Charles Crawford was British Ambassador in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Warsaw
In short, President Putin moves to occupy political or even moral space left vacant by President Obama’s ineptitude. Putin’s UN speech this week oozed self-confidence with this blunt message to Washington:
Baraq Hussein is getting exactly the results he wants:
Destruction and instability in the Middle East for which Europe and others like us have to contend with a Muslim invasion of our lands and also the escalating threat to Israel.
Vlad Friescurdsandgravy is also getting what he wants:
A stronghold in the oil rich M.E.
After all, didn’t Baraq whisper to the Russian Diplomat something about “Wait until after the election…” or was that for the Ukraine?…Anyway, here’s the M.E. as a bonus Vlad.
See, it’s a win win for everyone. Nobodies feelings were hurt. That’s the sensitive progressive way.
Has anyone heard if Obama’s proctologist has removed Hillary’s ‘reset’ button yet?
Why is it that people expect the US to solve all the world’s problems?
Recent history has shown that the US leaves the situation worse than the original problem they stuck their nose into trying to fix.
Can anybody here name ONE situation that’s turned out better once the US tried to fix it?
Can anybody here name ONE situation that’s turned out better once the US tried to fix it?
Europe/Asia, 1941-1945.
You’re welcome.
Since Catherine II’s reign Russia has wanted secure southern egress. The north is frozen much of the shipping year, and the Baltic is a German lake. This southern access also played into Imperial Russian WW I efforts in the Caucasus region of Ottoman Turkey. Russian involvement in Afghanistan was an effort toward freedom of movement south into the Indian Ocean. Russia tried to obtain secure Mediterranean movement when it was involved with Egypt decades ago, and more recently with support for both of Syria’s Assads.
Russia, whether under the Tsars, First Secretaries, or Presidents, is just pursuing its national interests. Putin also knows that he has very weak opponents in Europe and in the US’s Obama.
“Can anybody here name ONE situation that’s turned out better once the US tried to fix it?”
I can name three: Germany, Japan and South Korea.
Over the longer term, the Russians are unlikely to fare any better in the Middle East than anybody else. The problems of that region are relatively intractable.
But for now at least, Putin has certainly stolen the initiative from the dying Obama administration.
Of course, that administration made it easy for him by quitting the field in almost unseemly haste.
All of the post-war social-democratic preening and soft anti-Americanism (but I repeat myself) in Europe and Canada owes its very existence to the American defense umbrella.
I suspect that Putin is about to learn what the west is learning and that is that you do not defeat a philosophy with airstrikes.
It has been the failure of the “Think Tanks” of America …Columbia & Georgetown have become intellectually paralyzed by group-think circular logic. They have no real world solutions to simple problems; everything is over complicated theory resulting in systematic constipation. Obama & Democrats are stuck on Stupid…
The theory of Probabilities predict that if you do nothing others will fill that void…
“I suspect that Putin is about to learn what the west is learning and that is that you do not defeat a philosophy with airstrikes.”
I doubt that’s the Russian objective. It’s more likely something fairly straightforward: contain the Islamists where they are by supporting the Assad regime.
Indeed. But use enough air strikes, and enough boots on the ground, without the restrictive rules of engagement that have hobbled Western forces in the sandbox, you can, get this, kill enough of the islamist rabble that the remainder will decide to engage in another hobby. The Russians have the capacity to be cruel in an environment where cruelty is the norm, and expected.
Sounds like Putin has succeeded in bringing Iranian troops to the theatre. That is more than the USA has been able to do. The ME influence is now regional and not international. Their oil production is not a strategic interest of the USA or Canada.
Our resources should not be used there. If the Euros are concerned they can commit their
forces along with ME surrogates like Saudi Arabia. I do not blame Obama for a hands off
attitude. Gulf War I & II plus Afganistan is enough. Time for Arabs to police Arabs. The
Saudis have used Israel as a bogyman for decades and have successfully included the USA
in that same perception in the ME.
Putin is not hampered by the niceties of western self doubt. He is more grounded in what
actually works. Sure Russia has self interest and what country involved over there does
not?
And later we’ll get the Chinese to save Europe from itself.
How about North Korea, don’t we have a job for them too? How’s about they clean up Africa from all those dictators.
Yep, The commies will fix everything and just go home after. No cost.
I agree though, we have lost our Balls… and marbles too.
Excellent point Ken…now how do you think Washington thought Moscow would react when they simultaneously sought to “seize” both Sevastopol (Crimea) and Tartus (Syria)? As Putin said in his widely unreported Charlie Rose interview they KNOW where every dollar, every training session, every instructor and every weapon came from for the US sponsored coup in the Ukraine. With a large indigenous Muslim population I’m certain they have similar intel in Syria. This has never been anything but geopolitical brinksmanship with a nuclear armed foe…what could go wrong?
You may be one of the few here literate enough to read a book so I highly recommend “National Security And Double Government” by former US Senate Foreign Relations counsel Michael Glennan (sp).
