Our strategic interests at work

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s military units are in the process of crushing a popular uprising that has sustained itself for almost two months. During that time, the rest of the world has ignored Syria, even though its sadistic leaders have been vying for a seat on the UN “Human Rights Commission.” The regime, in a shallow and meaningless victory for the forces of peace and justice, has just recently given up this aspiration, but its tanks and infantry are moving in on the capital and the central city of Hama, which could end up being a re-enactment of a massacre back in 1982 by Bashar’s father, Hafez

The Assad family, all together...they have ruled Syria for almost 40 years. Bashar is the tallest one and Hafez is sitting in the front.

The Obama administration and the Europeans are “considering” action, but as usual, its too little, too late. Here’s the latest, from the Washington Post: 

The Obama administration is edging closer to calling for an end to the long rule of the Assad family in Syria.

Administration officials said Tuesday that the first step would be to say for the first time that President Bashar Assad has forfeited his legitimacy to rule, a major policy shift that would amount to a call for regime change that has questionable support in the world community.

The tougher U.S. line almost certainly would echo demands for “democratic transition” that the administration used in Egypt and is now espousing in Libya, the officials said. But directly challenging Assad’s leadership is a decision fraught with problems: Arab countries are divided, Europe is still trying to gauge its response, and there are major doubts over how far the United States could go to back up its words with action.

Of course, all of this comes **after** Assad and his henchmen began bragging about their apparent “victory” over the Syrian people…

The Syrian government has gained the upper hand over a seven-week uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, a senior official declared Monday, in the clearest sign yet that the leadership believes its crackdown will crush protests that have begun to falter in the face of hundreds of deaths and mass arrests.

The remarks by Bouthaina Shaaban, an adviser to Mr. Assad who often serves as an official spokeswoman, suggested that a government accustomed to adapting in the face of crises was prepared to weather international condemnation and sanctions. Her confidence came in stark contrast to appearances just two weeks ago, when the government seemed to stagger before the breadth and resilience of protests in dozens of towns and cities.

“I hope we are witnessing the end of the story,” she said in an hourlong interview, for which a reporter was allowed in Syria for only a few hours. “I think now we’ve passed the most dangerous moment. I hope so, I think so.”

Assad is gleeful, but “the most dangerous moment” is only beginning for the Syrian people, who will be punished as the angry regime seeks to exact revenge. But it may not be over yet. Syrians have shown strong resilience in the face of violence that has far outstripped the responses that other Arab despots have employed, finding ways to gather together and rally even when the daily death toll climbs into the triple figures. They have more courage, strength, and determination than any American or European politician will ever have.

I would like to say more, but this is getting depressing and I can’t help but fear that no one is willing to listen, let alone take action. Its clear that the United States, Israel, Europe, and all the free “democracies” of the world see Assad’s regime as a “necessary evil” to contain a mixed population of religions and ethnicities who would otherwise be fighting, killing each other, and threatening regional “stability.” Somehow, a repressed and subdued Syria serves the rest of the world’s stategic interests, even if its soft-spoken dictator hails from a genocidal bloodline and invites the bloody hands of Iran’s clerics into the Arab world.

If only I could ditch this office and my laptop and go to Syria myself…

Paradise lost…

After a lengthy battle, Pakistan has agreed to allow the Taliban to introduce Sharia law, a deranged way of life backward enough to inflict punishment on rape victims, as my most last post pointed out. By all means, Pakistan is surrendering to the Taliban.

If the Pakistani Army does pull out and the Taliban moves into the once-beautiful Swat Valley, that leaves us with few options, except for maybe…

Air power of course…certainly no one deserves a missile up their ass more than a bearded scumbag who storms into a girls school with an AK-47 and burns it down, blows it up, or in some cases, throws acid on the innocent students. How sad is it to think of the young girls in Pakistan who, thanks to the Pakistani government, might lose the battle for their education.

President Obama needs to put forth a troop surge strategy in Afghanistan, but it will have to be more complex than that. Recent polls are suggesting that the people of Afghanistan are losing their trust of the United States and our NATO allies. For every girls’ school the Taliban burns down in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the elected-government of Afghanistan, along with its western allies, should build 50 new ones on the Afghan-side of the border. Having their leaders picked off by CIA predator drones may be damaging to the Taliban, but the only way they will ever be finished off is if both Afghans and Pakistanis succeed in building successful democracies.

