The Republican Party Establishment are like the French Bourbon,s they learn nothing nor forget nothing. After turning the Iraq War into some Democracy project, recognizing the Islamic terror state of Kosovo, supporting the Arab Spring and giving Obama cover in his illegal war against Qaddafi, Establishment figures now want us to meddle in Syria. The conflict in Syria pits the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda against Bashar Assad. The Islamic rebels are winning with assistance from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Condi Rice, who is an establishment figure urges the US to support the Islamists.
The civil war in Syria may well be the last act in the story of the disintegration of the Middle East as we know it. The opportunity to hold the region together and to rebuild it on a firmer foundation of tolerance, freedom and, eventually, democratic stability is slipping from our grasp.
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But where is the United States? America has spent months trying to get the Russians and the Chinese to agree to toothless U.N. resolutions to “end the bloodshed,” as though Moscow will abandon Assad and Beijing really cares about chaos in the Middle East. Vladimir Putin is not a sentimental man. But if he believes that Assad can survive, he will do nothing to undermine him.
In recent days, France, Britain and Turkey have stepped into the diplomatic vacuum to recognize a newly formed opposition that is broadly representative of all Syrians. The United States should follow their lead and then vet and arm the unified group with defensive weapons on the condition that it pursues an inclusive post-Assad framework. The United States and its allies should also consider establishing a no-fly zone to protect the innocent. America’s weight and influence are needed. Leaving this to regional powers, whose interests are not identical to ours, will only exacerbate the deepening sectarianism.
Clearly Condi Rice has learned nothing from US support of Islamists the last 20 years. For someone who is bright, she’s really naive about this. The GOP Establishment like the Democratic Party has a soft spot for Islamic causes. It’s time for Republicans to demand a new foreign policy based on American Nationalism, not Wilsonian Democracy spreading Islamic butt kissing.
Tags: Condi Rice, Syrian War
