RUSSIA THE BIG WINNER, TALIBAN THE BIG WINNER, U.S.: A NATION ADRIFT WITHOUT A FOREIGN POLICY

 

Back in April I wrote that I feared we saw the true nature of an Obama administration over the pirate episode. I saw indecisiveness, a lack of a plan, covered up with rhetoric. For four days a 850 million dollar Destroyer was held at bay by pirates with World War 2 rifles holding people hostage. The pirates, who had been in the sites of the Navy several times during the ordeal, fired on the Destroyer and boats that came in with supplies. The President had ordered the crew not to shoot back. The FBI and translators began "negotiations" which went nowhere.

 

After 4 days of this the Commander on the ship had enough. He declared the captives were in harms way by the pirates holding guns on them (even though they had been doing that during the entire four days) and within seconds the pirates were shot down. No captives were hurt. The world watched incredulously as the pirates held the Destroyer at bay. Obama's people were quick to react, stating that Obama acted decisively. Even though he gave no order to fire. The Commanders name was not released to the press, and he was kept from the press. Odd, eh?

 

So now we sit and wait for Obama to play out Hamlet. To be, or not to be on Afghanistan. It isn't just a question of how many troops to send in. Military strategists already know it will take up to 600,000 men and women to take and hold the region. It's that the people already there have no plan, no strategy, no definition of victory. So they sit and wait for Obama to decide. The deaths continue while we wait. And wait.

 

The cancellation of the second round of elections could very well plunge Afghanistan into a Constitutional crisis. ( I never want to hear about Florida ever again from people who support such gross violations that happened in Afghanistan). This could mean civil war, demonstrations against the corrupt government while our troops fight to keep him in power. It is already a clear victory for the Taliban who can claim the elections were cancelled out of fear of their response. They can say that the U.S. backs the corrupt regime of Karzai and has no use for the reform party. They can say the U.S. has about as much respect for law and order as Karzai does. Which is none at all. It is a tremendous victory for the Taliban.

 

On NPR they were gushing that Obama had congratulated Karzai for his victory. That now Karzai had to stop being corrupt, provide water and schools and rebuild Afghanistan instead of fleecing it and us. For liberals, this is very simple. A checklist. That he has no power outside of his city, that the majority of people have no I.D.s, have never met a government agent are just silly details. It's time for justice! That his city lacks electricity, water, sanitation and it gets worse once you leave his area are hardly worth mentioning. Just leave some nice rhetoric, and keep pouring in money....

 

Russia is quickly taking over the foreign affairs world. They have made great strides with Syria (why did we just hand Syria over to the Rissians?), and take a look at this:

 

 

Russia may utilize this excellent opportunity to further advance its political agenda in the region: the isolation of Georgia by cutting it off from new transit routes; shelving the E.U. and U.S.-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project by destroying the Azerbaijani-Turkish strategic partnership and thus forcing Azerbaijan to sell its gas to Russia; drawing Turkey into its own orbit of influence undermining the E.U.-U.S.-Turkey axis of influence in the region. Before Washington realizes, it will be too late to protect the South Caucasus as a sovereign and independent region. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. appears to underestimate what is unfolding in the region. A lack of clear vision on the part of the U.S. administration clearly plays into Russian hands. It is perhaps no coincidence that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov so actively pushed his Armenian counterpart to sign the protocol with Turkey.
--Fariz Ismailzade

 

I was right. And I wish I hadn't been. Those pirates holding at bay the strongest nation on earth was the new style. It will cost us dearly on the world stage. It is costing us dearly in Afghanistan as our troops wait for not just a plan, but the reason they are there. It will cost us dearly on the world stage as Russia realizes it can run circles around us. I wish I had been wrong. Brace yourselves folks, we have three more years of damage to go.