I have always defended Pakistan…there is little doubt that they have suffered far more than any other country in the region from terrorism, especially India and Afghanistan. But surrendering Swat Valley could be a mistake of historical proportions.

Mission Accomplished

Today was another defining moment for the people of Iraq. Last night, I spoke with several of my friends who live in the country and I was nearly moved to tears as they talked about getting ready to vote. I think it is safe to say that Iraq is ready to be the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

Those who wanted Iraq to fail have only failed themselves. Al-Qaeda’s roots have been smashed thanks to the courage of the Iraqi people, the Lions of the Iraqi Army, and of course the Surge Strategy implemented by a true American hero, General David Petraeus. As for Saddam and the Baathists, they are nothing but a closed chapter in a dark history.

Iraqi heroes patrol the Tigris River

Usually, when I think about the people who looked down on Iraqis, I think of terrorist scumbags who suicide bombed mosques or Militiamen who trained in the art of torture from a compound outside of Tehran. But we cannot forget people like Harry Reid and the other democrats…I don’t want to dwell too much on that. Our country is focused on another crisis, and the last thing we need is more division, but I will stand by this statement: Harry Reid should have stepped down a long time ago after his reprehensible statements.

I am very proud of my president, Barack Obama, for commending the Iraqi people and praising the success of today’s elections, which passed free of violence and proved to the world that Iraq, its people, and its freedom are truly a force to be reckoned with. I must say that I am even prouder of the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Kamal Al-Maliki, who has strong that he is a strong and gracious leader.

The Iraqi people have stood up for their security

But I am most proud of my former president, George W. Bush. I suppose if I ran into him tomorrow, this is what I would say to him:

Mr. President, now that you have stepped aside and are enjoying a calm, quiet life in the Dallas suburbs, remember that you are a real hero. You stood by Iraq’s side in its time of need…you outsmarted those who wanted Iraq to fail, from the congressmen who verbally ravaged you day in and day out to the terrorists who arose from the sands of North Africa and Saudi Arabia to inflict terror and fear on the Iraqi people.

The democrats won the election. They got the White House and they consolidated their power in Congress. For now, they have even won the trust of the American people. But each morning, when you and your wife get ready to have coffee, just think of the millions of Iraqi families who are going to live in peace, and the future generations who are going to lead Iraq and the Middle East to greatness. The Democrats never got their new direction. You looked them in the eye and exposed them for the frauds they were when they threatened to cut funding or tie in a “troop withdrawal” to one of their so-called “blank checks” they were handing you.

History will judge you very differently, sir. You will be remembered with heroes of the Middle East like T.E. Lawrence and Benazir Bhutto, except your accomplishments are even greater.

Hhhhh…maybe I need to do some work with it, lol. But that is pretty much what I would say if I met the former president. Anyway, even as the Bush hatred remains solid in this country, there are plenty of images that will show just the opposite.

A bustling Baghdad comes to mind. As George and Laura go about their golden years, I hope that they will find the time to visit it. I’ve heard reassurances from some of my Iraqi friends that they will be warmly welcomed one day, and I trust this will be true.

Bush did a great thing for Iraq, for the world, and for humanity. It disgusts me when I hear about Republicans who urged the president to give up during the bloodshed that peaked in 2006-07, when Iran, Syria, Al-Qaeda, and the Baathists were hard at work trying to destroy the country. While they all had different goals, the above mentioned thugs seemed to agree that a democratic Iraq was a threat to their despotic way of life.

Another question comes to mind…is Iraq even still a “war”? Obviously, the Iraqi people will always be at war with so-called Islamists who wish to destroy their way of life, but perhaps the media can look at stories coming out of Iraq as something other than “war news”.

The struggle is far from over…Iraq is going to serve as a role model for the Middle East, and we will have to wait and see what happens. Iraq’s future is just beginning.

Welcome to the job, Mr. President

Now don’t forget your most important responsibilities.

President Obama has an obligation to keep up the effort in Afghanistan and make sure the gains we have tried so hard for in Iraq do not crumble. If only our President could hear from one of Iraq’s potential leaders. He would learn some things he probably isn’t hearing much about from his democratic colleagues in Congress.

A few months back I had the honor of interviewing Hayder Al-Khoei, also known as Eye Raki on his blog. Hayder opened up about his recent trip to Iraq, and revealed the progress that is being made. I originally published this story in a local newspaper.

