Take two headlines, one about Iraq, the other about Afghanistan. The Iraqis told us to honor our signed agreement, and pull out all our troops by year’s end. Over in Kabul, Karzai said he’d go to war against us if we attacked his neighbor, Pakistan. It’s the same story in both places, but the real headline is the thirty-year-old one: U.S. fails to come up with an Iran strategy.
It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? You’re a Middle Eastern leader, and you’ve been working and fighting alongside the Americans. The United States was magnificent on the battlefield, and you either won (as in Iraq) or were winning (Afghanistan) when the Americans announced they were leaving. And they even set a date for their departure. Where does that leave you?
It leaves you high and dry, at the mercy of the Iranians, who aren’t going away, and who, although defeated in one battle and bloodied in another, intend to keep on killing. Maybe even you yourself. Remember that Maliki in Baghdad used to be a member of an Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization called Dawa. He knows all about the Iranians’ enthusiasm for slaughter, and he knows that if he’s uncooperative they won’t hesitate to blow him up. And remember that Karzai in Kabul is being paid by the Iranians — he said so himself — and he, too, knows that there are lots of terrorists in his country who will kill him. They already killed his brother, after all.
When the Americans are gone, who’s going to defend Maliki, Karzai, and the rest of them? They are properly dubious about the capacity and loyalty of their own forces, and we’ve taught them they can’t rely on us. Along come the mullahs with their protection racket: “What a shame! The Americans are leaving, as we told you all along. But hey! Everyone’s entitled to a mistake now and then. And we’ll protect you much better than they did. And it will only cost you…”
The reaction from the administration is predictably pathetic. Having failed to convince the Iraqis to rewrite the Status of Forces Agreement they signed with Bush, Obama declared victory. He proclaimed it a triumph of his diplomacy, and the fulfillment of a campaign promise. As I remember it, he promised to run away right away, but no matter. At the same time, Defense Secretary Panetta acted as if it was just something we’d have to pretend to respect, while reopening talks that would lead to the return of American trainers.
And out there in diplofantasy land, our secretary of state, having overcome an attack of the giggles after being told of the butchering of Muammar Qaddafi, warned Iran that they’d better watch out, because our heroic diplomats weren’t about to leave. Furthermore, we’ve got bases in the region. “Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like Turkey…”
Nobody pointed out that one of our fiercest diplomats, Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, had run back to Washington because of “threats to his safety.” And Hillary’s reference to Turkey as a paradigm of tough American friends was particularly unfortunate, since the Turks neither talk nor act like allies. They talk like anti-Americans.
Before I forget, let me remind you that anti-Americanism comes in two distinct versions. The first is the one we’re most familiar with, the hatred of America because it is held to be arrogant, imperialistic, militaristic, and insensitive to the needs of the rest of the world. The second, which is very much in play nowadays, is contempt for America because the Americans just aren’t up to the role history has assigned them: global policeman. There’s a lot of that out there, not without justification.
To be sure, as Obama’s fans will tell you, he approves the killing of lots of bad guys, of which Qaddafi is the latest case in point. It’s an impressive list by now, and grows longer virtually every day. And they insist that he’s brought down more tyrants than George W Bush and Dick Cheney ever dreamed of, and is calling for Assad to go. Why is he not getting proper credit? they ask. The answer’s pretty easy: because in the three cases of regime change to date (Tunisia, Egypt and Libya), Obama arrived late to the fight, plainly dithered before making up his mind which side he was on, and never seemed to be “in charge,” without which he really isn’t entitled to ask for a medal. And as for the assassination of terrorists, while it’s a better world without them, it’s not a fundamentally changed world, and Obama promised to change the world. If you’re going to fight the terror network, you’re going to have to target headquarters, training camps, and home bases. He has yet to act effectively against the two surviving charter members of the Axis of Evil, Iran and Syria. They have every reason to believe they can do most anything without fearing anything more than sanctions, headshakes, and tongue clucks.
