Chaos In Syria And Regional Implications
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-07-23/chaos-syria-and-regional-implications
Fighting continues for the third day in the northern Syrian city, Aleppo, as rebel leaders seek to wrest it from government control. In Damascus, government troops went door to door to clear out remaining rebels after their efforts to take control of that city faltered. In recent days rebels have stepped up guerrilla style attacks in urban areas. The Syrian army has responded with gunships and tanks. An estimated 3000 people have been killed since the beginning of this month. The U.S. has launched a behind the scenes effort to hasten the fall of the Assad government. Please join us for a conversation about chaos in Syria and regional security implications.
Guests
Martin Indyk
vice president for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution and co-author with Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Lieberthal of "Bending History: Barack Obama's Foreign Policy."
Aram Nerguizian
visiting fellow, Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Karim Sadjadpour
associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
The current build up of forces in the Persian Gulf, in addition to the campaign against the regime in Syria, on top of the gradual build up of pressure against the regime in Teheran, all of these are indications that an attack on the Iranian state is coming in a few months.
The powers that have undertaken these actions have incurred costs in this process, it is unlikely that they will just absorb these costs as a loss.
What is the counter argument?
Does it hinge on the role that might be played by Russia and China?
Do these two countries have enough credibility as deterrents to an attack on Iran?
They do not seem to have derailed the escalating pressure on the Syrian regime ! (They might have delayed its demise.)
For extended argument:
http://theoriginalamed.blogspot.com/2012/07/when-will-iran-be-invaded.html
Can you please address the question of how safe it is to travel in the region, specifically northern Israel, a popular tourist destination.
Somehow it seems absurd that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refers to those that the Assad regime allegedly kills as "massacres" When those killed in Iraq by U.S. forces have been referred to as "collateral damage". She did vote for that Iraq war resolution. She does have blood on her, even if she has not noticed. Now I know she always says "killing your own citizens" So is it ok to kill other countries citizens?
Also seems absurd that the U.S. and Israeli governments should be so concerned about the Syrian government using chemical weapons. The U.S. sure did not seem so concerned about use of chemical weapons when the U.S. companies sold Saddam some of his and Israel used chemical weapons on the Palestinians during the horrific Gaza episode.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has admitted that Al-Qaeda and other groups on the State Department’s terror list are on the same side as the United States in Syria and that they are aiding opposition rebels.
WAMU receives funds and advertises FINMECCANICA. This company provided support to the Syrian regime in oppressing its own people as late as February of this year. They sent their engineers on the ground to help implement new communication systems that allow the military to operate very effectively. You can google Syria Finmeccanica it's all over the news in the rest of the world.
Wondering what the Diane Rehm Show stand on this issue is?
A few moments ago Martin Indyk said "Americans are war weary after 10 years of war" So how does he think the folks in that region feel about U.S. persistent meddling in that region? Much of it terribly destructive. Does he think they are "war weary"
Totally agree...Let alone Obama conducting drone attacks killing civilians in Pakistan and Yemen. Decided to kill instead of Gitmo...it's different from Bush, he promised Change...so there!
Former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit Micheal Scheuer had this to say about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others have about the situation in Syria
.War kills people … as do lies by U.S. and Western Interventionists
By mike | Published: May 29, 201
http://non-intervention.com/1048/war-kills-people-%E2%80%A6-as-do-lies-b...
"Given the reliable ability of Israel and its U.S. fifth column to determine and control the content of U.S. policy in the Islamic world, the ersatz Syrian threat remained front and center until the Arab Spring unleashed a fatal dementia that is likely to destroy Israel and embroil the United States and its allies in a losing clash of civilizations with the Islamic world. This fatal dementia can be found in the words and — to give them the benefit of the doubt — the thoughts of Mrs. Clinton, Obama, Rice, McCain, Cameron, and Graham that assert the Arab Spring ensures the installation of secular democracy across the Arab and Islamic worlds. Although Islamic parties have won all of the elections since the Tunisian regime fell — and Egyptians are poised to choose between Islamists on the one side, and the army and Mubarak‘s assistant tyrants on the other — Mrs. Clinton still insists that secular democracy is on the march. And it is, but only in the reality-proof brains of the Secretary of State and other of our Ivy-League educated (?) political and media leaders.
