“It would need a savant to work out the geopolitical implications of a post-Assad Syria”
This is exactly where we find the fault line between political motives and humanitarian motives: to remove Assad or to stop the killing. It is an impossible situation, to be sure.
“1980s Lebanon on Steroids”
At least that is what Marc Lynch imagines Syria could become now that the Chinese and Russian UN vetoes have all but eliminated the peaceful transition option. While the resolution explicitly ruled out military intervention (due to fears of another Libya-esque regime change operation) the Russian and China vetoes, according to Lynch, are likely to … Read more
Saddam Hussein’s Doppleganger Kidnapped for Porn Film
Mohamed Bishr, an Egyptian man who greatly resembles former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, was injured last Sunday when three armed men attempted to kidnap Bishr in order to force him to impersonate Hussein in a pornographic film.
Implications of Turkey Cutting Military Ties with Israel on a Larger Scale
After Erdogan made a grand speech about rethinking Turkish-Israeli ties, Erdogan officially lowered diplomatic relations and suspended all military ties with Israel last night and this morning. Turkey, still rightfully upset with Israel, has decided to put some action behind their words and do this move. But what does the move intend to do? Is … Read more
Was the Libyan Intervention Humanitarian?
Now that Tripoli has fallen to the rebels and Qaddafi is on his way out, many see vindication for the decision to intervene in Libya. Whether the decision intervene in Libya was wise for western governments is up for debate, but it is unquestionably clear that thanks, at least in part, to western aerial power, … Read more
Walt:The US Will Lose in Iraq
Piggy-Backing on my last post about the American decision to invade Iraq and the long-term consequences of doing so, I present Stephen Walt: Specifically: invading Iraq was never necessary, because Saddam Hussein had no genuine links to al Qaeda and no WMD, and because he could not have used any WMD that he might one … Read more
Is There a Link Between the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring?
Abe Greenwald certainly thinks so. As Matt Duss points out, Greenwald’s piece in Commentary is just another effort to create a false conclusion about the war. From Greenwald: It was the Freedom Agenda of the George W. Bush administration—delineated and formulated as a conscious alternative to jihadism—that showed the way. Indeed, the costly American nation-building in … Read more
Syrian Bloodshed Could Start Regional War, Part II
Haaretz recently offered some empty speculation concerning the rumors of a Turkish intervention in Syria should Assad not end the violence against the Syrian people: Turkey sends troops to Syria, and Iran retaliates by sending troops to Bahrain. It seems unlikely that Turkey would send its military into Syria and there is nothing to … Read more
How Much is Libya Costing the US?
Well, let’s go ahead for a second and forget the fact that the international intervention in Libya has followed the predicted route: western bombs have propped up a divided and disorganized rebel movement, created an interminable stalemate and removed any credible threat the west had towards other abusive regimes (I’m looking at you Syria). Just … Read more
The Words of Denial
The Syrian people do not go into uprising because the country is stable! Iraq is immune from the winds of change! At least Assad gave his interview before protests struck. Now Maliki is saying that Iraq is fine while crushing the protest movement. The denial is certainly similar, though the use of informal armed gangs … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