Is the world really better without Qaddafi, Ben ali and Mubarak? I am no longer sure of that when I see the Muslim Brotherhood replacing them as the seat of power. Are the Libyan, Tunisian and Egyptian women and minorities resting easy these days knowing that what is in store for them will be similar to the fate of their counterparts in Iran? This dangerous march of barabarism and evil incarnate is picking up its pace and, before long, it will be too big to stop. I am not a religious person but, Dr. Ledeen, if immediate action is not taken to unseat the Iranian regime, the sanctum sanctorum of this unleashed hell, I am afraid Armageddon will become a distinct possibility.
Why not ask Coptic Christians in Egypt if they want Mubarak back.
What has been accomplished is strong man rule of a different vein.
The old strong men were in military uniform, or backed by the military. The new
strong men are in Islamic cleric garb, and are backed by the Mosque.
The delegation of power is something that isn’t on the horizon, regardless of what stripe of strongman we are describing.
Ok, I tried asking the Coptics in Egypt but the phone lines were dead as a prelude to their eventual massacre by the Brotherhood. So, I thought maybe I would ask PBS and New York Times’ David Kirkpatrick:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/10/mid-easts-christians-intro.html
With Qaddafy dead and frozen the sweet scent of freedom tickles the nostrils of the liberated Libyans:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055630/Flying-proudly-birthplace-Libyas-revolution-flag-Al-Qaeda.html
“If you’re going to fight the terror network, you’re going to have to target headquarters, training camps, and home bases.”
Yes, and to Obama, killing an individual terrorist is far, far, easier than capturing him, interrogating him, and putting him in Guantanamo Bay in front of a military tribunal (which, by the way, still has done NOTHING with the people who are already there). Obama is always, ALWAYS, campaigning for the next election. So he can show independents that he’s a hawk on terrorism by blowing up a few people, while showing his liberal base that he is against Guantanamo Bay by NOT putting more terrorists in there. To team Obama, it’s a “win/win” situation. Forget the fact that he’s not getting at the root cause of terrorism, let alone defeating it. Obama is forever treating a symptom of the cold, but he never seems to cure the cold itself. And THAT is why we will never win the war against Islamic jihadists at this rate.
Oh, and by the way, did you see who won the vote in Tunisia? The New York Times headline today trumpets “Moderate Islamist Party Heads Towards Victory in Tunisia” and goes on to say that this should be a “model” for other arab nations in the area. What??? A “Moderate Islamist” is like having a liberal Nazi. If the New York Times thinks this is a good thing and that this should be the “model” for other arab/Muslim governments in the area, then you now have seen the new normal for liberals in this country. And when these “Moderate Islamist” countries, which have absolutely no desire at a secular form of government, decide that it would be a good idea to obliterate Israel, then what will team Obama say? Ooooops? Tell that to a lot of dead Israelis. Which, by the way, will happen soon at the rate Iran is getting it’s nuclear bomb.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I yearn for the more “oderly” days of the Cold War. Sure, you faced nuclear obliteration, but at least you knew who your friends were.
Agreed.
I presume that even under “Moderate Islam’s” Sharia law, women will be second class citizens, women stoned to death for being raped, the faithfuls hands cut off for stealing and heads cut off for disavowing the faith.
Hindsight is so wonderful and hindsight tells me that if we had planned this outcome Iran and co-horts would probably have subsidized our invasion. In hindsight we should never have set foot in the Middle East or Afghanistan with what we are now creating.
We have taken a backward, confused, divisive, tyrannical,suspicious region of the world that has only known kings and dictators since the beginning of time and out of this mess may now be creating a unified Islam that will turn its’ eye toward the west.
Obama’s actions will, in my view, eventually back the West into a war and I suspect nukes will fly. Certainly the Middle East Caliphate/Islamist States/Arab Spring States/Whathaveyou won’t have the means to attack the west with an army. Their message will continue to be sent through terror, only I suspect on a much grander scale if they become unified.
