THE SANDBOX SYNDROME

FALLING LIKE DOMINOES

[HEADS IN THE SAND]

So, our fearless leaders think they can “solve” all the problems in the Mid-East and Persia! If all our past attempts are any indication, our fearless leaders are in for a rude awakening.

Does the civilized world need to eradicate scourges like ISIL?

                                                  You betcha!

Is the United States the only entity capable of handing out guns and pulling triggers?

                                                  I don’t think so!

Somewhere along the way, our foreign policies and perceptions got skewed toward making us believe this part of the World really wanted our style of governance, economy, and society. We collectively forgot that, to this day, much of the World is still tribal, and acts in ways that tend to baffle and frustrate us. In doing so, we tend to get other folks rather upset with our “exceptionality”. That said, the current state of terrorism is generally more of a threat to the Mid-East, Persia, Northern Africa, and Europe than it is to the North American continent.

The past is gone, and we can’t do anything to change that. What we can do is take a realistic and honest look at where things stand now; including governance, economy, and society in the Nation-States most affected by the current rash of terrorism. The United States, especially, should be sensitive to recognizing a people’s right to self-governance; governance that will most likely look very different from the one we chose. After all, didn’t we fight a little war back in the 1700’s to do just that? Our Colonies were originally created out of religious persecution in Europe, and our Revolution was fought over the Colonial exploitation of Great Britain. So, perhaps trying to control all the tribal factions in this area of the World is not what the “West” should be concentrating on. Hell, it’s like herding cats, anyway; a no-win situation.

One blatant truth that has run constant in the Mid-East and Persia is that Iran pulls the strings when it comes to dominating and solidifying the entire region. They have been it doing ever since the overthrow of the Shah in the late 1970’s. Apparently, they are a very patient people, and are slowly turning and twisting all the neighboring Nation States toward their religious caliphate. It is also apparent that the “West” has no idea of how to deal with type of religious expansionism. It seems Russia is in the same boat.

In trying to micro-manage the region, both the United States and Russia have attempted to slow the tide of Islamic Statehood. What has been lost is a focus on just how tribal/religious sects operate and govern their society and economy. Throw in misunderstanding and the greed for oil, and you have Super-Powers tripping all over themselves trying to exploit the region and at the same time keeping the peace, so their exploitations remain successful. The loss of focus on what is actually going on has led both Russia and the United States into quagmire after quagmire of armed conflict, which neither Country can afford, on multiple levels.

Taking all this into consideration, the World, in general, might want to reconsider the old “Domino Theory” (sic. twenty years of Vietnam for the U.S.; twelve years of Afghanistan for the Russians; centuries in Southeast Asia for China). This “Theory” has been used to mislabel many attempts to quell expansionism, colonialism, and exploitation. The “Domino Theory” certainly applies to modern day conflict(s) in the Mid-East and Persia. Take a very close look at Iran’s sponsorship of insurgencies and terrorist actions. Their actions are very quiet, slow, and patient, but completely insidious. It is deliberatively affecting the formation of one large, powerful Islamic caliphate ruled over by the powers in Tehran.

How does Iran do it? They slowly cement their ideology on a tribe-by-tribe basis. They do not directly attack the governments of neighbor States; they slowly create chaos and mayhem on a local level, and then duplicate the process from tribe to tribe, village to village, region to region. Their strategy is one of a ground up insurgency using religion and terrorism, instead of outright regime change (favored by the U.S. and Russia). I don’t know about Russia, but the U.S. has been warned of endless conflicts and armed quagmires for many years and by many Leaders and Heads of State. The most famous admonition I can remember came from Charles De Gaulle, President of France, in the 1961. He warned President Kennedy that warfare in Vietnam would trap America in a bottomless military and political swamp. Prior to that, ex-President Dwight Eisenhower mused that, having a row of dominoes set up, you knock the first one down, and the last one will fall very quickly thereafter. Eisenhower’s thinking led to the modern-day term; “Domino Theory”.

