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WoRLD CuP 2014...
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er.....uuh....relying on MSM for anything but fiction disguised as truth would be the mistake.
I was unaware that in order to speak and write Urdu, all you have to do is add some artsy flourishes in the form of malignant dots above some letters. Now all I need is a keyboard with the ability to do as yours does in placing them.
Thx again.
I have been looking into ISIS and its Syrian affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.
You would be well advised not to rely on the MSM in attempting to unravel the murky regional conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
It is a stretch to say these people were financed and directly armed by the international community. They apparently reject international support and are not part of the Syrian exile coalition recognised by Western governments. The one that lost face when the West backed away last Fall.
However, it is clearly not a stretch to say that they are one of the principle beneficiaries, if not the principle beneficiary, of the Western and Saudi sponsored chaos instigated in Syria. The Syrian conflict is what brought a fresh breeze to ISIS' sails allowing it to rejuvenate (it was considered in demise not too long ago) and once again turn its attention to overthrowing the Shiite regime in Bagdad. ISIS roots in Syria hailed back to the network of Syrian safehouses used to smuggle jihadists into Northern Iraq. Now ISIS recent successes in Iraq have led to an arms bonanza as well as a shitload of pilfered greenbacks.
So here is the irony. Assad is supported by Iran and its Shiite proxies such as Hamas in fighting the Sunnis and the ISIS affiliate in Syria. Iraq and al-Maliki, are also supported by Iran. So Iran is seeking to counter ISIS (a Sunni fighting organization) in both Syria and Iraq. This would appear strategically consistent.
However, as usual, the US position is confused. In Syria it is supporting the panoply of rebel organizations (primarily Sunni) fighting against Assad hoping that they will somehow prevail over the jihadi extremists such as Jabhat al-Nusra. Wishful thinking. But in Iraq it is supporting the Shiite regime of al-Maliki against the Sunni rebels. ISIS and Jabhat al-Nussra seem to be the strongest Sunni fighting force in Syria and now Iraq. Their ferocity apparently exceeds that of the Free Syrian Army and the Iraqi Army . If you look at all of the Sunni rebel organizations and splinter groups, you will quickly conclude that ISIS is by far the strongest and is least beholden to foreign support which they consider to be foreign corruption.
It is now painfully obvious that looking at this through the prism of National borders is a fools exercise. ISIS is indifferent to current national boundries and seeks to merge Ira and Syria as a single Islamic state. So whatever helps ISIS in Syria, indirectly helps ISIS in Iraq. Once again, as in the Ukraine, it is legitimate to ask who our checker players are?
ISIS, which was previously the backbone of AQ in Iraq, is now apparently considered too extreme by AQ because putting videos of attrocities like beheadings on YouTube is considered poor propaganda/publicity practice even by AQ standards. Also, many disaffected Sunnis (including officers) from the disbanded Iraqi army have now joined ISIS, meaning it is not a rag tag operation. Disbanding the Iraqi Army, another American (Bremen, remember him?) stroke of genius. Al Maliki made a fatal blunder by disrespecting and excluding the Iraqi Sunnis, who would not necessarily have sided with ISIS.
Most troubling is that ISIS has openly welcomed and built a strong contingent of AQ style fighters and expat jihadists who are organized into national brigades. This is troubling because it creates the potential for re-exporting jihad to the West. Think about all the British, Belgian and American expat-jihadists trained to fight alongside ISIS.
While AQ is engaged in an international struggle and considers itself in a war with the West. ISIS seems to be focused on creating a greater Sunni caliphate in Syria and Iraq and is not necessarily engaged in an international struggle.
However, you can bet Obozo's cohones this will change once the US starts targeting them with drones.
And this is clearly where all those foreign jihadists will come into play.
Trust me, it was not easy to distill this summary from the murky bullshit spewed by the MSM.
Anyone who is not concerned by the next moves taken by the US had better be.
But of course, all eyes will be glued to the tittytainment in Brazil.
I welcome any thoughtful additions.
Something tells me these guys didn't just stumble on the $1/2 billion just laying around in some vault either. Thinking a contractor or two may have liberated the funds to save them from the clutches of the bearded brown men.
US policy generally is hostile toward Islamic governments run by Shia law, (Syria and Iran, et al) which they see as barbaric and anti-economic development and progress (which is why Turkey, despite being a Nato ally is in disfavor) in Egypt this has had the same tired results (a military dictatorship - like Shariff in Pakistan, when he lost the election US policy went from accomodative to lets bomb you back to the stone age - US Policy doesn't much care for enlightened or democratic governments in the ME, but sometimes we play the game, set up someone, like Kharzi, and then undercut them by funding the Taliban. now we don't even talk to Kharzai, we're waiting for his successor..) so we're never going to understand this outside of the way US policy defines their poltiical institutions. that to me is why Al Qaeda is a secular branch of the faith, and the US is fine with that from a policy standpoint. when Al Qaeda attacks US interests then they are extremists. if a bunch of midwestern farmers with pitchforks descended on Washington, calling for fiscal responsibility, they would be called extremists, all the while we paid them farm subsidies. if the media got off their ass they would have a story, but its simply impossible in the warp speed propaganda world that the Tea Party could ever represent moderate values
Enlightenment hasn't happened in the Islamic world.
