[Ricochet] Amid a plethora of sensational news reports elbowing each other to seize first place in America's national consciousness, there is a story that has lurked beneath media radar that teaches us much more about the status of our country than school shootings, Russian bombings in Syria, Iranian perfidy, Hillary Clinton's makeover attempts, and Republican candidates' daily presidential gymnastics. It concerns an event that took place in Afghanistan in 2011, when a group of Green Berets, which included Capt. Danny Quinn and Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, were faced with reprehensible acts that pitted them against some local officials in a classic episode involving a clash of civilizations.
It seems that Quinn and Martland were apprised of a situation involving an Afghan mother who was severely thrashed by an Afghan soldier who had kidnapped her son, chained him to a bed, and was repeatedly raping the helpless child whenever he felt the inclination. Quinn and Martland confronted the Afghan commander, who then laughed in their face, said that "it was only a boy," and that Americans should find better ways to use their time.
Note: It's behind a one-time wall, but worth reading. Here's what I think is the BLUF:
[ForeignPolicy] While the United States may be severely limited in terms of what it can do in the short term to help the kingdom address its mounting challenges internally, it still has significant capability to alleviate some of the rising external threats and pressures that the Saudis face. That is surely America’s comparative advantage: the ability to reassure key strategic partners of our commitment to their security, and our determination to maintain a regional correlation of forces that favors the United States and its friends while deterring our common adversaries.
But that is precisely the role that the Obama administration has so disastrously failed — or, more accurately, refused — to perform over the past several years, in the process undermining the morale and confidence of already fragile friends while super-charging the ambitions and aggression of their worst enemies.
The question now is whether the Obama administration is even capable of recovering from the geopolitical mess it has triggered. Does it even have a clue about the disastrously destabilizing chain of events that have been unleashed by its very purposeful decision to put a “closed for business” sign on Pax Americana in the Middle East? Does it at last understand that what replaces the abandonment of U.S. leadership in the region is not some virtuous equilibrium or balance of power among local competitors, but accelerating levels of violence, extremism, and chaos? Does it have any idea of how it would go about the arduous task of rebuilding the strategic partnerships that its policies have so badly undermined, and stemming the rising tsunami of disorder that now threatens to swamp the region and U.S. interests?
Alas, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that the answer to any of these questions is yes. In which case, the risks will continue to grow that on top of all the other disasters that President Obama will bequeath to his successor, he may yet add one more: an increasingly unstable and perilous situation in Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest exporter of oil, the site of Islam’s holiest sites, and a country awash, in almost equal measure, in advanced American weapons and angry Wahhabis.
#1
give Saudi to their military and banish the clerics.
Posted by: paul ||
10/11/2015 6:56 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The operational procedure for this administration has been that our enemies get whatever they want and our allies get screwed.
Under that, the Saudis get, what?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/11/2015 10:05 Comments ||
Top||
#3
the world’s largest exporter of oil,
If the spigot gets turned off, it will take only political decisions to resolve that.
the site of Islam’s holiest sites
So? Once the Saudis are done, whatever deranged remnants of that misbegotten faith who want them can have them. If they want to slaughter one another to see who is the last man standing on the holiest pile of rubble in Islam, I say that's fine.
a country awash, in almost equal measure, in advanced American weapons and angry Wahhabis.
These folks never seem to notice that it's American and European expats who keep those weapons working. They leave and those angry Wahabbis have nothing more than very expensive static displays.
I'm sorry, but I get the feeling that a lot of these 'what-about-the-Saudis' articles are more motivated by a concern about what will happen to the money that the Sauds spread through the financial and political world than anything else.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/11/2015 11:02 Comments ||
Top||
#5
After the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, my friend's boss said, "Remember, every disaster is a new opportunity."
So are we going to prop up a totally corrupt regime that has spread misery and undermined civilizations all over the world? The Saudi Kings need to be accountable for what they do. IAMA. Insh'Allah My A$$. Man up and take responsibility for what you do or do not do.