The last ten years have brought the Mid-East to a boiling point that has made the Iranian leadership ecstatic. As Russia, China, and the United States flex their diplomatic and military muscles in this region, Iran will force a tipping point that will look catastrophic to the rest of the World. The “Domino Theory” sets up like this:

1. Iran coddles Al-Qaeda and ISIL by furnishing them safe haven, training, weapons, and finances.

2. As the dominoes fall, Iran sets up "puppet" governments who force Sharia Law on the local tribes.

3. For the dominoes that prove a little tougher to topple, Iran foments Civil War to accomplish their mission.

4. Iran keeps Israel at bay by bolstering Palestine's military arsenal.

5. There are certain tribal areas that Iran will not touch until the very end of their jihadist expansion. Those left until the end will be: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and, possibly, Turkey.

6. Iran allows the United States to continue the destabilization in Pakistan. A job the U.S. seems to do well.

7. At some point, the Superpowers pull out of the Mideast, and abandon it altogether. The sheer cost of Nation Building becomes prohibitive for all concerned.

8. Pakistan falls to Iran, and Iran gets its nuclear weapons without having to rejoin their own nuclear program.

9. The U.S. is reluctant and slow to come to the aid of Israel. This leaves Israel no alternative but to take matters into their own hands, and all Hell breaks loose; especially, if Iran has secured Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

As all Hell is breaking loose, the United Nations will be called upon to come up with a viable plan of action. At this point, the most efficient plan would be for the United Nations to sanction and oversee some form of legal assassination. If such a plan were successful, after a certain number of assassinations, the Arab tribes might get the message and reject Iran’s intentions. This drastic step may be the only means by which to avoid mass collateral damage. This drastic step also needs the ownership of governments and militaries in the region.

Take a moment and consider Iran as our modern-day North Vietnam. Think back to Dwight Eisenhower’s summation that the Domino Theory was a real possibility in the Vietnam Conflict era. As in the current Mid-East situation, the U.S. was able to keep the dominoes from falling too fast, but, in the end, the result was exactly as Eisenhower had predicted. To this date, our Government refuses to equate the two conflicts. Unfortunately, those Americans with first-hand knowledge of Vietnam have no doubt about the similarities.

If Israel were to succumb to the new Islamic caliphates and end up in the Sea, Iran formally takes the reigns and declares the entire Mideast/Persian region a Supreme Islamic Caliphate. Iran will then control the land mass from India all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The big question to follow is who among the Superpowers tries to sneak in the back door and form alliances with the new Church Nation, and how will that work out? The next question is where does Iran take its Islamic expansion from here?

And, there you have your “Heads in the Sand”and your “Dominoes in the Desert”!

Missile, missile...My Kingdom for a missile!

Let’s see: Genocide in the past in the past, say, 130 years has seen the industrial world sit back as if nothing was going wrong. The alarming rate at which this seems to happen around the world has to be telling us something about human nature. Why do we tend to “look the other way” especially when our so-called friends and allies engage in such a practice? Hell, why do we turn and look away when not-so-friends and enemies do it?

When I see the “civilized” societies of the post-industrial era embark upon a genocide, I must believe there is some commonality in their motives. Indeed, there are perhaps three commonalities in this situation. The first would be ownership of real estate. The second might be simply a matter of exceptionalism, including what is thought of as religious war of jihad. The third certainly could be for reason of some economic gain. These three are neither mutually exclusive, or in any order of priority or hierarchy. A thread in these commonalities seems to be one of “entitlement”. One example of all three commonalities would be that of Turkey’s genocide of the Armenians. The German genocide in the middle of the last Century might fit well into all three, as well. The genocide, aka “ethnic cleansing”, after the break up of Yugoslavia at the end of the last Century fits neatly into the “exceptionalism” category.

There are hundreds more examples all across the Globe during this time span; these are but three. Which leads me to the economic reasons for waging a genocide, and a timely question of whether the Palestinian – Israeli war which has gone on for sixty some odd years is more economically based than either exceptional, or a simple land grab. I must admit that when I hear of Dick Cheney sniffing around the edges of a messy conflict the red flags start popping up at an alarming rate. There is either a gut feeling, or a base of knowledge, that points to a mother load of oil sitting beneath Palestine. The ageless Cheney wouldn't be anywhere near this hot-spot if there wasn’t a potential of vast amounts of money to be made from drilling rights. Oh, did I forget to mention that it is rumored Halliburton (Cheney’s other person-hood) has, or will sign contracts for drilling right in the West Bank.

