The politicians, Wall Street shysters, and the corporate MSM sure are running out of feel good propaganda to keep the sheep docile. How high do food and energy prices need to go before even the sheep get the picture?
WINNING!!!!
Iraq Update: Kurds Take Kirkuk, Al Qaeda Surges Toward Baghdad
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/12/2014 08:02 -0400
Now that 25 year old math PhD HFT programmers have finally figured out what this thing called Iraq is, and why headlines around it should factor into algo trading signals – especially those of crude oil – here, for their benefit is a summary of the latest events in Iraq, and also for everyone else confused why crude is back to levels not seen since last summer.
In broader terms (via RanSquawk):
- The situation in Northern Iraq continues to deteriorate as the extremist ISIS/ISIL group took control of Mosul and then moved into Tirkit, which was later recaptured, in the north of Iraq which is near the Ceyhan-Kirkuk pipeline, which carries 1.6mln bbls per day. ISIS/ISIL forces then seized the Baiji refinery, the main refinery in Iraq, from Iraqi forces. (BBG/RTRS)
- Iraqi forces and militants have now clashed in Ramadi, 100km from Baghdad, as ISIL extremist forces push towards the Iraqi capital. (BBG)
- However Iraqi Oil Minister Luaibi said US planes may bomb North Iraq and denied ISIL took Baiji refinery in the North. The oil Minister also said Iraq average crude exports 2.6mln bbl/d, Iraq crude production 3.166mln bbl/d, Kirkuk production 167,000 bbl/d and Iraq has stored oil products and won’t increase imports. (BBG/RTRS)
- Washington has vowed to boost aid to Iraq and is mulling done strikes amid fears that Iraqi forces are crumbling in the face of militant attacks. (RTRS)
And in detail:
As the WSJ reports, after hard core Al Qaeda spin off ISIS (no relation to Sterling Archer) took over Saddam’s home town of Tikrit yesterday, Iraq edged closer to all-out sectarian conflict on Thursday as Kurdish forces took control of a provincial capital in the oil-rich north and Sunni militants vowed to march on two cities revered by Shiite Muslims. Kurdish militia known as peshmerga said they had taken up positions in key government installations in Kirkuk, as forces of the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki abandoned their posts and fled in fear of advancing Sunni militants, an official in the office of the provincial governor said.
Reuters adds that “The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga,” citing Jabbar Yawar. “No Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now.”
This in turn has put the output of the key Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, with a 1.6MM bbls/day capacity, at risk.
The militia were operating out of the headquarters of the Iraqi army’s 2nd Division. The official said western parts of Kirkuk province were still under the control of fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, an al Qaeda offshoot.
Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, a spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, said the al Qaeda-inspired group would advance on Karbala and Najaf, as well as the capital Baghdad, the Associated Press reported, citing an audio statement.
However, as we showed yesterday, the final ISIS target is none other than the city of Baghdad, and the overthrow of the Iraq government entirely.
In Tikrit, militants have set up military councils to run the towns they captured, residents said.
“They came in hundreds to my town and said they are not here for blood or revenge but they seek reforms and to impose justice. They picked a retired general to run the town,” said a tribal figure from the town of Alam, north of Tikrit.
“’Our final destination will be Baghdad, the decisive battle will be there,’ that’s what their leader of the militants group kept repeating,” the tribal figure said.
The powerful Shiite leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, urged his followers on Wednesday to form military units to defend the two cities, which along with Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia are considered sacred by Shiites.
Before he suspended its operations in 2008, Mr. Sadr’s Mahdi Army, once estimated to have nearly 60,000 members, played a major role in the country’s Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict.
His call for military mobilization came after Mr. Maliki said the government would arm citizens who volunteer to fight militants, after the fall of Mosul on Tuesday.
Security was stepped up in Baghdad to prevent the Sunni militants from reaching the capital, which is itself divided into Sunni and Shi’ite neighborhoods and saw ferocious sectarian street fighting in 2006-2007 under U.S. occupation.
* * *
The Kurdish capture of Kirkuk instantly overturns the fragile balance of power that has held Iraq together as a state since Saddam’s fall.
Iraq’s Kurds have done well since 2003, running their own affairs while being given a fixed percentage of the country’s overall oil revenue. But with full control of Kirkuk – and the vast oil deposits beneath it – they could earn more on their own, eliminating the incentive to remain part of a failing Iraq.
Maliki’s army already lost control of much of the Euphrates valley west of the capital to ISIL last year, and with the evaporation of the army in the Tigris valley to the north this week, the government could be left in control only of Baghdad and areas south.
