The Morning After... If Obama Bombs Syria

The proposed or threat of an American attack on Syria brings up more questions than solutions.  Even listening to Ruthie Blum on Israel Hayom didn't help me feel like it would be a good thing.



Since I'm in the year of mourning for my mother, I content myself with watching just the news on television, mostly BBC, Europe and Bloomberg.  So, I've been hearing a lot about the United States President Barack Hussein Obama and his attempts to get the support of Congress and foreign countries for his proposed attack.

There are some very serious problems with his plan. 

• One he wants to replace Bashar al-Assad with the opposition, which isn't in favor of American plans.  And they certainly aren't western and freedom-loving.  You can best describe the opposing sides as "the devil and the deep blue sea."
• Obama is trying to convince the Americans that this attack won't require any American soldier to land in dangerous Syrian territory.  If that's the case, how does he expect to destroy all of the nerve gas? 
• And if he doesn't totally destroy the nerve gas, what's the point?

It's pretty obvious that if the opposition gets into power and has nerve gas, they'd use it, too.  I consider it terribly naïve to think that there are such differences between the Syrian sides.  Remember what has been going on in Egypt.  The world, especially Barack Hussein Obama, enthusiastically celebrated and praised the change of regime and "democratic elections" in which Mohammed Morsi was elected president.  He didn't last very long, because the Egyptian public is volatile.  They aren't the same culture and nature as Americans or even Europeans.

The more I listen to the news, the less I want an attack on Syria.  It will only destroy the fragile peace that now exists in the Middle East, and if this area becomes a true war zone, no place, not Europe, America, Africa or Asia will be safe.  Is that the legacy Barack Obama wants to leave on this earth, be known as the man who started World War Three?

The Morsi, Syria, Lebanon etc Lesson for Israel

I should hope that this principle is taught in "Introduction to Political Science/International Relations" courses, the required prerequisite for anyone interested in learning how governments and history really work.

International treaties require stable governments or they are useless.

Maybe I'm naïve.  I must admit that I have no formal academic training in Political Science or International Relations.  I've just been following the news, international of course, for over half a century.  Yes, I'm old.  I've seen countries and super-powers come and go.  I remember the irony of Mao, when his Communist Red China population was forced to wear one type of jacket as he mocked the United States as a "paper tiger."  Today the Chinese have a stronger and more materialist economy than the USA, and their Communism is long gone.

I remember American government leaders quaking at the thought of an attack from the USSR, which today doesn't exist.  But the Americans, who claim to be the strongest and most powerful country in the world, still fear Castro's poverty-ridden Cuba.

To be honest, I don't have too much respect for the "experts."  How many predicted the events I lived through?  I prefer my common sense.

According to Jewish Law, an insane person can't sign an important contract. Potential aka wannabe converts who are mentally unstable can't be converted to Judaism. One has to be fully rational to make such a life-changing decision. If a woman is married to a man with serious psychiatric problems, his ability to give her a get for divorce can be affected.

PHOTO - AFP/THOMAS SAMSON

Considering the instability, anarchy in the Arab world, how can the Israeli Government even think of signing any sort of "peace treaty" with anybody?  And certainly the so-called Palestinians sic have no reliable track record to attempt an "enemy country in a country" which has never been peaceful/successful.  Have you ever heard of West Berlin?

REUTERS/Stringer

Israel is the one economically successful, democratic, stable country in the Middle East. 

Lots of Arabs are also being killed in Lebanon
Saudi, Gulf throw weight behind Egypt after Morsi ousted
Too late for Obama to act on Syria
Report: U.S. to Warn Israel in Advance of Syria Attack, Security Officials Say Assad Unlikely to Retaliate Against Israel  (Has the USA ever predicted these things correctly?)
Russia to U.S.: Don't Repeat Your Past Mistakes in Syria
Here’s How Kerry, Hillary and Obama Let Assad Get Away with Murder
Iran Draws ‘Red Line’ against US Intervention in Syria

Why risk everything for an experiment AKA "Peace Treaty" sic that will inevitably result in war, death and destruction?

