Posted on 09/29/2015 8:46:33 AM PDT by Ooh-Ah
The global anti-American alliance is now on full display in the Middle East, with Iran at the lynch point. The headlines have told us about the coordination of Iranian/Iraqi/Syrian/Russian/Chinese activities, and of course there is a division of labor. That was all worked out in recent weeks in a series of Iranian visits to Moscow (General Suleimani, who commands the Revolutionjary Guards’ foreign ops, twice traveled to Russia in open defiance of existing sanctions). Basically, the Russians are sending some crack troops and their favorite heavy weapons (tanks, big guns). It goes via an Iranian air bridge and thence across Iraq to Syria. The Revolutionary Guards’ air force has 115 trained pilots ready to go, and they’ve trained 3000 Afghan fighters for ground battles. The Afghans get Iranian residence and a stipend. In addition there are 740 Pakistani Shi’ites in Suleimani’s special forces.
It’s a start, anyway.
We keep hearing about the difficulties of the Iranian people and the regime’s desperation to end the financial sanctions, but Khamenei & Co. don’t care much about the plight of the Iranian people, and they’re already spending a lot of the cash (more than $20 billion for Russian weaponry, especially stuff to use against our Nay, including missiles and torpedoes—on top of the $700 million per month we are already releasing to them—they are confident they will have soon).
Even so, the spigot won’t open for several months even if everyone signs The Deal (which nobody has, as yet), so they’ll need some spending money to make ends meet. The Chinese will help, having just signed a trade agreement said to amount to $25 billion. That doesn’t need The Deal, since China, like India, never agreed to sanctions, and they’ve got real leverage in this game; the Iranian elite has deposited lots of money in banks in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Maybe the regime will try to ease the pain so palpable in Iran nowadays. Maybe not. Workers haven’t been paid for months, and the latest manifestation is a nation-wide teachers’ protest against the arrest of the seven top leaders of their organizations. This comes just at the start of the school year, thereby disrupting an essential part of daily life.
Meanwhile, the Russians and Chinese are also having their problems, albeit of very different sorts, even though they have a common cause (centralized state-run economy). Russia suffers from low oil prices, and they are now around $40/barrel. China is in the throes of a mass anxiety verging on panic. I’ve been talking to American businessmen (who certainly have no animus vs. the People’s Republic) recently returned from China, and for the first time they are now whispering very nervously about the immediate future of the place. Many of them have been approached by Chinese with money, asking the Americans to open businesses for and/or with them in the U.S., so they can get their cash onto this continent and buy a nice house in which to live when they have to depart.
These are the circumstances in which regimes look for foreign adventures, and if you look at Syria and Iraq, voila’! A dandy foreign adventure. The thing is, if the adventure is successful it’s great for the regime, but if it goes badly, as did the last Russian incursion in that part of the world (Afghanistan), it can be devastating.
It’s all about winning and losing. So far, the numbers don’t seem anywhere big enough to predict victory against whomever it is they are fighting. Is it IS? Al Qaeda? The Kurds? That will sort out fairly soon. Meanwhile our own President Obama seems to have a put-up-or-shut-up option, as per Putin at the UN. What will Obama do? All his nerve endings are on the “shut up” side, but then his beloved Iranians will be telling him to join the party. Can he possibly enter the war with serious forces?
Yes he can. Life is full of surprises. We’ll need a lot of popcorn.
At the moment, and that is an important factor, the Russian/Chinese/Iranian effort against ISIS is not anti-American.
It is anti-Obama. None dare call it that, but that’s exactly what it is.
It is in the best interest of the U. S. that ISIS be eliminated.
If the axis mentioned above games this situation to advance other objectives, I believe it could become an absolute anti-American in nature.
Obama’s naivete has gotten us here. Whatever this turns out to be, will be a direct result of his lack of presidential skills.
John McCain, you miserable jackass... you could have helped us avoid this situation. Instead you helped lead us right into it.
The people of Arizona need to understand that when we urge them to remove a man like McCain, these are the sorts of reasons why.
You have another primary coming up next year. Are you going to take another pass on moving this guy out of office?
Please, I’m begging you. Retire this walking nightmare.
A Glorious little war. Come, brothers, we shall be home by Ramadan!
bfl
We’ll see if the Russkies have gotten any better at asymmetrical warfare.
Should I side with China, Russia, Iran, Syria, and North Korea, or should I side with the United States, the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, England Saudi Arabia and Israel? Which side has nuclear weapons pointed in my direction?
The enemy of your political enemy is not necessarily your friend and it is a great temptation to give moral support like Jane Fonda or Cindy Sheehan did to the enemy of their political enemy but one should resist the temptation.
I understand the point you are trying to make, but puleeeese...
Cindy Sheehan and Jane Fonda supported the worst of the worst over our sons and daughters in the midst of clear cut wars.
Right now, things are muddy. They are by intention. Obama wants it that way. It’s called chaos.
In chaotic times, massive mistakes can be slipped through. That’s what’s going on now.
This isn’t a Sheehan/Fonda moment.
Wait until Russia shows it’s true colors and our men are at risk. That’s when the Sheehans and Fondas show up on Russia’s side.
Decent folks will immediately abandon understand of Russia, if it shows an evil intent.
BTW, none of us knows exactly how this will turn out.
I suspect very badly, but I could be wrong. My vote goes very wrong.
Until we know, folks will vacillate not knowing exactly what to support.
I say the Gipper had it just right. Trust but verify...
At this moment, it’s trust but have your military beefed up and ready to go.
The Ruskies love to lie lie lie, then pull the hammer down. We need to be ready.
The Kurds will be on the side of the Iranians — the Kurds are, after all, an Irani people.
For the Syrian war, my alliance is with Christians in the Middle East -- whoever will save them from slaughter, I will support in this endeavour -- the Saudis, Turks, Qataris want to kill Christians through their ISlamic State so I want to destroy the Sauds, Turks and Qataris.
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.