That is also sound advice to our own so-called leaders, who do not lead. We are all heading for an abyss that is avoidable if leadership and a sense of values are strong.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/11/2015 13:01 Comments ||
Top||
#6
bring freedom of religion to Saudi,the cleric head would explode.
Posted by: paul ||
10/11/2015 13:16 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I'm not going behind the paywall, but knowing the publication and reading this précis I can deduce the argument. Saudis, the wonderful Saudis. True allies of the USA Saudis. Sweet, kind, generous Saudis, magnanimously building madrassas and mosques all over the globe as expressions of religious freedom and tolerance. Those Saudis. OK, here is a post which includes very specific ideas on how to help said Saudis: http://theological-geography.net/?p=139
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/11/2015 15:20 Comments ||
Top||
#11
more motivated by a concern about what will happen to the money that the Sauds spread through the financial and political world
The Saudis have been running a budget deficit since the price of oil dropped. At a very rough estimate, within a decade they may well be selling off investments abroad -- not to mention cutting Egypt, et al loose -- to make a much reduced payroll. Any bets on whether the House of Saud survives that inflection point?
#12
As I mentioned in the O-Club, Foreign Policy is the industry rag for the US diplomat and the internationalist think tanks. Nominally non--partisan, it's still center-left and tends to favor the Democrat.
And to paraphrase Richard Fernandez: "When the New York Times called Obama’s Syria policy 'hallucinatory' and the Washington Post offers friendly advice it’s a clear sign that important people are worried about the president’s competence."
Apparently the New Jacobins never bothered to keep the "important people" in the revolutionary loop.
#13
The funny thing is, all the people who supported the election of This Asshole, including the Sunni Arab Establishment in the Muddle East and the Permanent Bureaucracy here, all did it because they wanted someone to cut Traditional America down to size. That they wanted someone who was going to be a Piece of Shit to Real America but not be a Piece of Shit to the House of Saud's or The Permanent Bureaucracy's interest... they're shocked, SHOCKED, I tell ya, to find out that he's a piece of shit to them along with being a piece of shit to the country he should owe loyalty to.
#14
And they're _all_ about to find out how much they needed the Traditional America they wanted cut down to size. Not least of all the Permanent Bureaucracy who found out the management of OPM had been outsourced to Beijing, who are going to do horrific things with them and their personal data sooner or later, or the Saudis who are a thin spattering of pointy-haired bosses hiding their pointy hair under kaffayehs over a bunch of slave-wages Filipino day laborers who aren't going to die to defend them from Russian-armed Iranians.
#16
See also TOPIX, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PUTIN, SAUDI DEFENCE MINSTER AGREE TO COOPERATE FIGHT AGZ SYRIA MILITANTS.
Gotta wonder iff Sunni Saudi rival Shia Iran is okey in this, as the latter is seeing its newfound "Sphere of Influence" from Iraq to the Med shrink due to Russian intervention.
AND
* WAFF > [Newsru] TEN ISIS MEMBERS DETAINED IN MOSCOW WID BOMBS.
* GROONG > [Iraqir] RUSSIA'S BASE IN GYUMI [Armenia] MAY BE ATTACKED.
* SAME > [Sputnik News] RUSSIA DEPLOYS MI-24 GUNSHIPS [Hinds] NEAR AFGHAN BORDER.
* WAFF > RUSSIAN GENERAL STAFF: "WE WILL [read, CAN] BOMB AFGHANISTAN TOO" [iff We want to],
YOU D **** ED AMERICAN-SKIS/YANQEES!
lol.
More seriously, the above e3flects Russia's covert/secret real fear, + why Vlad/VladVedev is now in Syria, + may Vlad's Boyz may intervene more directly or similarly in IRAQ + AFGHANISTAN.
Thusly this Guam AM we have Vlad/Vladvedev saying Russia ...