My major problem with this end of the Palestinian – Israeli war is that the land being leased to Halliburton by Israel actually belongs to Palestine (Take a look at the maps on the historical shrinking of Palestine since 1949.) My second major problem with this is that the industrial Nations have let this go on, unchecked, since 1949. Our modern day, democratic governments have been fueling the fire by engaging in Arms and Technology “sales” to Israel to defend itself from a people whose land they are stealing. If you can make rational sense of that, you’re good.

So, let’s truly think of the act of genocide as we witness the annihilation of the Palestinian people while the “developed” Nations fiddle and Rome burns.

DOMINOES IN THE DESERT - there goes the neighborhood

1 year and 1 week ago...........and look what’s happening now!

                                Originally posted: Sunday, July 21, 2013 

As the United States plies its brand of “democracy” in the Mideast and Persia, the Church State of Iran is countering with spreading their unique brand of Islam. It has become painfully evident that the U.S. does not have a clue when it comes to understanding any other religion forms of Christianity and Judaism. The fate of all the Mideast, Persian, and neighboring Countries hangs in the balance. With most of Europe and all of Russia sharing in this demise, the longer this state of affairs exists, the longer western expansionist tendencies in the region will last, and the more dramatic Iran’s reaction will be. What is perfectly clear is that outside involvement in the Mideast and Persia is not about the oil. It’s not about human rights. It is about the total lack of understanding of the Islamic religion. This lack of understanding fuels a high level of fear that the political and corporate driven attempts to bring calm and peace to the region can’t seem to resolve. In this case, ignorance is not bliss; it is very dangerous to the world as a whole. There is a solution to all the turmoil that has been draining the human resources of too many Countries around the world.

The solution is three-fold in nature. The first part involves a concerted effort by all non-Islamic nations to do their best in understanding the true nature of the Islamic religion. This is not a religion that foments jihad, or any sort of extreme violence. As religions go, Islam is a very beneficent religion; loving, nurturing, kind, and forgiving. The second part of the equation involves the non-Islamic nations understanding and accepting that some folks prefer a Church State to that of a western style governmental structure. Not everyone wants to be like the United States; or, Canada, England, Spain, Greece, Russia, China, etc. Once these two are put into practice, Islamic governments around the globe will truly feel that they have a place at the table, and they aren’t going to be targets of colonialism, expansionism, or occupation.

The third part is a little trickier, but not out of the realm of possibility. This would be a legal form of State sponsored assassination. The “State” in this instance would ideally be the United Nations. As a world body, the U.N. should have the ability to remove singular despots from their perches as Kings, Emirs, Dictators, Grand Imams, Ayatollahs, etc. The benchmark would not include how a ruler got into power, but what he did once he assumed that leadership role.  Topping the list of determinants for assassination would be Human Rights, as describe by the U.N.; not described by any one member Nation, or private interest group. The U.N. would have the right to choose the “who, what, when, where, and why” for this action to proceed. In no way would any corporate influence be allowed to have any weight, whatsoever, in determining the specific action. Sorry, Dick Cheney. Sorry, Halliburton. Sorry, Exxon-Mobil.

This third part, being relative drastic in nature, would necessarily be preceded by diplomatic efforts to resolve the problem in a predetermined time period. Given the enactment of this third option, it would only take a few legal assassinations to let folks know that the world means business when it comes to peaceful coexistence. In defining “crisis intervention”, this type of action offers the absolute minimum of collateral damage to people, places, and things. Certainly, all peace-loving people would agree that lowering the “collateral damage” quotient is a desirable element in achieving World Peace.

The current situation in the Near-East and Mideast is not sustainable for very much longer. The next step will undoubtedly be an escalation of hostile takeovers that the world has never seen before. The entire quagmire will amount to a “domino effect” more damaging than that which occurred in Indo-China in the 1950’s, 60’s, & 70’s; an effect the United States has yet to recover from. And, of course, what happens to Israel is totally up in the air, as they will be surrounded by the opposition.

Posted by Hutch Dubosque at 7/21/2013 12:23:00 PM 

Is Zionism too radical for the Mideast?

-A cursory look at what the hang up is between Israel and Palestine.

Sometimes it’s good to start with visual aids, and, in this case, a few maps of the area might shed a little more light on the subject. For those who might not know, Israel hasn’t always existed. It got going after World War II, and was recognized as a Nation State in 1949. The land they occupied from the start was ceded to them by Great Britain, as the Brit’s were winding down their Colonialism across the Globe.

