By Ted Belman (written Sept 20/14)
When Obama took office he set about undermining Gaddafi, Mubarak and Assad. He worked in concert with Qatar, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Libyan tribe that revolted against Gaddafi, probably instigated by the CIA, could easily have been crushed by Gaddafi had the matter been treated as an internal matter. But this coalition began a propaganda assault on Gaddafi claiming that there was an impending massacre. This justified Qatar in starting a movement in the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. Pres Obama immediately imposed it and more while leading from behind. The end result is that Gaddafi is dead and chaos reigns.
In Egypt, Obama rehabilitated the Muslim Brotherhood by insisting that Mubarak allow them to attend his Cairo speech. Mubarak chose not to attend. From that moment on the handwriting was on the wall.
The NYT reported in 2011 that U.S. Groups Helped Nurture Arab Uprisings :
“But as American officials and others look back at the uprisings of the Arab Spring, they are seeing that the United States’ democracy-building campaigns played a bigger role in fomenting protests than was previously known, with key leaders of the movements having been trained by the Americans in campaigning, organizing through new media tools and monitoring elections.”
Various groups in Libya and Egypt “received training and financing from groups like the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, a nonprofit human rights organization based in Washington”
It is safe to assume that the CIA was involved as Pres Obama wanted to depose Gaddafi and Mubarak. After all, it is the job of the CIA to foment rebellion in countries where the US governments want to make unstable or unseat the government in power.
It wasn’t long before Obama demanded that Mubarak resign. He then pushed for early elections to enable the Muslim Brotherhood to win. The opposition had no chance to mobilize. But unfortunately for Obama, Morsi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, overplayed his hand and was deposed by the Egyptian army lead by General el Sisi. Saudi Arabia and UAE financially backed the coup and the US was left in the awkward position of dealing with the new government while still trying to protect the Muslim Brotherhood. As a result the US has lost influence and credibility in Egypt and worldwide so much so that she was on the outside looking in as Israel and Egypt dominated the cease fire process.
Obama had a grand, or should I say grandiose, plan for deposing Assad. It all started when the Bush Jr Administration decided to align with the Sunni states to challenge Iran’s hegemony.
In 2007, Seymor Hersh reported in depth on it in Redirections published by The New Yorker, calling it a “strategic shift”.
“In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. [..]
One contradictory aspect of the new strategy is that, in Iraq, most of the insurgent violence directed at the American military has come from Sunni forces, and not from Shiites. But, from the Administration’s perspective, the most profound—and unintended—strategic consequence of the Iraq war is the empowerment of Iran.
The Saudis shared this concern and joined with the US to reduce Iranian influence in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
The protests arising from a water shortage in Syria in 2010 were leveraged into a full scale rebellion in 2011. Working with his coalition above mentioned, he attempted to mobilize those forces who were challenging Assad but insisted that these forces be centered on the Muslim Brotherhood. He went so far as to deny the Kurds and other democratic groups from participating. Iran, Hezbollah and Russia came to the defense of Assad. Had Obama used superior force, he could have brought Assad to his knees in no time. But no, he tried to do so on the cheap using other people’s boots on the ground. According to the UN, the death toll now exceeds 190,000. Had Obama not attempted to overthrow Assad, Assad could easily have suppressed the rebellion with less than 10% of the current death toll. So Obama is responsible for the carnage.
The creation of ISIS is due in part to the efforts of this coalition who needed it to help overthrow Assad. Saudi Arabia, whose primary goal was to reduce Iranian hegemony, joined the effort. ISIS has become a rallying point for Sunnis to conquer Iraq and Syria and perhaps Lebanon.
Obama later decided to seek some kind of détente with Iran. He undermined the sanctions that were in place and stopped calling for the removal of Assad. He went so far as to seek the assistance of Iran in defeating ISIS. Iran turned him down. Saudi Arabia felt betrayed.
Recently, Obama made a major speech in which he announced his intention to create a new coalition of countries that would work with him to destroy ISIS. But he has no takers. The UK, France and Germany have turned him down. Turkey has turned him down. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also turned him down. (at the time this was written) Essentially he is asking the Sunnis to take up arms against ISIS which is also Sunni. It’s not going to happen. ISIS is taking over large swaths of Syria and Iraq which is exactly what the Saudis want. Thus Iranian hegemony is being curtailed.
Obama tried to deal with this problem by declaring that ISIS is not Islamic. But the Sunnis know better.