The surge also potentially leaves the long desert frontier between Iraq and Syria effectively in ISIL hands, advancing its stated goal of erasing the border altogether and creating a single state ruled according to mediaeval Islamic principles.
Maliki described the fall of Mosul as a “conspiracy” and said the security forces who had abandoned their posts would be punished. He also said Iraqis were volunteering in several provinces to join army brigades to fight ISIL.
In a statement on its Twitter account, ISIL said it had taken Mosul as part of a plan “to conquer the entire state and cleanse it from the apostates”, referring to the province of Nineveh of which the city is the capital.
Militants were reported to have executed soldiers and policemen after their seizure of some towns.
* * *
And while all of the above explains oil’s spike today, now that the world has yet another geopolitical hotzone to follow, following the China-Japan naval conflict, the China-Vietnam escalation, the Thailand martial law, the Ukraine civil war and now the Iraq collapse, expect the USDJPY rigging crew to ignite enough momentum to send the S&P 500 to fresh all time highs.
Summer Gas Prices Highest Since 2011 As Oil Hits 9-Month Highs
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/12/2014 08:17 -0400
It seems, as we noted earlier, that the machines running the crude oil pricing algos are running on a 24-hour delay but as ISIS pushes on towards Baghdad, takes Tikrit and images of burning refineries hit YouTube, crude oil prices have shot up. WTI Crude is back over $106, a level not seen since Sept 2013 and is the highs for this time of year since 2008’s consumer-sapping levels. This recent strength has already leaked into gas prices (though there is more to come if the normal lag is anything to by) as regular gas prices have not been higher for this time of year since 2011. So there we have it – the excuse for Q2 GDP consumption weakness….
WTI is at 9-month highs (and highest for this time of year since 2008)…
I thought we were on the verge of energy independence.
Can’t we just pump some more shale oil?
Correct me if I’m wrong, couldn’t we just invade Venezuela and take their oil. What’s Russia or China going to do, talk mean to us?
Regardless of where the energy is derived, the US is on an unsustainable consumption curve.
The only thing the oligarchy needs to know is what’s in it for them.
I should have used /grin after the first paragraph above, my annotation got rubbed out.
Gas prices up 10% YTD
Oil price up 13% YTD
Natural gas price up 25% YTD
Yellen is worried about deflation.
It’s called the American Dream because you’d have to be asleep to believe it.
Another stunning Neocon success story. Give Wolfowitz, Cheney and Pearle a shared Nobel Peace Prize.
Good thing we spread democracy and freedom there.
Everywhere else, notably the Ukraine, should be watching this shit very closely when the PTB from this side the pond(s) come up to “help.”
Gas consumption is already wayyyyy down. Food prices are already way up.
I doubt most SNAP participants will really notice that the box of cereal just lost another couple ounces, or that their prepared sodium, fake food, transported halfway across the globe, “meal” just shrunk some more and added more chemically made sauce in place of vegetables or meat.
Meanwhile another strata of independent truck drivers may give up fight, especially if the latest celebrity incident brings even more stringent regulations. Even in light of the fact the semi driver appeared to have already broken the current regulations, our “gotta do something” CONgress will be “doing something,” further destroying small and independent businessmen, and ride a way of popular support from the morons that actually believe the governments role is to fill our bellies, tuck us in, and keep all possible boogey-men away.
WTF, world, WTF.
Inflation is clearly racist
If your goal is to destroy America then everything is coming along just fine.
If your goal is to destroy America then getting weapons into the hands of AL Qaeda to enable them to capture even more weapons was a great idea.
If you goal is to destroy America then everything Obama has done makes perfect sense.
Beef Prices
[img]http://markets.money.cnn.com/commodities/modules/chart.asp?symbol=1045268&duration=365&comparisonSym=0&_=1402588938619[/img]
Pork Prices
[img]http://markets.money.cnn.com/commodities/modules/chart.asp?symbol=1044843&duration=365&comparisonSym=0&_=1402589027224[/img]
Coffee Prices
[img]http://markets.money.cnn.com/commodities/modules/chart.asp?symbol=1046650&duration=365&comparisonSym=0&_=1402589086894[/img]
Greetings,
Welcome to WWIII. When Iraq falls to the rebels, they will have a staging ground to attack Syria. This will not sit well with Iran and Russia which may move to stabalize these regions. Even if Maliki controls so much as a urinal, we will recognize him as the legitimate government and attempt to support him. Can you imagine the humiliation that will be heaped upon our post-turtle president if Iraq falls to Al-qaeda?