UK College Student Travels to Iraq, reveals the progress being made

Published December 3rd, 2008

Hayder Al-Khoei is an Iraqi-born college student living in London, England, and studying political science. Recently, he interviewed with the Experience about his recent trip to the Middle East, where he spent several weeks in Iraq. Traveling between Baghdad and southern Iraq on his own, he was able to get a good picture of the progress achieved by the Iraqi Army and the newfound sense of security among Iraqis—as well as lingering concerns the country is feeling about the future.

Hayder is the 21-year old son of Sayyid Abdul Majid Al-Khoei, an influential Shiite cleric who was assassinated in Najaf in 2003 while trying to serve the will of his people. When he was very young, Hayder left his homeland of Iraq with his family after the 1991 Uprising, and he has spent most of his life living in the UK. He hopes to return to the Middle East permanently in the future, after finishing post-graduate studies in London. I was fortunate enough to learn about his most recent trip to Iraq, where he traveled to Baghdad after a two weeks stay in Iran. His trip later concluded in Amman, Jordan.

“The relaxed atmosphere I saw was very different” he said. “I was in Iraq earlier this year too, but this time I could tell a lot had changed. In many parts of Baghdad, people stay out late at night to drink tea and smoke nergila. That doesn’t sound so strange to the average American, but in Iraq, when you can see families out at night enjoying themselves it says a lot about the current security situation”.

The biggest differences Hayder noticed were the little things, such as taking a taxi from Baghdad International Airport to the Shiite holy city of Najaf at night, something that was considered dangerous as little as six months ago. Lack of electricity and militiamen roaming the streets could make a deadly combination. But this time, the taxi driver said the 3 hour trip down south would be no problem.
But still, not everything is perfect. Hayder noted that Iraq’s electricity production levels still present a huge difficulty, and will need a lot of work to truly meet the needs of the Iraqi people. “Electricity is still a big problem. Having no electricity is not only an unbearable inconvenience in the heat but it means roads can be extremely dangerous to travel through at night,” he said.

Iraq’s future also faces a growing threat from the Sahwa—Arabic for “Awakening”. They are Sunni tribal councils that have been critical in routing Al-Qaeda from Anbar province and other areas of the country. Some fear the Maliki government could try to disarm the Sahwa, reigniting sectarian tensions that extremists tried so hard to set off. Hayder believes that the Sahwa’s threats of rebellion should be taken seriously. If the government fails to integrate most of its 100,000 strong militia into the Iraqi Security Forces, it could jeopardize the many security gains Iraq has achieved. Recently, Maliki’s government agreed to take the reins from the US military and pay the Sunni Arab tribesman themselves.

At the same time, great progress has been achieved. The government of Nouri Al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, attained a defining moment this year when the Iraqi Army faced off with the Jaish Al-Mahdi, or ‘JAM’, the militia loyal to Muqtada Al-Sadr that fought two uprisings since 2004 and has been a thorn in the side of coalition forces who have been trying to stabilize the region. Despite an image portrayed by the many critics of the war and the media of incompetence on the part of the Iraqi Army, the facts on the ground appear to tell a different story. Maliki’s actions helped to shed his title of a “sectarian” leader. Maliki is a Shiite, and he had often been accused of coddling the Shia militias who maintained control of entire swathes of Baghdad. After multiple crackdowns against Al-Qaeda and other Sunni extremist groups in the north, the Iraqi government finally brought the fight to the Shia extremists, many of whom are suspected of mass kidnappings, executions and brutal torture methods involving drills and other weapons.

“The Sadrists were begging for the cease-fire,” said Hayder, who spent most of his four week Iraq visit in the southern part of the country. “They really didn’t have a choice. They could either continue the fighting and be humiliated by the Iraqi Army, or beg for a cease-fire in order to save face. For a few years, JAM could play ball with the Iraqi Army, but after the three separate successful crackdowns by the Iraqi Army, JAM were reduced to nothing, and were eventually disbanded by al-Sadr, who retained only a few ‘special groups’ to tackle the coalition forces in Iraq”
According to Hayder’s account, Iraqi police commandos maintain a strong presence in the southern Iraqi cities, including Kufa, scene of some fierce fighting earlier this year when JAM and the Iraqi Army faced off. In the end, the once-feared cleric who led two uprisings against US forces may not be the fiery strongman he has always been seen as.

