Tag: Regime Change

History Repeats

I know there are those mental midgets that cannot see the need to keep up with our history….they try to justify their ignorance in some ham fisted philosophical BS to deny history….fortunately for the blogosphere I am NOT one of those  thumb suckers.

Someone once said that “if one ignores history then they are destined to repeat it”…that is a paraphrase so don’t get too excited.

Does anyone remember the bullsh*t that was told to the country to get our invasion and occupation of Iraq to become acceptable……they had WMDs (none were found)…they were in search of yellow cake uranium (was a lie manufactured by neocons)….and then there was the BS about the 9/11 attackers that was bullsh*t…Saddam never aided them in any way……

I bring up this because the war drums are starting to beat lead by the liar in chief at the UN, Amb. Haley……

 US UN envoy Nikki Haley slammed Iran Wednesday ahead of a UN Security Council meeting, Anadolu reports.

Haley criticized Tehran in a press release ahead of a session on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ latest report on the implementation of sanctions against Iran mandated by Security Council Resolution 2231.

Guterres’ report “includes troubling, but not surprising, evidence that Iran has‎ and continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions by shipping weapons across the Middle East, blatantly defying travel bans and providing support to terrorist organizations destabilizing the region,” said the statement.

http://theantimedia.com/iran-violating-un-security-council-resolutions/

It appears that these toads cannot remember that the UN was where GW Bush started his lies of justification.  Trump minions will continue the lies until the shooting starts….just as GW’s boyz did for him…..damn Repubs have no imagination.

The Neocons and Bolton have started their choruses of regime change for Tehran….the same chorus they have used time and time again….but that seldom is a good thing.

These toads want a regime change in Tehran……again history is not on their side at all….we have aided several regimes change in Iran and none of it has gone well for us in the end.

Is it time for America to support regime change in Iran? A growing chorus inside the Beltway says “yes.” According to them, the arc of history bends toward freedom in Iran. Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh argue in The Wall Street Journal that “[d]evising a strategy to collapse the clerical regime isn’t difficult” because “the essential theme in modern Iranian history is a populace seeking to emancipate itself from tyranny.” They see the growing economic chaos in Iran as birth-pangs of emancipation and call for America to act as midwife.

Many intellectuals before Gerecht and Takeyh have advanced theories of unstoppable historical change, driven by forces the wise can interpret and accelerate. In the nineteenth century, Hegel thought history was rushing toward human freedom. Marx thought it drove toward the collapse of capitalism and the rise of socialism. More recently, some thought the end of communism foreshadowed an inevitable global shift toward liberal democracy—an “end of history.” Dictatorships elsewhere, they thought, were living on borrowed time. One small push and the tide of history would do the rest.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/06/27/history_shows_that_regime_change_in_iran_is_not_the_answer_113563.html

America really needs to re-think all their approaches to diplomacy for they are just doing the same things over and over and over….a never ending cycle.

Iran: Another Regime Change?

Meddling in Iran would be NOTHING new for the US it did so in the 1950’s and that move helped bring about the 1979 revolution that the US is still reeling from….why not try it again to see if we can get it right this time?  (sarcasm)

Now that the Iran nuke deal is history could there be other “deals” in the shadows waiting for the light of day?

But there may be no need for an attack on Iran….

Against the backdrop of cosmetic military strikes against the brutal Syrian regime, a close ally of Tehran, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has been touring Western countries warning about the dangers of Iranian expansionism.

As dangerous as this may be, an even greater danger would be an escalation against Iran which could lead to war—a conflict that would be several times deadlier than our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the president seems inclined to leave the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), and could even be considering strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, as his new National Security Advisor John Bolton once advocated, such actions would be counter-productive to U.S. interests. If the goal is to push back on Iran’s attempt to expand its influence across the Middle East, all the United States has to do is let events unfold.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/05/08/theres_no_need_to_attack_a_declining_iran_113423.html

And yet the song continues for the US to do something militarily.

The war mongers like Tom Cotton, John Bolton and Pompeo have been slobbering over the chance to attack Iran for decades….let’s star with a look at Bolton and one of his predictions….

In July of last year neoconservative death cultist John Bolton, now the National Security Advisor of the United States, gave a speech at the Grand Gathering of Iranians for Free Iran in which he openly called for regime change in Tehran.

…….

