This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Foreign Policy

  • Hagel promises an arms race to Gulf allies

    Chuck Hagel was on the loose in the Persian Gulf region today, according to the Stars & Stripes. He promised that the US isn’t abandoning our oil-rich allies, he promised that the US will provide to our friends a missile defense system to protect them from Iran. Apparently, it was a nod to the fact that he already knows that negotiations with Iran won’t be very productive;

    The agreement freezes aspects of Iran’s nuclear program for six months while a permanent deal is sought, but some U.S. allies fear it will embolden Tehran to possibly menace the region.

    In his speech Saturday at the Manama Dialogue, an annual security conference in Bahrain, Hagel offered reassurance, including proposals he said would strengthen regional missile defense.

    “DoD will not make any adjustments to its forces in the region — or to its military planning — as a result of the interim agreement with Iran,” Hagel said.

    Russia wasn’t very happy when we promised Eastern Europe that we’d provide them with a protective umbrella from a missile attack from Russia. In fact, they were so not happy, that President Obama cancelled the operation. I’m pretty sure that Iran will complain about a US provided security system for Iran’s neighbors, too.

    I can’t help but wonder why it’s such a good idea for our Gulf allies, but not so much for our European allies. And I also can’t help but wonder how the Obama Administration thinks that a bunch of missiles aimed at Iran won’t start an arms race in the region, and why they don’t think that those missiles will provide Iran with an excuse to continue their nuclear program. Also, I’m not sure how the missile shield will provide a defense against the butt-bombers, shoe-bombers, car-bombers and the other various bombers who are being exported from Iran.

    Yeah, I know a missile shield is a defensive measure, but that’s not how it’s going to be portrayed in the international media. You know, if we drilled for and refined our own oil we wouldn’t have to give anyone there anything except a couple of shovels full of dirt when they get done with each other.

  • Russian diplomats scam Medicaid

    Tom Huxton sends us a link to the BBC which reports that 49 Russian diplomats are being sought by New York prosecutors for scamming our own Medicaid system of about a million and a half bucks;

    US officials say the defrauded benefits related to pregnancy, birth and infant care. No arrests have been made.

    The suspects allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury goods, holidays, gigs and helicopter rides.
    ‘Shameful corruption’

    During the time of the alleged fraud, the accused were buying jewellery, clothing and gadgets at retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Jimmy Choo, Swarovski, Apple and Tiffany & Co, according to the criminal complaint.

    It is alleged that the accused falsified household income and provided inaccurate information on Medicaid forms.

    Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, called it “shameful and systemic corruption”.

    “Diplomacy should be about extending hands, not picking pockets in the host country,” he said.

    According to the Beeb, only 11 of the diplomats sought are still in the US, the rest have returned to their home country. And, oh, yeah, the Russian government will have to approve the arrests, so, this is me not holding my breath for justice for the American taxpayers.

  • Vet detained by Norks advised guerrillas

    The Washington Post reports that the veteran who is imprisoned in North Korea, Merrill Newman, was actually an adviser to North Korean guerrillas fighting against the Stalinist government 60 years ago.

    “Why did he go to North Korea?” asked Park Boo Seo, a former member of the Kuwol partisan unit, which is still loathed in Pyongyang and glorified in Seoul for the damage it inflicted on the North during the war. “The North Koreans still gnash their teeth at the Kuwol unit.”

    Park and several other former guerrillas said they recognized Newman from his past visits to Seoul in 2003 and 2010 — when they ate raw fish and drank soju, Korean liquor — and from the TV footage, which was also broadcast in South Korea.

    So, yeah, he shouldn’t have been detained, but communists have long memories. The Russians still mistrust us for our efforts to rescue the Czech Legion in 1920, for Pete’s sake. I’m sure they’ll trade him for some free fuel oil, or maybe they’ll take Dennis Rodman for him. Or Jesse Jackson.

  • War Crimes: They’re Not Just for the Assad Regime Any More

    We keep hearing about all those “war crimes” on the part of the Assad regime.  Many of them may well be legitimate.

    I’d long suspected that the Syrian opposition might not exactly be clean on that score.  But as far as I know no one has come out and accused the Syrian opposition of war crimes.