* SPUTNIK NEWS > "RUSSIA IS DEFENDING EUROPE BY FIGHITNG TERRORISTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST".
Too bad the Bammer + Contemporary US Politicos in general are too SUPER/HYPER-PC = PRO-RE-ELECTION "SAFE" = "CHICKEN LITTLE" TO SAY SUCH THINGS IN PUBLIC ANYMORE.
Missin' JOHN WAYNE, GARY COOPER, CHUCK NORRIS, + even TOM "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" HANKS.
* SAME > GAME CHANGER; RUSSIA'S [Direct Military] INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIA [Iraq? AfgHAN = AFPAK?] SHIFTS BALANCE OF POWER | MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
* PRAVDA = ...
> RUSSIA TO PRESERVE [Assad-led] STATEHOOD IN SYRIA BEFORE HELPING IRAQ.
> [Freerepublic] IFF RUSSIA CAN SAVE SYRIA, IT CAN SAVE [Eastern + Western] CHRISTIANITY.
TOLD YA, DIDN'T I, BUT FIRST A NICE APPLE FRITTER + COFFEE.
[DAWN] GOOD governance, human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... and individual freedoms, and rule of law are among the main features of democracy. A democratic state cannot choose one, or some, of these and reject others. Common citizens may see good governance as a priority because this is directly linked to their daily life needs. But the significance of freedom and other attributes of democracy cannot be discounted; they are equally important to fulfil one's physical and emotional needs. Denying emotional, spiritual and aesthetic needs to people does not mean these cease to exist. This is as simple as it is evident.
Complexities arise when certain state institutions or groups of people start to believe that people need only what the power elites think they need. Eventually, the power elites start seeing the people as their subjects who have only physical needs; other needs, in their eyes, fall in the domain of religion. At the same time, these elites try to also regulate religion because they fear 'miscreants' can exploit it and create trouble in the way of good governance.
Although the Muslim world on the whole is facing this dilemma, the Arab world is a chronic example of this model of governance that looks after only the physical needs of the people. The Arab Spring epitomised the fact that people are not merely subjects; nor are their needs merely physical. In some cases, power elites provided more space to their people to resolve the crisis. In others, power elites refused to do so thus plunging their states into turmoil. However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... it is becoming increasingly difficult for power elites in these countries to use this model of governance as a tool to suppress freedom and democracy.
Ironically, Muslim countries including Pakistain, which are in a process of democratic transition, still seek inspiration from failed models. One's interaction with power elites in Islamabad would suggest that the concepts of democracy and freedom do not figure in the latter's ideas of state-building. For instance, Middle Eastern controlled-regime models continue to inspire many retired military brass hats and some of them even talk about replicating these models in Pakistain. In their case, it is understandable because they come from a disciplined background, but when former diplomats and babus bureaucrats also start advocating the same, it surprises many. Pak political elites, too, have similar views: many politicians see The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and Malaysia as model states in terms of governance, democracy and freedom of expression.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/11/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] AFTER a two-month absence from the Senate, the National Assembly and the Sindh Assembly, the path has seemingly been cleared for the MQM's return to these august houses. Following various ups and downs, the federal government and the MQM announced on Friday the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will lead to the setting up of a grievances redressal committee to look into the Muttahida's complaints about the actions taken by the law enforcers in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... . This was a key MQM demand standing in the way of the party's return to the elected houses. In particular, the party wants its grievances, related to alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, addressed.
The development shows that better sense has prevailed on both the government and the MQM, and that the path of rigidity has been abandoned in favour of political maturity. The two-year-old operation in Karachi has yielded results and violence has come down. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... throughout this period the MQM has raised serious objections about the alleged abduction, torture and killing of its workers and sympathisers at the hands of the law enforcers. While action must be taken against all myrmidon and criminal elements in Karachi -- regardless of their political linkages -- it should remain within the bounds of the law and fundamental rights. Hence the Muttahida's genuine grievances must be addressed by the state so that the operation is free of accusations of bias and high-handedness.
