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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| MICHAEL LEDEEN: The Real War in 'Syria' |
| 2017-04-07 |
| h/t Instapundit Of course I loathe Assad. And of course I despise the Obamans for that phony red line and the subsequent retreat-and-bogus-Russian-deal. But just carrying out vengeance against Assad isn’t good enough. It fails to address the central problem of our time: the global anti-American alliance. There is no Syria any more, and the enemy forces on the Middle Eastern battlefield come from various jihadi groups, and three regimes: Moscow, Tehran, and Damascus. We have to defeat them all, and other members of the enemy alliance, including Cuba and North Korea. Nikki Haley has it right: "The truth is that Assad, Russia and Iran have no interest in peace." Indeed, they are waging war, and the principal force driving that war is not Assad, but Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei’s killers have been alongside Assad’s from the very beginning, as the survival of the Syrian dictator is crucial to Iranian ambitions and quite likely also the survival of the Islamic Republic itself. Listen to Defense Secretary James Mattis a few days ago (from Reuters): Asked about comments Mattis made in 2012 that the three primary threats the United States faced were "Iran, Iran, Iran," Mattis told reporters that Iran’s behavior had not changed in the years since. "At the time when I spoke about Iran I was a commander of US central command and that (Iran) was the primary exporter of terrorism, frankly, it was the primary state sponsor of terrorism and it continues that kind of behavior today," Mattis said. True, and Mattis’ characteristically strong language points the way to the best American action in the region, namely bringing down the Tehran regime. Lashing out at Assad isn’t nearly good enough. After all, what strategic objective would we accomplish by smashing, even removing, Assad? The Iranian and Russian fighters would still be there, as would the Islamist forces. The demands on our military would dramatically expand. We do not want to occupy a significant land mass in what used to be called Syria, nor do we seem to have sorted out what we want to do with the Turks and the Kurds. Regime change in Iran would be devastating to Assad and Putin, and its positive effects would be felt in North Africa and our own hemisphere, striking at the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah in Latin America. And it would remind the tyrants that America’s greatest weapon is political. We are the most revolutionary country in the world, and we should act like it. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #5 Iran ay be the number one threat but you can't just go after them without provocation. Like it or not currently tea are at peace with them thanks to Obama. If Trump just dumps that without provocation the world will freak. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2017-04-07 20:17 |
| #4 Of course Mattis was correct that Iran was the major threat in 2012 and the years immediately prior. We just finished fighting a proxy war against Iranian trained, equipped, and directed forces in southern Iraq...where we suffered serious loss. Iran did not. That was then. Now. All of this is moot at this point since the Caliphate established itself in 2013 and all above are united in their focus on confronting this clear and present danger. A danger that is supported by the Wahhabist Sunni Saud regime. Leave the Iranians alone to check the Saudis...let them grind it out and fight their proxy wars in Yemen or wherever and focus on eliminating the Caliphate please. That is one strategic interest that the Iranians, Russians, Americans, Syrians, and Iraqis share. Lets focus on finishing one thing in a row. |
| Posted by: Tennessee 2017-04-07 09:47 |
| #3 you think Bibi is an idiot Well...uh, ahem...cack...urp. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-04-07 09:45 |
| #2 No Shiia Crescent. No direct exports of Iranian gas to Europe. Expanded Kurdish controlled territory. If removing Assad could derail Iranian plans, Assad would be finishing decomposing by now - you think Bibi is an idiot? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-04-07 04:11 |
| #1 After all, what strategic objective would we accomplish by smashing, even removing, Assad? No Shiia Crescent. No direct exports of Iranian gas to Europe. Expanded Kurdish controlled territory. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2017-04-07 04:00 |