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Why Is Obama Involving the U.S. in Another War in the Mideast?
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Leroy N. Soetoro
Jun 19, 2013, 1:18:52 PM6/19/13
to
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/why-is-obama-
involving-the-us-in-another-war-in-the-mideast/276879/
The president's decision to arm the rebels in Syria is yet another
betrayal of the anti-war liberals who helped elect him.
On Thursday, "President Barack Obama authorized his administration to
provide arms to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," the
Wall Street Journal reports. "The classified order directing the Central
Intelligence Agency to coordinate arming the rebels in concert with its
allies reverses a long-standing policy that limited the U.S. to providing
nonlethal support."
Is this where we are now?
Involvement in a new war comes not via a declaration from Congress, nor
even a major announcement from the president -- instead, a leak of a
classified order is thought sufficient to alert the public!
One of the president's staunchest supporters, Andrew Sullivan, says that
this is a betrayal, arguing that Obama was elected to get the United
States out of armed conflicts in the Middle East. "By deciding to arm the
Sunni radicals fighting the Shiites in Syria and Lebanon, the president
has caved to the usual establishment subjects who still want to run or
control the entire world," Sullivan writes. "I don't buy the small arms
qualifier. You know that's the foot in the door to dragging the U.S. into
the middle of a civil war we do not understand and cannot control." If
arming the rebels has any effect, he concludes, "it will be to draw out
the conflict still longer and kill more people."
Writing at Foreign Policy, Dan Drezner argues that drawing out the killing
is the whole point:
Naturally, this will feed the "return of the liberal hawks" meme that's
spreading in some quarters .... To your humble blogger, this is simply the
next iteration of the unspoken, brutally realpolitik policy towards Syria
that's been going on for the past two years. To recap, the goal of that
policy is to ensnare Iran and Hezbollah into a protracted, resource-
draining civil war, with as minimal costs as possible. This is exactly
what the last two years have accomplished ... at an appalling toll in
lives lost. This policy doesn't require any course correction ... so long
as rebels are holding their own or winning. A faltering Assad simply
forces Iran et al into doubling down and committing even more resources.
A faltering rebel movement, on the other hand, does require some external
support, lest the Iranians actually win the conflict.
In a related matter, arming the rebels also prevents relations with U.S.
allies in the region from fraying any further. So is this the first step
towards another U.S.-led war in the region? No. Everything in that Times
story, and everything this administration has said and done for the past
two years, screams deep reluctance over intervention. Arming the rebels is
not the same thing as a no-fly zone or any kind of ground intervention.
This is simply the United States engaging in its own form of asymmetric
warfare. For the low, low price of aiding and arming the rebels, the U.S.
preoccupies all of its adversaries in the Middle East.
Adding that he is morally uncomfortable with this approach "until one
considers the alternatives," Drezner concludes, "the United States is
using a liberal internationalist rubric to cloak a pretty realist policy
towards Syria. Am I missing anything?" Daniel Larison thinks so. Writing
at The American Conservative, the non-interventionist blogger writes that
"because it will prove to be ineffective in changing the course of the
war, as opponents of this measure have said for years, it will serve as an
invitation to further escalation in the coming months and years."
Personally, I've stopped trying to figure Obama out. The man has done the
opposite of what he's said too many times to treat his own words as a
reliable predictor of what he really believes. (Who knew "change"
described his future positions?) But whether he is deliberately trying to
escalate U.S. involvement, as Sullivan seems to think, or just prolonging
the slaughter in Syria, as Drezner believes, his actions will be just the
latest disappointment to the anti-war liberals who helped elect him.
They'll also be another example of a president making a decision that
would be better debated and voted on by Congress. I'd want that debate to
end in a finding that, aside from humanitarian relief supplies, the U.S.
should stay as far away from Syria as possible.
Comments:
Elegance � 2 days ago
The Oval Office is the place for circle-jerking warmongers to feather
their nests without regard for humanity. The blow-back from arming people
will be more weapons on the streets and more murder. This policy - kind
of, sort of - goes against the pathetic gun control legislation Obama
pushed a short-time ago. Arm child soldiers? What a great idea! The man is
out of his mind, or a puppet, or another fake 'peace-loving' politician.