In the end, as their own history informs us, the only thing they will understand is power and the only two tools we have that are grand enough to stop them in their tracks are nukes or another massive invasion with massive loss of our kids lives which seems absurd as we leave a region that is just now becoming safe and only bearly able to support Democracy Lite. We are leaving these people to the whims of tyrants and mullahs.
4600 American soldiers deaths in battle, A Trillion dollars in treasure, and ten years of war have just been thrown down the toilet by Obama and the costs and loss of life nullified.
What a world.
Yes, ISSLAMISTS. Libertyship, and you saw who awarded the Nobel Peace Prize recently? Of course to an Islamist member who belongs to a violent and bloody group called (Muslim Brotherhood). I really wonder, what is the great and magical purpose behind awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to this evil movement?!
Pretending puzzlement with the ongoing policies of Barack Hussein Obama supposes that one does not understand that he is proceeding to do exactly what he set out to do in 2008 – knee-cap the U.S. He just said yesterday in Washington that, “I have accomplished 60% of what I set out to do and will complete the rest over the next five years.”
The Salafists have won in Tunisia and seem to be winning in Libya and Egypt. The House of Saud is in the middle of a succession struggle. Turkey is moving as rapidly as possible to a Koranic state. So, if a sudden war should wipe Israel off the face of the Middle East? Yawn.
The most important vote the world has ever seen will take place in the United States in November 2012 – assuming it is allowed.
Oh please can we stop already with the hopeless task of trying to bring a liberal democratic republic to muslims? I am so sick of wasting lives and money pushing that particular rock up the hill.
Can we just adopt the position that we will crush any attempts at establishing terror bases for training and smash the leaders who allow that to happen…then we will leave. If that country gets out of line again they will be visited again by our military and crushed again. This nonsense of bringing civilization to the hordes is crazy talk…ain’t gonna happen.
Incompetent, inexperienced President + incompetent, inexperienced Secretary of State = International Fail. Well, depending upon how one sees the necessary role of the US in foreign affairs. Maybe the Marxist/socialist/multiculturalist/globalist Left so aptly represented by Obama and his ilk see our stupid, contradictory limp-wristed policies and diplomatic stumbles as resounding successes. Wonder how many years will be necessary for damage recovery, or if it’s even possible.
We are broke. It is nuts to borrow the money from other countries in order to protect them. Unless of course we do not intend to pay the money back,then by all means lets just borrow and spend like Obama wants and have the party keep on going. None of us really have a good answer that works. One thing is when we do go into another country to fight a war, quit trying to nation build. Do the job of war and leave the mess for that wrecked country to clean up for themselves. If you don’t like leaving the mess, don’t go to war. It might make us feel better to nation build, but they still hate us when we are done. In the end we are deeper in debt and the debt will be the downfall of our country.
MISSION ABANDONED!
THE PAX AMERICANA IS ENDING IN THE MIDDLE EAST
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA OWNS POST-”OCCUPATION” IRAQ
Less Redbull please.
“So, you may ask, why didn’t the administration just sit on this case? Why, as I recently asked, did they put on the big Eric Holder show?”
Rhetorical question I know, but speculating … because they hoped to distract from the Fast and Furious scandal?
I’ve wondered about that myself; perhaps, but if so it was typically inept in that according to what I’ve read he was asked a question about Fast and Furious and in response said a few words of no consequence and then walked out of the press conference.
Of course, unless you read sources like PJM, you wouldn’t know that, so maybe it did sort of work.
We’ve already been through this, in the previous thread. The feds have an American citizen in custody. They can’t simply “sit on this case”–they either have to give the guy a trial, get him to cop a plea, or let him go. And in the first two cases, they have to hand over their evidence against him to his lawyer–who’s under no obligation not to leak it–and possibly to the public as well, if the defendant opts for a trial.
