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<big><big><font size="3"><big><big><strong>Obama does Syriana</strong></big></big></font></big></big><br>
Pepe Escobar <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH03Ak04.html">http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH03Ak04.html</a><br>
<br>
It took Reuters quite a while to be allowed to report that US President
Barack Obama had approved an intelligence finding [1] letting the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) loose in its support for the
weaponized "rebels" fighting for regime change in Syria. <br>
<br>
By now even fishermen in Fiji knew about this "secret" (not to mention
that everyone and his neighbor across Latin America knows a thing or
two about the CIA's regime change adventures). Reuters cautiously
describes the support as "circumscribed". That's code for "leading from
behind". <br>
<br>
Whenever the CIA wants to leak something it uses a faithful scribe,
such as David Ignatius from the Washington Post. Already on July 18
Ignatius was reproducing his briefing, [2] according to which "the CIA
has been working with the Syrian opposition for several weeks under a
non-lethal directive ... Scores of Israeli intelligence officers are
also operating along Syria's border, though they are keeping a low
profile." <br>
<br>
How lovely. How low profile do you get along Syria's borders? An
Instagram surrounded by a bunch of grinning truck drivers? <br>
<br>
As for the Mossad's "low profile", the spin in Tel Aviv is that Israel
is able to "control" the swarm of hardcore Wahhabis and Salafi-jihadis
now infesting Syria. Even if that is manifest nonsense, one juicy point
is clear; Israel is in bed with al-Qaeda-style Islamists. <br>
<br>
What this means is that the Not Exactly Free Syrian Army (FSA), crammed
with Muslim Brotherhood diehards and infiltrated by Salafi-jihadis, is
following the agenda not only of their financiers and weaponizers - the
House of Saud and Qatar - but also Tel Aviv, alongside Washington and
its trademark poodles London and Paris. So this is not just a proxy war
- it's a multiple, concentric proxy war. <br>
<br>
<b>Meet the triangle of death</b><br>
Tel Aviv's agenda is clear; a weakened Syrian government, an
overextended army in disarray, sectarian hatred all around and a
relentless slouching towards balkanization. The ultimate goal; not only
the Lebanonization, but the Somalization of Syria and environs. <br>
<br>
Turkey's agenda remains incredibly murky - apart from the wishful
thinking of post-Assad Syria becoming a mild, civilized version of the
AKP reign in Ankara (it won't happen). <br>
<br>
As reported by ATol for months now, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) until a while ago was running a command and control center in
Iskenderun, in Hathay province. Recently, it was finally leaked to
Reuters the news of a joint Turkey-Qatar-Saudi Arabia "secret" base in
Adana, 100 kilometers from the Syrian border. Adana happens to be the
home of Incirlik, the immense NATO base. A local ATol source for weeks
has been reporting of frantic cargo movements at Incirlik. <br>
<br>
It was Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud who
requested, in person, for the base to be set up, to Ankara's delight. <br>
<br>
Ankara-Riyadh-Doha; talk about a triangle of death. Yet the spin from
Qatar is once again of the "leading from behind" variety. Turkey is
doing the military heavy lifting; the CIA is "hands off"; and Qatar is
just taking pictures like an innocent tourist (while directing
operations via its military intelligence). The heavy-duty guys are all
unspecified "middlemen". <br>
<br>
Obama has not authorized a drone war - yet - and the CIA may not be
weaponizing the "rebels"; that's the "triangle of death's" business. An
inflation of Russian rocket-propelled grenades bought in the black
market has been responsible for recent "rebel" surges in Damascus and
Aleppo. Now an inflation of shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles and
surface-to-air missiles is to be expected; NBC News has already
reported about a "gift" of nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles to
the FSA - delivered via, where else, Turkey. <br>
<br>
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are taking no prisoners. No one in Washington
seems to be looking back to post-jihad Afghanistan before making a
decision. By the way, this is the 1980s Afghan jihad all over again -
with Saudi Arabia and Qatar playing the role of Pakistan, the FSA as
the glorious mujahideen "freedom fighters" and Obama as Ronald Reagan;
the only element missing is Obama approving a "memorandum of
notification" to his initial intelligence finding, authorizing
Washington to weaponize the freedom fighters and introducing a swarm of
drones. <br>
<br>
Now that's the recipe for a certified 2013 Hollywood blockbuster. <br>
<br>
Riyadh, for its part, is forcing Jordan's King Playstation to install a
buffer zone in his territory for the over 100 gangs that comprise the
FSA - as revealed by the Saudi-financed al-Quds al-Arabi. And guess who
was the henchman forcing the deal? No less than vanishing Saudi intel
chief Prince Bandar, who may or may not have been killed in a bomb
attack two weeks ago (see <a
href="http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH02Ak03.html">Where is
Prince Bandar?</a>, Asia Times Online, August 2, 2012). <br>
<br>
<b>The Grim Reaper wins</b> It's worth repeating till the Grim Reaper
comes to collect; spectacular blowback looms large. <br>
<br>
The prolonged siege of Aleppo is at hand. The NATO-Gulf Cooperation
Council "secret base" in Turkey, plus free-for-all weaponizing, are
empowering an extremely nasty mix of unemployed, semi-illiterate young
Sunni Syrians, sectarian born to kill army defectors, assorted
criminals and multinational Salafi-jihadis. This video [3] shows
everything one needs to know about the FSA. And this [4] shows what
kind of "democracy" they are aiming for. <br>
<br>
Saudi Wahhabis want a hardcore Sunni Islamist Syria - complete with
Christians, Allawites, Druzes and Kurds as third-rate citizens (or
prime candidates for beheading). Qataris want a Muslim Brotherhood
protectorate. <br>
<br>
The Obama administration's foreign policy makers must be on (lousy)
crack. Just because they are engaged on an all-out war against not only
Iran, but also Shi'ites all around, how could they possibly bet on a
Somalization of Syria profiting Wahhabi intolerance? A grinning Grim
Reaper awaits in the wings. <br>
<br>
<i><b>Notes:</b></i><br>
1. <a
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/01/us-usa-syria-obama-order-idUSBRE8701OK20120801">Exclusive:
Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels</a>, Reuters,
August 1, 2012<br>
2.<a
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-syria-approaches-the-tipping-point/2012/07/18/gJQAFoCvtW_story.html">Looking
for a Syrian endgame</a>, Washington Post, July 19, 2012<br>
3. See <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pjk1sYEjuU&feature=share">here</a>.
<br>
4. Free Syrian Army issues military-led transition plan, AFP, July 30,
2012<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Pepe Escobar</b> is the author of</i> <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0978813820/simpleproduction/ref=nosim">Globalistan:
How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War</a> (Nimble
Books, 2007) and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Zone-Blues-snapshot-Baghdad/dp/0978813898">Red
Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge</a>. His most recent
book is <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Obama-Does-Globalistan-Pepe-Escobar/dp/1934840831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233698286&sr=8-1">Obama
does Globalistan</a> (Nimble Books, 2009). <br>
<br>
<i>He may be reached at</i> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pepeasia@yahoo.com">pepeasia@yahoo.com</a>
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