[News] Obama's weapons-for-peace program

[Anti-Imperialist News]

*Obama's weapons-for-peace program*
By Pepe Escobar

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-180613.html

They looked like two dejected schoolboys in front of the headmaster by 
the end of the two-hour Putin-Obama summit at the sidelines of the Group 
of Eight meeting in Northern Ireland. But as astonishing as the sound of 
silence was the fact that, on Syria, the former KGB guy was trying to 
save the "leading from behind" dude from himself.

President Barack Obama coined the monster euphemism that they had 
"different perspectives" on Syria. He said, deceptively, "We want to try 
to resolve the issue through political means if possible, so we will 
instruct our teams to continue to work on the potential of a Geneva 
follow-up."

If Obama was really trying to solve Syria "through political means" he 
would not have pre-emptively bombed the Geneva II talks with his 
"weapons-for-peace" program, as in weaponizing only the "good" Syrian 
"rebels" and only with a few "non-lethal" toys (that's the bottom line 
of Washington's spin). "If possible" in this case does translate into 
"impossible". As for the Geneva II talks, they don't rate anything 
better than "potential" because Obama knows the myriad, squabbling 
factions of the Syrian opposition will boycott it.

Sometimes it sounded like Putin wanted to put Obama out of his misery 
(as in "Assad must go" but I have no clue how to make him obey me). He 
was visibly trying to impress to Obama that expanding the proxy war in 
Syria would make the current - horrible - status quo look like a walk in 
the park.

Obama didn't seem to know what Putin knows. Putin - and Russian 
intelligence - know very well that the "chemical weapons" fairytale 
unveiled by White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes is 
utter nonsense. They know Rhodes previously invented the silly 
denomination "kinetic military action" to define the NATO-AFRICOM war on 
Libya (so Obama did not have to declare war); and they know that Rhodes 
set up the scenario for the White House cover-up of what happened in 
Benghazi, by expunging any CIA reference to Washington-supported 
jihadis. Rhodes isn't qualified to sell bagels in the streets of New 
York - no offense to all those wonderful bagel peddlers; and yet he 
"advises" Obama.

Putin knows Obama would even give up playing basketball if he could find 
a way to sneak out of getting bogged in Syria's civil war. Putin knows 
Obama simply cannot order a no-fly zone over Syria by decree - as much 
as he may be under pressure by the usual warmonger senators, armchair 
warrior think tankers, corporate media and weapons manufacturers.

As for further weaponizing foreign mercenaries, Putin did hit the home 
run of the day; "One does not really need to support the people who not 
only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies, eat their intestines 
in front of the public and cameras."

Yet Putin is certainly aware of Washington's Plan C or D for Syria; what 
is being sold as a "humanitarian assistance", limited, no-fly zone - 
along parts of the Jordanian and Turkish borders into Syrian territory. 
This is in fact Libya 2.0; a "limited" no-fly zone in a flash will apply 
to all Syria. "Limited no-fly zones" only exist in Spinland; this is a 
declaration of war. So let's see how Damascus plays it with the S-300 
missile batteries it will receive from Russia.

Still, Putin announced that Obama would go to Moscow for yet another 
bilateral summit in early September, before the Group of 20 summit in St 
Petersburg.

*'Reluctant' warrior?

*The myth of Obama as "reluctant warrior" is pure nonsense. Even the 
Washington Post had to admit that the Obama weapons-for-peace gambit was 
decided weeks ago - way before the chemical weapons fairytale. [1]

As for those pathetically declining former colonial inventors of the 
Middle East a century ago, Britain and France, everyone in the European 
Union knows that both have already declared they will further weaponize 
the "rebels" by August - after the by now certified failure of the 
Geneva II talks (which will happen, if ever, in July).

France is already merrily weaponizing, in close collaboration with those 
ur-democrats at the House of Saud. [2] It seems that a French SS-11 
missile is part of the package, as can be seen in this video 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmnq7BB1tj8> (at 0:44).

Meanwhile, in that realm of King Playstation also known as Jordan, 
security types are all on denial mode that the kingdom is about to star 
as the base for the next no-fly zone Pentagon blockbuster. Well, they 
are definitely not reading the Wall Street Journal, which neatly 
outlines what the Pentagon is up to: actually a "no fighting zone", to 
be enforced by F-16s flying from Jordan. [3]

It will be absolutely illegal - what else is new - because the idea 
behind it is to bypass the UN Security Council (where it would be vetoed 
by Russia and China) under the pretense that "the US would not regularly 
enter Syrian airspace and wouldn't hold Syrian territory." And even if 
it did, anything would be justified as self-defense. Once again, the 
warmongers in charge are all blissfully ignoring the Russian S-300 
missiles.