If arming people to prolong civil wars is not illegal in America, it
should be. I hope he can't sleep at night over this decision. You know the
mental case McCain and his lapdog Graham are just wetting themselves over
another chance at war.
27 6 �Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness Elegance � 2 days ago
and now a few words on the misery in today's world create by the Brits
India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Zimbabwe, South
Africa, the slave trade, opium wars...
12 3 �Reply�Share �
JonJ Nun Yerbizness � 2 days ago
An apt comparison. The British Empire used to be the paradigm of an
imperialist country. Future historians will consider the U.S. from the
post-WW II period to Obama (and who knows how much longer?) as an even
better example.
�Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness JonJ � 2 days ago
sorry but I think you are wrong.
it will take another 100 years to repair the damage done by the British.
no nation can come close to doing what the British did for 300 years in
today's world
5 1 �Reply�Share �
Ren� Martin Nun Yerbizness � a day ago
So two wrongs do make a right?
1 �Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness Ren� Martin � an hour ago
there is the British wrong the rest of the world is struggling to make
right...
�Reply�Share �
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
involving-the-us-in-another-war-in-the-mideast/276879/
The president's decision to arm the rebels in Syria is yet another
betrayal of the anti-war liberals who helped elect him.
On Thursday, "President Barack Obama authorized his administration to
provide arms to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," the
Wall Street Journal reports. "The classified order directing the Central
Intelligence Agency to coordinate arming the rebels in concert with its
allies reverses a long-standing policy that limited the U.S. to providing
nonlethal support."
Is this where we are now?
Involvement in a new war comes not via a declaration from Congress, nor
even a major announcement from the president -- instead, a leak of a
classified order is thought sufficient to alert the public!
One of the president's staunchest supporters, Andrew Sullivan, says that
this is a betrayal, arguing that Obama was elected to get the United
States out of armed conflicts in the Middle East. "By deciding to arm the
Sunni radicals fighting the Shiites in Syria and Lebanon, the president
has caved to the usual establishment subjects who still want to run or
control the entire world," Sullivan writes. "I don't buy the small arms
qualifier. You know that's the foot in the door to dragging the U.S. into
the middle of a civil war we do not understand and cannot control." If
arming the rebels has any effect, he concludes, "it will be to draw out
the conflict still longer and kill more people."
Writing at Foreign Policy, Dan Drezner argues that drawing out the killing
is the whole point:
Naturally, this will feed the "return of the liberal hawks" meme that's
spreading in some quarters .... To your humble blogger, this is simply the
next iteration of the unspoken, brutally realpolitik policy towards Syria
that's been going on for the past two years. To recap, the goal of that
policy is to ensnare Iran and Hezbollah into a protracted, resource-
draining civil war, with as minimal costs as possible. This is exactly
what the last two years have accomplished ... at an appalling toll in
lives lost. This policy doesn't require any course correction ... so long
as rebels are holding their own or winning. A faltering Assad simply
forces Iran et al into doubling down and committing even more resources.
A faltering rebel movement, on the other hand, does require some external
support, lest the Iranians actually win the conflict.
In a related matter, arming the rebels also prevents relations with U.S.
allies in the region from fraying any further. So is this the first step
towards another U.S.-led war in the region? No. Everything in that Times
story, and everything this administration has said and done for the past
two years, screams deep reluctance over intervention. Arming the rebels is
not the same thing as a no-fly zone or any kind of ground intervention.
This is simply the United States engaging in its own form of asymmetric
warfare. For the low, low price of aiding and arming the rebels, the U.S.
preoccupies all of its adversaries in the Middle East.
Adding that he is morally uncomfortable with this approach "until one
considers the alternatives," Drezner concludes, "the United States is
using a liberal internationalist rubric to cloak a pretty realist policy
towards Syria. Am I missing anything?" Daniel Larison thinks so. Writing
at The American Conservative, the non-interventionist blogger writes that
"because it will prove to be ineffective in changing the course of the
war, as opponents of this measure have said for years, it will serve as an
invitation to further escalation in the coming months and years."