At least this way, the feds get to control the context of the initial revelation: “FBI and DEA foil terrorist conspiracy”, rather than “Innocent American railroaded by federal agents spinning crazy conspiracy theory”…
The Obama habit of pressing the ‘reset’ button every time a hard choice is required is finally catching up with America. Pulling troops from Iraq to placate an embittered leftist bloc at home will only empower the Iranian mullahs to increase their efforts to control the majority Shia Iraq.
Let me state this again: THE MAJORITY SHIA IRAQ!
When, not if the Iranians take over Iraq we will face a multi-million man army on the border of Saudi Arabia. Where Saddam failed in his bid to take over Kuwait the Iranians will succeed, and remember, they are now or soon will be a nuclear power.
Let Obama press the reset button with an atomic Iran sitting aside the middle east’s oil reserves.
Holder needed a fast and furious diversion.
Iran has been covertly at war with America for 30 years; the notion that they would never go this far is ridiculous.
I know why. They need a distraction from the economy and the gun-running scandals so desperately that they’re even willing to put on the Iranian dog and pony show. They think it makes them look decisive.
Our allies the Turks? Would those be the same Turks who sent 10 battalions over the border of our ally Iraq last week? Sounds more like an enemy to me.
“When the Americans are gone, who’s going to defend Maliki, Karzai, and the rest of them?”
I really don’t give a flying fig. Let them terrorize and browbeat their own people just as the Shah did, as Saddam did, as Ahmadinejad and Little Kim are doing now. The notion that we should defend these tin tyrants is absurd on its face. The notion that we should pay for the privilege of propping up their regimes with money and blood goes past farce into tragedy.
It is absolutely necessary that we grasp the essential points of our Near and Middle East policy. The Conquest of Iraq was done at the instigation of the Persians for the benefit of the Persians. Obama’s words at Cairo and our policy thereafter is for the benefit of the Muslim Brotherhood. For decades now, our foreign policy in the East has been a shambles. John Buchan wrote during the Great War that “there is a dry wind blowing in the East, and the parched grass awaits the fire. Whence cometh that wind, think ye?” We still haven’t got a clue, have we?
As always wherever there is “Oil” there is the trio mastermind behind sacking the current leaders in favor of Islamic regimes. The trio consisting of first and foremost Britain, France and US as their puppet state power, their nanny state.
It happened in Iran in 1979, it happened in Libya, it happened in Tunisia, Egypt (because Egypt even without Oil it is still huge and very influential in the region and Mubarak’s was used and was time for him to expire so that Egypt has better chance of becoming another Islamic state) and it will happen again wherever there is a “secular” system of government regardless of democratic or authoritarian. It is the wish and plan of the colonial powers to establish Islamic States in the region as wide as possible for taking total control of oil interest while tramping down on its people’s free will for a lawful, democratic secular states.
Hey why go far in the back? Just think about the most recent theft of 3 billion dollars stolen by the Ayatollahs goons from Iran’s federal bank! This money now saved in an European bank, most probably the Swiss bank or the famed British Barclay bank, or some other one. Does any bank in a broken bankrupt Europe wants to diss such huge load of money? I think not. Does any of our Western leaders want to piss the ayatollahs off? Not really.
As the trio powers planned the oust of Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian regimes this past year and a half, they refrained from doing so in Syria and they kept mum as they have for the past year 32 years towards Iran’s continued terror plots and severe abuse of human rights. But why such complacency towards Syria and Iran? Of course because Iran is already an Islamic State and Syria is its bastard child. There lies the interest of Europe. Oil, money, trade in their broken economies. Free democratic systems in Iran is a death wish for Europe. Shah tried to raise the Oil price and Britain and France literally had heart attack over night, dead-bent on ousting Shah afterwards.
