Egypt: It has already started…(see prior post for context)
Debka: The US backs Brotherhood
Tag: middle east
Two cents
2 cents on a couple news stories:
Egypt – NYT Headline: Egypt Military Softens Tone as Vote Count Favors Islamist – what is going to happen is this individual and his cronies are going to speak eloquently and fervently for democracy in Egypt. He and they (Muslim Brotherhood) will beat their chests and flail their arms about saying the people of Egypt have spoken….democracy in our time….military ties to Mubarrak and past…. military dictatorship….we the people…. and you will hear and see talking heads in MSM and our government and EU etc. speak about democracy…. Arab spring…. blah, blah, blah. What is actually happening is the Muslim brotherhood positioning itself so as to look innocent, blah…blah… but its goal is to strip the military of being a check and balance in and of the government. Once the military is stripped and without a doubt key posts created and placed in the military by the new Egyptian president the real face and heart of the Muslim brotherhood will creep out and quickly and violently smash democracy and freedom in the country and replace it with something kin to Iran and the Taliban. Islamist extremism of the hateful kind. And it may take 5 to 10 years to get there. Maybe even 20. But they know they have history over 6000 years and time is on their side.
Greece – NYT Headline: After Greek Vote, Europe Still Has a Host of Problems – I GUARANTEE O breathed a deep sigh of relief when the election results were announced. And it is true that there is a host of problem ahead for the EU. But the “good news” is that all of those problems more than likely will not fully rear their ugly heads until the winter or next spring. Systemic change NEEDS to occur in the EU but – just like the US – noone really wants the crud and wading through it on their watch. “Push it fwd!” “I/We inherited these problems!” And so on. I am not a doomsayer BUT I do have common sense and that leads me to believe things can not continue on as they have been and the EU, US, world economies get miraculously healthy.
No progress
The rupture between the US and Israel over Iran’s nuclear program widened further Friday, May 25 when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided not to be available to hear the briefing brought to Jerusalem from Baghdad by Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman who headed the US delegation to the Six Power talks. The report she delivered to National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror and Foreign Ministry Director-General Rafi Barak was that no progress had been achieved in Baghdad due to Iran’s refusal to budge on its “right” to enrich uranium at low (3.5-5 percent) or high (20 percent) levels or shut down the Fordo nuclear plant near Qom.
Although the participants agreed to reconvene in Moscow in three weeks, the Iranian delegation stressed there would be no progress until the US and the other five world powers (Britain, France, Russia, Germany and China) recognized Iran’s absolute “right” as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium.
Meanwhile, every day spent on diplomacy is thoroughly exploited by Iran to zip ahead with its nuclear plans.
2 cents:
Iran knowing that it has a sympathetic ear in the chief empty suit PLUS the fact that he is busy meddling in back channels KNOWS it has the idiot by the nose and now can lead him along as long as they want — wherever they want. Iran’s hope that in using back channels that it would sever ties (weak as they are/were) between Israel and USA but more specifically between Netanyahu and Obama. Iran believes if it can get Israel to act before the US election that it will actually isolate Israel further and the key to that isolation is away from US. HOWEVER if Israel would hold out and the US election results in the replacement of the the CES – then Iran is in a FAR WORSE spot because it will undoubtedly be looking at a fierce Israel supporter and one that is willing to crush Iran with military might. Israel knows that each day Iran is left alone to continue working, results in a day closer to their ultimate unstated goal.
A wild card in this whole thing is the arrogance of CES. Will the arrogance take him down the road of being a back channel baby believing he alone can bring peace or will it go that he will become obnoxious at the inability of Iran to realize that he is right and that they need to do what he says?
So how is that for a crucible of activity?
note: CES=Chief Empty Suit = current US president
No progress
From Debka this morning:
The rupture between the US and Israel over Iran’s nuclear program widened further Friday, May 25 when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided not to be available to hear the briefing brought to Jerusalem from Baghdad by Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman who headed the US delegation to the Six Power talks. The report she delivered to National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror and Foreign Ministry Director-General Rafi Barak was that no progress had been achieved in Baghdad due to Iran’s refusal to budge on its “right” to enrich uranium at low (3.5-5 percent) or high (20 percent) levels or shut down the Fordo nuclear plant near Qom.
Although the participants agreed to reconvene in Moscow in three weeks, the Iranian delegation stressed there would be no progress until the US and the other five world powers (Britain, France, Russia, Germany and China) recognized Iran’s absolute “right” as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium.
Meanwhile, every day spent on diplomacy is thoroughly exploited by Iran to zip ahead with its nuclear plans.
2 cents:
Iran knowing that it has a sympathetic ear in the chief empty suit PLUS the fact that he is busy meddling in back channels KNOWS it has the idiot by the nose and now can lead him along as long as they want — wherever they want. Iran’s hope that in using back channels that it would sever ties (weak as they are/were) between Israel and USA but more specifically between Netanyahu and Obama. Iran believes if it can get Israel to act before the US election that it will actually isolate Israel further and the key to that isolation is away from US. HOWEVER if Israel would hold out and the US election results in the replacement of the the CES – then Iran is in a FAR WORSE spot because it will undoubtedly be looking at a fierce Israel supporter and one that is willing to crush Iran with military might. Israel knows that each day Iran is left alone to continue working, results in a day closer to their ultimate unstated goal.
