This could have been footage made in Bosnia, Chechnia, Kosovo or Libya, but it happens to have been made in Syria. Same faces, same crazed expression, same murderous determination – this is the face of US-sponsored Wahabi Islam and this is what the so-called “friends of Syria” are trying to put into power in Damascus.
Frankly, and in a very naive way, when I listen to these lunatics I have visions of Russian Il-76MDs bringing a few divisions of Paratroopers to free Syria from these murderous thugs. Of course, this is not going to happen and, frankly, I don’t even really think that it should happen since Russia has, of course, no business at all policing the planet. And yet, I feel heartbroken for the Syrian people whose future under the rule of this unholy NATO-Wahabi alliance looks outright terrible.
Judge for yourself by listening to the candid ravings of these madmen:
Saker Message:
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I don’t even really think that it should happen since Russia has, of course, no business at all policing the planet.
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It’s not a matter of policing the planet, but rather of coming to the aid of a consistent friend in a time of need.
Recent news reports seem to indicate that Russia is preparing to sell Syria down the river. Iraq, Libya, now Syria … Obama has “red lines” but Russia seems to have none. This sends a message to all friends of Russia: “Never count on us in your time of need”.
The end result will be a further weakening of Russia’s strategic position in the world, and the Wahhabi nuts will create even more chaos in Russia.
No, it’s not Russia’s job to police the world, but abandoning Syria will be either yet another betrayal of a friend or a reflection of severe internal weakness and decline.
Sorry if I sound harsh but the inability or unwillingness of the forces resistant to the Nato Empire to help Syria is a very, very bad sign of things to come.
There is some important nuance missing in my above analysis but I’m out of time …
Peace
@Ishamid: I understand your feelings which, to a certain degree, I share. However, I believe that you are making some questionable assumptions:
a) There is something Russia *could* do to prevent Syria from falling into US-Wahabi hands. Sadly, I don’t believe that this is possible, short of starting WWIII.
b) Syria was a “consistent friend” of Russia. Actually, Russian politicians have recently come up with a litmus test of who is really their ally, and who only wants to use them. The recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after the 08.08.08 war. The list of countries which did so is very short: Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Vanuatu, Tuvalu (and Belarus did lots of zig-zagging on that topic). Here was a rare situation where any country could do something symbolic to support Russia, but nobody did. So if Syria could not even find the courage for a symbolic act to support Russia, why should Russian soldiers die in defense of Syria?
c) What about Shia Iran and Shia Iraq? How much are they putting on the line to save an ally and a Alawite regime? Is it reasonable to expect Russia to do more than these two countries? After all, not even Hezbollah is openly intervening into this conflict…
d) The Assad regime can still be saved. That is far from certain. Yes, I agree that a majority of the population still opposes the Wahabi crazies, but regionally the regime is terribly isolated. Its not only the insurgents which need to be stopped, but also the Turkey, Jordan, the KSA, Qatar, and, of course, Israel, NATO and the USA.
I think that the best thing Russia can do is exactly what it does now: oppose the US/NATO operation politically and to stay out of any direct involvement.
Russia does have red lines and they go along Russia’s border and that is a policy which at least is commensurate with Russian capabilities (I remind you that the US “defense” budget is TWENTY TIMES the one of Russia and that Russia has just come out of 20 years of total chaos (1980-2000)?). Russia has a long-term and gradual strategy of liberation and re-sovereignization which the USA is threating at each moment just like the USA has been threatening Iran every since the Revolution. Both Iran and Russia are moving very slowly and cautiously, and that is the best they can do for the rest of the planet. Neither should engage in policies which would put their current successes at risk.
My 2cts.
But yes, I wish things were different and somebody, Russia or Iran, could send in some forces to clean up Syria from this hideous Wahabi insurgency.
Peace to you too,
The Saker
@Ishamid: one more thing, if you allow to vent one of my big gripes with the Arab and Muslim world:
Where were the Arabs and the Muslims when the CIA-run Wahabis were taking over Bosnia? What Arab or Muslim country supported Russia during the two wars in Chechnia? What about Kosovo?
One could even make a rather reasonable case that even during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan most of the Arab and Muslim world fully supported an insurgency of so-called “Freedom Fighters” and Mujahideen which was mostly, but at least not exclusively, composed of the exact same kind of crazies which are now overrunning the Middle-East.
The only country which “got it right” was Iran, and that only in Chechnia (as Iran was also backing the crazies in Bosnia).