Basically the plot of Western governments is to establish Islamic States throughout the middle east and Africa, paying safe with terrorists by strengthening their internal security agencies and anti terrorist agencies, FBI in the US, federal courts, etc. This way they play it safe in this all game of power, greed and control, while keeping their poor bankrupt economies alive a little longer. Not to forget thousands of officials enriching their own pockets with petrol dollars day by day.
In fact politics is sick, corrupt and has never seen such level of petrified corruption, sleaze and lies as long as we may remember.
Just read the history and go back, cross the T’s and place the dots. It is all clear.
It is up to us as an individual citizen to question our leaders and hold them accountable for their corrupt actions and policies. But again there are not many of us. Our average citizen is extremely uninformed and in the dark ages.
I don’t see much hope in this sick world honestly.
Sorry!
It would be “appeasement and retreat” if we were talking about a gentleman, and of an administration composed of gentlemen.
But that’s not the case.
These are not shy gentlemen astonished by the brutality of a monster (like in the case Chamberlain/Hitler).
This is president who has been fed ideology and hate all his life.
He knows nothing else. He’s not even a politician in the classical sense.
He’s a militant.
He’s cracking the economy, the dollar, our military power, he is letting Iran go nuclear (and that means: he is preparing the Second Holocaust.)
He speaks well of the OWS, who are a bunch of thugs.
He celebrates the victories of the muslim brotherhood, he is instructing our forces to negotiate with talibans and whatever else.
America doesn’t want to accept the truth: an enemy of the Republic has been elected president, and it’s not even an exception, there is nearly a whole administration of subversives.
God protect us in the next 12 months, the internationalist subversives will do anything and the contrary of anything to stay in power and fully realize their plans.
The heroic department of state, I presume, was a reference to those brave souls, the career diplomats, doing the mutiny (the sniveling) over their forced assignments to dangerous Iraq? Hell no we won’t go! If what you say is even partly true, the current administration has managed to tweak the contempt meter for Americans off the scale. So much for trying to disguise appeasement by timed decent intervals regardless of conditions on the ground.
Even if this car bomb had gone off in downtown DC it doesn’t seem likely that the Iranians would have managed to hide their involvement. The NSA would have picked up on communications from Iran to the effect that they were pleased that their operation had succeeded, and it probably wouldn’t have been the usual verbal smirks and smiley faces about their acts of mayhem.
Of course, the Mullahs don’t fear Obama and he’s probably more of a laughingstock in Tehran than he is in this country. But, given what Iran has already done, even he would be forced at some point to take punitive action against them. Sure, the Mullahs have gotten away with a lot, but in the process they have escalated the consequences to them once retaliation finally comes knocking, which is really something for them to think about.
And the Mullahs also need to consider that Obama’s Libyan adventure probably wetted his appetite for another; for the sake of his poll numbers, if for nothing else.
that’s “whetted,” not “wetted,” which is, uh, a horse of an entirely different manure…
As you took it upon yourself to correct daveInaf, I feel it incumbent upon me to correct you. One cannot wet ones apetite with manure. Logic requires the wetting process to be caused by urine.
Thanks for the correction.
how many Americans have to be killed before he does something? the Iranian regime kills Americans most every day.
You, Barry Rubin and I are apparently the only ones who care about the Iranians are killing Americans. I can’t recall any others commenting about it.
Ralph Peters, if memory serves.
“Rumsfeld…lucid moments…??” F-you, Ledeen. That man could have a lobotomy and still be smarter about foreign policy matters than you do.
calm, calm, Leah. I gushed about his statement, didn’t I?
“…smarter about foreign policy matters than you do.”
…than you ARE.
There, there. Leah, Leah.
So why didn’t the Nato allies stop Iran in the 80′s by cutting off all trade. Why did Germany continue to do 5 Billion dollars a year in trade with Iran even after a German court found them guilty after a trial which took longer than Nuremberg? Why did the Iranian intelligence minister fallahian claim that hey we gave german secret service territory previously owned by the CIA and they indict us in court anyway! What exactly did he mean? Many europeans regard this whole situation as a trade boon not a threat, not to mention the chinese which have signed ridiculously lopsided long term contracts for Iranian oil that would make any expert fall off his chair.