Finally, everyone is about to have a brawl in a place that produces lots and lots of energy and has energy pipelines running all through it. Things are about to get very serious.
We armed these fools in Libya and Syria and now we are seeing the results of our meddling.
Obama, Hillary, and Ketchup Kerry have undone 50 years of foreign policy by actual leaders.
Obama’s destroyed relations with Russia, deposed a sovereign government in Ukraine, and has CIA stooges and mercs trying to foment a war with Russia.
Obama’s laid waste to Libya, given Al Qaeda arms, training and support, which backfired, and an ambassador and three others were murdered. Obama and Hillary made a similar mess in Egypt.
Obama’s given arms, cash, and training to Al Qaeda in Syria, trying once again to depose a sovereign government, a government that is no threat to us whatsoever.
Obama’s destroyed 11 years of effort in Iraq, which is slipping into Al Qaeda anarchy, Obama’s wasted the deaths of thousands of soldiers that died or had limbs blown off in Iraq, and Obama’s done this because he’s decided to side with our sworn enemy, Al Qaeda. The murder and mayhem that is to follow in Iraq, and the trillions pissed away, can be placed directly at Obama’s feet.
Obama’s released 5 Taliban murderers, in exchange for a traitor and Taliban sympathizer. Obama has caused the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, resulting in more troop deaths, and thousands more civilian deaths.
Obama’s destroyed relations with China, who is now threatening several countries, including Japan. Unilateral relations with China took decades to build, and Obama has destroyed them in a matter of years. India, Brazil, Russia and China are leaving the dollar behind, isolating the U.S. economically, and are making their own deals for trade and oil.
All told, Obama has destroyed just about every level of diplomacy from the last 50 years, due to sheer incompetence, arrogance, narcissism, and plain stupidity. Obama, Hillary, and Ketchup Kerry cannot fathom the damage they have done to this country, but their main aim is to destroy this country, and they are doing a brilliant job.
Obama’s support, funding, and arms to Al Qaeda is treasonous. The damage he has caused will continue to mushroom, and the Middle East, is, as always, a powder keg, and it’s going to blow now that Al Qaeda is on the loose again, and being fully supported and funded by Obama and his minions.
If you think gas is expensive now, just wait. Al Qaeda insurgence into Saudi Arabia, always a stated goal of Al Qaeda, home to three of the world largest oil fields, could result in complete production shut-down. Don’t think it’ll happen? Guess again. And if Iran senses any weakness, they’re always ready for a fight. It’s going to get much worse, and Obama is to blame, and nobody is doing anything about it.
ALL that beautiful expensive military hardware in the hands of some guy named Al Kayda. Sooo pretty. HNIC Oreo Traitorfuk is AT THIS MOMENT saying that Iraq needs “a lot of help” and that he is “not ruling out anything”. Mo’ tanks! Mo’ bombs! Mo’ missiles! Mo’ armor! Mo’ free shit fo’ sand niggers!
Who is paying for all this shit?
Here’s yo’ hint.
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Now get BACK TO WORK you fuckin’ chumps. LOL
Yup it’s all Oreo’s doing. Things were going swimmingly in Iraq under W.
“Yup it’s all Oreo’s doing. Things were going swimmingly in Iraq under W. ” ——- Zara
Stop being a dick. Unless you really want and long to be a dick, not that there’s anything wrong with dickishness.
HNIC Oreo made things worse.
NO ONE here even remotely exonerates Dubya.
Stucky says:
“Yup it’s all Oreo’s doing. Things were going swimmingly in Iraq under W. ” ——- Zara
Stop being a dick. Unless you really want and long to be a dick, not that there’s anything wrong with dickishness.
HNIC Oreo made things worse.
NO ONE here even remotely exonerates Dubya.
___________________________________
I am a bit torn. On the one hand, I am enjoying my schadenfreude at the awesomeness of epic fail that is US foreign policy immensely. On the other, I pity the poor Iraqis for what they are having to endure. I don’t expect that country to survive as a single entity.
AWD – Obama’s one of “them”
He strengthens their position with every turn.
