Category: Foreign policy

Always Go With The Good Customer

I see that nothing matters to this president…he will always go with the customer….and I am not necessarily talking about our booming weapons industry……

Trump refuses to state the facts that the intel agencies have handed him about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi……..

President Trump made clear in a statement Tuesday that he has no intention of cutting ties with Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event—maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said, referring to Mohammed bin Salman. Trump, however, pointed out that King Salman and the prince “vigorously deny any knowledge” of the murder, per the Washington Post. “We may never know all the facts,” he added, but “in any case, our relationship is with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Trump rejected the idea of “foolishly” canceling military contracts, saying that would only benefit Russia and China, reports Reuters. The US, he said, “intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.” As for critics in Congress who want to punish the Saudis: “I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America.” (The CIA is reportedly pretty sure that the crown prince is behind the murder.)

Our Dear Supreme Leader has stated that he has talked with MbS on at least 5 occasions and he has said he was not involved…..and Trump even dispatched SecState Pompeo to Saudi to “get some answers”…..

Really?  Or did he go to Saudi to help the prince with his lies?

During his trip to the kingdom last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly provided Saudi Arabia with a detailed plan on how to make sure Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was protected from the fallout over writer Jamal Khashoggi’s murder—and possibly pin the killing on an innocent person. Middle East Eye reports Pompeo delivered the plan during a meeting with Saudi King Salman and and the crown prince last month in Riyadh. The U.S. State Department strongly denied the existence of the plan. The “roadmap” allegedly includes an option to pin the murder on an innocent member of the ruling family to avoid blame falling on those at the top. That fall guy has not been chosen, according to the report, and Saudi leaders are said to be reserving that plan in case the criticism of the crown prince intensifies. “We would not be surprised if that happens,” a source told the Middle East Eye. The U.S. State Department called the allegations “a complete misrepresentation of the secretary’s diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia.”

(thedailybeast.com)

I wish I could say something nice but all I can do is think of what did MbS promise Trump to get him lying in support of the prince?  What is the price of a human life?

Besides….just what do we get from Saudi Arabia?  They have been a supporter of terrorism, they have done nothing to help with the Palestinians, they work on total self-interests not caring one way or the other about the US……again just what does the US get from the Saudis?  I think the Trump family gets more than the country does.

The Saudis owe us not we owe them!  And yet this president spends time on his knees before these barbaric murderers…….why?

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Afghanistan–Update

As always I remind my readers….17 years and counting….a war that will not end.

I also try to keep an eye on this conflict because the MSM has decided that it is not important enough to report on…..that is until they can get some ratings from the report…..they follow one simple rule…”If it bleeds then it leads”…..

On with the news…..

There is a debate….can we win this or is it impossible to win….I have found two different reports from the two sides…..

On the winning side……

Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, met with the Taliban for the second time in Qatar to broker peace. Mr. Khalilzad’s trip to Qatar is part of his second regional tour from November 8–20 to garner regional support for peace in Afghanistan. His latest endeavor epitomizes Washington’s consistently inadequate policies on Afghanistan.

As Washington seeks to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan, it has sought various avenues to change the course of the war. Despite exhausting a variety of resources and billions of dollars, Washington’s policies have yet to address the root cause of the war: Pakistan’s pivotal role in the Taliban’s insurgency. Instead, Washington has acknowledged Pakistan’s role in the conflict but has wishfully urged Pakistan to change its pro-Taliban policy.

https://intpolicydigest.org/2018/11/17/winning-the-war-in-afghanistan-is-possible-with-one-tool/

Now for the losing side……

More than a year after President Trump announced his Afghanistan policy, the Taliban is closer to victory than we are. The Taliban contests or controls 61% of Afghan districts. More than 2,200 Americans have been killed in the long conflict. The United States has spent more than $840 billion. This month the Taliban has claimed credit for a major attack at a high level meeting in Kandahar that killed General Raziq, arguably the most powerful man in Southern Afghanistan.

On Nov. 15, Foundation for Defense of Democracies hosted a panel consisting of Jessica Donati, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio, FDD senior fellows and editors of FDD’s Long War Journal, to discuss Afghanistan. The panel was moderated by FDD founder and president Clifford D. May. You can watch the video below:

https://livestream.com/accounts/15228011/events/8455600/videos/183634260/player

The reports say that the capital of Kabul is the only place the government of Afghanistan is in charge….

A major suicide bombing targeted a religious gathering in Kabul on Tuesday. The gathering was celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The government confirmed 50 dead, though the NGO running the hospital nearby said over 60 were killed, and 70 more wounded.

