If MbS remains the leader of Saudi Arabia, the country will not likely even exist in its present form in 10-15 years. May he live long and prosper đŸ˜‰
Our politicians have been routinely manipulated, perhaps even bought, by foreign powers for a long time. It is a much bigger problem than Russia. Israel, Saudi Arabia, and now apparently the UAE are able to pull the puppet strings when needed. Compare the long-term corrosive effects of these unbalanced relationships with Russia's Facebook ads.
Since the passing of Zayed the country has taken a slide towards tinpot dictatorship. Gold-plated tinpot but tinpot just the same. It's a terrible shame.
We are seeing a nearly identical PR campaign to the one we saw on the eve of the liberation of eastern Aleppo. Hundreds of thousands under siege, etc. etc. But as soon as the green buses pulled away, non-combattant residents began moving back. There is no conflict in Aleppo city now, and Assad is not "killing his own people" there. Expect exactly the same in Eastern Ghouta.
At long last. Israel can continue to interfere in Syria and support the terrorist groups active in the southwest, but there may be heavy consequences in the long-term. One side note: " Its purpose is to keep Hizbullah and Iran out of Quneitra and away from the Israeli border." That is not the actual Israeli border. This would better read, "away from the Golan border," since the zone of occupation prior to the Syrian civil war already extends nearly 20 miles into Syrian territory. Israeli expansionism should not be normalized, nor should their justifications of the need for strategic depth or security.
Very important observations, Kim. We have to remember that all these features have been in place for years. The NSA surveillance program, possibly the most prolific domestic spying program in human history, reached its peak in the Obama administration. The country has been threatening and destroying other countries for decades. Once again, Mr. Obama helped detonate at least three: Libya, Syria, and Yemen. American hyper-militarism and mindless support for the military have been a problem since at least 1991. Trump is just the bubbling up of American fascism to the surface, not some new trend. Better have it out where we can see it than have it hide under convenient illusions.
Good points all. There is also the uncomfortable reality that it was primarily actors like Russia, Iran, the SAA, and the Hashd al-Shaabi that defeated ISIS, rather than "the greatest military in the world."
As refreshing as the article is, it is still disingenuous as most American conversations on this topic are; if the US had steered clear of supporting jihadism as a tool of foreign policy (in 2012 as in 1979), the problem would look very different.
That's rich, coming from one of the countries that literally funded and armed extremist jihadi terror groups to destabilize Syria. The number one destabilizing factor in the Middle East is the Gulf kleptocracies who fund extremism. They have sent in the head choppers and funded tyrants wherever democracy raised its troublesome head in the region.
A concern that should worry American voters is that a Clinton presidency represents more destabilization. Assad's governance was not an issue prior to the "civil war," and was certainly milder than that of some of our closest allies.
Our hope should be for Assad to retake at least the entirety of the western half of Syria, as there are no actors who stand even the chance of that, with all due respect to the liberal interventionist fantasies expressed here.
Clinton has proven, with her record on Iraq, Syria, and Libya, that she thinks this kind of instability is in the strategic interests of the United States.
Trump is a buffoon, but that was one issue that he may have accidentally stumbled into being correct on.
This purported breakdown of only 1000 Nusra fighters is laughable. Nusra's dominance in east Aleppo is well-documented, and the other groups active there are almost indistinguishable in their Islamist outlook. Let's hope for a quick SAA victory and expulsion of all terrorist groups from the city.
It invalidated the agreement and necessitated the intensified bombing of rebel positions expressly because the so-called moderates are fighting side by side with Nusra in east Aleppo. That is exactly the Russian complaint, and it is an absolutely legitimate one.
Why, Juan, do you take a position against innocent victims and for murderous governments? Every one of the governments you mentioned deserves, at a minimum, to face litigation for their crimes. Why should governments enjoy such immunity?
Anyway, no sense in getting worked up about it; Congress likely already has legislation in the wings to roll back JASTA. It's just for show.
"The Saudi citizen population is probably 20 million, and almost none of them are terrorists." -- All but two of the 9-11 attackers were Saudi. A very large contingent of terrorists operating in both Iraq and Syria are Saudi. The Shia communities of the Ahsa have been continuously attacked by homegrown Saudi terrorists. Saudi clerics themselves have called for violence against Shias, including women and children.
Any ceasefire at this point is a bad idea, as past ceasefires have only strengthened the terrorists. Assad/Putin should be given the green light to retake Aleppo at any cost. War is hard. Prolonging the inevitable is only making it harder.
"...with all the subtlety of a mobster" Just want to point out that Assad and the Syrian Arab Army have every right to defend their territory. The US was not invited to operate in Syria and is doing so in contravention of international law.
"And if the regime took back over the east, it would round up thousands of rebels and put them in mass graves after it tortured them." But you make it sound like it's a bad thing...
The open secret is that Daesh grew quickly with support from local populations such as in Hawija. Just such a shame when the genocidal terrorist army you support because of your own sectarian hatred turns on you.
Now if they could all get together to do the right thing and vote the Sultan out of office. Turkey and the region cannot endure any more of the chaos he has unleashed.
Thank you for the view from Foggy Bottom. Meanwhile, back in reality, Putin is taking on the terrorists that will undoubtedly subsume and destroy any remaining semblance of the modern state of Syria should Assad fall.
