We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Kerry’s counterproductive Syria strategy (with addendum)

Click here to access article by Michael E. O'Hanlon from Brookings.

I have read a number of credible articles providing evidence that the recent terrorist incident in Paris was aided and abetted by sociopathic Empire agents--but, for what purpose? I thought I'd consult an Empire source for an explanation. This posted article offers what appears to be a reasonable and more cool-headed approach, with "humanitarianism" thrown in, to deal with terrorism. Note especially these two paragraphs:
I have written elsewhere, and in the blog post below, about my own recommendations for how to ramp up our role in both Syria and Iraq, in alliance with indigenous forces, NATO allies, and Middle East partners as well. That ramped-up involvement should include more U.S., NATO, and Gulf Cooperation Council special forces on the ground in both countries, to conduct raids and better orchestrate aerial attacks, but especially to accelerate training of Syrian moderate fighters and the Iraqi army (and to facilitate provision of humanitarian relief in places within Syria as well). It should include creative use of no-fly zones to hasten creation of conditions for a confederal settlement in Syria--targeting not airplanes in the air, but Syrian (not Russian) airfields and aircraft on the ground that have previously ignored our demands to stop bombing innocent Syrian populations. [my emphasis]

Most of all, for this weekend, it should lead John Kerry and Barack Obama, in their foreign travels, not to pursue the failed logic of the current Syria peace talks but to explore a confederal model and seek buy-in from as many key players and allies as possible. Our military strategy needs to begin with a solid and realistic political framework. In Syria in particular, we lack that at present.
This appears to be the Empire's answer to the recent Russian involvement and their attacks on terrorist armies operating in Syria. This also lends support to Cartalucci's (and others) understanding of the Paris attack and the Empire's motivation to aid their terrorist armies operating in Syria in an attempt to rescue them from Russian attacks.

Here we see Patrick Henningsen, blogger at 21st Century Wire, who essentially expresses the same view in this 12:58m video interview from RT