Since Israel was chartered by the United Nations in 1949, we’ll start with a map that shows the land mass prior to 1949.

      

Now look at what happened to the Palestinians’ land...

The detail on this map is fuzzy, but this map clearly shows how Palestine has shrunk dramatically since the inception of the State of Israel, and the arbitrary expansion of Jordan. Other than the Palestinians, no Nation in the Mideast has fallen prey to such an obvious land grab.

Has this history been manipulated by the recognized Jewish radicalism that is called “Zionism”? I am simply an on-looker in this turn of events. I have watched Israel grow, get threatened and attacked, and survived through the Arab and Islamic opposition to Israel’s very existence. As anything vaguely resembling peace has eluded the World’s best Diplomats, there certainly must be a factor that has yet to be addressed. This begs the question, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

There is one common denominator for Israel and the Arab States. The fact that each and every Nation State in the Mideast and Near East is a Church State. Perhaps we aren’t supposed to ask these types of questions and take a serious look at, not the differences, but rather the similarities of all the Nation States in this Region. But, it seems to me that religion is the tie that might bond all involved. As a serious caveat, I would suggest strongly that the “Super Powers” stay the Hell out of the solution. Absolutely nothing they have tried has worked, is working, and never will work.

If you go back and take a look at the maps, wouldn't it be nice if Great Britain came forward and apologized for creating the initial mess. After that shoe falls, it might also be nice if the United States and Russia publically owned up to their own brand of manipulation and expansionism. After that second shoe drops, then perhaps the French can take up the torch in facilitating a “sit-down” at a neutral site (say, Antarctica?) with all factions present to hash out a Peace Agreement.

What this boils down to is the fact that the problems in the Mideast and Near East are not problems for the Western Nations, or the Russians and Chinese. The questions of where these Church States go from here is something only they can answer. History proves that to be a correct statement. I find it disheartening at best to know that outside forces will not cease to bear down on this Region, will not cease to leave them alone, and will not cease to attempt to re-create them in our image. The radical factions on both sides of the coin need to silenced and not a part of these functions. If not, we all lose in this scenario! The Palestinian People deserve a better hand than they’re being dealt. They deserve a fully recognized Nation State of their own, and now would be a really good time to get it done.

The impetus for my writing on this subject was sparked after reading an article by Michael Marder titled, “Here is why deconstructing Zionism is important.” Below is a short “bio”:

Michael Marder

o       Ikerbasque Research Professor (Canada)

o       Doctor in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in              New York, NY

o       Research experience: More than 8 years of research experience at        universities in the US, Canada, and Portugal

o       Research line: Phenomenology, Ethical and Political Philosophy,              Environmental Philosophy

o       Comes from Duquesne University, USA and the University of                    Lisbon, Portugal

o       Has joined the Department of Philosophy, UPV/EHU Vitoria-Gasteiz

o        michaelmarder.org

FROM THE DESK OF WE THE PEEPS 1

I have paid attention to the state of Israel for over forty years, and not once have I ever questioned their philosophy and, by and large, their right to exist as a Nation State. That is until now. The last ten years have led me look at Israel in a much more critical way. When it comes to handling their issues with the Palestinians, the Israelis have taken a position and fostered a policy that looks to be a mirror image of the positions and policies of those they choose to call terrorists. I think I can say with some certainty that the People of Israel do not want to conduct a massive military campaign to obliterate the Palestinians. I am equal certain that the People of Palestine do not care to return the favor.

Both sides of this issue have been guilty of mismanagement in their dealings with each other. There has been a long history of combativeness between the two practically since the inception of an Israeli State in 1949. It cannot go overlooked that most of the Arab States in the Middle East have voiced their wish for the destruction of Israel, at one point or another. The last ten years have brought the Middle East to a boiling point that I assure you renders the leadership in Iran absolutely ecstatic. During this period, it has been very hard for the World’s Super Powers to disengage from the old Cold War mentality of mutually assured destruction. As Russia, China, and The United States flex their diplomatic and military muscles in this region, there will be a tipping point where nothing short of a total disaster will occur.