SOS! USA, UN, Europe, Help Egypt! and Butt Out of Israel

There's a real dangerous emergency situation going on in Egypt.  It started with the "Arab Spring" there not long ago which was celebrated by United States President Obama and other Leftist peace groupies.

At least 15 people are reported to have been killed as Egyptian security forces moved in to clear two protest camps occupied by supporters of deposed president Mohammed Morsi in Cairo.
But the Muslim Brotherhood, which backs the protests, put the number of casualties much higher.
Bursts of gunfire were heard and armoured bulldozers moved in. Security forces fired tear gas. BBC

Poets love to describe "spring" as the sweet smell of flowers and freshly cut grass in the spring, but this spring smells more like the sickly stink of a lot of broken bottles of cheap perfume in a closed space. There has been a lot of blood spilled, too.

Looking back at Obama's speech:

The comments came in Obama's most comprehensive response to date to the uprisings sweeping the Arab world. Speaking at the State Department, he called for the first time for the leader of Syria to embrace democracy or move aside, though without specifically demanding his ouster.
As he addressed audiences abroad and at home, Obama sought to leave no doubt that the U.S. stands behind the protesters who have swelled from nation to nation across the Middle East and North Africa, while also trying to convince American viewers that U.S. involvement in unstable countries halfway around the world is in their interest, too.
Obama said the United States has a historic opportunity and the responsibility to support the rights of people clamoring for freedoms, and he called for "a new chapter in American diplomacy."
"We know that our own future is bound to this region by the forces of economics and security; history and faith," the president said.
He hailed the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and declared that bin Laden's vision of destruction was fading even before U.S. forces shot him dead.
Obama said the "shouts of human dignity are being heard across the region."
The president noted that two leaders had stepped down - referring to Egypt and Tunisia - and said that "more may follow." He quoted civilian protesters who have pushed for change in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen but noted that among those nations, only Egypt has seen the departure of a long-ruling autocratic leader.

If Israel has any questions, as it should, about American expertise in understanding the Arab mentality and culture of "democracy," it should just consult with Egypt's Morsi.

As of just a few extremely short years ago, Egypt was a bastion of stability in the Arab world.  That's  why many Israeli politicians of the Right and Left agreed that PM Menachem Begin had done the right thing to give the Sinai to Egypt.  I davka disagree with them, as does Caroline Glick.

As the intervening 32 years since the treaty was signed have shown, in essence, the deal was nothing more than a ceasefire. Israel surrendered the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and in exchange, Egypt has not staged a military attack against Israel from its territory. 

The peace treaty's critics maintain that the price Israel paid was too high and so the treaty was unjustified. They also argue that Israel set a horrible precedent for future negotiations with its neighbors by ceding the entire Sinai in exchange for the treaty. Moreover, they note that Palestinian autonomy agreement in the treaty was a terrible deal. And it set the framework for the disastrous Oslo peace process with the PLO 15 years later. 

For their part, supporters of the treaty claim that the precedent it set was terrific for Israel. The treaty cites the borders of the Palestine Mandate as Israel's legal borders. And since the Mandate envisioned a Jewish state on both banks of the Jordan River, at a minimum the peace treaty sets a precedent for a future annexation of the west bank of the Jordan. -Caroline Glick

But with the explosive situation in Egypt, things can get much worse once a ruler decides to distract the people from their own problems.

Considering that the American brokered "peace sic plan" hinges on the reliability and stability of an Arab terror state that doesn't exist, and the precedent of a treaty that is on the verge of collapse, I think we should cut our losses and get on with building our country, the State of Israel.

Egypt- Ruled by The Mobs, Rioters Rule

That so-called "wonderful Arab Spring"  by political pundits like United States President Barack Hussein Obama has taken off its mask and is proving to be pure anarchy in Egypt.

Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times

CAIRO — Egypt’s military officers removed the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist.

Let's call this a dark day for world peace.  One has to be more than delusional to believe that the sacking of elected President Morsi is a benign show of Egyptian democracy.