Obama Responds To Iraq Request For “Kinetic Support”, Says Ready To Take Military Action
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/12/2014 12:37 -0400
As we reported yesterday, Iraq, realizing it has neither the capacity nor the willingness to engage Al Qaeda’s ISIS “spin off” did what every other oil-rich regime in such a situation does: asked Obama for “kinetic support.” Moments ago Obama gave his response:
OBAMA SAYS “I DON’T RULE OUT ANYTHING” WHEN IT COMES TO HELPING IRAQ DEAL WITH INSURGENTS
OBAMA SAYS US HAS AN INTEREST IN MAKING SURE JIHADISTS DON’T GAIN A FOOTHOLD IN IRAQ
OBAMA SAYS THERE WILL BE SHORT-TERM IMMEDIATE ACTIONS THAT NEED TO BE DONE MILITARILY IN IRAQ, US OFFICIALS LOOKING AT ALL OPTIONS
And here is why, as we predicted yesterday when faced with not only but two brand new scandals, the VA farce and the Berghdal “extraction” fiasco, the most likely outcome is war:
OBAMA SAYS IRAQ `CLEARLY IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION’
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAID NOT CONSIDERING GROUND TROOPS IN IRAQ
OBAMA SAYS US IS PREPARED TO TAKE MILITARY ACTION WHEN ITS NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS ARE THREATENED
So the US is about to unleash hell against the same Al Qaeda extremists it was arming across the border in Syria? Score one more for US foreign policy. Meanwhile, the one person who benefits the most from rising crude prices, that would be Putin for those who still don’t get it, is laughing all the way to the bank.
Update: good news – the US won’t be fighting Iraq’s war alone. Here comes…. France:
‘FRANCE’S FABIUS SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST DEAL WITH IRAQ SITUATION URGENTLY
FRANCE’S FABIUS SAYS JIHADIST SURGE PUTS TERRITORIAL UNITY OF IRAQ IN DOUBT AND IS MAJOR RISK FOR REGIONAL STABILITY
FRANCE’S FABIUS SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST DEAL WITH IRAQ SITUATION URGENTLY
Funny how France is so generous when pledging the aid of the international community and not, for example, that of France.
We never should have attacked and invaded Iraq, or Afghanistan, period. But we did, and pissed away trillions, and thousands of lives, and tens of thousands of blown apart (mentally and physically) soldiers that gave their efforts and souls. Bush did no follow-up, and Obama turned into an Al Qaeda supporter. Now all bets are off, and we’re going to see the results of what we have done. Obama’s had 5 1/2 years to help Iraq, and he’s done absolutely nothing, except now support and fund the enemy. Obama’s wiped out everything that was done, and he’s responsible for what is about to happen there, and the rest of the Middle East. Once Al Qaeda captures Iraq, they’ll continue their agenda as they see fit, it will spread, and oil supply will be cut off, with the full backing and support of a treasonous Obama and the criminals in Washington.
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We should invade Iran and take their oil then kill the terrorists in Iraq and take that oil.America’s oil problem solved. I am not trying to be funny. We should invade the Middle East and take what we need.I know , not very Christian like but Fuck those Moslems. We are going to have to fight them sooner or later .We should do it now before the dollar collapses.
How The US Is Arming Both Sides Of The Iraqi Conflict
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/12/2014 14:29 -0400
Recall a week ago we wrote “US Begins Delivering F-16s To Iraq This Week, A Decade After It Wiped Out Iraq’s Air Force” in which we said:
… the US will deliver the first of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Iraq in what Baghdad’s envoy to the United States called a “new chapter” in his country’s ability to defend its vast borders with Iran and other neighbors.
….the US earlier in March provided Iraq with some 100 Hellfire missiles as well as assault rifles and other ammunition. Then in April the US sent more arms, providing Iraq with 11 million rounds of ammunition and other supplies.
It is unknown how many of these have fallen into Al Qaeda/ISIS hands (we do know that at least one Iraqi Black Hawk chopper was captured during the rush for Mosul). What is known is that as PBS Frontline reported two weeks ago, while the administration has denied arming Syrian “rebels”, i.e. the same ISIS militants that have crossed the border and are now fighting in Iraq, the reality is that it has. From: “Obama Says Not Arming Syrian Rebels, Syrian Rebels Say He Is”
… the Syrian rebels themselves say they are already armed and trained by US in the use of sophisticated weapons and fighting techniques, including, one rebel said, “how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush.” The interviews are the latest evidence that after more than three years of warfare, the United States has stepped up the provision of lethal aid to the rebels, as PBS notes “it appears the Obama administration is allowing select groups of rebels to receive US-made anti-tank missiles.”
The commander of the unit also told Ali that their American contacts had asked him to bring 80 to 90 members of his unit to Ankara for training.
