This op-ed I wrote for Legationes goes hand in hand with my previous post today here on IST
Please help my friend out at Legationes….visit the site and get news that is not necessarily available in too many other places….you will not regret the experience……chuq
Remember those days?
Nothing better than a good slogan to lull the people into a false sense of hope….slogans make the world a safer place (that is sarcasm)……..
I can remember Obama, Boehner, Graham, et al were all on the same page at the beginning of this situation. The civil in Syria has raged on for over 4 years now and what has been accomplished? Assad still in power. Country divided and destroyed. People fleeing the violence and causing a humanitarian nightmare. Billions of dollars wasted on trying to accomplish one simple end….Assad must go!
I recall when a few people called on the world to attempt tot all this death and destruction by using diplomacy….of course they were scoffed and mostly laugh at because they were what some call….”head in sand” people.
But after four years of a basic stalemate there are some people asking the question…..why not try some form of diplomacy to end this situation?
The Prez of Germany or whatever her title is…..has mentioned that maybe some peace talks should be considered……
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that President Bashar al-Assad should be involved in any Syrian peace talks amid pressure from the rising number of refugees from Syria.
Merkel made the comment on Thursday after a European Union summit on the asylum seeker crisis.
“We have to speak with many actors; this includes Assad, but others as well,” Merkel said. “Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia.”
Has the refugee problem forced governments to look past their past demands?
The US, as you would expect, is not on-board with a settlement….especially one made by Russia……
For the past several months, there have been reports that the US is increasingly coming on board with Russian calls for a “unity government” made up of the current Syrian government and secular rebels to fight against ISIS. It was therefore unsurprising that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov brought the matter up again in comments today.
The US has let such comments come and go several times, but today angrily rejected the report, saying that America’s position on Syria, and its opposition to Russia’s involvement in the fight against ISIS, remain wholly unchanged.
It could be that Western governments are warming up to the notion that Assad could be part of a government after all.
The latest round of comments from Western officials could be summed up as “Bashar Assad has to go, but,” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former Assad ally turned outspoken Assad opponent, saying that the “process” by which Assad is eventually removed from power could give Assad a role, even though “nobody envisages a future” where he isn’t gone eventually.
Openly the US is still defiant toward Syria and Russia……
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Kerry said he had told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the United States was worried by Moscow’s military backing for Assad in Syria’s civil war, now in its fifth year.
“These actions could provoke a further escalation of the conflict and lead to the loss of more innocent lives, increasing the flow of refugees and risking a confrontation with the anti-ISIS (Islamic State) coalition operating in Syria,” Kerry said.
Kerry’s comments are what I would expect from a SecState…..but what is being said behind the doors of meetings around the world?
Why would I be suspect of what is being said?
Our plan for fighting the “bad guys” is inadequate and basically a failure…..even our so-called ISIS War Czar sees it……
The official announcement isn’t expected for some time, but State Department officials are confirming that retired Gen. John Allen, who has held the position of ISIS War Czar for the last year, will resign in November because of his growing frustration with the White House’s policies.
Officials said that Gen. Allen had been pushing the White House to escalate the war on numerous levels, in particularly on the Turkish call to establish a “safe zone” out of northern Syria and the deployment of more ground troops to pick targets for airstrikes.
Again…I ask….what is really being talked about behind closed doors?
Apparently something not at all what we hear in the media….to answer the question…….
In an interview on Syrian state media today, top Syrian government adviser Bouthaina Shaaban claimed that there is a “tacit agreement” between the US and Russia on coming to some sort of agreeing on the ongoing civil war, and that some sort of negotiated settlement could happen soon.
But of course the Pentagon crapped on the idea of a deal…….
If that wasn’t confusing enough, Pentagon officials are now talking up the idea that there are “overlaps” of interest between the US and Russia on Syria, suggesting the two sides could work together. They also, however, talked up the need for a “transition” to a new pro-US government.
After all the death and destruction…a poll was taken of the few Syrians left in the country…….
Syrians are overwhelmingly opposed to the division of the country and believe a political solution is still possible, according to a new poll.
In spite of the continuing carnage and a spiralling refugee crisis, the survey by ORB International said that 64 percent of Syrians believed that a political solution was still possible “despite the differences that exist between the Syrians”.
The survey also revealed that 70 percent of Syrians were opposed to the division of the country, with only the Kurds being divided on the issue, split evenly 48 percent in favour and against.
The poll, which surveyed a cross section of 1,365 people across all of Syria’s 14 governorates – including areas controlled by IS – also suggested that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was slightly more popular among ordinary Syrians that any of the opposition groups – though no one was ranked as having a net positive influence.
But they seem to be getting flexible on that matter suddenly, with British Premier David Cameron now reportedly in favor of keeping Assad in power for the sake of forming a “unity government,” which is the exact same Russian plan that the US and Britain have been repudiating for months
Wrong! This is not about Boehner and his decision to cut and run…….
2016 is getting interesting instead of just plain pathetic…..the GOP field was expanded to 17 candidates in the beginning and now they are slowly but slowly fading away from the election….first Perry an early fave….then Walker also an early fave….what does that say about the front runners?
Anyway……we know that there can be only ONE….(great Highlander (a movie) reference)…..so of the remaining mind fuckers who will be the next to go?
Rick Perry and Scott Walker have already dropped out of the GOP presidential race; who will be the next to go? Politico takes a “bipartisan survey of the top activists, operatives, and strategists in Iowa and New Hampshire” each week, and the latest thinking among Republicans is that Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, and Rand Paul will drop out next. In Iowa, 25% of Republicans predicted Jindal (“He’s become desperate,” says one, “and has nothing going on here in Iowa”) while in New Hampshire, 27% predicted Pataki (“The Spice Girls were big in the 1990s, too, but no one wants to see them on a reunion tour”). In both states, Paul “won” the second-place slot of who is most likely to drop out.
