I'll leave a segment of Barack Obama's interview with the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg without much comment for now.
GOLDBERG: Can you just talk about Syria as a strategic issue? Talk about it as a humanitarian issue, as well. But it would seem to me that one way to weaken and further isolate Iran is to remove or help remove Iran's only Arab ally.Obama is not motivated, never has said and likely never will say that he is motivated in Syria primarily by the goal of minimizing the loss of human life.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Absolutely.
GOLDBERG: And so the question is: What else can this administration be doing?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, look, there's no doubt that Iran is much weaker now than it was a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. The Arab Spring, as bumpy as it has been, represents a strategic defeat for Iran, because what people in the region have seen is that all the impulses towards freedom and self-determination and free speech and freedom of assembly have been constantly violated by Iran. [The Iranian leadership is] no friend of that movement toward human rights and political freedom. But more directly, it is now engulfing Syria, and Syria is basically their only true ally in the region.
And it is our estimation that [President Bashar al-Assad's] days are numbered. It's a matter not of if, but when. Now, can we accelerate that? We're working with the world community to try to do that. It is complicated by the fact that Syria is a much bigger, more sophisticated, and more complicated country than Libya, for example -- the opposition is hugely splintered -- that although there's unanimity within the Arab world at this point, internationally, countries like Russia are still blocking potential UN mandates or action. And so what we're trying to do -- and the secretary of state just came back from helping to lead the Friends of Syria group in Tunisia -- is to try to come up with a series of strategies that can provide humanitarian relief. But they can also accelerate a transition to a peaceful and stable and representative Syrian government. If that happens, that will be a profound loss for Iran.
GOLDBERG: Is there anything you could do to move it faster?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, nothing that I can tell you, because your classified clearance isn't good enough. (Laughter.)
Do the people of Syria oppose the policies of the Assad government that Obama opposes? Syria's support for Hezbollah and Hamas? There has never been an indication that this is the case.
Do the people of Syria believe Israel is a legitimate state any more than the Iranian people who by a margin of seven to one believe Israel is an illegitimate state that should not exist? There is no reason to believe they do and good reason to believe they do not.
6 comments:
Yes, sure, Bahrain and Saudi people DO see who is their foe - and it is NOT Iran. It is USA/Obama, which support their most reactionary rulers (MUCH more undemocratic than Iran). Egytpians could see it as well, thank you very much - Obama supported Mubarak till the last second, and Saudi royals and Zionists supported him even longer. Now Obama support SCAF - the same Mubarak under another name. The same is true about Tunis and Yemen.
By the way, SCAF is backpedalling in their "investigation" of USA interventing into Egypt politics (so-called NGOs, fully (or almost fully) founded by goevrnment agencies) US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland declared that the US was “very pleased,” but stressed that “the departure of our people doesn’t resolve the legal case or the larger issues concerning the NGOs.”
You see, Nuland knows who is master of SCAF, and knows that SCAF know it as well. Exactly because of it USA/Obama support SCAF against the will of Egyptians.
If I say "Obama is a sordid lair" it would be a tautology :(
"Yes, sure, Bahrain and Saudi people DO see who is their foe - and it is NOT Iran. "
Actually most saudis have quite a negative view of iran and its role in the region, not saying the us is completely loved either but most arabs do indeed have a bad view of iran.
" It is USA/Obama, which support their most reactionary rulers (MUCH more undemocratic than Iran)."
Actually irans level of freedom is among the worst in the region, its not as bad as syrias but not as good as jordans or kuwait.
Also you are not in a position to criticize others when you have failed to denounce your countries aid to syria.
"There is no reason to believe they do and good reason to believe they do not."
Maybe, however your beliefs on the matter are pretty much irrelevant at this time, time and time again your analysis has been shown to be flawed, for example you believed that most arabs had a positive view of irans roe in the region.
This was wrong, so spare us your further claims of what arabs believe. They are most likely what you want them to believe.
"Obama is not motivated"
It is clear that again you are projecting your faults onto others, you clearly do not care one bit about the syrian people.
Your willful ignorance on the matter was shown when you claimed that you had not seen any evidence that assads forces had mistreated protesters.
I see that DM is a stubborn one :) While I am NOT going to read his comments - I have had my fool, thank you very much, I suppose DM could be interested in this article on Syria by the prominent Zionist commentator for the IOF radio - very popular between Zionists in Israel
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000730406&fid=4111
Please note that the Zionist sees NO difference between need for "liberation" by NATO bombs of Iraq and Libya, and now calls for the same for Syria.
It seems that Israel Zionists are not as picky as DM regarding NATO colonial wars and are happy with ANY of them :(
"Yes, sure, Bahrain and Saudi people DO see
who is their foe - and it is NOT Iran. "
Actually most saudis have quite a negative view
of iran and its role in the region, not saying the us is completely loved
either but most arabs do indeed have a bad view of iran.
" It is USA/Obama, which support their most
reactionary rulers (MUCH more undemocratic than Iran)."
Actually irans level of freedom is among the
worst in the region, its not as bad as syrias but not as good as jordans or
kuwait.
Also you are not in a position to criticize
others when you have failed to denounce your countries aid to syria.
"There is no reason to believe they do and
good reason to believe they do not."
Maybe, however your beliefs on the matter are
pretty much irrelevant at this time, time and time again your analysis has been
shown to be flawed, for example you believed that most arabs had a positive
view of irans roe in the region.
This was wrong, so spare us your further claims
of what arabs believe. They are most likely what you want them to believe.
"Obama is not motivated"
It is clear that again you are projecting your
faults onto others, you clearly do not care one bit about the syrian people.
Your willful ignorance on the matter was shown
when you claimed that you had not seen any evidence that assads forces had
mistreated protesters.
"I have had my fool, thank you very much"
Bad grammar.
" I suppose DM could be interested in this article on Syria"
Why exactly, it isnt a particularly good one?
Lidia in turn may i recommend that you read some hrw reports from syria, then perhaps you would cease your hypocritical viewpoints which arnold did his best to defend.
Arnold, Cole posted a horrible post on Syria full of lies. He repeats also lies about Libya,even though NOW even USA media sometimes admit it is NOT so nice there.
But was I mistaken to see some sort of resignation in this post - the cheerleader for the rape of Libya sounds as if NOT sure that he could see Syria turned into Libya-2?
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