So, now we have apparently reached a deal with the Turks to create an "ISIS Free" zone in Syria. This map here http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/12/world/middleeast/the-iraq-isis-conflict-in-maps-photos-and-video.html shows the zone. What it doesn't show is that basically all of the rest of the border on either side of the zone, is more or less controlled by the Kurds from the Syrian side, and this, of course, does not sit well with the Turks.
How, exactly, we are going to participate in creating this zone is not entirely clear. Apparently our planes will be taking off from Incirclik in Turkey, and the land in question in the zone to be created, appears to contain at least one city that is VERY important to apocalyptic radicals who believe the end of the world starts there. Prior to this, the Turks, allegedly, have shown very little willingness to police their border and have allowed quite a few Jihadists to pass through the border into Syria. Considering that Obama is a well known ignorer of border infiltrations, it seems odd that that we should be joining forces with Turkey, especially since the US has been helping the Kurds fight Assad.
The participants, of course, deny that this is the start of a bigger incursion into Syria. However, it seems quite interesting that the Turks finally decided enough was enough when some ISIS asshole blew himself up inside of Turkey. It seems that for some time now, ISIS has desperately wanted to pull us into combat with them, on their land (or at least on the land they have conquered) and we have refused giving that to them. So, question of the day for the warmongers who think Obama has been too much of a pussy to topple Assad and "take it to ISIS", are you happy with this latest move?
Looking at how badly Iraq has gone off the rails, I feel like we have a perpetual problem dealing with this region, that problem is that the sectarian allegiances there are simply nuts. Saddam was really bad, but more or less secular in his government, which provided a counterbalance to the endless Islamic faction fighting. We seemingly don't control the outcome of any land that we won't physically occupy, which leaves us in a spot of constantly backing rag tag rebel groups, like the Kurds, despite the fact that the Kurds are kind of also disliked by people like the Turks, with whom we have better relations. So what are we doing here? Is this the first step into occupying Syria? What happens when and if Syria goes completely up of grabs?
Pick a place, anyplace and we have a perpetual problem dealing with it.
ReplyDeleteLibya
Ukraine
Africa
SE Asia.
China
However, we used to actually believe in diplomacy. Today we have only appeasers and "people who know what it takes" to stay safe.
DeleteI remember a 60 Minutes interview with Qadaffi from the 80s. I was young, a teen, but it made an impression on me. At one point in the interview, Qadaffi had said something like, "You call me a madman but you have no idea what I have do deal with. The people here are crazy and need to be ruled this way. You should be thanking me. I'm holding this place together." I thought at the time, "Wow. I guess there is no such thing as being a little megalomaniacal." I think Saddam Hussien had made some similar statements a few years later in Time or Newsweek.
ReplyDeleteFast forward to today. Qadaffi's gone, we so brilliantly took out Hussien. The whole ME is about to explode in a crazy-ass, fanatical, sectarian Islamic jihad.
Maybe those guys had a point.
Maybe a couple of old-school, brutal, secular dictators in the region would balance things out. Maybe we could use a couple Saddam Hussiens in the region. He certainly kept Iran in check in the 80s.
What happens when Syria goes up for grabs? More infighting of course. The
ReplyDeleteTurks are attacking the Kurds and ISIS today while the Kurds are attacking ISIS who is attacking Syria who is attacking ISIS and the "Rebels" whoever they are. Is that perfectly clear?
Well, that does actually make it clear and this is why the endless bitching of people like Graham, McCain (at times) and the entire lot of those in the Republican bothers me so much. The reality is that the infighting between countries there is not something the United States is ever going to solve. Some seem to have magical thinking about this and believe that if we just continuously topple people we don't like, everything will be cool and the locals will forever quiver in fear at the prospect of America showing up.
DeletePrior to Republicans losing their F'ing minds about the time Clinton became POTUS, I believe there was an acknowledgement that we were going to have to occasionally make uncomfortable alliances that would subsequently dissolve. The perpetual need to keep one upping each other in denouncement of Obama is not helping anything because eventually, a Republican will be POTUS again. If they win office with an assumed promise that they will kick the ass of anyone who even gives us a dirty look, they won't have much room to work.