Showing posts with label Hezbollah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hezbollah. Show all posts

Friday, September 06, 2013

Lessons from Afghanistan?

What started out as a justifiable intervention in Afghanistan has now become America's longest war (going on 12 years).  It has also become the most unpopular.  In Afghanistan, there was never even a humpty-dumpty to put back together again.  All the idealistic talk about nurturing democracy there was a delusion. Although we are out of Iraq, are the Iraqi people better off for our involvement?  Is democracy flourishing in our long-term ally Egypt?    The bad taste created by the Afghani and other debacles has made the public skeptical about intervention in Syria?  One suspects that give the horrendous brutality, threats of Iranian retaliation if the U.S. strikes, growing regional involvement (e.g. Lebanon's Hezbollah), transformation into a Sunni-Shiite war, etc., etc., etc,, that Syria can never be put back together again, by anyone, no matter what.  Recently increasing sectarian violence in Iraq, also sends disturbing messages.  In addition, recent news suggests more brutality by the Syrian rebels than previously revealed.  The rebels and their backers have tried to keep a lid on this news, but it is more than just Assad's propaganda. Syria is becoming a basket case that cannot be fixed by outside intervention.  Obama has thus far failed to get additional support at the G-20 meetings. Our closest ally, Britain has already opted out. It is far too late for missile strikes or even no-fly zones.  Congress and Obama should just suck it up.  Obama should admit he has blown it, and the politicians need to listen to the American public--except for humanitarian aid, no direct American involvement in Syria.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Hezbollah wants Syrian resbels to disarm and seek political solution.

Hezbollah, (aka "Party of God") is a Shi'a Muslim militant group and political party based in Lebanon. It is classified as a terrorist organization by most Western nations, including the U.S. It gets most of its financial and political support from the authoritarian regimes in Syria and Iran. Hezbollah's leader calls upon the resistance in Syria go give up its arms and seek a "political" solution. It's pretty obvious that the only solution, political or otherwise, that the ruling regime is interested in (and is willing to kill thousands of Syrians for)is the more of the same brutal status quo. A regime change in Syria could cost Hezbollah and lot of financial and political resources. It's no wonder they want the resistance in Syria to lay down its arms.