As an aside, I wonder if the Brit Ambassador was one of the “smart guys” who figured arming the narco-terrorist KLA was a good plan
Krauthammer rips Obama and Dems a new one over Syria:
“The ruse was transparent from the beginning. Russia is not in Syria to fight the Islamic State. The Kremlin was sending fighter planes, air-to-air missiles, and SA-22 anti-aircraft batteries. Against an Islamic State that has no air force, no planes, no helicopters? Russia then sent reconnaissance drones over western Idlib and Hama, where there are no Islamic State fighters. Followed by bombing attacks on Homs and other opposition strongholds that had nothing to do with the Islamic State. Indeed, some of these bombed fighters were U.S. trained and equipped.”
Consider: When Obama became president, the surge in Iraq had succeeded and the U.S. had emerged as the dominant regional actor, able to project power throughout the region. Last Sunday, Iraq announced the establishment of a joint intelligence-gathering center with Iran, Syria, and Russia, symbolizing the new “Shiite-crescent” alliance stretching from Iran across the northern Middle East to the Mediterranean, under the umbrella of Russia, the rising regional hegemon. Russian planes roam free over Syria, attacking Assad’s opposition as we stand by helpless.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424957/russia-syria-obama-assad-us-allies
Further to earlier responses about US sticking their nose in where it doesn’t belong.
WWII was a situation where the European powers were like two heavyweights in the 12th round of a 15-round fight. Both sides were staggering at the time.
The US stepped in and took credit for the win. Since they stepped in so late in the game, they still had money left over while Europe was heavily indebted.
Near as I can figure out WWII ended 70 years ago and South Korea shortly thereafter. Have not seen any examples of successful adventures from this particular panel of wise guys since.
Still, the US continues to believes it is relevant and has now renewed it Cold War rhetoric. All you have to do is watch any US-based TV opinion panel and listen as to how even the most lowly commentator is a foreign policy expert. Seems to me there’s a certain arrogance about that.
I still love that graphic about all the NATO bases encircling Russia on the east and south in which the caption reads: ‘Russia wants war. Look how close they put our country to our bases.’
News flash: NATO was constituted to contain threats from the Soviet Union, which has not existed for a couple of decades now. It seems the NATO bureaucracy has found a way to keep on going. Dumb, dumb. dumb.
I see Koni got her current talking points from Pravda again.
“News flash: NATO was constituted to contain threats from the Soviet Union, which has not existed for a couple of decades now. ”
Soviets were not aliens teleported from outer space. They were Russians. Yeah yeah yeah Stalin was Georgian blah blah blah and Dzierzynski was Polish. russia and russians were ruling the Soviet Union. Always the same Siberian Mongol horde, this never changes, maskirovka, realpolitik and cynical lies. Should have been nuked in 1945.
But I am glad they are involved in Syria, they will kill a lot and a lot of them will die. Time for another Afghanistan. Just without delusions that any good guys are there.
Protect Israel, (try to) protect the Kurds. When possible try to free Lebanon form Hizbullah should be western priorities (that is if west had any testicles left). And of course make russia bleed as much as possible.
That said..(I agree BTW) what will Putin’s end result be after he overtakes the US influence?
I’m guessing cold steel communism that will complete the Soviet agenda of ruling the western world via resources.
More revelations from Koni:
“Recent history has shown that the US leaves the situation worse than the original problem they stuck their nose into trying to fix.”
Says a fan of russia that always f*** up everything it touches. You morons have even managed f*** up Mongolia once. russia is cancer. russia is the king Midas of fecal matter. Probably the only good thing about russian beasts is that they slaughter their litter in numbers greater than they give life birth to.
Hillary and UN had the “Arab Spring”…Now Putin has the “Red October” The ME will not be the same sink hole..Oil will go back up in price and the EU will be buckled under Putin.
I hope Putin considers developing an International Prison in Siberia for the worlds grievance mongers. We can send “Black lives matter” leaders, and the environmental terrorists who are about to be neutered in Paris. (an Australia for the 21 century mutts)
10 years in Siberia would help wakeup those who are bored with life.
Yeah sure. The first thing Saudis will do to punish Pootin for getting involved against shias is to flood world markets with more oil further depressing the price. They did that before and they will do it again. Good.
The first rule of piss-ants is don’t become a target, the Saudis will wait for Putin to tell them how to behave. The interesting relationship is Russia & Israel (they have some common facets of Jewish & Russian history)
I guess you can argue the M/E was better off with Hillary & the delusional UN. (Obama knows he was F***ed)… Look ahead … it is possible to see Putin replacing America as a stabilizing force in the M/E and the EU….
What you said.
Once Putin gets what he wants, his “moral” mission will dissolve.
Obama might be comforted that ISIS will exist in some form.
After pouting that he was publicly humiliated, he will then go and play golf.
Um, ethnic Russians have a deep-seeded suspicion of Jews, since they constituted a disproportionate number within the main organizers of the Communist revolution.
Despite the US’s attempt to equate today’s Russia with the now-discredited Soviet Union, it just isn’t so. Once again, NATO needs to make up fictions so it can continue to be a military arm of US foreign policy.