A wild card in this whole thing is the arrogance of CES. Will the arrogance take him down the road of being a back channel baby believing he alone can bring peace or will it go that he will become obnoxious at the inability of Iran to realize that he is right and that they need to do what he says?
What would you do if you were Netanyahu?
on top of my soap box
from Debka
US Navy, Air Force, ground, intelligence and special forces units based at home, in Europe and the Middle East, took part this week in a special exercise ordered by President Barack Obama to simulate reactions to a potential US-Israel strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, debkafile’s exclusive military and Washington sources report.
Sunday, April 22, the US also transferred a number of advanced stealth F-22 fighter bombers, believed to be from the 302nd Fighter Squadron 302, from the joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska to the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
According to our sources, the F-22 jets will join the F-15s of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing which were transferred to the Al Udeid base a month ago.
Their mission will be to destroy the Iranian air force and air defense batteries so as to clear the way for US and Israeli bombers to go into action against Iran’s nuclear sites and the strategic infrastructure of its army and Revolutionary Guards Corps.
This unprecedented US buildup of air might – supplementing the aircraft on the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Enterprise, to be joined by a third carrier as soon as the offensive gets underway – shows Tehran that the Obama administration is serious about using military means as extra pressure on Iran to give way in diplomatic negotiations – both with the six powers and with the US through clandestine channels.
Both moves took place as the United States and five other world powers prepares for the second round of talks with Iran scheduled for next month to rein in its nuclear program.
The comment Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz made to AP on April 26 about “other countries” having readied their armed forces for a potential strike “to keep Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons” referred to the deployment of the F-22 stealth jets. He did not name the other countries.
His comment was received in Washington as Israel’s strongest message till now that it will not be alone in attacking Iran but will have partners, presumably the US – and possibly also Britain, France, German, Holland or Italy.
At the end of the US exercise simulating Day One of this attack, debkafile reports that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey submitted to the White House three conclusions:
1. Iran’s response to a military strike will be “measured,” both to limit the damage to the regime and to conserve military resources for a possible follow-up attack;
2. The Iranians will go back to work on building a nuclear weapon within a short time;
3. The destruction of core elements of its nuclear program is expected to change Iran’s attitude in negotiations, making it less cocky and more submissive to international demands.
2 cents:
Absolute foolishness. Nothing was learned from Iraq and Afghanistan. These people – Arab Muslims that are right extremist do not know or work from a position of true submissiveness to the Evil Satan and its allies. Conclusion 1 & 2 are correct but #3 is ignorance personified. To get a real #3 conclusion would require a complete change of Iranian leadership as well as its form of government. Bombing them will not achieve that end. It would require hunting them down and killing them (see Iraq & Afghanistan).
Also the exercise is fully under the mind set of chief empty suit. It is posturing, games, strategics etc. it is a COMPLETELY different thing to actually order the attack. I will go a step further – with confidence – the chief empty suit ordered the mission on Osama ONLY BECAUSE it would have definitely been leaked that he did not do it. He was bullied into it by the politics and the USA citizen’s desire to make the architect of 9/11 pay for it. It was not because the old limp noodle has a patriotic bone in his body. Nor was it because he is strong on the protection of American values and lives versus what has been labeled as an extremist version of Islam. He will now wave this one bloody success of his horrific term to try and position himself as a successful president.
Israel knows and understands this pathetic man better than probably most the citizens in our own country. It is in our country that so called reality TV shows are the preference of the masses. In the sports world they are called professional wrestling. Our country is sick, wicked, willingly ignorant, immoral and ambivalent. We have a president that represents the majority of the voters in the country.
Now THAT should keep us up at night.
a BIG question
U.S. Agencies See No Move by Iran to Build a Bomb is in this morning’s New York Times and provides the other side of the whole matter. The column brought one very BIG and IMPORTANT question to my mind so I wrote one of the author’s hoping to get there thoughts:
Interesting article. One big question came to mind when reading your column and that is “How many countries have went the work of uranium enrichment that have not later developed a weapon?” I’d greatly appreciate your answer and thoughts. Thanks, Kevin
2 cents:
If you are a country and are pretty much a neighbor of another country that has repeatedly expressed the desire to see your nation wiped off the face of the earth AND that country starts messing with enriching uranium would you not deem it a wise decision on your part to eliminate that country’s ability to enrich uranium? Who cares if it is for peaceful purposes? Ultimately it is a required step to get to the means to wiping your nation off the earth. If Iran actually wants peaceful uranium enrichment it can be provided for them by purchase. If Iran actually wants to be treated as a civilized nation it needs to cease the hate speech and threats – then over a period of time where some diplomatic channels of goodwill are opened between the nations maybe the world would feel okay with a nuclear Iran. But while it is shaking its fists and foaming at the mouth hatred and threats that time is not now.
Hope, Levity and Wonder 