If MbS remains the leader of Saudi Arabia, the country will not likely even exist in its present form in 10-15 years. May he live long and prosper đŸ˜‰
Our politicians have been routinely manipulated, perhaps even bought, by foreign powers for a long time. It is a much bigger problem than Russia. Israel, Saudi Arabia, and now apparently the UAE are able to pull the puppet strings when needed. Compare the long-term corrosive effects of these unbalanced relationships with Russia's Facebook ads.
Since the passing of Zayed the country has taken a slide towards tinpot dictatorship. Gold-plated tinpot but tinpot just the same. It's a terrible shame.
We are seeing a nearly identical PR campaign to the one we saw on the eve of the liberation of eastern Aleppo. Hundreds of thousands under siege, etc. etc. But as soon as the green buses pulled away, non-combattant residents began moving back. There is no conflict in Aleppo city now, and Assad is not "killing his own people" there. Expect exactly the same in Eastern Ghouta.
Add: Both are racial supremacists who denigrate minorities and deny their rights.
At long last. Israel can continue to interfere in Syria and support the terrorist groups active in the southwest, but there may be heavy consequences in the long-term. One side note: " Its purpose is to keep Hizbullah and Iran out of Quneitra and away from the Israeli border." That is not the actual Israeli border. This would better read, "away from the Golan border," since the zone of occupation prior to the Syrian civil war already extends nearly 20 miles into Syrian territory. Israeli expansionism should not be normalized, nor should their justifications of the need for strategic depth or security.
Very important observations, Kim. We have to remember that all these features have been in place for years. The NSA surveillance program, possibly the most prolific domestic spying program in human history, reached its peak in the Obama administration. The country has been threatening and destroying other countries for decades. Once again, Mr. Obama helped detonate at least three: Libya, Syria, and Yemen. American hyper-militarism and mindless support for the military have been a problem since at least 1991. Trump is just the bubbling up of American fascism to the surface, not some new trend. Better have it out where we can see it than have it hide under convenient illusions.
America's biggest Middle East challenges in the coming year are, as has been the case for many a year, its own ignorance and rapaciousness.
Good points all. There is also the uncomfortable reality that it was primarily actors like Russia, Iran, the SAA, and the Hashd al-Shaabi that defeated ISIS, rather than "the greatest military in the world."
As refreshing as the article is, it is still disingenuous as most American conversations on this topic are; if the US had steered clear of supporting jihadism as a tool of foreign policy (in 2012 as in 1979), the problem would look very different.
That's rich, coming from one of the countries that literally funded and armed extremist jihadi terror groups to destabilize Syria. The number one destabilizing factor in the Middle East is the Gulf kleptocracies who fund extremism. They have sent in the head choppers and funded tyrants wherever democracy raised its troublesome head in the region.
A concern that should worry American voters is that a Clinton presidency represents more destabilization. Assad's governance was not an issue prior to the "civil war," and was certainly milder than that of some of our closest allies.
Our hope should be for Assad to retake at least the entirety of the western half of Syria, as there are no actors who stand even the chance of that, with all due respect to the liberal interventionist fantasies expressed here.
Clinton has proven, with her record on Iraq, Syria, and Libya, that she thinks this kind of instability is in the strategic interests of the United States.
Trump is a buffoon, but that was one issue that he may have accidentally stumbled into being correct on.
This purported breakdown of only 1000 Nusra fighters is laughable. Nusra's dominance in east Aleppo is well-documented, and the other groups active there are almost indistinguishable in their Islamist outlook. Let's hope for a quick SAA victory and expulsion of all terrorist groups from the city.
It invalidated the agreement and necessitated the intensified bombing of rebel positions expressly because the so-called moderates are fighting side by side with Nusra in east Aleppo. That is exactly the Russian complaint, and it is an absolutely legitimate one.
Why, Juan, do you take a position against innocent victims and for murderous governments? Every one of the governments you mentioned deserves, at a minimum, to face litigation for their crimes. Why should governments enjoy such immunity?
Anyway, no sense in getting worked up about it; Congress likely already has legislation in the wings to roll back JASTA. It's just for show.
"The Saudi citizen population is probably 20 million, and almost none of them are terrorists." -- All but two of the 9-11 attackers were Saudi. A very large contingent of terrorists operating in both Iraq and Syria are Saudi. The Shia communities of the Ahsa have been continuously attacked by homegrown Saudi terrorists. Saudi clerics themselves have called for violence against Shias, including women and children.
Any ceasefire at this point is a bad idea, as past ceasefires have only strengthened the terrorists. Assad/Putin should be given the green light to retake Aleppo at any cost. War is hard. Prolonging the inevitable is only making it harder.
"...with all the subtlety of a mobster" Just want to point out that Assad and the Syrian Arab Army have every right to defend their territory. The US was not invited to operate in Syria and is doing so in contravention of international law.
"And if the regime took back over the east, it would round up thousands of rebels and put them in mass graves after it tortured them." But you make it sound like it's a bad thing...
The open secret is that Daesh grew quickly with support from local populations such as in Hawija. Just such a shame when the genocidal terrorist army you support because of your own sectarian hatred turns on you.
Now if they could all get together to do the right thing and vote the Sultan out of office. Turkey and the region cannot endure any more of the chaos he has unleashed.
Thank you for the view from Foggy Bottom. Meanwhile, back in reality, Putin is taking on the terrorists that will undoubtedly subsume and destroy any remaining semblance of the modern state of Syria should Assad fall.