Wednesday, June 18, 2014
ArizonaBumblebee on June 16, 2014 at 1:54 pm
The Obama Administration has doubled down because it is running scared. Our military interventions and drone attacks in Africa and the Middle East have only served to anger the local populations and to enrage Islamist groups, who increasingly view America’s interventions as an attack on Islam itself. Meanwhile, these actions have converted what was once a ragtag group of a few hundred religious fanatics operating mostly out of caves in Afghanistan into several semi-professional military outfits occupying large swaths of land in several countries throughout Africa and the Middle East.
The Snowden revelations have severely damaged America’s reputation around the world. And because of that, several countries are taking actions to neutralize the NSA’s activities in their countries. These actions will materially damage America’s technology companies unless the American government is willing to demonstrate conclusively that the concerns these countries have are misplaced. The recent action to indict several Chinese PLA soldiers only served to reinforce those concerns.
I think it is obscene that the very neocon players who orchestrated the previous two quagmires in Iraq are also the people who are recommending we intervene directly in Iraq and Syria. But what is even more amazing to me is the way the MSM takes seriously their criticisms and doesn’t seek out alternate views. Foolishly, I had hoped these critics would have the decency to keep their mouths shut and be glad they weren’t on trial at the Hague for complicity in war crimes.
All of us should remain alert to what is happening around us. America is only an incident away from a game-changing event that could impact all of our lives. It could be Russia invading Ukraine. It could be ISIS attacking the Green Zone in Baghdad, or a terrorist attack on the Ras Tenura oil terminal in Saudi Arabia. If such an event were to occur, I fear for the future of our constitutional republic.
Great comment at Emptywheel
The Obama Administration has doubled down because it is running scared. Our military interventions and drone attacks in Africa and the Middle East have only served to anger the local populations and to enrage Islamist groups, who increasingly view America’s interventions as an attack on Islam itself. Meanwhile, these actions have converted what was once a ragtag group of a few hundred religious fanatics operating mostly out of caves in Afghanistan into several semi-professional military outfits occupying large swaths of land in several countries throughout Africa and the Middle East.
The Snowden revelations have severely damaged America’s reputation around the world. And because of that, several countries are taking actions to neutralize the NSA’s activities in their countries. These actions will materially damage America’s technology companies unless the American government is willing to demonstrate conclusively that the concerns these countries have are misplaced. The recent action to indict several Chinese PLA soldiers only served to reinforce those concerns.
I think it is obscene that the very neocon players who orchestrated the previous two quagmires in Iraq are also the people who are recommending we intervene directly in Iraq and Syria. But what is even more amazing to me is the way the MSM takes seriously their criticisms and doesn’t seek out alternate views. Foolishly, I had hoped these critics would have the decency to keep their mouths shut and be glad they weren’t on trial at the Hague for complicity in war crimes.
All of us should remain alert to what is happening around us. America is only an incident away from a game-changing event that could impact all of our lives. It could be Russia invading Ukraine. It could be ISIS attacking the Green Zone in Baghdad, or a terrorist attack on the Ras Tenura oil terminal in Saudi Arabia. If such an event were to occur, I fear for the future of our constitutional republic.
Great comment at Emptywheel
# posted by Frank @ 4:31 AM 