Therein lies the problem.
A great big thanks for your research and relaying this information to the ZH community.
Great thoughts but one small caveat
Don't ever bet anything on Obozo's cohones
He ain't got none!
Oil price needs to start spiking dramatically this year before TPTB can make their next move. The Iraq developments are at least a very welcome opportunity to accelerate the spike.
Brent climbs toward $115, hits nine-month high on Iraq crisis
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/13/markets-oil-idINKBN0EO09O20140613
============
The vision I now have is a WB-7 cartoon of a scene in 'Beyond the Thunderdome" featuring the choomster dressed in leather and whips, driving an armored, solar powered golf cart with burning refineries in the background.
One day I will tell the bull cohone joke...
9% of Iran is Sunni but according to Wiki the Sunnis are the largest deonomination next to Christians. so in fact they're not extremists at all but (armed) moderates. and who would the USG support, but moderates? while MSM calls them extremists, and we bomb them just the same in order to protect the extremists. but i have an idea, lets ask George Bush
Speaking of ISIS, there is this:
http://www.whale.to/c/isis.html
By the late Egyptian historical period, after the occupations by the Greeks and the Romans, Isis became the most important and most powerful deity of the Egyptian pantheon because of her magical skills. Magic is central to the entire mythology of Isis, arguably more so than any other Egyptian deity.
In many spells, she also is completely merged even with Horus, where invocations of Isis are supposed to involve Horus's powers automatically as well. Throughout the Graeco-Roman world, Isis became one of the most significant of the mystery religions, and many classical writers refer to her temples, cults, and rites.
Mystery religions, sacred Mysteries or simply mysteries, were religious cults of the Greco-Roman world, participation in which was reserved to initiates.
The star Sopdet (Sirius) is associated with Isis.
In art, originally Isis was pictured as a woman wearing a long sheath dress and crowned with the hieroglyphic sign for a throne. Sometimes she was depicted as holding a lotus, or, as a Sycamoretree.
After she assimilated many of the roles of Hathor, Isis's headdress is replaced with that of Hathor: the horns of a cow on her head, with the solar disk between them. Sometimes she also was represented as a cow, or a cow's head. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis
In 1888, the Isis-Urania Temple was founded in London,[10] where the rituals decoded from the cipher manuscripts were developed and practiced. We have connetion with Crowley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeti...he_Golden_Dawn
Just a coincidence, I'm sure.
depends on what IS the definition of IS? bill clinton
Great info WB7
The historical context is interesting because both Iraq and Syria are artifical states (like Libya) which straddle different Islamic and tribal (multicultural) boundaries. Iraq and Syria were created by UK and France out of the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire when WWI ended. They have only been viable states since by having a "strongman" dictator in charge.
The only way democracy can work in those countries is to let them break up into monocultural units first (like Kurd, Alawite, Shia and Sunni / ISIS domains).
Of course Obozo and the US leadership is completely oblivious to the historical perspective. So that overt and covert military action, drone strikes, etc (ultimately making terrorism within the US far more likely) is somehow preferable to the solution of allowing Iraq and Syria to break up and reform, where lasting peace can eventually be achieved.
wintermute, what you refer to seems to be what a number of people in and out of power have suggested, and have stated even/especially here on ZH:
"Borders do not define people. People define borders." (I think LoP said something like this). And I concur 95%. The other 5% is for "people" who need extra "persuasion", in whatever form.
Maybe the world will continue to change, but into a different kind of New World Order: Where people define regional and national borders (for cultural, linguistic, administrative and legal reasons). "Self organization" is common in nature, by anathema to bureaucrats, sociopaths and megalomaniacs, aka Central Planners.
Strictly speaking, we shouldn't care less what happens and who wins over there. Let the Sunnis and Shiites sort it out among themselves.
