Barack Obama is leading from behind in Syria - and can't see where he is going

[longknife]

From The Telegraph online @ Barack Obama is leading from behind in Syria - and can't see where he is going - Telegraph

Some wars you choose, but some wars choose you. Was there ever better illustration of this oft-repeated wisdom than Syria's slow sucking in of President Barack Obama?

The man has no idea what he's doing and spends more time hiding from his responsibilities than acting like Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive of the United States. And, this opinion has to come from US media as ours won't deal with it. Read more at above link.

 

[PredFan]

Worst....president....ever!

 

[waltky]

Al-Qaeda groups growing stronger in Syria...

Official: Al Qaeda-affiliated groups gaining strength in Syria
July 21st, 2013 > Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories and opinion pieces surrounding the Aspen Security Forum. which took place from July 17 to 20 in Aspen, Colorado. Security Clearance was a media sponsor of the event.

Al Qaeda-affiliated groups are gaining strength in Syria, giving an edge to extremists in the country, a top military intelligence official said Saturday. David Shedd, deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Aspen Security Forum that extremist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, which has publicly pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, have been the most successful in operations against troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. "It is very clear over the last two years they have grown in size, grown in capability and ruthlessly grown in effectiveness. Their ability to take the fight to the regime and Hezbollah in a very direct way has been, among those groups, the most effective," he said.

Left unchecked, he said, more radical elements of the opposition would have a greater role, eclipsing moderates in a post-Assad Syria. "They will not go home when it is over," Shedd said. "They will fight for that space. They are there for the long haul." Shedd said at least 1,200 rebel factions have been identified in Syria. The U.S. ability to distinguish "good guys" from "bad guys" inside Syria was limited, but it was critical to do so in order to determine which groups to support, he said. Shedd said that the core al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan is providing "spiritual direction" to its affiliates in Syria and "has been far more active publicly with the leadership" of those groups. "There is a flow of fighters into Syria that come from that side of the world," he said.

Shedd said one option could see al-Assad relocating to the largely Alawite area along the Northern coast, creating an enclave and leaving opposition groups fighting to gain control of Syrian territory. He voiced concern about the Syrian civil war spilling over into neighboring Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, where he predicted the government there could fall in a post-Assad Syria. Fighters from al Qaeda in Iraq, Shedd said, are also getting valuable battlefield experience in Syria and could return home to Iraq to create further trouble. On Afghanistan, Shedd cautioned against leaving no U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014, warning the capacity of the Afghan army and police, while improved over the past several years, remains fragile.

Senior U.S. officials have said President Barack Obama was considering a withdrawal to the "zero option," leaving no U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond the planned deadline of 2014. "I'm very concerned that if it were to go to zero, there would be a much greater fallback to the old ways and challenges with the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces)," Shedd said. He said the Afghan forces still need training on gathering intelligence and implementing it on the battlefield, calling the bilateral security agreement for the United States to train and equip the Afghan forces being negotiated between the two countries "critical."

Official: Al Qaeda-affiliated groups gaining strength in Syria ? CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

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Former commander of US Central Command cautions against U.S. military involvement in Syria without an endgame
July 21st, 2013 > Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories and opinion pieces surrounding the Aspen Security Forum. which took place from July 17 to 20 in Aspen, Colorado. Security Clearance was a media sponsor of the event.

A former commander of U.S. Central Command said the United States needs to determine an endgame in Syria before it takes further military action in the beleaguered country. In a panel moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, retired Gen. James Mattis told the Aspen Security Forum on Saturday that escalated involvement in Syria by the U.S. military would lead to “a full-throated, very, very serious war.” When asked what if anything the U.S. should do to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Mattis said the United States must first consult with regional powers to determine a framework under which to operate before engaging militarily. “Then we need to be very clear about our military end state and political end state. Otherwise you'll invade a country, pull down a statue, and say, 'Now what do we do?'” Mattis said.

The Obama administration has been reluctant to enter another military engagement, but announced in June that it would provide military support to start rebel fighters after it determined al-Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons - a red line that President Barack Obama warned the regime not to cross. The U.S. has also been urged by some to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. But Mattis cautioned that setting up a no-fly zone would be a complicated and costly endeavor that is not a pragmatic military solution in a conflict where most of the violence is occurring on the ground. “We have no moral obligation to do the impossible and harm our children’s future because we think we just have to do something,” Mattis said. “The killing will go on on the ground because they’re not using aircraft to do most of the killing.”

The retired general also said the administration’s plan to supply arms to the rebels is not without risk, as the weapons could get into the wrong hands. But that risk can be mitigated by thorough training, employing the secret services of surrounding countries and using U.S. special ops to monitor the situation. “There's a way to do it, but it’s a commitment, not a donation,” Mattis said. “This is significant for a country that is once more going to find itself at odds in the midst of a very, very confusing situation on the ground in the Middle East.” Syrian rebels have faced a series of tactical setbacks in recent weeks as al-Assad’s forces took back key strongholds - a development Mattis said was made possible by the support al-Assad receives from outside powers who have an interest in keeping him in power - particularly Iran. “Bashar al-Assad has gotten the full support out of Tehran and out of Lebanese Hezbollah,” Mattis said. “Absent that orchestrated support ... I think Assad would have found himself overrun by the gathering momentum against him,” Mattis said.

Mattis said if al-Assad falls, it would be the “biggest strategic setback in 25 years” for Iran, which counts Syria as one of its few remaining allies as the international community continues to impose harsh economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran over its highly secretive uranium-enrichment program. When asked how close the country is to a nuclear weapon, Mattis predicted they could have one within a year if they choose to. “I don't believe (Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) has made the decision. If he does, I am not completely confident that we would know immediately. I don't think we'd know right away,” Mattis said. He offered reserved optimism that Iran’s newly-elected president, Hassan Rouhani, could help his country walk back the nuclear weapons program, but predicted the new leader would not get much support in the current political climate in Tehran. Mattis said nonetheless, the United States should try to work with the new leader, but should do so with “modest expectations.”

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[waltky]

... and the beat goes on, and the beat goes on...

UN chief says over 100,000 people killed in Syria
Jul 25,`13 > Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says more than 100,000 people have been killed in the escalating conflict in Syria.

Ban called on the Syrian government and opposition to halt the violence in the 2 1/2 year civil war, saying it is "imperative to have a peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible."

The secretary-general spoke before talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who stood nearby. "There is no military solution to Syria," Kerry then told reporters. "There is only a political solution, and that will require leadership in order to bring people to the table."

The United States and Russia are trying to convene an international conference in Geneva, along with the United Nations, to try to agree on a transitional government based on a plan adopted in that city a year ago.

Kerry said he talked to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday and that both countries remained committed to bringing the warring parties together to further peace efforts. "We will try our hardest to make that happen as soon as is possible," Kerry said.

Source

 

[Sunni Man]

I am thankful that our beloved Pres. Obama is doing the right thing by arming the Syrian freedom fighters.

All true patriotic Americans should be very proud of him and his leadership on this issue. ..

 

[irosie91]

I am thankful that our beloved Pres. Obama is doing the right thing by arming the Syrian freedom fighters.

All true patriotic Americans should be very proud of him and his leadership on this issue. ..

NEWS TO ME!!! Obama is arming the kurds and the syrian christians?