Posted on 11/27/2013 8:12:08 AM PST by SeekAndFind
When protests broke out in Syria in late 2011, Russia hoped for a short, nasty war as a matter of Russian national interest -- just enough to put the Muslim Brotherhood and assorted Sunnis in their place. Violence from its own Sunni Muslim population has plagued Russia for decades.
Saudi Arabia took over the defeated nationalist Chechen rebellion in the late 1990s, infusing it with money and Islamist overtones, prompting the second Chechen war. More recently, there has been open fighting and rioting in Moscow between Muslims and Slavs.
Iran counted on a short war as well -- something to shore up the Shi'ite crescent from Iran through Iraq to Syria and Lebanon out to the Mediterranean Sea.
It didn't work. Turkey and the Gulf States armed and trained various Sunni militias, including the Free Syrian Army, the Muslim Brotherhood, and "foreign" jihadists of many stripes, including al-Qaeda and Chechens. Keeping Assad armed, fed, and reinforced with Iranian and Hezb'allah troops was an immense drain on the Iranian treasury, already under duress from Western sanctions. More sanctions were brewing in the U.S. Congress, and Iran needed relief at many levels. The question for the Islamic Republic was whether it was possible to protect Assad, put money in the bank, and shore up the Shiite axis without giving up its nuclear program.
Enter the United States, seeking and needing a diplomatic success. According to David Ignatius of The Washington Post -- the administration's favorite reporter -- the U.S.-Iran deal was cooking in secret as far back as March.
Could that account for the fact that although Secretary Kerry announced in April that the U.S. would "arm and train" Syrian rebels, nothing arrived for them throughout the summer?
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Keeping Assad armed, fed, and reinforced with Iranian and Hezb'allah troops was an immense drain on the Iranian treasury, already under duress from Western sanctions. More sanctions were brewing in the U.S. Congress, and Iran needed relief at many levels. The question for the Islamic Republic was whether it was possible to protect Assad, put money in the bank, and shore up the Shiite axis without giving up its nuclear program. Enter the United States, seeking and needing a diplomatic success. According to David Ignatius of The Washington Post -- the administration's favorite reporter -- the U.S.-Iran deal was cooking in secret as far back as March.No, propping up and sponsoring Iranian terror been the intent of the Zero regime since Zero was running in 2008, at the latest.
bump
Thanks piasa.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.