Religious scholars and clerics were gathered by the hundreds at Uranus Wedding Hall for the event, and were reciting passages from the Quran when the bomber arrived and detonated explosives in the crowd of people.

The attack caused chaos and overwhelmed emergency services. Some 30 ambulances had to be sent to collect the critically wounded. The Afghan government has announced a day of mourning on Wednesday over the deaths.

(antiwar.com)

So much for being in charge, huh?

All the Afghan news that one cannot use……

Sue The Bastards!

Staff Sgts. Matt Lewellen, Kevin McEnroe and Jimmy Moriarty….do those names mean anything to you?

Unless you read a lot those names mean nothing.

They are the names of Green Berets killed in Jordan by an ally…they were gunned down returning from a training mission…..well the families are suing Jordan for their deaths…..

The families of three Green Berets killed by a member of the Jordanian Air Force as they entered a base in Jordan filed a lawsuit against that country’s government, charging it attempted to cover up the incident and slander their fallen sons.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington seeks monetary damages from the Kingdom of Jordan, where the Special Forces soldiers were stationed when they were gunned down Nov. 4, 2016 by Jordanian Air Force 1st Sgt. Maarik al-Tawayha. The Green Berets – Staff Sgts. Matt Lewellen, Kevin McEnroe and Jimmy Moriarty – were driving onto King Faisal Air Base in southern Jordan midday after training Syrian rebel forces when al-Tawayha inexplicably opened fire on them.

https://www.stripes.com/news/families-of-slain-green-berets-sue-jordan-charging-a-cover-up-attempt-in-2016-deaths-1.556931

More useless deaths in a war that should have ended years ago.

I hope the families get satisfaction for their loved ones deaths…..deaths that did not need to be a statistic….endless wars and preparations are what killed these men…..and the country shrugs and allows the stupid to continue.

Afghanistan–What Is The Reason?

Even though my fellow Americans have seemingly forgotten that the US military is ass deep in many many wars…..and our first war after the 9/11 attacks was Afghanistan….we entered into that one to get the bastards that attacked the US.

That was the call….GET THE BASTARDS!

Now after 17 years of constant warfare what is the final goal the US is working toward?  AQ is a group that is a shadow of its former self….the Taleban is still the Talebane…..and ISIS is making in-roads into Afghanistan…..so if to get the Bastards and that would have been AQ pretty much marginalized why do we stay?

Nation Building?  Well not according to the rhetoric coming out of DC.  Then why?  To bring democracy to a country that at the best of times would have been in early Iron Age?  Hahahahaha!  (Good one)

If Afghanistan is a democracy how can the US consider postponing their elections?

Say what?

The Trump administration is considering pressuring the Afghan government to postpone next year’s presidential election as it seeks a peace deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year war, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing people briefed on the talks.

Why it matters: Some officials in Washington fear that voting irregularities and violence that routinely occur in Afghan elections could undermine or destroy the prospect of a peace deal. But this request “would be a contentious move that runs counter to the long-held U.S. objective of promoting democracy in Afghanistan,” and it could potentially create friction between both countries, the WSJ writes. President Ashraf Ghani has already come out against such a proposal.

https://www.axios.com/afghanistan-election-united-states-postpone-add753b3-dc63-4797-91d7-710213c3461c.html

Wait!  Postpone one of the major rights of a democracy?  Really?

That comedic skit out of the way…..was victory in Afghanistan evder the goal?

When Lt. Gen. David Petraeus returned from an inspection tour of Afghanistan in 2005 to brief then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, he began with a simple image.

“The very first slide in the briefing that I gave to him was, ‘Afghanistan ≠ Iraq.’ And I then laid out to him the areas and issues in which you could compare and contrast the two countries and situations,” Petraeus recalled in an interview this month. “That comparison clearly established why, frankly, Afghanistan is a tougher nut to crack.”

Events have vindicated his warning. As the seemingly intractable war stretches into its 18th year, military commanders who argue that any end is in sight are finding it a harder and harder sell.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/why-victory-isnt-the-goal-in-afghanistan

After 17 years and the goal is NOT a victory….then time to call the war and bring our troops home….NOW!

If the length of this year is not enough to demand an end then how about the amount of money being spent on all our “wars on terrorism”?  To the tune of $5.9 trillion…that is trillion with a “T”……

A new report from Brown University is aiming to provide a close estimate of the cost of the overall cost to the US government of its myriad post-9/11 wars and assorted global wars on terror. The estimate is that $5.933 trillion has been spent through fiscal year 2019.

(antiwar.com)

Those wishing to read the report can find it here.