I have my theories on what Iran is up to in this whole scenario. My primary theory involves the once popular “domino theory”. It sets up like this:

                #1 – Iran coddles Al-Qaeda allowing them to have full training facilities that they, Iran,

                         partially underwrite;

                #2-   Iran sets up a puppet government in Iraq (they’ve been after Iraq for centuries);

                #3 – Iran takes advantage of the “Arab Spring” to destabilize Syria and foment civil war

                         there;

                #4 –  To keep the Israelis occupied, Iran boosts the Palestinian’s military arsenal;

                #5 –  Iran shakes things up in Lebanon to agitate political instability there;

                #6 –  Iran does not have to worry about Afghanistan right now, because the United States

                         is currently involved in the destabilization of the Government and Military in that   

                         Country;

                #7 – The whole thing comes crashing down on Israel shortly after the United States leaves                          Afghanistan and Pakistan (which it will do by 2014);

                #8 – The United States not longer has a lust for fighting and dying in deserts andmountains 

                         of the Middle East, and is slow to come to the aid of Israel;

                #9 – Israel is summarily pushed into the Mediterranean Sea

The big #10 happens when Iran declares a Supreme Islamic Nation with the collapse of Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.  From the border of India to the Mediterranean Sea, the new Islamic Order would have a commanding grasp of all but Saudi Arabia. With the United States still weak in knees, in come the Russians and the Chinese to add their unique way of doing things to the mix. Saudi Arabia does not stand a chance, and finally caves in, or is overrun, and becomes part of the fold.

 Scary times we live in; very scary, indeed.

Tell Me About Palestine

“Due to extensive travel the past few days, I've been subjected to far more television news coverage than is probably healthy, and it's just been staggering to see how tilted US media discourse is: Israeli officials and pro-Israel "experts" are endlessly paraded across the screen while Palestinian voices are exceedingly rare; the fact of the 45-year-old brutal occupation and ongoing Israeli dominion over Gaza is barely mentioned; meanwhile, every primitive rocket that falls harmlessly near Israeli soil is trumpeted with screaming headlines while the carnage and terror in Gaza is mentioned, if at all, as an afterthought. Two cartoons perfectly summarize this coverage: here and here.”

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/17-8

Glenn Greenwald is a columnist on civil liberties and US national security issues for the Guardian. A former constitutional lawyer, he was until 2012 a contributing writer at Salon. His most recent book is, With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful. His other books include: Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics, A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency, and How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values from a President Run Amok. He is the recipient of the first annual I.F. Stone Award for Independent Journalism.

 

 

In what dimension does one have to reside in order to get a view, or even a glimpse, of the Palestinian side of the equation? Mr. Glenn Greenwald has gone out on a limb. He has expressed dismay at the Western Media in their utter disregard for a People the United States and Western Europe have given “lip service” to over the past half a century.

It is time for People in America to stand up to the hypocrisy of their Government, and be heard on this unjust treatment of  Palestinian’s, who only want their own Homeland. Is that too much to ask for an ancient civilization whose land was stolen from them and turned over to unwanted emigrants from foreign shores?

The United States is eager to have the People of the World believe that only on the North American continent can true democracy reside. Couple that belief with the one that has the United States Government forcing this “democracy” on Nations and Cultures to whom democracy simply doesn’t make any sense. There is an ugly, elitist quality to America’s attempt to make the World in their mold.

Where are the cries of injustice and hypocrisy? How on Earth do the United States, the U.N., and Western Europe (sans France) get a pass on criticism when it involves the invented State of Israel? If no one in the Free World holds Israel accountable for their atrocities against Palestine and the Palestinian People, we have failed in our definition as free citizens. We all become that which we have so virulently fought against for decades. We become the despots and tyrants of religious colonialism and oppression that was the very essence of the founding of the United States of America.

People from across the globe still flock to the shores of America. They are searching for the kind of justice and freedom they have only heard, or read, about. Once on those shores they fast become disillusioned with the dream. They witness first hand that the dream is just that, a dream.

There is an urgent need for more Journalists the likes of Mr. Greenwald. I know they are out there. Please stand up and make your voices heard. Please make the case for justice and freedom that only a free press

 

 

A Beirut horror story

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/10/19/a_Beirut_horror_story

"From the outside looking in, Beirut sometimes appears to be an endless horror story. A car bomb here, an assassination there, even a Showtime series that depicts it as a war-wracked city where militias runs amok over the trendiest of neighborhoods. This portrayal has always been an exaggeration -- but today, it became a little closer to the truth.".........................................
 

