National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster used a joint meeting with his British counterpart Monday to go on a tirade about America’s upcoming “new” national security strategy, laying out of collection of American enemies centering on the usual ones, and including some enemies who are more traditionally, and diplomatically, American allies.
Attacking Russia and China as “revisionist” powers, and accusing Iran of seeking weapons of mass destruction, the real eyebrow raisers of McMaster’s screed were his singling out of Turkey and Qatar, two major US allies, as “growing problems” for American foreign policy goals.
On that subject, McMaster talked up the threat the US perceives from political Islam, and the Muslim Brotherhood. He presented both nations as major supporters for the Muslim Brotherhood, and suggested this was the reason Turkey’s ties with the West have worsened in recent years.
McMaster said that the goal was to prevent another “Morsi model,” referring to the former Egyptian president elected after democratic revolutions in 2011 against the US-backed Mubarak regime. Morsi was ousted in 2013, and replaced with another junta the US is extremely supportive of.
Though McMaster presented US opposition to “political Islam” as necessary to US interests, in recent years the concern has been that, in trying to crush pro-democracy religious movements across the Muslim world, those who oppose the assorted regimes therein will turn to violent revolution as an alternative.
It’s very disappointing when you see someone of McMaster’s calibre taking dictation from the child dictator of Saudi Arabia- who in his turn is being handed his scripts (in crayon one assumes) directly from Tel Aviv.
The man is unhinged! He sounds like Nethanyahu, mixing things up hopelesly in order to come up with a new romantic narrative of how the world looks like!
He is basically pointing a finger at any country that is not towing the most vicious neocon line! He is forgetting, neither do American people who voted for Trump. Now that they are firmly back in the saddle, having Trump nicely isolated — the fantastic narratives are flying again! But what will he do when Saudi Arabia does something that displeases them? In fact neicons are nervous, are are stuck between deriding crown prince MbS, and alternatively shielding him from the obvious Wahhabi world wide sponsorship of Islamic cults. Perhaps neocons are shielding themselves, as Saudis have a lots of dirt on their meddling.
So, how can the knowledgeable MvMasters explain why are ISIS attacks on Sufi (Turkish sect of Sunni Islam) happening? Many in Pakistan, and the recent one on Sinai? And while MbS is hurriedly reforming/jailing Wahhabi hardliners in KSA, nervous, twitching eyes of neocon thought reengineering are casting their glances over the rising tides of disobedience.
Let us see the ramifications of geography now put in place in the Middle East. Having failed to capitalize on ISIS territorial reach by expanding Kurd territory, there will be no obstacles to building pipelines from the largest gas field shared by Iran and Qatar over Iraq, avoiding any Kurd-held areas, accross Syria and into Turkey. There it will meet with the gas pileline infrastructure already being built by Turkish-Russian Turkish Stream. Gas from Russia is already flowing into Turkey via Blue Stream, and other pilelines from Azerbaijan.
McMasters may think that keeping US forces in that Al-Tanf pocket where ISIS is being kept for future rebranding — is very clever. After all — between YPG Kurds and US presence on Iraqi border, there cannot be a oipeline crissing from Iraq to
Syria? Really? Why are then suddenly Syrian YPG Kurds cooperating with Russia, and Ieaqis on the other side of the border? It is because they are not stupid. They need economy to live off once Syrian conflict ends. And they will get a piece of Qatar/Iran to Turkey pipeline pie. As Kurds like anybody else have learned that fighting for an independent state Kosovo style only brings dependence on US military, with no prospects for economic development. So now — how transparent it is — besides Iran, Qatar and Turkey are added to the list. And Europe, that pinchepd its nose ar Russian gas, will have choices of gas origins. All they need is to build connection to Turkey. Once upon the time, EU turned away Russian built and paid for South Stream. Now, let it cough up for the constructiin.
In the light of the vulnerability of supply directions — the explosion in Baumgarten in Austria — Europe is already late. And once Russia abandons Ukrainian wreck if a pipeline, then what? US that advised Europeans to wait, better build more then one export LNG terminal to supply Europe, and more ships, and the other end of LNG connections in Poland and……
Sitting on that patch of Syria will not solve any US problem. Attempts at sabotaging others in developing their resources is not going too well either. What is next? How many more countries will be added to the list? Not happy with Egypt lately? No worries.
Nekcons have undying lioyalty of Abu Dhabi. The same Prince that engineered kidnapping of Harriri, hoping for anti-Hezbollah Sunni instigated violence in Lebanon. A dud. Then, Saleh from Yemen declaring his loyalty to Saudi Arabia, on order of the same Abu Dhabi highness who happens to hold Saleh’s son a HOSTAGE. Saleh gets killed. Saudi Arabia got fooled, accepted Saleh offer, and now must retaliate. Onother dud.