Iran And Terrorism

Before I begin I would like to state that I do not like “Newsweek” as a source….they are a bit too pro war for my liking.

The tales around Iran have ramped up since that d/bag Bolton has entered into the White House  as an adviser……well I read something that made me chuckle as an analyst of Middle East events…..

The United States has warned that Iran could create a new malign force akin to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and said Saudi Arabia was an ideal partner to help contain the revolutionary Shiite Muslim power in the Middle East.

James Jeffrey, the State Department’s special representative to Syria, told the Sixth Annual Defense One Summit Thursday that direct military action would not be enough to defeat Iran and its expanding network of armed allies, many of which were comprised of Shiite Muslim militias. Like the Pentagon and its own local partners, these fighters have fought jihadi groups like ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but they oppose U.S. influence there.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-warns-iran-new-isis-partner-saudi-arabia-1218109

Seriously?

Looks like Bolton and his gang of fools will let Israel dictate their policies once again.

Apparently NO one wants to know that ISIS is an invention from the minds of Wahhabist…..of which the Saudis are founding members…it is the religion of the royal family…..and if anyone wants to remember the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudis.

Now who do you think would be creating new “ISIS” like groups?

I think the Iran connection is in the minds of the Israelis who lead the Trump adviser around by their wankers.

The more intel provided by Israel no doubt….

The United States is claiming that Iran spends nearly $1 billion a year providing support to Hizballah, Hamas, and other allied militant groups in the Middle East.

U.S. Ambassador Nathan Sales, a coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department, told reporters in Washington late on November 13 that Iran spends about $700 million a year on Hizballah, the Lebanese militia that has fought wars with Israel and has provided critical support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his seven-year civil war against Sunni rebels.

In addition, Sales said Tehran gives Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, and other “Palestinian terrorist groups” another $100 million a year.

https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nathan-sales-claims-iran-spending-1-billion-dollars-a-year-backing-hizballah-hamas-other-militant-allies/29601564.html

Once again….Newsweek was used only because of the bullshit they were trying to pass off as fact…..but then what can we expect from a industry that is owned by the Israelis hook, line and sinker?

Besides how much does the US spend on its “allies”?  I guess it is a policy for the US…”Do as I say not as I do”…..right?

Speaking of the walrus (Bolton)…..he is championing the terrorist group know as MEK…..that is right until recently it was on the terrorist list at State….

Mostafa and Robabe Mohammadi came to Albania to rescue their daughter. But in Tirana, the capital, the middle-aged couple have been followed everywhere by two Albanian intelligence agents. Men in sunglasses trailed them from their hotel on George W Bush Road to their lawyer’s office; from the lawyer’s office to the ministry of internal affairs; and from the ministry back to the hotel.

The Mohammadis say their daughter, Somayeh, is being held against her will by a fringe Iranian revolutionary group that has been exiled to Albania, known as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, or MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq). Widely regarded as a cult, the MEK was once designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and UK, but its opposition to the Iranian government has now earned it the support of powerful hawks in the Trump administration, including national security adviser John Bolton and the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/nov/09/mek-iran-revolution-regime-trump-rajavi

But Bolton is drinking the kool-aid offered by a group of disconnected Iranian terrorists……

It should be obvious that a group that abuses its own members so cruelly is unfit to hold political power over anyone. It is a disgrace that so many prominent American and European officials and politicians have aligned themselves with such a despicable organization, and it shows how willing many Iran hawks are to overlook the group’s horrific record because it gives them a convenient ally in their pursuit of regime change.

The MEK was removed from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations six years ago, but that wasn’t because the government believed they had given up on using violence to achieve their goals:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/boltons-favorite-deranged-cult/

This is just silly bullsh*t from neocons that need someone for the country to hate if they are to retain their hold on policy…..this is bullsh*t put forth by Israel and the US will always be a loser in the Middle East as long as they allow Israel to dictate their policies for the region.  Period!

Americans Killing Americans

Closing Thought–16Nov18

Just a few days ago I read a report on a post I did about a year ago…..a story about Americans killing Americans in the West African nation of Mali….https://lobotero.com/2018/11/13/more-on-the-death-in-mali/

That post contains references to all my past posts on this situation…..

It appears that the US Navy has decided to press charges on 4 members of the special ops team operating in Mali……charges ranging from felony murder to obstruction of justice……

Four members of the US armed forces are facing a slew of charges in connection to the 2017 death of an Army Green Beret in the African nation of Mali. Among the charges leveled against Petty Officer Anthony E. DeDolph and Chief Petty Officer Adam C. Matthews, both members of SEAL Team Six, and two unnamed Marine Raiders are felony murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, burglary, hazing, and involuntary manslaughter, the Daily Beast reports. Officials say the SEALs and Marines broke into the room of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar at embassy housing in Bamako in June 2017, restrained him with duct tape, and put him in a chokehold, strangling him while “perpetuating a burglary,” NBC reports. The SEALs reportedly tried to resuscitate the 34-year-old Melgar and also tried to open an air wave by opening a hole in his throat.