Yes bravo Troy.
All you say here and much more. Read my earlier comment.
As long as Europe, China and Russia are in the camp with the ayatollahs while undermining US power any chance they get, US is forced to succumb and obey. Especially under Obama US will fall at their feet easily. They can’t even manage their own crowd!
The Ayatollahs plan of weakening US over time has materialized according to their original plan back in 2003. They knew who to bribe, when to bribe, who to look into face while stabbing on the back, who to scream at while fondling niceties with.
That’s the nature of a petrified Islamic mind set, that is the game they have been playing for 40+ years.
It is just our naive Americans who cannot fathom this type of mind set. It is sad indeed.
Remember the golden rule?
Who has the gold, rules.
Well, Michael Ledeen continues to tell the truth about Iran and its partner Syria, that THEY are the ones behind the Islamism problems—
Tehran has the GOLD! That is, the mullahs and the rest of the true believers are totalitarians, and thus totally in charge–they RULE!
All the rest of the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan etc are just details.
Things won’t change unless and until the head of the Islamic “snake”, Iran, is cut off. Period. We must remember that there are millions of people eager and willing to fight and die for their cause, but if the many more millions of people in Iran could just have a chance to replace their dictatorship and get a somewhat free government—expect more of the same.
I realized many years ago that “global warming” was a hoax, and ever since any “news” about it is just details.
Just so wrt the GWOT—Either get Iran, or nothing changes!
The ineptitude and deceit of the Obama administration is saddening and frightening. How long will ground troops of the United States risk death and grave injury to carry out orders of a dceitful Commander in Chief? I am a WWII Marine who earned combat stars and was among many awarded the right to wear the Combat Action ribbon. We fought because we believed in our cause. What is there about what the United States is doing now which will inspire such devotion? I think little. If there should be a revolt among the military, Occupy Wall Street will seem like child’s play!
You’re a Middle Eastern leader, and you’ve been working and fighting alongside the Americans.
Names, we need names!
When do WE get to question the reliability of our so-called “allies”? At what point do we get to tell them: we tried, but we can’t help people who think we are evil?
Sorry, but it’s not all Obama’s fault. These ‘allies’ have had ten years of American aid, and ten years of sacrifice by our soldiers. What have they done with it?
Not even the USA can help people who don’t want to be helped.
Of course the flip side to that is how can middle eastern rulers who have been steadfast allies of the West in general and the US in particular rely on the support of the United States? Iran pre 1979 relied on the support of the US and in comes Jimmy Carter and sells the Shah down the river. Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali all were friends of the US and lo and behold Obama screws them over as well. Not to mention Israel, the most trusted ally of the US and here comes the same Obama throwing his tacit support behind the palestinians and chastising Israel on their just settlements.
We said back in’08 that Obama was destined to play the Neville Chamberlain role this go-round. Nice to see the word ‘appeasement’ now. Who will play Winston Churchill this time, tho?
Speaking of James Jesus Angleton, how can we be sure the Green Movement isn’t (or hasn’t become) Iran’s equivalent of the Soviet Union’s Operation Trust? How do we know the Green Movement isn’t a ruse designed to buy time for Iran to develop its nuclear arsenal? Although I agree with you that Iran must be stopped, I remain unconvinced that the Iranian opposition can dislodge the Iranian government – with or without American encouragement or help.
I think the Iranian government seeks a confrontation with the United States because it can. Yes, weakness is provocative. Yet, the Iranian government has been at war against the United States since 1979, and the United States has refused to recognize both that government and the existence of that war. As a diplomatic reality, the United States needs a casus belli that would be recognized by Germans as valid to effectively confront the Iranian government, and Iranian opportunism may finally give us such as casus belli.
