What's the Deal With Team Obama's Foreign Policy?

The world is aflame with crises.

• Russia has invaded Ukraine and is shooting down airplanes
• Hamas is firing missiles into Israel from the Gaza Strip (again)
• Syria is in civil war, and the number of casualties has 6 digits
• Islamist terrorists have captured a huge chunk of Iraq, and the country has split apart into 3 pieces
• rebel groups have clobbered oil production in North Africa
• Red China is laying claim to oceans that rightfully belong to her neighbors
• The Taliban have started to reclaim Afghanistan
• Iran is marching towards a nuclear weapon
• North Korea keeps test launching ballistic missiles capable of hitting Japan and South Korea

Yet, O is strangely quiescent. Why?

Cuz he genuinely does not care.

Look at the activities O normally engages in:

• golf
• concerts at the White House
• vacations
• fund raising

Nose to the wheel, shoulder to the grindstone? Not O. He just does not want to. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it really is that simple. Of the few concrete actions that he has taken, he simply takes the easy way out: signing an executive order to boycott Russia or screaming at the Israeli Prime Minister over the phone to surrender (now can I go golfing, Valerie Jarrett?). More than one journalist/commentator has commented that O, like Nero, is fiddling while Rome burns. I find this simile to be quite apropos (c'mon, folks, just Google the words).

Have a nice day.

Solving the Ukraine Crisis: Tell Putin to Stand Down

To wit:

1. Give back the Crimea to Ukraine. And, do not give me this nonsense that the pop-election legitimizes Russia's seizure of sovereign Ukraine territory.
2. Stop egging-on the Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the East. Putin and the Russian press are doing their best to destabilize this region, hoping that it will blow up and disintegrate. He figures it is to his advantage, cuz he gets to pick up the pieces.
3. Stop supplying weapons (like the SA-11), intel, and logistical support to the rebels. Withdraw your military intel officers.

Here are my observations.

• No, I do not expect Putin to do any of these things, short of his being hit by a bus (metaphorically, of course).
• Putin is making trouble making now, cuz he senses weakness in the West Wing. It is difficult to disagree with this judgment. Judge O's reaction: puny sanctions and harsh words. Big, fat, hairy deal.
• I am annoyed at those who repeatedly claim that this is a civil war. It is no such thing. It is a military incursion by one sovereign country, Russia, into another, Ukraine.
• We need a US president who will be fair but firm. Obama is not such a man, and neither is McCain.
• Ukraine is in deep hock to, you guessed it, Russia. They owe Russian nat-gas companies $billions. So, if the West gives economic aid to Ukraine, it will go directly into the pockets of Gazprom and friends. Neither Ukraine nor the EU can survive w/o Russian nat-gas.
• The EU is being of no help. The Baltic States and Poland are cranking up their defense budgets. Merkel speaks fluent Russian, and is a personal friend to Putin. Yet, their response is just as feckless as O.

Ukraine—The Next Generation

I get the feeling that none of this will have a happy ending. Hang onto your hats, Ukraine's troubles are just beginning.

Dear President Putin: please stop shooting down airplanes

Airplane #1

There is no way you can fudge your way past this one. A Ukrainian Su-25 jet fighter was shot down in a dogfight with a Russian Su-29 fighter that had violated Ukraine airspace. This is settled fact.

Airplane #2

Your military shot down a Ukraine transport plane An-26 with a missile that originated from Russian airspace. The press releases I read did not specify if this was from a jet or a ground-based system.

Airplane #3

Your buds have just shot down a civilian passenger Boeing 777,  Malaysian Airlines MH17, with almost 300 lives now lost. Now, look: it was flying at 33,000 feet. This requires a sophisticated military-grade SAM antiaircraft system operated by seasoned military personnel. You cannot pass this off as a bunch of vodka-inspired rebels firing an RPG at a contrail. It was shot down by a Buk ("beech" tree) M1 missile system. It shot down the 777 with an SA-11 SAM, and was seen crossing the border back into Russia that night. 

Airplanes #4 & #5

Two Ukrainian Su-25 fighter planes were shot down by SAMs. They were flying at 17,000 feet, well out of range of shoulder-fired SAMs. So, Vlad, please: no fudging by claiming that they were shot down by MANPADS smuggled in from a source other than Russia.

Please stop.