Obama’s machinations have caused the death of almost 200,000 Syrians. He did nothing to curtail the killing. ISIS comes along and kills much less than 10,000. For some reason, it’s enough to move Obama to try to rally other people’s troops to destroy them. He tried to distinguish between fighting ISIS in Iraq and not in Syria. Perhaps this reflects his desire to prevent Iraq from fracturing and his former desire to bring Assad down. This distinction cannot hold.
On Sept 15 the NYT published an article titled To Crush ISIS, Make a Deal With Assad:
”by insisting on a Sunni coalition, the West will only appear to be joining a gulf-led war on the Shiites of Iraq, Syria and Iran. (It bears noting that neither Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite movement based in Lebanon, nor Iran has declared a global war on the West and non-Muslims, unlike Saudi-inspired salafists and their jihadist brethren.)”
But isn’t that what the fight against Assad was all about.
“Supporting the Syrian “moderates” would make some military sense only if it would make any difference on the ground. But in the absence of any large-scale Western or regional commitment to deploy troops, the only real “boots on the ground” capable of destroying ISIS are the Syrian Army and its local allies, including Hezbollah.”
This article recommended throwing Saudi Arabia under the bus and went so far as to say:
“the West must overcome its reluctance to offend the Saudis, and speak out much more forcefully against the insidious influence of Wahhabism and the ideological support it offers violent extremism. The Arab gulf states must choose a side. They cannot continue to finance terrorism and use fundamentalism as a policy tool and yet claim to be fighting it abroad. Saudi Arabia is both a sponsor and a target of jihad — it should wish to be neither.”
Wouldn’t that be a pretty turn of events. Obama started out trying to form a Sunni alliance to take down Shiite Assad and now the NYT suggests that he should form a Shiite alliance to take down Sunni ISIS.
mar55 Said:
that is the good part.
Chaos and suffering in the lands of the enemies, libelers, swindlers, defamers, detractors, delegitimizers is the way they are kept busy with less time to persecute jews.
@ mar55:
Why I was not allowed to edit this comment? I easnted to correct some spelling and other mistakes.
@ yamit82:
We did arm and trained ou enemies. Now that the Saudis, Turkey,
Qatar an Iran see the danger to themselves of the monster they had created they want to control the ISIS. They are not less radical or their hate for Israel or the Amerca has stopped.
On the contrary, but with their manipulations have gotten the US to do their dirty work. We get involved, put our men, equipment and money to get rid of what they created. How convenient. We have sold the latest military equipment to Qatar.
Billions of dollar worth of the mos sophisticated equipment in our arsenal. The Saudis have the latest aircraft in spite of the Israeli technology in these planes. The US refusal to deliver the same planes already paid for to Israel.
Why not let the Saudis and the rest of the arabs to fight ISIS.
WE should not be involved. This is their war. Let them fight it.
After trying to get rid of Assad for Qatar benefit even with a false flag attack on the population. We are actually helping Assad now stay in power. Hundred of thousands deaths and entire towns with ancient roots destroyed and we are now fighting their war.
Benghazi was set up to arm Assad’s opposition and it backfired.
The Obama Administration has been a total disaster for world’s peace. the Middle East is on fire thanks to an obtuse incompetent man at the White House.
We are contributing our military equipment, our aviators and our treasure which keeps dwindling. Adqiring a debt that our great grandchildren will be responsible for paying.
The whole situation is horrible.
@ M Devolin:
I hope you have a good year. You could probably use it like the rest of us!!
@Yamit82 – you are correct, no guarantees that the next Pres will be better. David Horowitz, in his new book, “Take no Prisoners,” or at least in his discussion of his book, went over how most Americans vote (emotionally) – how much we think the candidate ‘cares’ about us. With emotionally-based decisions we’re in for bad decisions.
LOL, a web of deceit from a future candidate for the presidency
Max Said:
IF ANYONE IS FOLLOWING SOME OFFICIAL SCRIPT IT’S THOU!!!!!
ebyjeeby Said:
2 years is enough time to do more irreparable damage to America and Israel, especially a Lame duck president.
Replacing Obama does not guarantee his replacement will be better. That’s what they thought about Both Bush presidents.
As Long as America chooses her leaders based on demagoguery and pandering to the lowest common denominators, there is no reason to expect except by luck that the next president will be better and more successful than the current occupant.
@ woolymammoth:
What you say about the CIA is most factual but same can be said about the FBI,Secret Service and the American Military all branches but especially the Navy (traditional animus) the State Dept and Dept of Commerce.