So what we have here is exactly what Malcolm X would call the “chicken coming home to roost” – a type of blowback now hitting the Muslim world.
Again, I think that Iran was the ONLY country which understood from as early as the war in Afghanistan (against the Soviet occupation) that what was carefully “grown” there by the USA, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was a monster which would present an immense threat to Iran and, eventually, the entire world. The Iranians tried to help the Tadjiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks in Afghanistan precisely because they knew how nasty the Pashtun insurgency really was.
But what about a big, heartfelt mea culpa from the Arab and Muslim world over Bosnia, Chechnia and Kosovo? It’s not there, not there at all. Because as long as the CIA-run Wahabi crazies were killing Serbs or Russians this was fine and dandy, but now that this monster has turned around to attack the very world which as created it they are suddenly in a panic.
Too little, too late, I think.
IMHO the Shia, the Sufi, the traditional Sunni, the Alawite and every other type of Muslim or Arab leader should finally have the courage to declare that Wahabism is the ultimate evil and that it can only be dealt with by what I call “Putin’s options”: you either desist, or we destroy you.
My personal belief is that ONLY Iran has the courage to pretty much follow such a policy and not play games with various types of Wahabi groups. And so they should, as they are next after Syria, that is very clear.
Coming back to Russia, there are no hard feelings in Russia against Iran for its Bosnia policies. After all, Eltsin’s Russia was at least as responsible for that mess as any other country. And most Russian analysts are acutely aware of Iran’s stance on Chechnia. As a result, I do expect that there would be A LOT more political will in Russia to assist Iran as there is to assist Syria, if only because Iran is practically on the Russian border, whereas Syria is far away. Under Putin I expect that Russia will not backstab Iran at the UNSC like it did under Medvedev, and I expect the collaboration between the two countries to strengthen. God willing, these two countries will really stand by each other as true allies against Wahabism.
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a) There is something Russia *could* do to prevent Syria from falling into US-Wahabi hands. Sadly, I don’t believe that this is possible, short of starting WWIII.
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I’m overwhelmed and have no time for a full/proper analysis. I’ll just say that I believe the risk that Russia supporting Syria more proactively would in any way lead to WWIII is minimal-to-none. Nato would not dare, and the populations of Europe and America would not stand for it.
Rather, I think Russia has made a strategic calculation based on its mid-to-long-term interest in having a more powerful seat within the Euro-centric power structure — we discussed this before and I know you disagree ;-)
Peace
Idris
Under Putin I expect that Russia will not backstab Iran at the UNSC like it did under Medvedev, and I expect the collaboration between the two countries to strengthen. God willing, these two countries will really stand by each other as true allies against Wahhabism.
The controllers are the Khazars, the Wahhabi’s, Christian Zionists, renegades Orthodox Christians, Buddhists are all mercenaries controlled by the Khazars. Rus and Iran will be fighting this.
@Ishamid:Russia has made a strategic calculation based on its mid-to-long-term interest in having a more powerful seat within the Euro-centric power structure
Indeed, I disagreed with that assessment in the past, though under Medvedev there were some signs that at least part of the Russian ruling elites might have been contemplating that kind of option. Under Putin I completely dismiss such a possibility because I see a huge, powerful and sustained “tsunami” of anti-US and even anti-EU sentiment in Russia shared by 99% of the people and the politicians. The latest provocation of the US was the so-called “Magnitsky law” for which the Russian Duma is now reciprocating (I might write a post about this business if I have enough time). I wish you could have followed the debates at the Duma on this topic: all the members of the Duma were out-competing each other in trying to express their rage at the USA’s arrogance. As for Europe, it is economically dying and politically sold-out to the USA. Russians view the EU as a US/NATO colony and they are disgusted beyond words by all the hypocrisy, lies, and crude and imbecile anti-Russian propaganda of the US and EU media. What Russia is also after is a new alliance with former Soviet states, a strong partnership with China, and security on its southern borders (Caucasus first and foremost, but also Central Asia) and the creation of a MULTI-polar international system based on the rule of law.
I assure you – there is ZERO interest in Russia for sharing any kind of seat within any Euro-centric power structure. All that Russia has for any “Euro-centric power structure” is an immense sense of disgust mixed with, believe it or not, pity.
I urge you not to mistake Russia’s caution about confronting the West openly with any kind of willingness to compromise or trying to obtain favors from the West. Just think of what the West did to Russia between 1980 and 2000! That will not be forgotten. Ever.
Cheers,
The Saker