The rest of us are best advised to stay the duck out until the dust settles and the victor is ready to talk sensibly to the rest of the world. This too is inevitable, and even after the fiercest of conquests. Unless they get the even crazier idea of exporting and imposing their worldview outside their borders. It is only at that point where we bomb the shit out of them, and leave no stone unturned. But that kind of decisive, Patton-style action is probably too much for the delicate flowers in NY, DC and perhaps even on ZH.
excellent comment to an excellent WB7 info. seen through an imperialistic lens, having local factions waging war on each other - particularly on religion - is an excellent application of "divide", which then can be followed through by the later "et impera"
through the same lens, US Presidents alternate between peaceful deviders and warlike imperators
not that I'd put too much emphasis on the US influence in the region, it's absolutely not the only one
Saudi Arabia, Iran (which lately declared itself an enemy of Sunni fundamentalism and extremism), the "new kids on the block" the Quataris, Russia, China and of course the UK and Israel all pull in different directions
** the big thing to watch is how both Saudi Arabia and Israel are pivoting towards China, in expectation of a waning of US influence **
in theory, you could expect the region to eventually refurbish and come back to their old moderate, slightly socialistic but mostly Arab nationalistic model, the pan-Arab Ba'th Party. but this would imply some degree of democracy, which is not what you find in the ME. and of course there was a lot of American intervention in making sure the Ba'th Party would never come back, particularly in Iraq...
The idiots making foreign policy in the US have always had a very shallow perspective in terms of history and its roots in geography. Of course they are not the only ones with this shallow perspective.
Just because they conclude it is in the interests of "national security" does not mean it is viable. And we have seen the result over and over.
They pry the lids of the cans and look at what pops out.
Then they have the fucking audacity to insist they know what they are doing.
They look at that conundrum I described above and they tell you it is workable.
Then they send kids in to do all the dirty work for them, because they are all a bunch of chicken hawks who never served.
And you are right, now everyone is hedging their bets with China.
imho that's dangerous, to think they are idiots. useful for your sterling work of exposing them, yes, yet still imho dangerous
again, from a historic perspective, all empires alternated their pressure in their spheres of influence, be it in trade, assassinations, co-optation, wars and so on
it's a push-then-pull-then-push-again strategy that works. the true meaning of Divide et Impera
note how already Obama is making many Americans wish they had an American Putin, a man that is using Mussolini's political toolkit (no, I would not call him fascist, only skirting the boundary to true, classical fascism)
the very best way to be called (again) and even be greeted as liberators is... to allow lots of factional wars after an intervention. Babylonians, Greeks and Romans called this process "softening". makes you look indispensable
the trick is not to allow the other empires to become indispensable
I have concluded, after watching Nuland in action, that they are idiots.
They are incapable of thinking over the horizon. Their game is a complete clown circus. I wince watching. You don't know whether to laugh or cry.
And as you know I have zero regard for the European sycophants who follow the clown circus lockstep.
Mind you, it is a very dangerous clown circus.
I see that you have greatly expanded your comment while I was replying
ok, I am one of those European sycophants. the polite term would be ally, but yes, your's is a valid description
what options do we really have? remember that Russia is very near to us, for example. and alliances are best when not fleeting
let's talk for a moment about freedom, for example. freedom implies international trade with oil and gas, doen't it? but international trade... needs commercial and naval fleets. particularly if you decided that you need - desperately need - a critical import
all the rest... follows... from that freedom. you can think over the horizon hundred times, that's the game in town. either that or autarky, which btw is again a group/state policy that was tried very often. for example by Imperial and Mao's China, but also by Franco's Spain, Mussolini's Italy, etc. etc.
open the borders to anything and you'll see the "clown circus" in action. and beware, closing the borders can become even uglier
Keep in mind, Ghordy, that there is no ally we will not betray -- and betray hard. Not only that, but the more you depend on us, or as you put it, believe "that's the game in town," the harder we will betray you. Think Vietnam, then Iraq. Got it.? Plus everyone in-between. And soon to be Afghanistan. How many people do you think the Taliban will murder who had anything to do with the USA (notice, I didn't say cooperate)? All of them! Just like is happening in Iraq as I type. The Sunnis are taking heads. So, throw your borders wide open. We are. It's the most blatant example of our own government betraying us. You see, our ruling elites are in fact a betrayal club. As a requirement of membership, they must betray everyone who is not a member of their club. Are you a member?
The US was hell bent on pursuing Assad's regime in Syria. Russia crossed those plans. US outfitted Syrian rebels to take on Assad from the inside backfired.
Now this group of jihadists are conquering Syria and Iraq in one quick swoop, seemingly hitting the US between the eyes out of left field.
Say it ain't so! This has US fingerprints all over. The US never intended to leave Iraq and now they have another reason to go back in there.
I want the spice to keep flowing just like the next guy because it is relevant enough to the global economy and affects a majority of people across the globe.
Maybe democracy was never in the cards for Iraqis because of the age old Sunni / Shiite conflicts. The US had ample warnings before even going in.
Let us not forget the false pretenses that were created and the smoke and mirrors confusion surrounding "war on terror" and the false flag 9/11.
All that to keep US imperialism alive!