This, folks, is the "Domino Theory" at work. Getting Lebanon involved in all this mess is the end of the begining for Iran's expansionism to the Israeli Border.

Just take a look at the map of the Middle East. Start in Iran; look to the West and Afghanistan; going farther West, look at Iraq; then Syria; and the puzzle is completed with Lebanon. And, who's in the worst possible geographic location? Would that be Israel?

Media Coverage of Our Military in Time of War

August 29^th, 2012

I am starting to notice a trend in reporting about our Military Personnel currently in harms way. The New York Times is demonstrating a better than average amount of reporting on both current and future conflicts that have a good possibility of involving the U.S. Military.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Times

New York, Friday, August 24, 2012

Lots of coverage on page A10:         Iran’s nuclear program

                                                            Afghan-on-Afghan Attacks

                                                            China vs. Myanmar

Although, not directly involving our Military, these are three issues of ominous importance to the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Times

New York, Saturday, August 25, 2012

Good coverage on page A6:             Syrian Refugees

                                                            Pakistani Militant Leader Dead by Drone

                                                            Acknowledgement of our War Dead

Any day that a Drone strikes the right target is a good day. Syria will most likely come into play in the near future. Any chance to memorialize our fallen Service Personnel is most welcomed by the Military Veteran sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Times

New York, Sunday, August 26, 2012

International Section, pages 8 & 9: More on the Massacres in Syria

                                                            More on Pakistani militant leader’s death by Drone

                                                            More on China vs. Myanmar

                                                            Afghan tribal warring

                                                            Hamas / Gaza / Israel conflict

It seems that the more information I gather concerning armed conflicts and and other restless situations that stand to occupy our Military strength, the more I am impressed with the appearance of just how "Tribal" vast segments of the World are. This leads me to believe there are no "Nations", and, perhaps, there is no "United States of America". Maybe we are simply Tribes involved in a loose association with each other.

 

http://hpub.org/us-and-uk-financing-al-qaeda-to-help-ovethrow-assad/

U.S. and U.K. BREAK THEIR OWN TERRORISM LAWS; FINANCE AL QAEDA to help Ovethrow Assad.

UK Sends £5 Million to Listed Terrorists in Syria

August 11, 2012
Source: Tony Cartalucci, BLN Contributing Writer

In direct violation of both American and British anti-terrorism legislation, particularly provisions regarding providing material support for listedor proscribed terrorist organizations, the United Kingdom has just announced that it will provide armed militants that include listed terror organizations with a £5 million tranche of what it calls “non-lethal practical assistance.”

Image: Little else could accentuate the hypocrisy and unhinged madness of US and British foreign policy more than Foreign Secretary William Hague announcing his government’s decision to fund genocidal sectarian extremists murdering under the flag of Al Qaeda in Syria.

….

Both British and American journalists have clearly identified and documented the presence of foreign fighters with militant extremist ties pouring over the Turkish-Syrian border, most recently in an attempt to overrun the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. CNN, whose Ivan Watson accompanied FSA terrorists over the Turkish-Syrian border and into Aleppo revealed that indeed foreign fighters were amongst the militants. It was admitted that:

Meanwhile, residents of the village where the Syrian Falcons were headquartered said there were fighters of several North African nationalities also serving with the brigade’s ranks.

A volunteer Libyan fighter has also told CNN he intends to travel from Turkey to Syria within days to add a “platoon” of Libyan fighters to armed movement.

CNN also added:

On Wednesday, CNN’s crew met a Libyan fighter who had crossed into Syria from Turkey with four other Libyans. The fighter wore full camouflage and was carrying a Kalashnikov rifle. He said more Libyan fighters were on the way.
The foreign fighters, some of them are clearly drawn because they see this as … a jihad. So this is a magnet for jihadists who see this as a fight for Sunni Muslims.

Foreign Policy magazine in an article titled, “The Syrian Rebels’ Libyan Weapon,” has gone as far as writing a two page profile on Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) commander Mahdi al-Harati and his role in leading the so-called “Free Syrian Army.” Also recently, the Council on Foreign Relations, a premier Fortune 500-funded US think-tank, wrote in their article, “Al-Qaeda’s Specter in Syria,” that:

“The Syrian rebels would be immeasurably weaker today without al-Qaeda in their ranks. By and large, Free Syrian Army (FSA) battalions are tired, divided, chaotic, and ineffective. Feeling abandoned by the West, rebel forces are increasingly demoralized as they square off with the Assad regime’s superior weaponry and professional army. Al-Qaeda fighters, however, may help improve morale. The influx of jihadis brings discipline, religious fervor, battle experience from Iraq, funding from Sunni sympathizers in the Gulf, and most importantly, deadly results. In short, the FSA needs al-Qaeda now.”