Looking at the bigger picture, the MQM's return to parliament should be accompanied by some serious introspection -- the party would do well to review its mistakes over the past three decades. Indeed, the MQM is a political reality in much of urban Sindh -- a fact that must be acknowledged by both Islamabad and Rawalpindi -- and arguably still enjoys a considerable vote bank despite its fluctuating fortunes of late. Yet it is also true that for long, the party has tolerated a myrmidon wing within its ranks and used clearly undemocratic methods -- enforced shutdowns, forcible collection of 'donations' etc -- to establish its strength on Karachi's streets. A clean break from such unsavoury activities is now advisable. To its credit, the party has worked for the civic uplift of Karachi, and has the ability to make use of its roots within urban communities to push forward a transparent development agenda as the only 'weapon' to win over the electorate. With local government elections in Karachi due in December, the focus will hopefully be on electioneering for the third tier of government. Will the local leadership rise to the occasion? With the increasingly hugeAltaf Hussain ..The head of MQM in Pakistain, who has lived in London and hasn't laid eyes on Pakistain since Caesar made corporal. Judging from the size of him,he may be a Hutt... -- the party supremo who is facing a money-laundering investigation in the UK -- the MQM's Pakistain-based leadership ought to be ready to take decisions should events so dictate. The Muttahida has plenty of seasoned hands within its ranks that are able to steer the ship in case it runs into choppy waters.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/11/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[StellaMorabito.net] What is it about traditional mothers that moderns find so offensive? Is it really all about "submissiveness" to something they call "the Patriarchy?" Do they really believe traditional mothers reinforce something so-called feminists call "gender roles?" On the surface it may seem this way. But I've been digging a little deeper and I think there's something else at play here. Because the elites who keep feeding us that hype are usually big promoters of political correctness. And political correctness is nothing more than a silencing tool. It's used to prop up the power of elites who push self-serving agendas that would never withstand real scrutiny.
In a very real sense, traditional mothers are probably the ultimate barrier to the consolidation and centralization of power of the Mass State. Think about it. Mothers who cultivate virtue and a sense of uniqueness in their children are the ultimate de-centralizers and distributors of power in a society. They set virtuous communities in motion. Behind the scenes.
I explore this idea in a series I recently wrote for the British web magazine, "The Conservative Woman." You can click here to read the first installment: "Traditional Mothers are the True Subversives: That's Why the State Wants to Gag Them." It's part of a conversation Leslie Loftis started at that publication with her essay "Conservative Women are a Deadly Threat to Liberal Elites." Here's a review of my series:
#1
traditional mothers are probably the ultimate barrier to the consolidation and centralization of power of the Mass State
except the wymynz continually prefer the All-Caring State, voting Democrat, and pushing the biggest nanny-staters into power. (See the % of men preferring Hillary!)
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/11/2015 12:19 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"political correctness is nothing more than a silencing tool"
Political correctness is a way for one group of insecure white people to feel superior to another group of white people.
FIFY.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
10/11/2015 12:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
exceptthe wymynz continually prefer the All-Caring State, voting Democrat, and pushing the biggest nanny-staters into power.
I seem to remember an article written by a women who was a feminist---until her son was trown out of college due to "harrasment" complaint.
#5
except the wymynz continually prefer the All-Caring State, voting Democrat, and pushing the biggest nanny-staters into power.
Wymynz tend not to marry and become mothers, FrankG. Lots of us Republican-voting soccer moms, on whom the PTA and the entire volunteer infrastructure depend.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[DAWN] AFTER a two-month absence from the Senate, the National Assembly and the Sindh Assembly, the path has seemingly been cleared for the MQM's return to these august houses. Following various ups and downs, the federal government and the MQM announced on Friday the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will lead to the setting up of a grievances redressal committee to look into the Muttahida's complaints about the actions taken by the law enforcers in 