This is what neocon Nethanyahu style foreign policy has yielded. At present, not a single country in the Middle East is supporting US policies. With the exception of UAE and some leftover Al-Nayaf elites in Saydi Arabia. With the absence of any source of alternative fioreign policy establishment, the mess will continue.
Millions of people that voted for Trump were pro war. The vast majority voted for him because Clinton was the opponent. This fantasy bulls**t that the signer of our $692 million defense budget, and all those brand new beautiful toys, is some reincarnate of Ron Paul is a stale joke.
Exactly, those same people are ecstatic now, as they believe the Jerusalem decision to be a sign that armageddon is here and their messiah is going to rise from the dead and rule for 1000 years.
Actually, they believe that their messiah rose from the dead circa 33 BC, after which he descended to heaven and will return therefrom to rule for 1000 years, etc.
You sre not informed, and the narrative you use instead of the reality, will prove — like all other previous narratives -/ a dud. But no worries, another narrative will be forthcoming. Israel loving Evangelicals had Ted Cruz to vote for — instead voted for a guy who derided war on Iraq, lies that led to it, and sll othrr wars that deprive that have destabilized whole regions (his words).
He never had the chance against neocons, but he is a good snd jnpredictablr wrecking ball, disorienting everyone. And Washington needed it. So far, did not start a new war — but there is always time. Neocons need wars mire then the air they breathe.
Trump has a written foreign policy strategy (speech April, 2016).
But it is clear that Republican establishment would realy love to revive love for Israel and to revive the thorougjly redefined Tea Party. But they cannot travel back in time.
The budget? Please, every democrat and republican is thrilled to get money to their states for military contracts. Want Trump to be against the money militsry sctually needs — but will never get as contractors skim off the top. They still do not have spare parts, training cut, hours of futy extended. Read the findings on ship collision, etc. why would Trump want to cut military spending — knowing full well who sctually gets the money. North Korea problem is swinging to give you whiplash, and goes from brimstone and fire to let’s talk. And the present to Israrl just concentrated many miinds as Organization of Islamic Cooperation (59 countries) just adopted statement recognizing Palestkne and its capital
In East Jerusalem. Be careful whst you wish for, sometimes wishes come true. While Nethanyahu will not lose sleep over it — neicons better think hard, just how much US interest in the Middle East they are willing to sacrifice? From Indonesia to Iran to Pakistsn and Egypt — there is unity. For example, just Sunni Moslems from Russia have more population then Saudi Arabia and all Gulf states combined. And Gulf states are finished as an entity. Kuwait has 40% of Shia population, Bahrain 85%, Oman has a unique religion, and Qatar is in Iran-Turkey block due to MbN (Nayaf) stupidity. Abu Dhabi — the only ally Israel niw has. Do not count on crazy as a fox MbS.
Do not count on evangelicals. Today, they are all blaming Republican establishment for the loss of Senate seat in Alabama.
So, Republican Party will implide as it is fighting irs base. It will not help demicrats, who have nit dealt with Clinton control of the party yet. If his only achievement is to precipitate the erosion of both parties, and expose media as nothing more then scribes that elaborate their given political narratives, this is a massive achievement. And if Jerusalem changes the political map of Middle East, csn neicons pull back their fangs from US foreign policy — just a bit? There are laws of unintended consequences — and this us what wrecking balls do.
Google Trump’s interview with Howard Stern and tell me how he “derided” the Iraq war back then. And tell me how Trump’s Iran nuke deal stance before, during and after his nomination was forced upon him by the neocons. He is unpredictable but hardly in a good way. You’re the one who is uninformed or just too stubborn to face facts. Trump is a lousy president just like his predecessors and will only drive people back to the cookie cutter candidates of the past.
Different people, but exact same US aims; which will not, i predict, ever change as long as the ideology from which these aims stem.
The aims are easily seen. No education nor much of an acumen needed to espy them:
1, To maintain forever the present structures of society and governance [to ensure that the THOUGHT that the ‘lowerkind’ never ever has a say who runs and how America is to be ran]
2, To grab by whatever means as much of the planet as possible
And if US is weakening as it seems to be; we can expect even nuke wars from rulers of America; probably supported at least by Israel, Haus of Saud Jordan, Ukraine….
‘McMaster said that the goal was to prevent another “Morsi model,”’
If McMaster doesn’t like the ‘Morsi Model’ then he ought to have embraced the Assad ‘model’ – an Alawite married to a highly educated English Sunni who were trying to reform Syria before the USG started its bloody regime-change operation. Now that the vile regime in Washington has been defeated there, the Assad should be able to resume.
McMaster seems to be in a bubble of sorts, anyone who would isolate out these two countries in the region as culprits is mislead. I suppose this is the new “Post Syria Insurgency” dialogue aiming to consolidate a pact against the Sunni countries (read Iran).
It is a complicated region but the strategy if you call it that changes so much in Washington that you need a program brochure to track all the various contradictory policies.