I’m not sure what Canada’s doing in Syria. Russia was invited by Assad, Obama was not. Whatever Obama’s coalition is doing, it’s not working, so when Russia goes in, all Obama can say is ‘it won’t work,’ which he did. Which leaves the only logical conclusion that if Obama says what Russia is doing will not work, then what Obama has been doing so far obviously has not worked.
Putin does not make any distinction about which bad guys to support, like the US did, spending $40 million to train 9 soldiers. He’ll just go in and wipe them all out.
Colonialista … grow up and stop name-calling.
“the Saudis will wait for Putin to tell them how to behave.”
LOL talk about wishful thinking. Nope sorry, they will increase their funding for ISIS and bleed the ruskie. And they will again punish them by depressing oil prices.
“I guess you can argue the M/E was better off with Hillary & the delusional UN.”
Try to read my points sober. I like the Siberian Mongols in Syria. A lot of them will comeback in body bags and they will achieve about as much as they did in Afghanistan.
“they have some common facets of Jewish & Russian history”
Oh sure the history of pogroms, mass expulsions, forced resettlement. As it is always the case when one deals with the Siberian Mongols.
@ Koni:
“Um, ethnic Russians have a deep-seeded suspicion of Jews, since they constituted a disproportionate number within the main organizers of the Communist revolution.”
Oh here we go. Russians were only the victims of communism. Never responsible for it in any way shape or form. It was the JOOOS after all. But of course.
Pogrom is russian word btw.
Also the Protocols of the Elders of Zion was a tsarist forgery but hey who cares about little details like that?
“He’ll just go in and wipe them all out.”
Ugh sure. Let me know when he targets Hezbollah.
News flash: US inadvertently bombs a Doctors Without Borders facility in Afghanistan.
Everybody who was under the Soviet Union suffered. The Russian/Jewish statement was a specific response to another commentator.
Kievan Rus. Ever heard of it? That’s where the nation commonly referred to as Russia actually started more than 1,000 years ago.
The Russian people have been more successful on the battlefield over its millennia of existence than the US, which claimed victory for a couple of mop-up operations in Europe.
That’s led to an inflated sense of self-importance following WWII and South Korea that they still haven’t got over yet. They’ve been led by that arrogance ever since and have nothing but losses to show for it ever since, at least within my lifetime.
Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, just to name a few. Which one of these situations that the US stuck its nose into have turned out for the better?
Putin recently pointed out that the world united to destroy the evil of the time, Naziism, and that it was time to destroy the evil of the time now, ISIS.
The US spend $40 million to train nine soldiers to fight against what they considered to be the biggest evil … Syria’s Assad. I’m guessing all this soldiers are dead now.
During Assad and his father’s time as dictators of Syria, there had never been a refugee crisis that rivals today’s.
So, which is the biggest evil? ISIS or Assad?
The generals who warned Obama about this three years ago were fired (interviewed on Megyn Kelly Friday nigh) and Obama portrayed ISIS as the JV (that’s junior varsity) of terrorists. How’s that plan turning out?
Obama has boxed in US foreign policy and, as the generals pointed out, it’s going to be much more complicated to get out.
Not to worry, though. A country built on BS still figures it will be able to BS it’s way out of this dilemma. Not going to happen.
Obama has squarely placed the US on the wrong side of history.
“We probably have the dumbest & worst foreign policy certainly in the history of our country.”
Donald Trump
Hard to argue with the Donald.
@ Koni:
“Kievan Rus. Ever heard of it? That’s where the nation commonly referred to as Russia actually started more than 1,000 years ago.”
Wiped out entirely by Mongols. What was left run to Siberia and cross bread with the invader. Hence calling you Siberian Mongols is perfectly accurate.
“Everybody who was under the Soviet Union suffered. ”
It was primarily russians who build it and inflicted it on their betters.
“So, which is the biggest evil? ISIS or Assad?”
Pootin.
The other two are minor annoyances that could be wiped out if west had any testicles left.
@Koni:
“The Russian/Jewish statement was a specific response to another commentator.”
No it was a typical russian attempt at twisting history in order to deflect the responsibility for crimes against humanity committed by russians. Typical russian demagogy. Russian history of antisemitism goes back to tsarist times and has nothing to do with some Jews being communists.
Of course during russia remained as anti-semitic as she was before (and is now).
Above should have read “Of course during communism russia …”
Again you just can’t help yourself lying and twisting facts. Typical pathetic russian. Every second sentence is a lie.
“During Assad and his father’s time as dictators of Syria, there had never been a refugee crisis that rivals today’s.”
When convenient you’re happy to suck on MSM lies without a flinch. Majority of so-called refugees do not come from Syria. Assads have a decades long history of sponsoring Hezbollah, destroying Lebanon etc. When the revolution broke out in Syria it had nothing to do with ISIS. It was Assad who released from prisons every radical Islamist in order to position himself as fighting ISIS. A strategy worthy of russians btw. Read Toten’s articles from that time he clearly describes what happened.