    Until now, that is.  Human Rights Watch has now come out and flatly accused elements of the Syrian opposition of committing atrocities against unarmed civilians that indeed qualify as war crimes.  Their report is 105 pages in length, and details attacks against unarmed civilians in a dozen predominately Alawite villages in Latika village on/about 4 Aug of this year.

    We’re not talking a handful of people killed in a few isolated incidents, either.  Human Rights Watch documents at least 190 people killed and 200 taken prisoner.  It also appears that around 100 are being held hostage as bargaining chips for the return of captured Syrian resistance members held by the Assad regime.

    The perpetrators were identified as 5 groups within the Syrian resistance that have ties to Islamic fundamentalism and/or al Qaeda.  Color me shocked.

    The Free Syrian Army has disavowed the actions of the 5 groups who committed these atrocities, with their spokesman stating that, “Anyone who commits such crimes will not belong to the revolution anymore.”

    Yeah, right.  I think I’ll wait until we see some proof before I accept that little statement.  I seem to remember a saying popular in that part of the world that starts out:  “The enemy of my enemy . . . .”

    I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  tell me again why we’re supporting either side in that damn civil war?

  • US cuts aid to Egypt

    The Washington Times reports that the State Department has decided to temporarily cut some military aid to Egypt;

    Foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said Egypt would “not surrender to American pressure and is continuing on its path toward democracy,” in the BBC.

    His statements came as U.S. authorities announced they would not deliver promised Apache helicopters, Harpoon missiles or tank parts — or a $260 million cash transfer and $300 million loan guarantee.

    The State Department rushed to say the suspension was only that — temporary.

    While I agree that we should start cutting aid to a lot of countries, not just Egypt, but I’m just curious why the Obama Administration wouldn’t cut military aid to Morsi government while they presided over widespread violence in the country, too. In fact, they were adamant about continuing military equipment aid to the Muslim Brotherhood government. But now that the Muslim brotherhood has been removed from the government, the administration thinks it’ perfectly fine to cut off aid. It almost seems that the Obama Administration is trying to undermine the legitimacy of the new Egyptian government.

  • The Irony of John Kerry.

    Since the President canceled his trip to Aisa, he has send John Kerry in his place to assure that the United States will not support for Asia against pressure from China.

    Acknowledging that Obama is missing opportunities for direct diplomacy with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and others attending a series of international trade and cooperation meetings, Kerry was at pains to tell Asian leaders that they should not read too much into the absence.

    You mean like sending VVFP/VFP’s Poster child one why we needed to leave Vietnam and never come back? Does anyone really think that the leaders believe this promise considering how was handled Vietnam and how we are handling Afghanistan?

  • Syria accepts Russian proposal

    While John Kerry and Chuck Hagel are making their case for military action against Syria, Syria has accepted the Russian proposal that they turn over control of their chemical weapons to the international community, says Fox News;

    Syria’s foreign minister said Tuesday that President Bashar Assad has accepted a Russian proposal to turn over control of Syria’s chemical weapons, potentially opening the door to defusing a stand-off with the United States as President Obama indicates he’s willing to give the “diplomatic track” a try.

    According to the Associated Press, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Tuesday after meeting with the Russian Parliament speaker that his government’s officials quickly agreed to the Russian initiative to “derail the U.S. aggression.”

    But according to broadcast news, the President intends to continue to make his case for military action to the country tonight. I watched a little of John Kerry’s statement to Congress this morning and he told us that the US has a “huge” national interest in attacking Syria, that being the containment of chemical weapons. It looks like that has already been accomplish since the only chemical weapons that have been used are entirely with the borders of Syria.

    Chuck Hagel told Congress that we have to use military force to insure the credibility of US military force – says the same guy who called the ‘surge” in Iraq a failure before it began. The same guy who said that our war against terrorism was our “greatest military blunder”.

  • Is the Millenium At Hand?

    Perhaps so.  Breitbart.com is reporting that members of Code Pink have been observed protesting against proposed intervention in Syria.

    The protesters reportedly were seen at hearings of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday, where SECSTATE John “Christmas in Cambodia” Kerry was testifying.  They reportedly wore signs saying “US Out of Syria” and held up hands painted red to mimic blood.

    I don’t normally have much good to say about Code Pink.  But I’ll give them this much:  here, they’re being consistent – which in my experience is a rarity for those on their end of the political spectrum.