(Lest you protest that Germany shouldn’t have a veto over America’s foreign policy, it already does. I think many Americans voted for Obama because Germans told us to. That, I think, is one of the main reasons why Obama gave a campaign speech in Berlin.)
Alexis, I highly doubt the honesty and loyalty of any opposition “to America or the western values and to real secular culture” with Middle Eastern faces although I just was born there in that tragic and disgusting world.
@ Michael
“And remember that Karzai in Kabul is being paid by the Iranians — he said so himself — and he, too, knows that there are lots of terrorists in his country who will kill him.”
Karzai will leave eventually or get the Najibullah treatment.
“It leaves you high and dry, …”
America, led by Democrats, has a legacy of doing that (eg. pull out of Vietnam in 73′ and then cut off funding a couple of years later). Hard to push back well armed and funded enemies with no ammo for those American guns.
“And Hillary’s reference to Turkey as a paradigm of tough American friends was particularly unfortunate, since the Turks neither talk nor act like allies.”
She needs to watch “Valley of the Wolves.” Mosty costly Turkish film ever made and with some state funding. Not allowing 4th ID to pass through in 2004 and their incursions into northern Iraq to murder Kurds should have been a revelation, but alas…
From Iranian exiles I meet, they tell me the regime is hated by most, but the people wouldn’t want a foreign invasion to end it– that would strengthen the regime. And as Persians, they don’t trust the Arabs as far as they can throw them.
For what it’s worth Michael, here is more from Canada: http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/10/27/the-mighty-erdogan/
and http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/10/21/meet-the-haqqanis/
I’m pretty sure the usual suspects inside the Beltway would not like it very much if their Ambassador had to answer various questions from the Senate Defence
Committee, or what the House of Commons can drum up, and one of the questions is, “What on earth are you trying to accomplish, other than trying to have it both ways?!?!?”.
The citizenry of Canada and the US get along, it looks like expecting that to be the case amongst those in both capitals whom are supposed to legislate, other
than when they agree on a canard.
I can call it in a (pattern of surrender and humiliation). However, all so-called in your allies from “Karzai to Maliki and to Turks and Saudis and others in the region” are liars and a great at deception, they are more loyal to Allah and Jihadism than to the West and its values . As usual they cutting off the hand that stretched out to help them. No doubt all of them are working behind-the-scenes to bring the USA on its knees because they see in it as a colonial arrogant.
For example, the Saudis have been dedicated whole their lives to support an extremist ideology and mightily which calling to the slaughter of infidels “Zionists and Crusaders”, where the Saudi enormous oil proceeds spent in service of Islamic-fascism and the global jihads movement widely at home and abroad rather than spending it on a SECULAR AND LIBERAL CULTURAL LIFE.
However, the pullout would lead to a big disaster and unforgivable crime if you abandon the Iraq and the region. If the United States going to withdraw from Iraq this will prove the case not only in Iraq, but also elsewhere in the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, South Korea, Europe and another places on the earth. Once the U.S. demonstrates that it cannot honor its commitments in front of its true allies of western.
Thousands of dead Americans and billions of dollars, and eventually you would leave the region for the opportunistic neutrals “Chinese and Russians” and to their allies of evil regimes who ALL will be very glad for any American withdrawal from the oil-rich area.
I would like to tell Mr. Obama and the rest of wimps of his administration. This is War, and you are at war with them. You must win the war until the last breath. Iranians murder you more than 30 years, and recently they and Saudis and Syrians murdered you in Iraq and Afghanistan and are still. You should fought them until the last breath. The USA must keeps coming after them until she gets them. (The withdrawal means surrender and humiliation). If you surrender will not cut your losses, rather you will multiply them to the global jihads movement! Particularly that the Mujahideen deeply believe that they had been defeated evil superpower as “The Soviet Union”. And today they say over and over again and proudly “we defeated one Superpower when no one thought we could, and now we are going to defeat the other Superpower”. So it would be a great shame on you if you abandon the region or Iraq in particular.