Over the past week we’ve been focusing on Zionism and its hold over America and over many American Jews. This combination, including the extremist government of Israel, has America coming and going, in a manner of speaking. Professor John Mearsheimer, co-author of the 2007 book
Any aftershocks from the Russia-Turkey earthquake that occurred yesterday? Just listening to the Republican candidates talk with such blissful ignorance about the Middle East last week makes me think that the chances of us shooting at the wrong target are very, very high.
Just for one: the Iranians have steadfastly stayed out of things. What happens when they and the Russians are pissed enough at Turkey to do something? We won't know where the fire is coming from, let alone who it will be addressed to.
As you say, we've helped the Shia and Sunni bridge a thousand-year-old gulf.
There is going to be massive money poured into Nikki Haley's campaign now because it's the way that the GOP establishment can fully win back control of the Party and ensure that the neocon/warmonger mentality prevails no matter who wins in 2024:
Quote
Guardian news @guardiannews
Nikki Haley to launch $10m ad campaign in bid to overtake Ron DeSantis in GOP fight http://dlvr.it/SymSXl
"You can sense Dems desperately hoping that something can be patched together quickly to halt the light that’s rapidly drawing nearer in the tunnel they find themselves in. Something that would get the Dem base back to obsessing about the LGBTQwerty Brave New World Order, and forget about Palestine—and keep the AIPAC campaign money rolling in. GOPers, meanwhile, just want it all to go away—they have no plan and, in their position, it’s hard to see a plan that would work to their interests, since those interests have very little to do with principles of any sort. Hey—they’re a political party! Nobody told them they’d have to make hard, principled decisions!"
I'm surprised the US is still in Syria. I expected the US would have declared victory, and left after the Afghan Withdrawal Fiasco. Especially how the other Muslim Countries that were funding the Syrian Opposition, are making up with the Assad Regime.
A few Possible Reasons:
1. Inertia
2. US gains regional leverage by being there
3. Syria is a super convenient on demand US Military Action, when ever needed for a few headlines showing how awesome the Biden Administration is on dealing with Jihadists.
4. Biden Administration Anti Trump, since Trump wanted to exit, the U.S. will stay.
5. Israeli Lobby wants the U.S. to stay.
6. To keep ISIS down. I doubt this is the real reason.
7. To support the Kurds. I doubt this is the real reason.
8. To support the ouster of Assad.
I'm still surprised at the huge amount of opposition Trump got for trying to withdraw forces from Syria. Even being lied too?
The plan was to break up Syria, run a pipeline from KSA to Europe that would counter Nordstream, and improve the military encirclement of Iran and Russia. I don't think they've given up on those goals. As long as you maintain the presence, you have pieces on the board the moment an opportunity presents itself.
I really wonder what it will take to dislodge our troops. Does it need to escalate to direct conflict between Russia and America?
That is a great article, but covers probably 25% of the Middle East pipeline politics. I don’t think it mentioned the Syrian pipeline from KSA. Or how Israel’s exporting of gas is changing their status, or Biden somehow stopping an Israel cypress pipeline, and the agreement with Lebanon on the gas field.
I was very skeptical of pipelines being geo politically important, and they sounded like a lot of hot air to me (like California’s bullet trains), but Mark has changed my mind. Some pipeline routes are very important geo politically in the Middle East.
There are claims that it somehow gets handled by Erdogan's son who sells at a steep discount to Israel. I dunno, but it makes sense--paying off our "allies" in the war on Syria.
Kurds are in Political control of area of oil production, but a U.S. company had the rights? And U.S. is protecting the Kurds ownership. About 90% of Syria’s oil.
Yup... although recycling bin is somewhat generous as it implies secondary usefulness. 'Rancid barrel' is more appropriate and scraping is definitively the verb. It is unfathomable that either will do anything other than raise tensions, perhaps that is their purpose.
Imagine if you will a day when the USA minds its own business. If only we the people would have stopped the stupid before it took root.
5 stupid things that should be ended in no particular order:
1. Out of state political contributions.
2. International political meddling.
3. Corporate involvement in politics in any form.
4. Dual citizenship.
5. Direct election of senators.
Unfortunately, none of the above will ever end, absent a total catastrophe.
4b. Birthright citizenship.
Any aftershocks from the Russia-Turkey earthquake that occurred yesterday? Just listening to the Republican candidates talk with such blissful ignorance about the Middle East last week makes me think that the chances of us shooting at the wrong target are very, very high.