Clearly then, British aid is being sent to the FSA whose ranks are admittedly filled by Al Qaeda.
Also, to be clear, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) is in fact an affiliate of Al Qaeda with its commanders having occupied the highest echelons of Al Qaeda’s command structure and having participated in every combat engagement Al Qaeda has conducted since its inception via US-Saudi cash and arms in the mountains of Afghanistan in the 1980′s. This was documented meticulously in the US Army’s West Point Combating Terrorism Center report, “Al-Qa’ida’s Foreign Fighters in Iraq.”
LIFG is also listed by both the US State Department and the UK Home Office (page 5, .pdf) as a foreign terrorist organization and a proscribed terrorist organization respectively.
Foreign Policy’s admission of al-Harati’s role in organizing and leading the FSA in Syria, and the inclusion of Libyan terrorists in his brigade are by no means the only role LIFG is playing in the Syrian violence. LIFG commander Abdul Hakim Belhaj had visited the Turkish-Syrian border in late 2011 pledging Libyan arms, cash, and fighters to the FSA – with the nation of Libya itself having already become a NATO-created terrorist safe-haven.
It is clear that LIFG, and by implication Al Qaeda, is playing a significant role in the violence in Syria, not only undermining the narrative of the unrest being an “indigenous” “pro-democracy uprising,” but also implicating foreign nations who are funding and arming militants as state sponsors of terrorism.
Included amongst these state sponsors of international terrorism are Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Hariri faction in northern Lebanon, as well as the NATO-installed government of Libya. This also includes both the United States, who is admittedly providing cash and equipment for the FSA as well as coordinating efforts to arm militants, and now the UK once again with their latest announcement.
With an increasing number of overt atrocities being carried out by the FSA and its ranks of extremist sectarian militants, including kidnappings, abuses, and massacres observed recently in Aleppo, it is unconscionable for the West to even rhetorically back what is clearly a sectarian-driven conflict, let alone provide equipment, cash, and arms. However, British Foreign Secretary William Hague calls it, “the right thing to do.”


Image: The Western media is covering – or more accurately, “spinning” – an unfolding sectarian genocide in Syria’s largest city Aleppo. In the alleys of seized streets, FSA terrorists are detaining, torturing, and killing anyone suspected of supporting the government. Such suspicions coincidentally run along sectarian divisions. By using the label “Shabiha” for all of FSA’s victims, the Western press has given a carte blanche to genocidal sectarian extremists and by doing so, has become complicit in war crimes themselves. For the British, or any other nation for that matter, to provide the FSA with even rhetorical, let alone material support, is an egregious act of international terrorism.

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It is unclear whether Hague means – violating the laws of his own nation to provide material support for known, proscribed terrorists is “the right thing to do” – or if he means it is “right” to perpetuate the bloodbath in Syria as prescribed by the US Fortune 500-funded think-tank, Brookings Institution in their “Middle East Memo #21,” which suggested the West “pin down the Asad regime and bleed it, keeping a regional adversary weak, while avoiding the costs of direct intervention.” Either way, the unhinged, morally bankrupted foreign policy of the Anglo-American establishment is on full display, undermining and irrevocably damaging the legitimacy of their collective institutions in the process.
A similar scenario unfolded in Libya, where LIFG terrorists were likewise carrying out a campaign of nationwide genocide with NATO providing air support. Similarly, by funding, arming, and coordinating acts of violence with LIFG fighters, NATO, and in particular, France, England, and the United States, were guilty of violating both their own respective anti-terrorism legislation, as well as international provisions against terrorism.
The brazen illegitimacy of NATO’s actions against Libya surely played a role in hobbling, perhaps permanently, the contrived geopolitical ploy of “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) while simultaneously undermining the “primacy of international law.”
The protracted difficulty of the West to repeat their success in Syria can be perhaps owed in part to the unhinged policy and agenda pursued and exposed in Libya.