Bolton, who is so stupid, crazy and evil that he remains one of the only high-profile individuals on this planet who still insists that the Iraq invasion was a great idea, spoke about the need to prevent the Iranian government from achieving “an arc of control” through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. He decried the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), claiming that Iran was still a nuclear threat under the existing agreement, and spoke glowingly of aggressive sanctions against Tehran. He concluded his speech with the following statement:

http://theantimedia.com/john-bolton-promised-regime-change-iran-before-2019/

Recently some papers about an Iran regime change came to light through a leak……

Just a few days after the former NYC mayor and latest member of President Trump’s unexpectedly let it slip that “we got a president who is tough, who does not listen to the people who are naysayers, and a president who is committed to regime change [in Iran]”, the Washington Free Beacon has obtained a three-page white paper being circulated among National Security Council officials with drafted plans to spark regime change in Iran, following the US exit from the Obama-era nuclear deal and the re-imposition of tough sanctions aimed at toppling the Iranian regime.

http://theantimedia.com/white-house-planning-regime-change-iran/

Well leg us say that the prediction did not materialize is it possible that a military coup could take place in Iran?

Since the beginning of the year, Iran has witnessed persistent protests. In January, massive demonstrations against the government spread to more than 80 cities in 29 provinces in which at least in 21 people were killed. In early February, dozens of women were arrested for taking off their head scarves and protesting against mandatory veiling in Tehran.

Later the same month, police clashed with members of the Gonabadi Sufi order, which led to five deaths, according to Gonabadi activists, and hundreds arrested. In late March, Arabs staged protests in Khuzestan province after a the national TV excluded their community from a programme about Iran’s ethnic diversity. Then in April, the security forces cracked down on water shortage protests in Isfahan province. Labour strikes in various cities across the country have also persisted.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/military-coup-iran-180424144510759.html

It appears that something is in the wind for Iran….but what?

As Always…. Assad Must Go!

Before I talk about Syria….I need to update a post from lat week.

I reported that an American soldier was killed in action in the East African nation of Somalia….at the time of my post his name had not been released…it has now been reported and I need to rectify my oversight……

SEAL Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, Kyle Milliken, holder of 4 Bronze Stars, was killed in Somalia.

I have studied and worked in the Middle East for decades…..so this subject always gets me to laughing….why?  Usually it is mouthed by someone that has NO idea what they are talking about and now with this new admin at the helm it is even worse.

Assad must go has been the rallying cry since the days of his father….and it has not calmed down for decades and yet the Assad family is still doing what they have always done….control Syria.

Personally that slogan is getting tired….very tired.

I have writing about this “situation” for some time and in doing so I have laid out why I think it is a moronic slogan that needs to be retired…..but check it…

Source: Assad: Should He Go Or Should He Stay? – In Saner Thought

Source: “Assad Must GO!” – In Saner Thought

And now we have a new president and he has little experience with the Middle East except for the Saudis which he massages their nether regions for business…..and yet he has the same goal as his predecessors……Assad Must Go!

As the Trump administration nears its 100th day in office, it has taken much-needed steps internationally, particularly in Syria.  But while the latest U.S. military action retaliating for the gassing of Khan Sheikoun was long overdue, even more can be done.

With over 400,000 deaths, five million registered Syrian refugees, and the continuation of Assad’s scorched-earth tactics, Syria will not become an island of stability any time soon, and especially after ISIS is ousted from its Raqqa stronghold.  Rather, Syria will remain polarized, politicized, and perilous unless Assad and his enablers are removed from power.

Source: Why the Trump Doctrine Dictates Assad Must Go | RealClearDefense

There it is……”Syria will remain polarized, politicized, and perilous unless Assad and his enablers are removed from power”…….in essence….Assad must go.

Like I said a great slogan…..let’s say he, Assad,  goes…….who will replace him in seat of power?  No!  Seriously!  WHO?

Keep in mind Iraq……we have done a bang up job with that regime change….and we had lackeys waiting in the wings to jump into the power vacuum…..

Name one person…a Syrian person that could step into the role as national leader.

(Pause here for thought)

That is right…there is NO strong democrat in the wings waiting to assume the role of national leader.

Maybe the old stand by slogan, Assad Must Go, needs to be retired until there is someone to fill the void created by his ousting.

For once…please think long term and now this short term solution that inevitably will come back and bite the US in the butt.