Just for one: the Iranians have steadfastly stayed out of things. What happens when they and the Russians are pissed enough at Turkey to do something? We won't know where the fire is coming from, let alone who it will be addressed to.
As you say, we've helped the Shia and Sunni bridge a thousand-year-old gulf.
Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald
There is going to be massive money poured into Nikki Haley's campaign now because it's the way that the GOP establishment can fully win back control of the Party and ensure that the neocon/warmonger mentality prevails no matter who wins in 2024:
Quote
Guardian news @guardiannews
Nikki Haley to launch $10m ad campaign in bid to overtake Ron DeSantis in GOP fight http://dlvr.it/SymSXl
6:48 AM · Nov 13, 2023
Yep, my thoughts exactly when I saw this news. Thanks for confirming.
Fyi - UK government may be about to collapse, again. It's getting really old now.
"You can sense Dems desperately hoping that something can be patched together quickly to halt the light that’s rapidly drawing nearer in the tunnel they find themselves in. Something that would get the Dem base back to obsessing about the LGBTQwerty Brave New World Order, and forget about Palestine—and keep the AIPAC campaign money rolling in. GOPers, meanwhile, just want it all to go away—they have no plan and, in their position, it’s hard to see a plan that would work to their interests, since those interests have very little to do with principles of any sort. Hey—they’re a political party! Nobody told them they’d have to make hard, principled decisions!"
Dems and the GOP. Dumb and dumber.
I'm surprised the US is still in Syria. I expected the US would have declared victory, and left after the Afghan Withdrawal Fiasco. Especially how the other Muslim Countries that were funding the Syrian Opposition, are making up with the Assad Regime.
A few Possible Reasons:
1. Inertia
2. US gains regional leverage by being there
3. Syria is a super convenient on demand US Military Action, when ever needed for a few headlines showing how awesome the Biden Administration is on dealing with Jihadists.
4. Biden Administration Anti Trump, since Trump wanted to exit, the U.S. will stay.
5. Israeli Lobby wants the U.S. to stay.
6. To keep ISIS down. I doubt this is the real reason.
7. To support the Kurds. I doubt this is the real reason.
8. To support the ouster of Assad.
I'm still surprised at the huge amount of opposition Trump got for trying to withdraw forces from Syria. Even being lied too?
#2, #8, Tartus, Khmeimim, and oil, from my limited knowledge. Especially the Russian military presence.
The plan was to break up Syria, run a pipeline from KSA to Europe that would counter Nordstream, and improve the military encirclement of Iran and Russia. I don't think they've given up on those goals. As long as you maintain the presence, you have pieces on the board the moment an opportunity presents itself.
I really wonder what it will take to dislodge our troops. Does it need to escalate to direct conflict between Russia and America?
I know little of pipeline politics, but there seems to be a lot of it in the Middle East.
Mark has had excellent articles about this recently. See https://meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/palestine-the-geopolitics-of-energy and https://meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/sunday-roundup-geopolitics-ukraine
M.K. Bhadrakumar (MKB to MIH) has written about this for a very long time, too.
That is a great article, but covers probably 25% of the Middle East pipeline politics. I don’t think it mentioned the Syrian pipeline from KSA. Or how Israel’s exporting of gas is changing their status, or Biden somehow stopping an Israel cypress pipeline, and the agreement with Lebanon on the gas field.
Sounds like you know more than a little about the pipeline politics of in the Middle East.
Reading Mark has expanded my knowledge.
I was very skeptical of pipelines being geo politically important, and they sounded like a lot of hot air to me (like California’s bullet trains), but Mark has changed my mind. Some pipeline routes are very important geo politically in the Middle East.
There are claims that it somehow gets handled by Erdogan's son who sells at a steep discount to Israel. I dunno, but it makes sense--paying off our "allies" in the war on Syria.
Seems very murky.
Kurds are in Political control of area of oil production, but a U.S. company had the rights? And U.S. is protecting the Kurds ownership. About 90% of Syria’s oil.
And Turkey has issues with Kurds.
And I also read some thing about Erdogen’s sons.
Yup... although recycling bin is somewhat generous as it implies secondary usefulness. 'Rancid barrel' is more appropriate and scraping is definitively the verb. It is unfathomable that either will do anything other than raise tensions, perhaps that is their purpose.
BS free zone.
I thought about replying, but knew his post would be short lived.
I've been out in the yard pruning bushes. I'm as expeditious as possible. :-)
I've heard that pruning encourages growth. Good for you!
Trying to play the anti-semite card is a surefire ban.