Thursday, September 18, 2014

Obama’s Latest War

By Michael S. Rozeff

We read “The House on Wednesday approved President Obama’s plan to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to counter the growing threat of the Islamic State terrorist organization even though lawmakers in both parties remain deeply skeptical about its chances for success.”
If we believe what we are reading, the goal is to counter IS. How might that be done if Washington actually wanted to do that? How about mobilizing those states in the region that are very close allies of the U.S., who have received a great deal of aid and military equipment over the years, who have military links to the U.S., and who have significant armed forces? There are these powers like Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. There are also Jordan, Egypt, and even Iraq.
But no. Instead, Obama plans to arm and train a group known as Syrian moderate rebels. This group has fought beside the IS fighters. It has links to IS. It, or parts of it, even recently signed a truce with IS. IS can infiltrate this group, can attack it and can steal more American-supplied weapons.
Why would Obama arm this group of hard to control people whose loyalties are so questionable, who cannot whip IS and don’t want to and who will probably help IS?
Beyond the folly of it, there is a reason. We also read “Obama and administration officials have said that some aide [sic] may go to the Syrian Free Army, a group focused on defeating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”
This is the real purpose of the Obama plan. It is to train and arm anti-Assad rebels, the goal being to defeat Assad. The larger goal is to weaken Iran and Hezbollah by creating a new government in Syria. This is a pro-Israel strategy. This too is folly, but that’s what Washington does. In the Iraq case, Congress bought the propaganda. This time around, the Congress is voting for the folly knowing full well that it is folly.
Has Congress given any thought to the fact that the U.S. is, with its approval and participation, openly aggressing against Syria? Can anyone in Washington make a case against Russia for anything it has done in Ukraine?
The above originally appeared at LewRockwell.com.

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