What Really Happened in Benghazi? Secret Agent Edition

On September 11, 2012, the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by Muslim extremists. 4 people were killed, including Ambassador Stevens. The true story of what happened has yet to emerge. That, coupled with the curious lack of response of Team Obama to this emergency, makes one quite suspicious. I have heard yet another possibility.

1. Saudi Arabia (Sunni) is at war with Iran (Shia). Saudi Arabia sees the possible defeat of Syria under Assad as a way to defeat Iran.
2. The Saudi Royal Family has pull within the US Dept of State. Under their influence, the US along with Turkey and Saudi Arabia supply aid to the rebels in Syria.
3. The rebels shoot down a few Syrian jet fighters, and this makes the news. Team Obama, however, grows fearful that this clandestine aid, which does not have Congressional approval, is going to publicly backfire on them. CIA director Petraeus and Ambassador Stevens are assigned the task of tamping down the operations until after the upcoming presidential elections.
4. Ambassador Stevens has a meeting with Turkish officials to make sure that this temporary suppression is understood.
5. Elements of Turkish Intelligence is in contact with Sunni rebel groups, including ISIS. They leak word of this meeting. With detail of this meeting in hand, they attack the US Embassy where the meeting is being held.

Is this version true? GOK. Many accuse Team Obama of Machiavellian behavior, and this certainly qualifies. However, I find it difficult to believe that Team Obama has the intellectual horsepower to emulate Machiavelli.

Where in the World is the Chinese Navy? 9 Red Lines

First, I shall require you to do some homework. Go to Google Images, and search for “9 dashed line south china sea”. You will see an oceanic map. There are some coastal countries and a whole bunch of island countries. In the middle, there is a label: South China Sea, and a red circle encompassing most of it.

Maritime Law

Every country that has a coast has an economic zone of influence that extends out into the ocean. You are not suppose to gather economic resources from this zone without the permission of the owning country.

The question arises: what happens when there are islands with overlapping zones? Well there is all manner of negotiations and treaties and agreements.

China's 9 Red Lines

In the South China Sea, there are many overlapping zones. There is long and tiring history of negotiations, and a rather complex web of agreements that carefully divvy up this sea.

Along comes China, unilaterally claiming economic control of whole kit n' caboodle. This certainly seems like a strategic mistake. This action seems to have provoked a defensive league of the local nations who previously would have nothing to do with each other.

Why?

The answer is easy.

Oil.

You see, China is powered mostly by coal, and this has created a serious pollution problem. The South China Sea has humongous oil and natural gas reserves, and China covets it. The Chinese Politburo is in deep panic over the air pollution problem, and are desperate for alternatives, including natural gas and oil. This is also why they are heavily subsidizing solar cell manufacturers and building several dozen nuclear reactors.

An Old Saying

In the book All the President's Men, there is a bit of valuable wisdom: follow the money. In this case, I would say: follow the oil.  

Russian War Atrocities Against Ukraine

Well, well, well. To quote an old saw, now I have heard everything. The latest bit of nonsense accuses Ukraine of war atrocities.

OUR STORY SO FAR

Ukraine was happily sitting on a park bench, minding her own business, chewing gum and blowing bubbles. Along comes Vlad the Impaler, bopping her over the head with a yellow pine 2 x 4.

CRIMEA

And another thing. I am getting sick and tired of people saying: whoa, Nellie, Crimea is now a legitimate part of Russia. They had a vote about this, after all.

Stuff and nonsense.

This island vacation playground is a part of Ukraine until Kiev formally concedes it to a foreign power. Ukraine has done no such thing.

IN WAR, PEOPLE DIE

This is an unavoidable fact, no matter how noble or honorable your intentions. Russia is conducting war against Ukraine, and people are dying. Certainly regrettable, but unavoidable. All of the blood in this war is on Russia's hands, not Ukraine's. To stop the bloodshed, all Russia has to do is give back what it has illegally taken, and then withdraw her forces, both military and paramilitary. Somehow, I do not think this will happen.

FINAL WORD

To think that Ukraine is the only one committing war atrocities makes sense only if you think that Russian lives are more valuable than Ukrainian ones.

Please tell me that this is not so.

A dark shadow is casting itself upon the soul of this world, and it has a name: Vladimir Putin. I am reasonably sure that Ukraine would rather be blowing bubbles and kisses rather than artillery shells.