Godlike Productions - Discussion Forum
Users Online Now: 1,394 (Who's On?)Visitors Today: 222,120
Pageviews Today: 369,505Threads Today: 149Posts Today: 2,867
07:07 AM


Rate this Thread

Absolute BS Crap Reasonable Nice Amazing
 

Obama’s Fateful Syrian Choice

 
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 70363929
Switzerland
09/19/2015 06:18 AM
Report Abusive Post
Report Copyright Violation
Obama’s Fateful Syrian Choice
Obama’s Fateful Syrian Choice

President Obama faces a choice that could define his legacy and the future of the American Republic: He can either work with Russia’s President Putin to stabilize Syria or he can opt for a confrontation that could lead to an open-ended war with grave risks of escalation, writes Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

September 18, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - "Consortiumnews" - There is an obvious course that President Barack Obama could follow if he wants to lessen the crises stemming from the Syrian war and other U.S. “regime change” strategies of the past several decades, but it would require him to admit that recent interventions (including his own) have represented a strategic disaster.

Obama also would have to alter some longstanding alliances – including those with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel – and correct some of the false narratives that have been established during his administration, such as storylines accusing the Syrian government of using sarin gas on Aug. 21, 2013, and blaming the Russians for everything that’s gone wrong in Ukraine.

In retracting false allegations and releasing current U.S. intelligence assessments on those issues, the President would have to repudiate the trendy concept of “strategic communications,” an approach that mixes psychological operations, propaganda and P.R. into a “soft power” concoction to use against countries identified as U.S. foes.

“Stratcom” also serves to manage the perceptions of the American people, an assault on the fundamental democratic precept of an informed electorate. Instead of honestly informing the citizenry, the government systematically manipulates us. Obama would have to learn to trust the people with the truth.

Whether Obama recognizes how imperative it is that he make these course corrections, whether he has the political courage to take on entrenched foreign-policy lobbies (especially after the bruising battle over the Iran nuclear agreement), and whether he can overcome his own elitism toward the public are the big questions – and there are plenty of reasons to doubt that Obama will do what’s necessary. But his failure to act decisively could have devastating consequences for the United States and the world.

In a way, this late-in-his-presidency course correction should be obvious (or at least it would be if there weren’t so many layers of “strategic communications” to peel away). It would include embracing Russia’s willingness to help stabilize the political-military situation in Syria, rather than the Obama administration fuming about it and trying to obstruct it.

For instance, Obama could join with Russia in stabilizing Syria by making it clear to putative U.S. “allies” in the Mideast that they will face American wrath if they don’t do all that’s possible to cut off the terrorists of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda from money, weapons and recruits. That would mean facing down Turkey over its covert support for the Sunni extremists as well as confronting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf sheikdoms over secret funding and arming of these jihadists.

If Obama made it clear that the United States would take stern action – such as inflicting severe financial punishments – against any country caught helping these terrorist groups, he could begin shutting down the jihadists’ support pipelines. He could also coordinate with the Russians and Iranians in cracking down on the Islamic State and Al Qaeda strongholds inside Syria.

On the political front, Obama could inform Syria’s Sunni “moderates” who have been living off American largesse that they must sit down with President Bashar al-Assad’s representatives and work out a power-sharing arrangement and make plans for democratic elections after a reasonable level of stability has been restored. Obama would have to ditch his mantra: “Assad must go!”

Given the severity of the crisis – as the refugee chaos now spreads into Europe – Obama doesn’t have the luxury anymore of pandering to the neocons and liberal interventionists. Instead of talking tough, he needs to act realistically.

Read more here:
[link to www.informationclearinghouse.info]
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 70364078
Spain
09/19/2015 07:03 AM
Report Abusive Post
Report Copyright Violation
Re: Obama’s Fateful Syrian Choice
Obama is a idiot. He keeps demanding that Assad has to go. Who is he? [Obama] to make such statements. Why other leaders not demand Obama and his regime to resign. Enough crimes to support that too.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 64329067
United States
09/19/2015 07:33 AM
Report Abusive Post
Report Copyright Violation
Re: Obama’s Fateful Syrian Choice
Obama is a idiot. He keeps demanding that Assad has to go. Who is he? [Obama] to make such statements. Why other leaders not demand Obama and his regime to resign. Enough crimes to support that too.
 Quoting: Anonymous Coward 70364078


clappaI'm just waiting for a world leader to demand Obama go! Him and the Monsanto criminals, someone needs to sanction THEM





GLP