When it comes to the question of the source of Iraq’s violence, Hayder does not point to the fact that Iraq is being run by a Shia government—a majority that was once repressed by a favored Sunni majority—for the reason behind the continuing attacks against Iraqis. While the attacks have abated to levels once though improbable, they still persist in some parts of the country, most notably the city of Mosul and the central Diyala Province. American intelligence reports indicate that suicide bombers make their way in from the Gulf States such as Saudi Arabia and unleash their destruction via Syria. Iran has long been accused of funneling arms to support Shiite militias in the south.

“For some of the neighboring countries this isn’t about a Shia-led, or a Shia- Kurdish government, there is much more at stake” he said. “The word democracy sends a shiver down the spines of the leaders of those countries. If there was real democracy…many would not be in power today.”

Hayder offered his thoughts on the controversial security pact, known as the SOFA, being negotiated between Iraq and the United States. The pact’s continuing difficulties have led to speculation that Iraq’s newfound ties with Iran could be having a hand in the country’s calls for US troops to leave in the coming months. This has become a favorite talking point of the Bush Administration’s critics. While he does not rule anything out, Hayder’s view on what’s happening is that Iraq is trying to assert itself as a sovereign, independent nation. “It’s sort of a catch 22 for the Americans because they worked so hard to bring the Iraqi Army up to a good standard…and now, because of all the time, money and effort the US spent on training the Iraqi army, the Iraqi government can tell the US ‘thanks but no thanks’. So then really, this is Iraq standing on its own two feet and asserting itself,” he stated in his analysis.
The way Hayder sees it; the realities on the ground that suggest a dramatic turn of events in Iraq cannot truly be successful if the success is not recognized.

“There are a lot of people in the US, especially the Democrats, who downplay any success in Iraq simply because they are at odds with the Bush administration, they want to portray Iraq as a failure because they see Bush as a failure” said Hayder, who believes that there should be no correlation between politics and doing what is morally right by helping the Iraqi people. “You can hate Bush if you want, but just admit that what he did in Iraq turned out for the better. Better for Iraq, better for America and better for the world”

Not exactly in the mood for "change"

It looks as if Barack Obama will need to come to terms with the fact that the Khomeinists in Tehran may not be as willing to chat it up with him as he has thought. In these photos, hardline supporters of Khamenei and Hamas burn Obama’s photo and drive a car over it, just as they have done with Bush these last 8 years.

But here is where it gets interesting, and this shows how divided Iran really is. Instead of putting his trust in Khamenei, he should reach out to Iranians like these brave citizens:

The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip has sparked a predictable wave of protest throughout the Muslim world. (Somebody please call us the day a similar protest is held against al Qaeda’s mass murder of Muslims in Iraq or Pakistan.) But theirs aren’t the only voices making themselves heard on the subject of Gaza…

…an Iranian student group is pointing the finger at its own government. “Those who have armed and encouraged groups like Hamas . . . have innocent blood on their hands,” read a communiqué published December 30 in an Iranian newspaper and translated by the invaluable Middle East Media Research Institute. “Israel’s current crimes in Gaza are strongly to be condemned — but it is equally [important] to condemn the terror organizations that use kindergartens and hospitals as a shield against [Israeli] attacks.”

The Iranian government shut down the newspaper that published these remarks the next day. We can only hope for the safety of the authors. They have shown a great deal more clarity, and courage, than the protestors on the other side.

The bulk of this very insightful article can be read here, in the Wall Street Journal.

A lot more going on than one might think, isn’t there?

Time to be one nation again

How good and how pleasant it would be, before God and man, to see the unification of all Americans (borrowed of course from the great Bob Marley’s ‘Africa Unite’)

Seriously, more than anything at all, this is what I want. If Barack Obama can manage to accomplish this, I will be the first one in line to offer him praise. Nothing angers me more than politicians who put their party ahead of the good of the country. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, is a good example. I really hope that Obama will move away from actions like Reid’s. At the moment, I’m still trying to decide if Rahm Emanuel was a good pick to be Obama’s Chief of Staff. On one hand, the man can be mean, angry, and extremely partisan, but on the other, he is of Israeli descent, and speaks fluent Hebrew. Could this be a signal to Israel that he intends will uphold America’s alliance to the Jewish State? I hope so. I also hope that it will be a slap in the face to scumbags like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who embrace Obama’s victory as a victory for criminal regimes across the world.

