Comments on: Overhaul

By: Wadeusaf

Wadeusaf — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:09:27 +0000

Driving a wedge between Syria and Iran is tricky business, given the history with Iraq, (i.e. the WMD etc roads leading to the bombed out shell of a suspected nuclear reactor) The history with Jordan, the history with Hizbulla, the history with the PLO, the history with Turkey, the history with the KSA, the history with Hammas, the history with Israel, the history with Al Queda and most importantly the history with Lebanon.

But of all the lessons of history that can be drawn one stands out. Syrian hegemony in the ME is undeniable. Syrian finger prints are on everything. Their largest supporters erm, suppliers have been and remain Russia and the Islamic Revolutionary Repulic of Iran. Baby Assad may be poised to dodge a western bullet of his own making, in allowing a regional slowing of the violence in exchange for limited immunity for his obvious interference in Lebanon through criminal means, or what ever language they eventually use to excuse erm, describe his role in the murder of Hariri.

I hope the Obama team takes into account the varied and many alliances into which Assad has sunk hooks. Which have served him well and which have not served as expected. It will be worth the effort to watch, and will signal how well thought out this Obama team’s initiative is, and how much is owed to the ground work done by President Bush’s administration.

By: Pat Patterson

Pat Patterson — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:31:44 +0000

Will there be some many US supplied listening devices planted on the refurbished Boeings that the passengers will glow in the dark for months?

By: Doug

Doug — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:14:37 +0000

njcommuter, More than once I have remarked to my wife that the very things we used to tsk tsk about, re: Corruption in Mexico (while silently congratulating ourselves for our good sense in choosing to be born where laws are given more respect) have now become commonplace here, even as Mexico has moved on to more exciting activities like The Drug Wars. --- Deadly Blunder - This all too familiar and prolonged difference in the standards held by expert crash investigators and the FAA regulators has a deadly cost. Behind the Buffalo Crash -

By: njcommuter

njcommuter — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:23:36 +0000

It’s pretty clear that the Dems are learning from the PRI down in Mexico.

By: buddy larsen

buddy larsen — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:20:58 +0000

Iranians and Indians are the same race –both were zoroastrian in the way way back when. both main languages are indo-european, as are the Baluchis. the ‘nation’ maplines are as screwed up along there as they could possibly be.

By: Cannoneer No. 4

Cannoneer No. 4 — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:07:18 +0000

Nobody else is, blert. I've linked to the New York Times and the Washington Post before, so I'm not too picky.

By: blert

blert — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:53:59 +0000

Cannoneer…

Linking to a Commie ?

He’s no Wretchard.

By: Cannoneer No. 4

Cannoneer No. 4 — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:28:56 +0000

ANALYSIS NEW CHAH BAHAR DILARAM ROUTE

The Indians and Iranians work together against the Chinese and the Pakistanis, Life.
The Iranians are not real happy with the Pakistanis. Too many Baluchis coming across to cause trouble in Iranian-controlled Baluchistan. The Iranians hate the Taliban, but Quds Force works with al Qaeda.

Pashtuns are Afghans, but Tajik Afghanistanis are Persians. In 2005 I was told by a guy who had recently been to Herat that Iranian currency was what people used for money in Regional Command West.

By: Kirk Parker

Kirk Parker — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:55:24 +0000

“The lifting of sanctions doesn’t make much sense unless there is a diplomatic ‘iniative’ in the works”

I suppose it’s too much to hope that Boeing is secretly installing some high-tech bugs and other such stuff at the same time.

By: Lifeofthemind

Lifeofthemind — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:10:15 +0000

@Cannooneer No.4,
Interesting, wheels within wheels.
Do you envision an Indian-Iranian alliance against the Pakistanis and Taliban? That would be a strategic pairing as cynical as that of Louis XIV and the German Protestants against the Hapsburgs. That would be predicated I think on either a change in regime in Tehran or a split between India and Israel. If the Mullahs feel threatened and see the Israelis benefiting as allies of India then they may launch an attack preemptively. If the Indians, who are torn on this issue as was shown during Gaza, break with Israel then Israel could ally with China and Pakistan against Iran. The US would be the big loser either way. Playing this out needs more work. hmmmmm