The Mother Of Intervention

The US has been in the intervention business for many years and it only gets worse with each passing year.  But the problem is that this country has learned very little with each intervention……and we blunder off into yet another quagmire.

There are some simple rules for intervention and I mean a successful intervention….something the US has yet to master.

These rules were recently published in the American Conservative…….

After trillions of dollars spent, thousands of dead and wounded, and the creation of myriad new terrorist enemies, Washington could learn a few lessons when considering future interventions.

1. Do not attempt to establish multi-ethnic democracies in nations with no traditions of limited government. Each faction believes that “an alien master is worst of all” and dreads the certain prospect of total subordination to the election victors. Do not foster electoral ceremonies where freedom from fear and the rule of law are absent: they beget, at best, the democratic centralism of Lenin. Never propagate civil wars: the revenge killings last for a hundred years.

Read on…..

Source: 17 Rules for Foreign Interventions | The American Conservative

These are some simple rules that should be taught at the War College…after all it is they that carry out all the orders to intervene….

What is it that Einstein had to say about doing things?

Syria: Another Regime Change?

Since the gas attack and the subsequent missile attack the chants of “Assad must go” have amplified….and the ever popular….”Assad’s days are numbered”…these are nothing more than cute slogans and one liners…..

I tried to give my reader my take on what “regime change” would look like for Syria…….

Source: What’s The Syrian Endgame? – In Saner Thought

Let’s say that we have success with a Syrian regime change….(wait!  I need to stop laughing)…..really….what are the options that the “leaders” are considering for this mythical regime change?

Beyond the narrow justification of these strikes as being necessary to reinforce an eroding international norm against the use of chemical weapons, this U.S. military intervention has resurfaced questions concerning the ultimate strategy that the Trump Administration is pursuing in Syria.  Before the strikes, senior administration officials including Secretary of State (SecState) Rex Tillerson and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Halley suggested that U.S. policy would abandon even the pretense of President Barack Obama’s objective of ousting Assad from power in Damascus[3].  However, in the aftermath of the strikes, the Trump Administration signaled an apparent about-face as National Security Advisor (NSA) Herbert Raymond “H. R.” McMaster declared that U.S. policy in Syria would “simultaneously” pursue the twin goals of destroying the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and removing Assad[4].  While the fight against ISIS is making significant progress, the administration has not yet articulated a detailed strategy for pursuing the ouster of Assad.  There are two broad options available:

Source: U.S. Options for Regime Change in Syria | RealClearDefense

Sorry but I may offer an opinion neither of these two options will hold the key to a successful regime change.

Look at Iraq…..that alone should deter these toads from either of the two options….In the post referenced above from IST I set forth what the future of Syria will look like.

I wish I could be more optimistic, you see I have lived in Syria many years ago and I liked the country and the people, there is not much left in the country for a successful transition to democracy.

I am positive that Syria can bounce back from this Hell….but not so with the way the US is approaching the problem…..and for now that is all there is….

A Woman Of Principle

At the beginning of this year a US Rep, Tulsi Gabbard, went on a mission to Damascus….for which she took lots of grief from some and from others , like myself, thought that she did a very necessary thing….she went to talk with the ruler of Syria…..I wrote about her trip….

Source: Finally, Some Leadership! – In Saner Thought

I like this person…she is a vet, shows courage and is against regime change…..I will get behind anyone from any party that has the courage to stand up against these wars of opportunity that the US seems Hell bent on fighting….

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is a rare member of Congress willing to take heat for challenging U.S. “regime change” projects, in part, because as an Iraq War vet she saw the damage these schemes do, as retired Col. Ann Wright explains.

I support Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, going to Syria and meeting with President Bashar al-Assad because the congresswoman is a brave person willing to take criticism for challenging U.S. policies that she believes are wrong.

It is important that we have representatives in our government who will go to countries where the United States is either killing citizens directly by U.S. intervention or indirectly by support of militia groups or by sanctions.

We need representatives to sift through what the U.S. government says and what the media reports to find out for themselves the truth, the shades of truth and the untruths.

Source: Tulsi Gabbard vs. ‘Regime Change’ Wars – Consortiumnews

I agree with the author…I am in support of Rep. Gabbard’s attempts to bring some sanity to all the interventionism running rampant in DC these days.

We need more politicians with courage…as it is we have spineless drones of the M-IC.

I will be watching her and reporting on her activities…..she deserve more exposure….I will try to help….