Saddam should have been left alone, same with Gaddhafi. Those countries and nationals were much easier to control and the risks were contained. Now we have a real insurgency with real cavemen controlling vast oil reserves on our hands.
If the US is not in control over ISIS, I hope that at least the Russians have a clue.
They apparently have a Chechen brigade and I don't think it consists of Chechens who now work for the Russians.
One can construct a very strong argument that this is an animal created by the US' misadventure in IRAQ since there was no AQ in Iraq until the US removed Sadam.
At the very least. To suggest the US is caught offguard by the developments in that region are just as ludicrous as suggesting the US was caught offguard by 9/11 or the GFC. The Patriot Acts and the TARP bills were written well before the events even occured and had to be rammed through Congress quickly within days after. Everyone knows that hundreds of pages of legislation don't write itself. The mind numbing propaganda during both spectacles was obviously orchestrated well in advance as well.
The whole world knows and accepts this but Americans have a hard time digesting the fact they're being lied to over and over again by the same gang.
Yes Russia is very near to you and I would suggest you consider that carefully, because they are not very near to the US, although their long range bombers have apparently been very very near lately.
We are hardly economically hip linked to them as the Europeans are in a manner of speaking.
As we are seeing, allowing the US to rock the single hegemon boat for the sake of rocking the single hegemon boat is not turning out to be a very good strategy. And as Russia and China keep saying, it is a fallacy to now consider the world as unipolar.
As the US and its surrogates engage in all kinds of adventures abroad, it is idiotic for the policy makers to believe Russia and China will just stand by and watch without making moves they might not have otherwise considered in a more stable environment. But with all the encirclement and containment and pivot talk they have heard, all strategic bets are falling off the table one by one.
Before you know it, you have a new kind of costly global mega standoff. And the West, as much as it has deluded itself into believing otherwise, is not holding all the high cards.
yet it was Russian "tradecraft" that exposed to the world her "Fuck the EU" comment. if I had a buck for every time I heard that phrase...
do I have to defend Victoria's intelligence here? all she said in that tape is either very intelligent or just US policy
don't believe that her comment made the EU more likable to you. we often spat about EU policy on this blog. it's definitely in Nuland's aim to make the EU look incompetent, weak, undecided and just plain wrong. Greece? Cyprus?
we'll have a lot of "fun" when the big trade pacts are finally unveiled
My disdain for her and her neo-clown ilk has nothing to do with that "Fuck the EU" comment.
However, I dislike the pretension that people like her are acting on behalf of the rest of the so called "free world". And that comment obviously exposes that pretension in spades. Europeans are looked upon as little children in the Kagan/Nuland neo-clown household. Take a look at Kagan's thesis regarding the EU.
Don't forget Susan Rice and her US centric imperialistic world view. These people are all from the same cloth.
In their view, the world would stop turning if the US wouldn't be allowed to act as the bully empire.
Fuck 'em all.
They refer to the area as the Levant, not Iraq and Syria.
For the Jihadists, the idea of democracy is a form of heresy.
And of course the Shiites would never accept being governed by a Sunni.
Thank you for your analysis William. I'm too busy making a living at times to follow all important developments especially when the news is being actively meme-ed to obscurity. Your summary was very helpful in quickly getting up to speed on recent events in Iraq.
Few realise these activities are now how I make my living, such that it is. ;-)
you earned your dollar today, now you could show up on the sunday news talk shows, but that would only embarrass them!
Bingo on the caliphate, and I think they will have it. The only question I have is how Saudi plays into it. Clearly much of this is Saudi vs Iran, but some of these groups strike me as free agents who will play off those main state players only as it suits them. Organizing a caliphate however is probably not a great idea becasue that gives us a location and an organization to shoot at. I do not think anyone knows how it will all play out though.
I was hoping you would have some B - cups on display, in honor of Brazil, William;)
Patients..I mean patience.
Good post Billy. The elephant that's not being discussed is that those commanders are all American trained.
They know how we operate and thats a problem...
A real big stinking fucking problem.
Fill up your gas tank asap.
WB, is this Obama's long lost Brazilian cousin?
http://cdn1.spiegel.de/images/image-707978-galleryV9-fnqb.jpg
Guy looks just as lost in the canoe as Obama looks lost in the WH.
Fritz?
Is that the prophet?
No
good deal ...don't want you to get into trouble ... we need you
No..........that's the propheteer!
The whole shit show is about to implode.
Mr Jihad
Ji had me at Yellen
Why no Sepp Blatter with his hands in everyone's back pockets via Switzerland?
you are a master, I really enjoyed the greenspan, and yellen at the podium.
.
By: @blumaberlin
William's first cartoon cat with a big fat dick.
I guess there's a first for everything.
Including a marker by Kurt.