US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

[Adeptus]

DOUBLE FACEPALM


So I was watching the news last night and trying to make sense of Obama's new war declaration.... My head is still spinning from the irony overload. Let me recap:

2003 - US arms the Iraqi army with US arms that they also used to destroy the previous Iraqi army with

Fast forward to...

2014 - The Iraqi army fails to defend the Iraqis and gets hijacked by ISIS who steals the US weapons of the Iraqi army and claims Jihad on the US.
Yesterday, Nobel peace prize winner Obama, who pledged to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home from Iraq, 1 day before the 9/11 anniversary, declares war in Iraq on ISIS by sending the US air force to Iraq to drop bombs to bomb the US bombs that ISIS was bombing Iraqis with, so as to make Iraq "safe" again. Further, the US will now also arm the remaining Syrian rebels, whom originally split off and created ISIS in the first place, to fight the ISIS terrorists expanding into Syria and threatening the Assad regime that the US army was already against, and giving them some cover by also bombing Syria with the help of Western allies, except for the UK and Germany, who just opted out this morning. But not to worry, since 2 months ago the John Kerry announced the US was willing to establish a military cooperation with Iran to prevent the advance of Sunni extremists in Iraq. Oy!

I'm starting to think maybe Obama should have stuck to his "no strategy" strategy making the news headlines last week which actually aligns better with his original "let's get the troops out", (admit going into Iraq was a mistake in the first place) and end the dependency on foreign oil before the war against ISIS spawns an even worse enemy down the road.

Obviously ISIS represents some pretty *ucked *hit and I don't want to see them spread any more than anybody else, but this whole thing is just getting way too convoluted and out of hand. I can't possibly see how this will all lead to a more peaceful future.

[shiny!]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

I can't possibly see how this will all lead to a more peaceful future.

It won't. And we won't break our dependency on foreign oil until it becomes unobtanium. This is all just insane.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Personally, I'd like to see a shadow diplomacy capability to match the shadow governments of Non State Actors(NSAs) in ungoverned spaces.

I think if we don't, we will really come to regret it.

We've got a confluence of trends(per Kilcullen's "Out of the Mountains" book) that include:

Population Growth(estimated 7.25 billion, 8 billion by 2025)
Urbanization(70% of the population live in urban centres of 1+ million)
Littoralization(mass coastal living)
Connectness(even 4th world dirt poor have internet enabled smart phones)

Add to that the inability of nations to effectively govern their countries and failure to provide even basic services to their very fast growing "gigaslums" with 1 toilet per 1440 people:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/one-toile...i/26537-3.html

Catalyzing and accelerating that problem is the void created by US disengagement, and what will rise to fill it.

I reckon we have already entered an extended period where diplomacy will have to increasingly split into 2 levels.

The top level is our traditional diplomatic infrastructure, doctrine, and procedures between two recognized sovereign states.

The bottom level may require the development of a smaller/agile mashup of personnel in both temporary and near permanent task forces to interface with Non State Actors(NSAs) within or adjacent to sovereign states.

Like a Gangs of New York.......but the Lagos 2020 edition with AK47s and iPhones.

It may increasingly compel a far greater need for direct back channel coal face diplomacy.

Load each task force with just enough volunteer diplomats, cops, special forces advisors, spooks, OGAs, etc. for a very long posting(at least in the Western sense of "long"...say 3-5 years minimum) that is career enhancing, rather than career suicide. And encourage them to go full mufti....immersed completely as local/regional SMEs.

Ultra Local Giga-Ghetto diplomacy that traditional diplomatic infrastructure is completely unable/unwilling to conduct.

The biggest impediments I see to it include:

Bureaucratic inertia

Sensitivity of dealing directly with the centres of gravity in the ungoverned space of a sovereign state.

I see it as a capability that needs to be built yesterday.

The deconstruction of the US agenda based global security "scaffolding"(and the associated increase in geopolitical void spaces), combined with deconstructing arbitrary border/state colonial artifacts, the need for a robust and agile Non State Actor holistic diplomatic capability to both recommend and execute foreign policy is going to be pretty important.

Multi-agency and multi-national fusion cells have worked exceptionally well in the kinetic destruction of hydra headed enemy networks.

I reckon the same rough analog might be worth looking closely at(like an Idealab! for Non State Actor holistic approach diplomatic task forces).

Some people need to be killed....that's an absolute fact....much like invasive surgery.

But you can't kill your way to victory....and it's possible to get addicted to surgery.

Just because you have the best "surgical team" in the world, doesn't mean everything needs to be surgically removed.

Most medicine and geopolitical problems require non-invasive and non-kinetic solutions.