By the way, lots of appetizing warfare toys are already parked in Jordan 
during the current "Eager Lion" military fun-fest, which should end this 
Thursday. [4] Some of it will benefit from an extended visa and would 
certainly be used in the "no fighting zone" - especially F-16s and 
Patriot missile batteries, as the Jordanians themselves are saying. 
Check out what Eager Lion is aiming at: "Integrated air and missile 
defense and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to address 
current and future conflicts' security issues."

*Faster, pussycat, kill kill (all Shi'ites)*

And then there's Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi breaking relations 
with Syria. [5] True, as the "leader" of an absolutely devastated 
economy he badly needs money from the International Monetary Fund, those 
handy checks by the Emir of Qatar, and of course to smooth over relation 
with US right-wingers.

Morsi's move was also a taste of things to come from the Arab League - 
which nowadays is essentially the Saudi-Qatari league, with everybody 
else as extras. As Qatar's foreign policy is Muslim Brotherhood forever, 
Morsi's anti-Syria move served to calm down those who hated his opening 
towards Iran and, so far, no explicit condemnation of Bashar al-Assad.

Much more worrying is Muslim Brotherhood superstar Sheikh Yusuf 
al-Qaradawi, of al-Jazeera fame, issuing a fatwa for all Sunnis to go 
fight Hezbollah in Syria (even though Hezbollah has already stated, on 
the record, it is not fighting all over in Syria and from now on will 
only protect the Syrian-Lebanese border). This al-Qaradawi outburst has 
already been directly responsible for a new wave of suicide bombings 
against Shi'ites in Iraq. If Obama can't see that, he should stick to 
basketball.

Syria's Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi has made the government's 
position very clear: any transition of power will go through the ballot 
box. No wonder all those "rebel" factions don't want democratic 
elections, because they know they will lose them. This is another fact 
Obama would have to admit - if he was not being "advised" by a 
non-entity like Rhodes: the Geneva II talks would need to revolve around 
a democratic election roadmap.

This all proves, once again, that the Obama administration would rather 
play weapons-for-peace gambits than talk real democracy. In the end, 
what those paragons of democracy - the GCC petro-monarchies - want is 
exactly what the Anglo-Franco-American axis wants (but can't admit 
explicitly); a long, horrid, protracted war where no one can claim 
victory. We're now living under the terrible shade, and possible, much 
expanded remix, of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

/*Notes:*/
1. Decision to arm Syrian rebels was reached weeks ago, US officials say 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/decision-to-arm-syrian-rebels-was-reached-weeks-ago-us-officials-say/2013/06/14/3cc2d372-d51a-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html>, 
Washington Post, June 15, 2013.
2. Saudi Arabia, France sending Syria rebels anti-aircraft guns: source 
<http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-arabia-france-sending-syria-rebels-anti-aircraft-guns-source>, 
Al-Akhbar, June 17, 2013.
3. US to Arm Syrian Rebels 
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324188604578543820387158806.html?mod=WSJEurope_hpp_LEFTTopStories>, 
Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2013.
4. US participating in international Eager Lion exercise in Jordan 
<http://www.stripes.com/news/us-participating-in-international-eager-lion-exercise-in-jordan-1.225511>, 
Stars and Stripes, June 12, 2013.
5. Morsi's Syria stance influenced by US: Egyptian opposition 
<http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74123/Egypt/Politics-/Morsis-Syria-stance-influenced-by-US-Egyptian-oppo.aspx>, 
Ahramonline, June 16, 2013.

/*Pepe Escobar* is the author of/ Globalistan: How the Globalized World 
is Dissolving into Liquid War 
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0978813820/simpleproduction/ref=nosim> 
/(Nimble Books, 2007) and /Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during 
the surge 
<http://www.amazon.com/Red-Zone-Blues-snapshot-Baghdad/dp/0978813898>. 
/He has also written / Obama does Globalistan 
<http://www.amazon.com/Obama-Does-Globalistan-Pepe-Escobar/dp/1934840831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233698286&sr=8-1>/ 
(Nimble Books, 2009).

He may be reached at/ pepeasia at yahoo.com.
-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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