What has always protected Jews in America from outright blatant Jew Hatred was the American Institutional color and ethnic blindness. I think that protection is becoming frayed these days and getting weaker by the day.
It’s difficult for me to accept that there is a disconnect between the American executive and the anti Jewish and Israel policies carried out through and by Gov Institutions especially when this trend has been going on for over a half century crossing party lines and multipe administrations.
Many things change with the change of administrations but their anti Israel and anti Jewish policies remain.
Politically, if the Jewish community in America ever had any real influence they are so marginal today they are discounted politically as a constituency 1.8% of the general population and declining in real numbers and % by the year. Only Jewish money by big donors keeps the myth of Jewish Power and influence alive. paying lip servive to Jews costs the politicians nothing, and they might gain a few bucks but as can be seen those words are seldom translated into real deeds.
Israel does itself no medium to long term service by tying itself to America. Nothing especially from America is free.
ebyjeeby Said:
Not making up paranoid stories bashing him for what he hasn’t done and not taking destructive positions towards constructive events just to spuriously discredit Obama.
Stick to the facts and the real problem – that he did and does nothing – neither economic reform nor foreign assertion.
…
And it isn’t just Obama, unless the public wakes up , unless there is some kind of self-defense movement to create a defensive Democracy to both internal and external enemies , America is relegated to the dustbin of history.
@ M Devolin:
I made no discussion even remotely resembling those topics Devolin.
You are obviously very confused and upset.
You neither understand the society you live in nor what you have been criticized for. A sort self sustained of limited awareness,
Very sad, but then again it’s a mercy for you and others as I suppose following an official script makes life much simpler.
@Max – Obama is deserves much bashing. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Good article – Soon Obama will be relegated to the dustbin of history.
@ ngbranitsky: Thanks for catching that. It should be 2007.
“Muslim does not equal Jihadist if we got control somehow”
But I thought Max felt no affinity with these “elitist” governments who “control” the poor downtrodden proletariat?? Now he’s excusing them??? What an imperialist!! What an elitist!!!
It seems as though the cia has a policy of undermining the Israel/USA relationship by all means at it’s disposal. The so called “intelligence Community” which has directly prevented Pollard’s release, heaps unmitigated scorn upon anyone who would support Israel’s right to defend itself or exist for that matter. For example their vocabulary is limited for such intelligent souls and often refer Israel to as a “maggot”. Israel from their point of view has done nothing for Uncle Sam and accomplished little else. They discount Israel’s accomplishment as spin, “hasbara”.
Good article.
It would have and it still will even though Obama let the FSA be significantly degraded – there was a point where the FSA almost had the upper hand. The support of the USA makes all the difference.
As regards the conclusion of the above sentence – it is simply what the author wishes to conclude – no reality to it one way or another.
As for Libya, it was a successful revolution and much needed – Gaddafi was promoting terror throughout Africa , bombing airplanes,killing British policeman, stockpiling weapons for his ambition to be Emperor of Africa – he needed to go. Again Obama made the mistake of simply withdrawing support. The revolutionaries committed to staying free form Islamism are under the gun – again the USA needs to support them.
We lucked out in Egypt – the people who had economic control knew it was either them or the MB so they ended Morisi and started executing the MB.
Now be rational all you Obama bashers who carry it too far – if that’s a good thing for Egypt, it is also a good thing for Libya and Syria.
Put/support the governments that we want or that are at least creating a bulwark for us. They are all Muslim even the current governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, Muslim does not equal Jihadist if we got control somehow except in the mind of the conspiracy ridden.
@ ngbranitsky:
Maybe he did maybe he didn’t, who cares?
Trying to stay on topic.
I don’t believe Seymour Hersh reported anything in 1907. 😉
Can’t make this up and it is stranger than fiction!
John Kerry Embarrasses United States Again:Tells UN To Fight ISIS To Save Math For The Little Kids
Ex-Marine Corps Head: Obama’s ISIS Strategy Doomed
Marine General (ret.) James Conway: Obama’s strategy doesn’t have ‘a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding.’
Looks like aid promised by Obama and the EU didn’t get to the Kurds on time and as promised, now their third largest city about to fall and 60,000 refugees on the run.
Kurds Issue Dramatic Call to Arms as Fresh ISIS Massacre Looms
Kurds warn of ‘genocide operation’, calls youth to defend embattled border town as Islamic State tries to cement control of Turkish border.
Obama is a Mass Murderer and abetter at least.
Israel should draw by now all necessary conclusions. Everybody else has but we got BB… What me worry? 🙁