One of the fighters said they received three weeks of training in how to conduct ambushes, conduct raids and use their weapons. They also said they received new uniforms and boots.
“They trained us to ambush regime or enemy vehicles and cut off the road,” said the fighter, who is identified only as “Hussein.” “They also trained us on how to attack a vehicle, raid it, retrieve information or weapons and munitions, and how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush.”
To summarize: the US was arming and training the same Al Qaeda/ISIS groups of Jihadists, that it concurrently gave Iraq weapons to fight. And since the Iraq army has so far proven utterly incapable of any resistance, it is now up to US drones to “fight” the same “rebels” that the US itself was collaborating with until a month or so ago.
The clear winner here? US military-industrial complex. Rinse. Repeat.
Collateral damage? Millions of innocent people on the ground in Syria and Iraq.
The Iraqi military forces, all of em, couldn’t hit a fucking bulls-eye if they were standing 12 inches from the target with a shotgun. So,
” … the US will deliver the first of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Iraq” and “….the US earlier in March provided Iraq with some 100 Hellfire missiles”
ummm, easy maf, that’s THREE missiles per plane (well, 3.6 but you can’t cut ’em in half) ….. goddamn waste …… I can’t think of anything funny to say, so I’ll just bwahahahahahahahahahah!
” … providing Iraq with 11 million rounds of ammunition and other supplies.”
Now we’re talking! Eleven million rounds, baby. Should be good enough to cause 11 casualties.
[img]http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples_resource/image/30718[/img]
Biden Once Called Iraq One of Obama’s ‘Great Achievements’
Jun 12, 2014 • By DANIEL HALPER
As Iraq falls apart, it’s worth remembering Vice President Joe Biden hailing that country as one of President Obama’s “great achievements” in a 2010 interview with then CNN host Larry King:
“I am very optimistic about — about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You’re going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You’re going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government,” said Biden.
“I spent — I’ve been there 17 times now. I go about every two months — three months. I know every one of the major players in all of the segments of that society. It’s impressed me. I’ve been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.”
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These are the ‘best of times’ for the oil giants in Iraq. Production is up, profits are soaring, and big oil is rolling in dough. For those of you who still cling to the idea that the US was serious about promoting democracy or removing a vicious dictator or eliminating WMD or any of the other kooky excuses, read this:
“While the US military has formally ended its occupation of Iraq, some of the largest western oil companies, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell, remain. If it looks like the big boys are dividing the spoils among themselves; it’s because they are. They all have their contracts in hand, and they’re all drilling their brains out thanks to the American servicemen and women who gave their lives for some trumped up baloney about WMD.”
Isn’t that what’s going on? Sure it is. And even now – after all the reasons for going to war have been exposed as lies – the farce continues. Nothing has changed. There’s still no talk of reparations, no official investigation, no indictments, no prosecutions, no trials, no penalties, no nothing. Not even a stinking apology. Just a big “up yours” Iraq. We’re way to important to apologize for killing a million of your people and reducing your five thousand year old civilization to a pile of rubble.
Obama promised to “leave behind a sovereign, stable and self – reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by it’s people”. Oh yeah. Obama’s all about sovereignty and stability, everyone knows that. That’s why Baghdad is the terror capital of the world, because Obama’s so committed to security.
These PR blurbs are effective though, they provide the necessary cover for leaving enough troops behind to protect the oil installations and pipelines. That’s the kind of security Obama cares about. Security for the oligarchs and their stolen property. Everyone else can fend for themselves, which is why Baghdad is such a bloody mess.
Mr. Bush, thanks for the invasion. We couldn’t have done it without you. Hope you have a great retirement while people continue to get blown to pieces in the terrorist Hellhole you created.
While US and other western oil companies have not yet received all they had hoped the US – led invasion of Iraq would bring them, “They’ve certainly done quite well for themselves, landing production contracts for some of the world’s largest remaining oil fields under some of the world’s most lucrative terms.”
Dr Abdulhay Yahya Zalloum, an international oil consultant and economist…(said) he believes western oil companies have successfully acquired the lions share of Iraq’s oil, “but they gave a little piece of the cake for China and some of the other countries and companies to keep them silent”.
How do you like that? These guys operate just like the Mafia. The Bossman pays off China with a few million barrels, and China keeps it mouth shut. Nice. Everyone gets “their cut” so they don’t go blabbing to the media about the rip-off that’s taking place in broad daylight. The stench of corruption is overpowering.
