sunni Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan have plenty of US aircraft in their arsenals, such a coalition could be powerful indeed. The idea of doing anything to help Syria’s Bashar al-Assad may give pause, but “the taboo on intervention has been lifted.” Click for Ghosh’s full column.

If we are to be successful against the rapid advancement of the IS then we will need partners willing to do what needs to be done……will Egypt or Saudis and the UAE be part of the needed coalition?

27 maps that explain the crisis in Iraq | vox.com

I have had people tell me that they just cannot grasp what the Hell is going in Iraq,  short of ISIS killing people and taking land……

I found this article that helps explain who, what, when and why……if you are concerned and would like to educate yourself then I suggest that this press will help your understanding greatly……

try it….you’ll like it!

 

27 maps that explain the crisis in Iraq | vox.com.

Kurds: A Janus?

Inkwell Institute
Middle East Desk

 

The battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq and Syria has begun……the US has taken upon itself to step back into the Middle East with both feet.  And their proxy in this conflict are the Kurds…..but the question is just how reliable will these players be in the long run?

I have written many posts on what I see as the Kurds end game……for me it is an independent state of their own and that is the direction they will work.  Regardless of their words their intentions are not so noble…….

The Kurds….the special elite forces of Iraq, at least for this week…….is it possible that the Kurds are a Janus?  A Janus?  WTF?

let me explain………Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past.

That is right….I believe that the Kurds are a Janus….two faced and will only work for their own good……..but after all they have done in the past month why would I say that?

Peshmerga fighters are openly beating Arabs they believe to be ISIS, and it doesn’t take a lot of evidence to convince them of that.

McClatchy reporter Mitchell Prothero reported the Peshmerga cheerfully dragging an Arab out of his car at a checkpoint, roughing him up and throwing him into their trunk. “He’s Arab, talks like he’s from Mosul and had a Qu’ran in his car,” one declared. That’s all it takes

So they have turned on the very people that they look to for their salvation…….they are playing both sides against the middle……….Kurdish analysts are expecting this to pay off big down the road, adding to the autonomous KRG region’s global influence, and making it easier to secede from Iraq in the future.

The Peshmerga, the PKK are still on the terrorist list. although the US is working to have them removed, I do not think the Turks, who have suffered greatly at the hands of the PKK will find it a good idea to arm their enemies.

A noted journalist in the Middle East, Ceylan Ozbudak, writes……….

Realizing the threat of losing the battle in the field of popular media, the PKK decided to change its narrative and started to claim they are a bunch of “communal liberalist” fellows who are simply fighting for an independent Kurdistan. First of all, the expression “communal liberalist” is an oxymoron because being a liberalist means supporting individual freedoms no matter how stark in contrast it is with the prevailing public opinion (as long as they do not limit the freedoms of others) and the word “communal” totally refutes this notion since it favors the well-being of the community at the expense of the individuals. Therefore communal ideologies do not maintain human or minority rights even if they promise as such: Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Lenin, Enver Hoxha, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il all promised their nations a free and equal world where all citizens are treated with dignity. For this reason, the PKK would never deliver on its promise of a liberal Kurdistan; the moment its borders are secured, the regime will show its true colors and its first target will be the innocent Kurds of the region who oppose communist ideals.

The reason I question our decision to arm the PKK is that we, the US, have a reputation of backing the wrong horse in many of our Middle East adventures……..and I think we will live to regret our decision to lean heavily on the PKK in this time of need.

Kerry will be in the region to try and put together a coalition to fight ISIS…….the problem is that NO one trusts the Kurds, especially Turkey and maybe we should slow down and consider our options before we give too to the PKK….it could very well be a fatal decision on our part.