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Obama and the lack of deterrence
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Observers of Middle East affairs, particularly the inter-related affairs in Syria and Iran, are busy thinking about the possible outcome of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.According to reports coming out of Washington, there has been a fundamental shift in Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... 's approach to the Syrian crisis after his administration became "convinced" of the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons on more than one occasion. This is something that means, according to the report, that the Assad regime has "crossed clear red lines," prompting a move to arm the rebels. Before the supporters of the Syrian revolution could recover from this surprising turn of events, other, more delightful reports referred to the likelihood of Washington setting up a no-fly zone in southern Syria, a move which gives the impression that Obama and his advisors have finally realized the risks of solely issuing statements. This comes, of course, while Iran's Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues to send troops, Vladimir Putin  ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...is providing lethal weapons, and Hassan Nasrallah is deploying fighters to "guard" Shi'ite shrines across Syria. However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... as the popular saying goes: "What is right is always right." Just hours after this early ecstasy, Ben Rhodes, the U.S. deputy national security adviser, clarified the White House's real stance. In an eloquent speech, Rhodes went into detail, stressing the "difficulty" of enforcing a no-fly zone and the "high cost" of such a move. He even elaborated on the need for the weapons to reach the non-radical elements of the Syrian opposition. Following this, President B.O. himself came out to reiterate Rhodes's statement. Incidentally, Rhodes is the man responsible for drafting Obama's famous "A New Beginning" speech, which the president delivered in Cairo in 2009. He is also one of Obama's top advisors and had a direct influence on Washington's decision regarding Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... stepping down, as well as Obama's political stances on the "Arab Spring." Posted by: Fred 2013-06-24 |
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