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<big><big><strong><font size="3"><big><big>Obama's weapons-for-peace
program</big></big></font></strong></big></big><br>
By Pepe Escobar <br>
<br>
<small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-180613.html">http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-180613.html</a></small></small><br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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<img
src="cid:part1.06080709.04010102@freedomarchives.org" alt=""
style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" height="0" width="0"> possible, so we
will instruct our teams to continue to work on the potential of a
Geneva follow-up."
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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."
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
<b>'Reluctant' warrior?<br>
<br>
</b>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]
<br>
<br>
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). <br>
<br>
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 <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmnq7BB1tj8">in this video</a>
(at 0:44). <br>
<br>
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]
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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." <br>
<br>
<b>Faster, pussycat, kill kill (all Shi'ites)</b><br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
<i><b>Notes:</b></i><br>
1. <a
href="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">Decision
to arm Syrian rebels was reached weeks ago, US officials say</a>,
Washington Post, June 15, 2013.<br>
2. <a
href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-arabia-france-sending-syria-rebels-anti-aircraft-guns-source">Saudi
Arabia, France sending Syria rebels anti-aircraft guns: source</a>,
Al-Akhbar, June 17, 2013. <br>
3. <a
href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324188604578543820387158806.html?mod=WSJEurope_hpp_LEFTTopStories">US
to Arm Syrian Rebels</a>, Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2013.<br>
4. <a
href="http://www.stripes.com/news/us-participating-in-international-eager-lion-exercise-in-jordan-1.225511">US
participating in international Eager Lion exercise in Jordan</a>, Stars
and Stripes, June 12, 2013.<br>
5. <a
href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74123/Egypt/Politics-/Morsis-Syria-stance-influenced-by-US-Egyptian-oppo.aspx">Morsi's
Syria stance influenced by US: Egyptian opposition</a>, Ahramonline,
June 16, 2013.
<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> <i>(Nimble
Books, 2007) and </i><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Zone-Blues-snapshot-Baghdad/dp/0978813898">Red
Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge</a>. <i>He has also
written </i> <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><i> (Nimble Books, 2009).
<br>
<br>
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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