Personally, I've stopped trying to figure Obama out. The man has done the
opposite of what he's said too many times to treat his own words as a
reliable predictor of what he really believes. (Who knew "change"
described his future positions?) But whether he is deliberately trying to
escalate U.S. involvement, as Sullivan seems to think, or just prolonging
the slaughter in Syria, as Drezner believes, his actions will be just the
latest disappointment to the anti-war liberals who helped elect him.
They'll also be another example of a president making a decision that
would be better debated and voted on by Congress. I'd want that debate to
end in a finding that, aside from humanitarian relief supplies, the U.S.
should stay as far away from Syria as possible.
Comments:
Elegance � 2 days ago
The Oval Office is the place for circle-jerking warmongers to feather
their nests without regard for humanity. The blow-back from arming people
will be more weapons on the streets and more murder. This policy - kind
of, sort of - goes against the pathetic gun control legislation Obama
pushed a short-time ago. Arm child soldiers? What a great idea! The man is
out of his mind, or a puppet, or another fake 'peace-loving' politician.
If arming people to prolong civil wars is not illegal in America, it
should be. I hope he can't sleep at night over this decision. You know the
mental case McCain and his lapdog Graham are just wetting themselves over
another chance at war.
27 6 �Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness Elegance � 2 days ago
and now a few words on the misery in today's world create by the Brits
India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Zimbabwe, South
Africa, the slave trade, opium wars...
12 3 �Reply�Share �
JonJ Nun Yerbizness � 2 days ago
An apt comparison. The British Empire used to be the paradigm of an
imperialist country. Future historians will consider the U.S. from the
post-WW II period to Obama (and who knows how much longer?) as an even
better example.
�Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness JonJ � 2 days ago
sorry but I think you are wrong.
it will take another 100 years to repair the damage done by the British.
no nation can come close to doing what the British did for 300 years in
today's world
5 1 �Reply�Share �
Ren� Martin Nun Yerbizness � a day ago
So two wrongs do make a right?
1 �Reply�Share �
Nun Yerbizness Ren� Martin � an hour ago
there is the British wrong the rest of the world is struggling to make
right...
�Reply�Share �
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
Faux Boobs in the news
Jun 19, 2013, 2:29:28 PM6/19/13
to
On 6/19/2013 12:18 PM, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
>
It seems the war hawks Lindsay Graham and failin McCain want it.
>
It seems the war hawks Lindsay Graham and failin McCain want it.
Frank
Jun 19, 2013, 3:00:05 PM6/19/13
to
On 6/19/2013 2:29 PM, Faux Boobs in the news wrote:
> On 6/19/2013 12:18 PM, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
>>
>
> It seems the war hawks Lindsay Graham and failin McCain want it.
>
>
http://tinyurl.com/pr6vq94
> On 6/19/2013 12:18 PM, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
>>
>
> It seems the war hawks Lindsay Graham and failin McCain want it.
>
>
Spamßuster
Jun 19, 2013, 6:50:35 PM6/19/13
to
==========================================================
KEEP IT THE HELL OUT OF CANADIAN NEWSGROUPS, THANKS
==========================================================
On 6/19/2013 10:18 AM, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
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Spamßuster
Jun 19, 2013, 6:52:01 PM6/19/13
to
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KEEP IT THE HELL OUT OF CANADIAN NEWSGROUPS, THANKS
==========================================================
Bill Steele
Jun 20, 2013, 1:33:42 PM6/20/13
to
In article <XnsA1E468EC81...@202.177.16.121>,
Intelligent analysts (seldom seen on Usenet) say that he is giving both
sides a motivation to negotiate. Just the threat that we might get
involved and do to their country what we did to Iraq should be enough.
sides a motivation to negotiate. Just the threat that we might get
involved and do to their country what we did to Iraq should be enough.
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