According to the Daily Beast, which has reported extensively on the case, there was an “ongoing disagreement,” between Melgar, who was part of a six-person intelligence team, and the SEALs “over the SEAL’s professionalism.” Sources say the SEALs would bring prostitutes to the house and were stealing cash meant to recruit local informants. “The place ran like a frat house,” a source told the site. The SEALs and Marines hatched the plot to haze Melgar on June 4, 2017, while the latter was at an embassy party, and attacked him around 5am. They ultimately took Melgar to a medical facility, where he was declared dead. Later, the four engaged in a cover up, per the Military Times, including sharing information about what they told investigators, withholding information from investigators, and getting rid of alcohol kept in the room.

Maybe now the family of the Green Beret will get the answers they deserve…….

There is more bad news for the SEALs……in the past few months reports keep coming out that there is a discipline problem in the organization…..but first my post from a few months ago….

https://lobotero.com/2018/10/26/socom-you-have-a-problem/

https://lobotero.com/2018/10/19/its-about-the-discipline/

It seems that a bunch of SEALs have gotten caught up in a war crimes investigation……

Military officials are prepared to call nearly a dozen past and present Navy SEALs to testify in the case of one elite Navy commando accused of fatally stabbing an Islamic State detainee in Iraq last year, according to documents obtained by Navy Times.

The records related to the Naval Criminal Investigation Service’s probe offer new insight into the probe that will be aired publicly when the case against Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher goes to an Article 32 hearing Wednesday morning in San Diego.

The documents suggest that military officials have obtained cellphone text conversations showing Gallagher allegedly sought to cover up the fatal stabbing. The records also show that a different special operator may be acting like a mole for federal investigators by attempting to talk to another petty officer who has lawyered up and invoked his right to silence.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/11/14/more-than-a-dozen-navy-seals-may-get-caught-up-in-war-crimes-investigation/

This is what you get when individuals believe the hype of invincibility…..to believe that any action is acceptable when you are the “best of the best”…..

Where Will The Failure Be?

The Middle East has been the graveyard of American presidents…..pick a president and they failed in the Middle East…..and believe it or not Donald Trump will be NO different…..

The Middle East has a century old tradition of being the political graveyard of American and British political leaders. The list of casualties is long: Lloyd George, Anthony Eden, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Tony Blair and George W Bush. All saw their careers ended or their authority crippled by failure in the region.

Will the same thing happen to Donald Trump as he struggles with the consequences of the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi? I always suspected that Trump might come unstuck because of his exaggerated reliance on a weak state like Saudi Arabia rather than because of his supposed links to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Contrary to the PR company boosterism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and his ambitious projects, Saudi Arabia has oil and money, but is demonstrably ineffective as an independent operator.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/23/the-middle-east-not-russia-will-prove-trumps-downfall/

I have watched the Russia thing as being the downfall of this president….I do not see it….Russia will always be there….the Middle East will be Trump’s Waterloo……

The problem is that those people that Trump thinks is the Middle East, the authoritarians, and to ignore the events taking place will be the final downfall…..

Two perfect storms have struck the Arab world in the past decade. In 2011, in what was at first optimistically called “the Arab Spring,” popular uprisings unseated autocrats across the region. Hopes ran high that these peaceful protest movements would usher in a new era of democracy in the Middle East. But except in Tunisia, they ended in turmoil or deadly civil wars. Then, in 2014, the region’s leaders were dealt another blow when the price of oil plummeted, threatening the basic model of governance on which their power rested. Low oil prices since have made it difficult for regimes to fund bloated budgets, buy off elites, and hold up long-postponed reforms. This is not a temporary aberration: it is unlikely that the price of oil will ever again rise to its pre-2014 levels.

On the surface, many Arab states appear to have weathered these two storms—however shakily. But there is more turbulence ahead. The shocks of 2011 and 2014 were just the first symptoms of a deeper transformation under way in the region: the fundamental bargain underpinning stability in Middle Eastern states is coming undone, and unless regional leaders move quickly to strike new bargains with their citizens, even larger storms will come.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2018-10-15/next-arab-uprising

He and his team have been promising their Middle East peace plan and for nearly 2 years we have NO idea what it is….but take their word for it will be a good deal.