The world's best "surgical team" should be matched with the world's best "primary care" team comfortable with living with dirt floors in the 3rd/4th world for the long-term.

Will the US implement anything along those lines?

Who knows!

I've been closely involved in low level coal face diplomatic efforts in a semi-permissive environment.

I reckon it's absolutely essential to a successful foreign policy.

Does that mean talking to ISIS?

Personally, I don't think so.

To answer that might require calling on your inner Michael Corleone.

'Is it good for business?"

and

"If you have to kill someone, make sure their kids don't come back for vendetta" <---not in the short term literal sense of killing children like in Godfather, but in the sense of cutting the cycle of violence conducted through indoctrination.

I see ISIS as something akin to an Arab islamic Khmer Rouge, with smart phones.

The real battle I see is for governance of all those thousands of small communities that ISIS will be flowing like water through and around.

Just my 0.02c

[touchring]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Obviously ISIS represents some pretty *ucked *hit and I don't want to see them spread any more than anybody else, but this whole thing is just getting way too convoluted and out of hand. I can't possibly see how this will all lead to a more peaceful future.

I think Obama is forced to put a stop to this.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/mosul-...ry?id=24878057

Not to mention, that the US embassy in Baghdad is along Tigris River.

If you look at the timing, I think ISIS took full advantage of the war in Ukraine to make a stealth invasion of Northern Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norther...ve_(June_2014)

The Northern Iraq offensive began on June 5, 2014, when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS; sometimes referred to as ISIL and now The Islamic State (IS)) and aligned forces began a major offensive in northern Iraq against the Iraqi government, following earlier clashes, which began in December 2013.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/new...0826-0008.html

26 May 2014: New elections result in Petro Poroshenko's election. The newly elected President announces a military offensive which would wipe the rebels “in hours”.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ver-alone.html

HUNDREDS of pro-Russian rebels killed in fierce attack by Ukrainian forces as Obama tells Nato allies 'you'll never be alone'
Kiev's 'anti-terrorist operation' said 300 rebel fighters were killed
Fighting has raged for 24 hours in and around city of Slaviansk
The area is a strategically located separatist stronghold
Meanwhile, Obama announced new U.S. help for Ukraine's army
He said he will 'refuse to allow dark tactics to define the 21st century'
G-7 group will meet in Brussels today, without Vladimir Putin
But Cameron, Hollande and Merkel will meet with him on Friday
By LEON WATSON
PUBLISHED: 12:32 GMT, 4 June 2014 | UPDATED: 02:35 GMT, 5 June 2014

[Woodsman]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

So I was watching the news last night and trying to make sense of Obama's new war declaration....

Nobel committee regrets Obama Peace Prize

[ed: Something seems hinky about this, but the spirit is true even if the actuality may be false - how's that for CYA? ]

[Chomsky]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Nobel committee regrets Obama Peace Prize

[ed: Something seems hinky about this, but the spirit is true even if the actuality may be false - how's that for CYA? ]

It's fake.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/t...e-winter-snow/

[don]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

it's fake alright . . .



Obama Declares War on Syria

by MIKE WHITNEY

Invoking the same ominous language as his predecessor, Barack Obama used a prime time presidential address on Wednesday to announce the beginning of a war on Syria. And while there’s no doubt that many Americans will be confused by Obama’s misleading focus on the terrorist organization named ISIL, the real purpose of the speech was to garner support for another decade of homicidal conflicts in the Middle East. The administration is as determined as ever to plunge the region into chaos, erase existing borders, and install its puppets wherever it can. ISIL–which is mainly an invention of western Intel agencies and their treacherous counterparts in the Gulf– conveniently creates the justification for another bloody invasion followed by years of occupation, subjugation, and revolt.

Barack Obama:

My fellow Americans — tonight, I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL. As commander-in-chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people…..

Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer.

Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. That’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge.

Get it? We are all in great peril and only our loving father, Obama, can save us. Where have we heard that before?

Obama: “In a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage…..If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region — including to the United States.”

This is pure demagoguery, the likes of which we haven’t heard since Bush’s ”The Axis of Evil” speech. The truth is, ISIL poses NO threat to US national security at all. It’s a joke. Readers should mull that over before they throw their support behind Obama’s proposed crusade in Syria..

More Obama: “First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists…..I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven…..”

Okay, so borders don’t matter, international law doesn’t matter, national sovereignty doesn’t matter. What matters is oil, money and power. Isn’t that what he’s saying? He’s asking the American people to support another millennia of killing so he can pad the bank accounts of corrupt US oil magnates while strengthening America’s tenuous grip on global power. Would you be willing to sacrifice your son’s life for such a cause?

Obama: “Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters.”