So where would Democrats place their bets? 40% of Iowa Democrats predicted Paul will be next to drop out and 34% of New Hampshire Democrats predicted Jindal. Earlier this week, CNN was also predicting the next drop-outs, using the Political Prediction Market, a “game that factors polls and other elements and invites users to predict where the election will go.” The most recent one found that Lindsey Graham is the most likely to drop out, with 85% odds, followed by Rick Santorum with 83% and Jindal with 80%.
We have what insiders think…..now how about you?
Please if you have a prediction let it fly…..we are listening.
Awhile back the Obama admin decided to let there be Arctic drilling…..and the environmentalists went batcrap crazy.
Then Shell had problems with 2 of its drilling rigs…..I mean major problems…..those solved they leased an ice breaker from Finland or Sweden or some country of the North……after they took possession they found a gash in the side of the ship and it had to go dry dock to be fixed……after clashes with environmental groups over the ship it finally made it to the Arctic and then wok could begin……
But after some time looking for the “black oil”….Shell has issued a statement…..
Royal Dutch Shell says it will cease exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast following disappointing results from an exploratory well backed by billions in investment and years of work. This is a huge blow to Shell, which was counting on offshore drilling in Alaska to help it drive future revenue. Environmentalists, however, had tried repeatedly to block the project and welcomed the news. Shell has spent upward of $7 billion on Arctic offshore exploration, including $2.1 billion in 2008 for leases in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast, where an exploratory well about 80 miles off shore drilled to 6,800 feet but yielded disappointing results. Backed by a 28-vessel flotilla, drillers found indications of oil and gas but not in sufficient quantities to warrant more exploration.
Shell will end exploration off Alaska “for the foreseeable future,” the company said, because of the well results and because of the “challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment in offshore Alaska.” Environmental groups had warned oil exploration in the ecologically fragile Arctic could lead to increased greenhouse gases, crude oil spills, and a disaster for wildlife. “Polar bears, Alaska’s Arctic, and our climate just caught a huge break,” the oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement. “Here’s hoping Shell leaves the Arctic forever.” Analysts say that since the Chukchi and Beaufort seas contain an estimated 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil, further exploration in decades to come is probably inevitable
And the peasants danced!
Who will be the next sucker to attempt an Arctic drilling operation?
WIN one for the earth!
A great tune from Manfred Mann Earth Band (damn another rock reference…I’m da man!)
But in this case the light of which I speak is……… MONEY!
Saudi Arabia has lots of cash and with that they can demand lots of respect and attention…….recently a Saudi has been named the head of the UN Human Rights Organization……
Last week’s announcement that Saudi Arabia — easily one of the world’s most brutally repressive regimes — was chosen to head a U.N. Human Rights Council panel provoked indignation around the world. That reaction was triggered for obvious reasons. Not only has Saudi Arabia executed more than 100 people already this year, mostly by beheading (a rate of 1 execution every two days), and not only is it serially flogging dissidents, but it is reaching new levels of tyrannical depravity as it is about to behead and then crucify the 21-year-old son of a prominent regime critic, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who was convicted at the age of 17 of engaging in demonstrations against the government.
Few see a problem after all Saudi is one of America’s fine friends, right?
How can the UN put a regime like Saudi Arabia in control of human rights when they are beheading people, public caning, stoning, amputations even crucifying people……people condemn ISIS and AQ for their acts of barbarity and yet applaud Saudi for theirs…..
At what point is their actions and barbarity condemned and they are held away from the civilized world?
If this cruelty is wrong from ISIS then it is wrong for Saudi.
But let’s look a little further into the barbarity of the Saudi regime…….
Source: Ten Reasons to Oppose the Saudi Monarchy « Antiwar.com Blog
Amazing what cash can buy now…..Most of the world may be horrified at the selection of Saudi Arabia to head a key U.N. human rights panel, but the U.S. State Department most certainly is not. Quite the contrary: its officials seem quite pleased about the news.
Time for the US to get on the bandwagon and stop bowing and kissing the ass of cash!
Maybe we, the US, here should start acting like that “beacon of democracy” we claim to be…..
Enough said?
I do hope that everyone had a lovely weekend….Summer is winding down and there is a hint of Autumn…..But I need to get back to work…….
First my morning bitch…….I live in an area that has had little rain in 90 days…..and today rain and clouds is the forecast….of course it is….that means I will get to miss the astronomical event of the year….the blood moon and the eclipse…..next one will be when I am departed . joy…joy…..
Monday and I start another week of extreme mental stress…..I have not heard anything about Jade Helm recently….so I am guessing that piece to crap is over with right?
One more thing before I start…..what happened to the solar plane that was flying around the world? Or did I miss it?
There are many of the Right wing people that like to refer to “The Great Satan”….when attacking anything Iranian…….right?
But what or who made the statement? What is it all about? You may not care because it is a convenient slogan that can be used so thought is not necessary…..but I will give you the knowledge whether you want it or not…..
I found an interesting article written by a professor at Columbia University in New York……it is a good read if you would like more info of the term…..after all if you are going to use it maybe knowing if you are using it properly would be in order….
I know that is not what we Americans do….get the info before we lambaste something or someone…..
But try it…..you might like it!
Source: Who is the ‘Great Satan’? – Al Jazeera English
Please this is in NO way a approval of the use of the term…I just thought some might be interested in knowing where this crap comes from…..if I am mistaken then please forgive my presumption…….