BBC

Egypt's army has removed President Mohammed Morsi from power, suspended the constitution and pledged new elections following mass protests. The army chief announced the move in a TV address. The head of the constitutional court is expected to be sworn in as interim leader on Thursday. Mr Morsi's supporters denounced the move as a military coup and said he was being held in detention.  

No doubt that things will only get worse in Egypt and other Arab countries.  It's important to remember that when a nation does not have a history, culture or tradition of democracy, it's terribly difficult to suddenly develop it.  Imposing democracy and western values and procedures on a country that never, ever lived in such ways  is dangerous and foolish, totally unrealistic.

The United States hasn't learned its lesson, neither from Vietnam, nor from Iraq and the entire Israeli "peace process/negotiations" is based on the very same fallacy, that you can turn a bunch of terrorists into law-abiding, peaceful citizens of a democratic country.

I'm a realist, a pragmatist, I wasn't impressed by any of the "Arab springs," and I'm certainly not impressed or reassured by this latest change of leadership in Egypt.  It's simply the rule of the mob.  It's dangerous and it can be very contagious. I hope the world is ready, but hoping is a rather useless emotion.  Good luck everyone.

Why all the Pressure on Israel for "Peace?" Let Kerry Make Peace in Egypt or Syria!

Obama is trying to get his approval ratings to soar by having his Secretary of State Kerry prance the  skies trying to "make peace" between Israel and those Arabs who aim to destroy it.  This so-called "peace" idea is based on a premise that there can be a "two state solution."  It really bothers people when they hear that the "emperor has no clothes."  Even the faux Right wing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has joined the chorus singing the praises of the emperor's new clothes. 

picture credit

 

I hate to break it to everyone, but the emperor is stark naked.  He's not even clothed in the very proper-looking boxers that most illustrators use for propriety's sake.

There is nothing more dangerous for the continued existence of the State of Israel than producing/agreeing to the establishment of Palestinian State in the heart of the Land of Israel aka the "two state solution."  That solution is more like the "final solution to the Jewish problem" of the Nazis.



I have a much better idea to keep increasing Kerry's frequent flyer points.  Let him start flying to Egypt and make peace between the warring factions there.  Israel is calm; each "peace agreement" has only brought terror and war.  So, if United States President Barack Hussein Obama and his Secretary of State Kerry really want to help people in danger, they should go to a place that is experiencing danger, death, riots etc.  I suggest Egypt.

Huge protests across Egypt calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi have continued through the night, with sporadic outbreaks of violence.
In the capital, Cairo, tens of thousands of people have been massed in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace. They have vowed to stay on until Mr Morsi steps down.
At least one person was killed in clashes at Cairo's headquarters of the governing Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Four others died in clashes elsewhere.

Obama had been very excited about the change in government in Egypt a year ago.  Maybe he should visit, too, and support Morsi, or the protesting people.  Certainly he should do something to help the Egyptian people who do need help.



OK, if he doesn't want to help the Egyptians, how about Syria?

AMMAN, Jordan — More than two years of fighting in Syria's civil war has damaged some 9,000 state buildings and run up $15 billion in losses to the public sector, a government minister said Sunday, shining a light on the devastating toll the crisis has taken on the country's economy.
Syria's civil war has laid waste to entire neighborhoods in the country's cities and towns, destroyed much of its manufacturing base and infrastructure and brought oil production and exports to a halt. The damage to the nation's human resources has been just as severe. More than a million people have fled the country and millions more are displaced within it. According to a U.N. estimate, more than 93,000 people have been killed.

Themed 'Ignorance supports the mass murder in Syria' , participants sat down on the ground and symbolically shut their ears, eyes, or mouths. (AP Photo/dpa,Joerg Carstensen)

No doubt, the Syrians too need a lot more help than Israel does.  Israel today is the Gan Eden, Garden of Eden of the Middle-east.  Why else do Arabs prefer living here and come for medical care?  And why else to the polls show that Arabs who would be in the so-called Palestinian State prefer the status quo?

I think it's time to reroute Kerry's flights and have him assist our neighbors in making peace, rather than endangering us here in Israel.