So, now Obama wants to arm and train the same terrorists which the CIA and our enlightened friends in the Gulf States recruited from around the world. Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it? What could go wrong?

Obama: “This is our strategy….. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight.”

So, Senator Botox and his gaggle of neocons are going to fix everything, just like they did in Kiev. Now I am worried.

Obama: “But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.”

No American “boots on the ground”?? Is that what he said? What he meant to say was no boots on the ground until after the midterms. After that, the sky’s the limit!

Don’t kid yourself, the Obama claque is as determined to topple Assad as Bush was determined to remove Saddam. That’s why Obama’s public relations team decided to use the prestige of a primetime presidential speech –with all the pompous trappings of high-office–to make their case. It’s because their real target is the American people who are being led by the nose into another hellish bloodbath.

Obama: “American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists.”

Oh boy. American troublemaking is the “one constant” in this world, even death and taxes take a back seat to that. America started the war on terror. (Blowback) America perpetuated the war on terror. (check the globe. The US is fighting wars everywhere.) And America is entirely responsible for the war on terror. (Afghanistan, Mujahedin) And now–after 13 years of unlawful detentions, black sites, Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, death squads, waterboarding, illegal surveillance, drone attacks, and a mountain of carnage that stretches halfway to the moon– Obama is re-launching the War on Terror under the opaque sobriquet “ISIL”. Haven’t we had enough of this garbage yet?

As always, the media seems entirely mystified as to the administration’s real intentions. In contrast, analyst Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site sees through the hoax and sums it up like this in an article titled “Obama announces open-ended war in Iraq and Syria”. Here’s an excerpt:

“It was only 12 months ago that Obama tried and failed to create the political conditions for US air strikes against the Assad regime, making allegations of the use of nerve gas weapons that were later discredited. Now Obama is seeking to achieve the same goal by a different route, using ISIS as a pretext to get American military forces into Syria, where they will become the spearhead of the campaign to oust Assad and install a pro-US stooge regime in Damascus.”

Bingo. The ISIL canard is nothing but a pretext for war.


Hint: the Qatar pipeline simply can't happen as long as Russia is alligned with Assad.

[touchring]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Stopping the advance of ISIS in Iraq is possible, but this talk about winning ISIS in Syria is like talking about winning the Taliban in Afghanistan...

[Woodsman]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

It's fake.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/t...e-winter-snow/

Tee hee . Still chuckling here between hoax and satire.

[don]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Tee hee . Still chuckling here between hoax and satire.

Don't overlook farce, Woods.

[Woodsman]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

Don't overlook farce, Woods.

And tragedy.

[shiny!]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

And tragedy.

These are the times that rose catalogues are made for.

[GRG55]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

It won't. And we won't break our dependency on foreign oil until it becomes unobtanium. This is all just insane.

That's a rather facile observation, unfortunately.

How much oil does the USA get from Syria? Yemen? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Ukraine? Egypt?

In fact, how much oil does the USA actually get from Iraq? Or Saudi Arabia?





And the main reason the USA imports from Saudi Arabia is because Saudi Aramco owns a large amount of refining capacity in the USA and wants to use it...it is not because the USA actually needs that refined product.

[jaboe]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

I have 2 questions. I assume the "other" is mostly the US itself. Is this correct? Who else makes up the "other" category in any significant amount? Thanks for all of the info you post GRG55. It is always enlightening and appreciated.

[shiny!]

Re: US declares war on ISIS - Double FacePalm

That's a rather facile observation, unfortunately.

How much oil does the USA get from Syria? Yemen? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Ukraine? Egypt?

In fact, how much oil does the USA actually get from Iraq? Or Saudi Arabia?





And the main reason the USA imports from Saudi Arabia is because Saudi Aramco owns a large amount of refining capacity in the USA and wants to use it...it is not because the USA actually needs that refined product.

Thanks for all of the info you post GRG55. It is always enlightening and appreciated.

+1

I appreciate your correction GRG. Facile. Good word.

What do you think is the real purpose of our seemingly endless military involvement in the Middle East? The usual reasons given are oil, to protect the USD reserve currency status, or because there's money to be made in war. Or one which is seldom discussed, which is to keep our soldiers over there rather than have them discharged and unemployed over here. All likely either too simple or red herrings.

As hard as I try to suss out the truth of things, much of what I read is either too technical for me to understand or it seems reasonable until I read a rebuttal, which then seems reasonable until I read another rebuttal... I don't know how to weight the significance of all the pieces of data in relation to the big picture. I rarely know when vital information has been omitted from an argument. Asking the right questions is the best way to get to the right answer, but I seldom even know what questions to ask. Thus I am all too often too easily influenced without even realizing it. Facile.

Sharp as a marble. That's me.