Cont:
"As the Syrian civil war lengthens and deepens as the result of the support of U.S.-Western interventionists for the Saudis’ funding and arming of the mujahedin already in Syria and those on the way there form other battle fronts, we will no doubt here more lies about the Syrian threat to the United States. We also will hear more about the Syrian threat to Israel, but what once was a lie now will be the truth as Mrs. Clinton and company — in their doctrinaire, Marxist-Leninist-like belief in democracy’s inevitable triumph — help to give to al-Qaeda and the Saudis what they could never attain alone; that is, the gradual entrenchment of militant Sunni regimes from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
And so U.S.-led Western intervention in Syria will bring what such intervention in the Muslim world always brings: government lies and deceit; quantum increases in dead Syrians; more U.S. taxpayer funds given to or wasted on Israelis and other foreigners; a deepening of Muslim hatred for the United States government; and the sharpening of the clash of civilizations which will cause Washington to further restrict civil liberties in a futile effort to stave off eventual defeat.
That is quite a price for the rest of us to pay for our leaders’ lust to intervene in the name of democracy in countries that are not worth an American life or a U.S. dollar."
Have read many of the letters and other documents at the Project for a New American Centuries website and the middle east plan called " A Clean Break A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" drawn up by Douglas Feith and the Wurmsers. It sure appears that the Bush and Obama administrations are following the blueprint for what the U.S. should do in the middle east based on plans, suggestions in both of these plans for the middle east which allegedly best supports U.S. and Israeli hegemony in that part of the world. Do your guest think these are the plans being followed?
http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqmiddleeast.htm
A Clean Break
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1438.htm
How absurd is it that the Israeli government voices concern about Syria using chemical weapons when they used white phosphorus against on the Palestinians. Why do we hear a strong indication that it is ok to use chemical weapons against 'the others" but Clinton, Netanyahu claim concern about the use of chemical weapons against ones own population. Insane simply insane Israel's use of chemical weapons against the Palestinianshttp://www.hrw.org/news/2009/03/25/israel-white-phosphorus-use-evidence-war-crimes
http://www.hrw.org/news/2009/03/25/israel-white-phosphorus-use-evidence-...
Please have your guest discuss the distinction between Israel's use of chemical weapons (white phosphorus) on the Palestinians and the U.S.'s involvement in the selling of chemical weapons to Saddam. The distinction between killing "the others" and killing citizens in one's own country?
So if I am hearing it correctly ok for the US to kill innocent Iraqi people but not ok for Saddam to kill innocent Iraqi people. Is that right? Am I getting it.
OK for Israel to kill innocent Palestinians with chemical weapons but not ok for Assad to kill innocent Syrian people
Please talk about what role the U.S. has had supporting the Syrian rebels. Funding, training, protection, satellite locations
Would you call the very dangerous game the U.S. has been playing in the middle east a chess game with people's lives in the region? Earlier Martin Indyk said "Americans are war weary" from 10 years of war. Would he be willing to apply that same 'war weary" to the people who have been directly effected by this U.S. Israel and "competing paradigms" chess game taking place?
I do not understand how the United States can be asked to intervene in Syria.
Americans are hated in Syria, and even if we did go there to establish some kind of "peace", after the country stabilized our soldiers would become targets as the people in Syria united under the banner of forcing the "invaders" and "occupiers" out.
Is there ANY concrete evidence that the Republicans would act any differently if they control either the Presidency and/or Congress?
In fact, there have been numerous statements by Mr. Romney and Republican senators that they think Obama is too soft against Syria. Just saying, maybe the US actions so far are not as murderous as some let on.