Say hello to Rahm, our president-elect’s new chief of staff. He speaks Hebrew and his father immigrated to the United States from Israel.

Throughout my blog posts, I have always been consistent with my belief that hating the president gets us absolutely nowhere–in fact, I think that the violent hatred the anti-Bush/war movement has created the last few years is partially responsible for the situation the country and the world are in today. I want President Obama to exceed and I, like all Americans, am honored to see history made…that does not mean that our new president should be given a free pass. My greatest fear is that he will follow through on his commitments to the “antiwar” groups and pull our soldiers out of Iraq, even after so much sacrifice from both Iraqis and Americans. Thankfully, it appears Barack will not do that…the heroes of Iraq have already triumphed over the forces of terrorism.

There is another thing I am very thankful for…I am so happy to see the election process over with. After two years of obsessive reporting on the news, it has finally come to an end. Now, let’s try to solve the issues with something other than words.

Wow…

I’m going to give my thoughts about the presidential election before I head to the polls tomorrow. Until then, check out this video…its a little creepy, I must add.

Barack Obama and his support for Raila Odinga

Believe it or not, the presidential election is only two weeks away, and Barack Obama mania has affected many of my friends, family, and fellow bloggers. I continue to resist it though. The reason I cannot cast a vote for Barack Obama next month comes down to one reason…and that is his poor judgement. His list of relationships with questionable characters seems to keep growing, and in my mind, his relationship with Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga stands out the most.

Forget about Obama’s friendship with all-around racist Jeremiah Wright and domestic terrorist/genuine slimebag Bill Ayers. I want to know why Barack traveled to Kenya to campaign for Odinga at taxpayer expense. Obama claims that he will be tough on Al-Qaeda and aggressive in the war on terrorism if he gets elected, but the Kenyan leader he has pushed for wants to end Kenya’s alliance with the US in confronting Al-Qaeda-backed Al-Shabab militia fighters in neighboring Somalia. Given AQ’s slaughter of hundreds of Kenyan’s back in 1998 and a dozen others in 2002, I don’t understand how that’s possible. Odinga does claim to be Obama’s cousin, however.

For those of you who don’t know, Odinga was widely suspected of having a hand in the acts of genocide that rocked Kenya earlier this year. The country descended into a state of ethnic and tribal warfare after Odinga lost a presidential election bid to incumbent Mwai Kibaki by a very narrow margin. A subsequent power-sharing deal followed, which allowed Kibaki to remain president and appointed Odinga as Prime Minister.

Is Obama’s relationship with Odinga a preview of what his policies will be like should he get elected on November 4th? It certainly seems that way.

Glory and praise to our dear leader

I’ve never been the guy who believes that bashing the president, or a presidential candidate excessively gets us anywhere. However, I watched these two videos and I must say that the experience terrified me to the very depths of my soul…

In this rather unique video, young children sing praise to Barack Obama and talk of how spectacular his presidency will be…

Now, this video is from Pyongyang, North Korea, where young children have been brainwashed into believing that their “dear leader” Kim Jong Il, is the greatest there is. His portrayal in the movie “Team America” is not all that off the mark from reality, from what I can tell.

Scared now? I know I am! I repeat, this is not about politics…these videos are creepy and I certainly hope that Barack Obama is not relying on a fast-growing cult to get him into the White House.

Is there any discernable difference between Obama’s children and Kim’s?

A stunning achievement

Barack Obama’s supporters must be beaming with pride to receive an endorsement from this freak…MTV host Russell Brand. If this guy REALLY wanted to inflict some damage on President Bush’s legacy, he should endorse everything the president has ever done, which would in turn force Bush’s supporters to wallow in shame knowing that such a pathetic “retard” like Russel Brand is is actually supporting them.

Okay, maybe what I’m saying sounds immature. But seriously, is it any worse than the moronic statements he is making about Sarah Palin’s daughter? I’m going to do Barack a favor and offer him some advice…whatever this weirdo does, please do the opposite. This is giving people yet another reason not to cast a vote for Barack Obama…in addition to the fact that he is nothing but media and celebrity hype. It’s strange, but when I watch the above video, I feel prouder than ever to support John McCain’s bid for the White House.

My fear is the young Americans who watch garbage like this might be encouraged to vote for Obama…for the wrong reasons. The truth is, all of England should be wallowing in shame at the sight of this. By the way, here’s my advice to Russell Brand…Bugger off!