That makes this the biggest petroleum heist in history. And we’re supposed to believe that the oil bigwigs didn’t know anything about this before the war? The CEOs and their lackeys figured out that Saudi Arabia was running out of oil, so they decided to pick up stakes and move their operations to good old Mesopotamia. That’s why they put their money on Bush and Cheney, because they knew that the former oil men would do the heavy lifting once the got shoehorned into the White House. The whole thing was a set-up from the get-go, right down to the 5 shady Supremes who suspended the voting in Florida and crowned Bush emperor in 2000. The whole thing was probably mapped out years in advance
Big oil runs everything in America. People talk about the power of Wall Street, but oil is still king. They run it all, and they own it all. ExxonMobil, BP and Shell were among the oil companies that played the most aggressive roles in lobbying their governments to ensure that the invasion would result in an open Iraq to foreign oil companies.
Big oil wins again, and all it cost was a million or so Iraqis who got blown to bits or shot up at checkpoints, or beaten to death with a rubber hose at Abu Ghraib or any of the other democracy reeducation centers that dot the countryside. But, hey, look at the bright side: At least production is up, right? Can you see how sick this is?
The Obama administration continues to pressure Baghdad to pass the Iraq Oil Law. It’s a way to privatize the oil market using Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) which disproportionately benefit the corporations. Obama’s a big backer of the law since it means even heftier profits for his thieving friends. In other words, the humongous profits they’re already making aren’t quite good enough. They want more!
What other country behaves like this? No other country in the world goes out and kills a million people, destroys their country, and leaves them to scrape by on next to nothing just so they can pad the bank accounts of voracious plutocrats that have more dough than they know what to do with.
Iraq was the Cradle of Civilization. Now it’s the cradle of shit. The US decimated Iraq; blew it to bits, bombed its industries, its bridges, its schools, its hospitals, leveled its cities, polluted its water, spread diseases everywhere, killed its kids, pitted brother against brother, and transformed a vibrant, unique country into a dysfunctional cesspit run by opportunists, gangsters and fanatics.
Face it: No one gives a shit. No one gives a flying fuck about Iraq. The American people lost interest a long time ago, the politicians can’t be bothered, and the UN is too afraid of the US to lift a finger to help. They’d rather stamp their feet and scold Putin over Crimea than utter a peep about the genocide in Iraq.
That’s the state of things today. No accountability for the men who started the war, and no justice for the victims. Just the infrequent (phony) pronouncement of support from the White House or the all too frequent sectarian bombing that leaves an untold number of civilians dead or wounded. This is all the US leaves behind; hatred, death and destruction. A million people were killed so a few rich fuckers could get even richer. That’s a hell of a legacy.
How many wars has the US lost in a row? Maybe the first Iraq war you can kinda count as a win, but not really. Otherwise, America is putting up quite a string of losses. It is getting its ass kicked everywhere.
When will folks learn that it is impossible to win a war of attrition with motivated folks that do not fight front on, but that snipe away constantly.
Nobody can win those wars, but the US simply cannot learn that lesson. The only way to win such a war is via scorched earth – if there is any resistance you kill them all – please see the Mongols for evidence as to how it is done to effect. But that is never going to happen.
What a clusterfuck. America the stupid should be the national motto.
Scott says this at the end of his rant: “This is all the US leaves behind; hatred, death and destruction.”
Horseshit, says I. Those fuckers have ALWAYS hated each other. The US should have never been there, but the hatred preceded the US involvement for sure and certain. Take a look at the Iraq/Iran war for evidence of this stuff. Those bastards hate each other. Fuck them all. Get out. Stay out. And level the place if they start to try to expand beyond their borders.
The Israelis told the US they were fools to ever go in there. They were right. The US should have bombed Saddam out of power, and then funded the most amenable strongman left to take over. End of fucking story. But no – the US is just too stupid to understand.
As if Obama’s foreign policy successes are a surprise to anyone, what does that do for Clinton in 2106. She’s the front running democrat, but by then, the economy will have continued to deteriorate, and no one is going to think one world government is going to fix anything, except the one worlders.
How is she possibly going to hide the fact that she’s a wolf in sheep’s cloth? The oligarchy can try to put up another one worlder to run against her, but how is that going to fly in the rhino party, which is feeling pressure from the libertarians. Dr. Paul did a wonderful thing when he ran as a Repub, and made them take him seriously. It showed they’re scared.
That’s the only schadenfreude I’m feeling. Z can hate US foreign policy, but he’s only a hypocrite. What would he have the US do, support terrorists? We already are!