If you’re an Islamist fighter in Iraq or Syria, chances are you are using US-made equipment the majority of the time. Whether looted from fleeing Iraqi troops, captured at the border, or just plain given to the Islamists by the CIA, America’s history of keeping track of its weaponry isn’t the best.
So amid new reports of US arms shipments to Syrian rebels in the southeast, and to Kurdish forces along the Turkish border, many are looking back at the Pentagon’s history of criminal mismanagement of arms shipments, and wondering where all these new weapons will end up.
After all, it was only a week ago that a government audit was released revealing the Pentagon had just lost track of another $1 billion in arms sent to Iraq, and had made little to no effort to keep records of where the gear ended up once it arrived in the country.
So as the Pentagon vows to ‘carefully monitor” this new round of weapons, the simple fact that the US admits it never intends to try to recover the weapons raises questions about whether they’ll really bother, or if this will be another case of billions of dollars in US arms disappearing, with nothing to show for it but a shoebox full of hand-written receipts.
A shoebox?
lol
Nothing to show for it? Hundreds of thousands coffin-size boxes, victims of global war-on-terror, with the terror being visited upon all not approved “regimes”, or resistance. So, terrorists become “freedom fighters”, resistance to imperial hubris — terrorism. So, without questioning, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization because citizens of Lebanon, not being able to rely on their government military forces to defend them from Israel’s attempt at occupation — resisted the would be Lebanon’s colonial master long enough to force the “international community” to actually have some shame, and halt Israel’s naked aggression against helpless Lebanon. Since that time, Hezbollah is a political force, and is a legitimate part of Lebanon’s military force. And their participation in Syria, is approved by the Lebanese government. Yet, Israel is shamelessly calling Hezbollah terrorists, while harboring and providing medical treatment to real terrorists killing civilians in Syria. To Israel and his ilk around the globe, ends justify means — thus, any level of human degradation and debasement, any crime and genocide is permitted — even asked for — if the imagined ends justify such means. This is what happens to humans when they imagine themselves to be the center of universe, and all else on their way must perish.
So, there is plenty to show for the “missing” military assets. There are thousands upon thousands of groups being fed, armed and weaponized for various aims — and endless thousands of destitute young ready to accept any cult that would have them, any cult that promises better life from the hell they aare living.
So, when we wonder like Alice in wonderland as to why General Sisi likes to be a dictator, or attacks some training camps for terrorists across his borders, and we in full on Alice mode wonder why is this move so popular in Egypt, and why is this dictator searching for the monsters to destroy across the border, when there are plenty of them at home, we show just how disturbingly we are removed from the realities. Removed from understanding how one large country like Egypt barely avoided civil war, barely stayed afloat financially, and cannot afford to stir the hornets nest of cult followers at home — but is aiming at those like minded abroad. Why are we so dimwitted as to actually chastise President Al-Sisi for the crime of keeping Egypt out of civil war inspired from the outside, and kept Egypt out of anarchy and death spiral, by human sacrifice. By sacrificing Moslem Brotherhood, Saudi demons were appeased, money flowed, and for the time being, the Salafi cults inspired and funded by Saudi Wahhabism — were calmed. But everyone knows that this demon cannot stay in the box forever, and that if not shown the specter of force, they will push the envelope for more and more chaos. Thus, attacks on Christians is the demon coming out of its temporary hideout, the Saudi inspired cults afraid only of brutal force. But the force was applied on a surrogate, a pin stuck in the rag doll of extremist ideology, to the acclamation of the nation. Had he struck at the Egyptian cults, there would have been plenty of European and US humanitarians bemoaning the dictatorial “tendencies” of President Sisi. But he sent the message to Saudi “friends”. Stop funding extremists, stop coddling them, and recognizing their cult as religion. Just like Moslem Brotherhood and their supporters paid the high price for being insensible to the raising specter of civil war, to the general cheering of Salafi masses, today, we are likely to see the process reversed — following the message, domestic Salafis and their armed fundamentalists may end up being hit, their parties dismantled, and many killed and put in jail. This time, followers of Morsi will no doubt cheer. Al-Sisi is doing his part to simultaneously unite Egypt over ideas of resistance to extremism and terrorism, while hitting those that are threatening the unity. In the face of Saudi blatant funding of Salafi parties in Egypt, and “somebody” funding armed groups in Sinai and elsewhere — actions will be taken that will not be approved by Parliament. As only Alice in Wonderland still can imagine the world to be normal according to her standards.