Writte by Patrick J. Buchanan; Originally appeared at buchanan.org
Candidate Donald Trump may have promised to extricate us from Middle East wars, once ISIS and al-Qaida were routed, yet events and people seem to be conspiring to keep us endlessly enmeshed.
Friday night, a drone, apparently modeled on a U.S. drone that fell into Iran’s hands, intruded briefly into Israeli airspace over the Golan Heights, and was shot down by an Apache helicopter.
Israel seized upon this to send F-16s to strike the airfield whence the drone originated. Returning home, an F-16 was hit and crashed, unleashing the most devastating Israeli attack in decades on Syria. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu says a dozen Syrian and Iranian bases and antiaircraft positions were struck.
Monday’s headline on The Wall Street Journal op-ed page blared:
“The Iran-Israel War Flares Up: The fight is over a Qods Force presence on the Syria-Israeli border. How will the U.S. respond?”
Op-ed writers Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer, both from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, closed thus:
“The Pentagon and State Department have already condemned Iran and thrown their support behind Israel. The question now is whether the Trump administration will go further. … Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (has) affirmed that the U.S. seeks not only to ensure its allies’ security but to deny Iran its ‘dreams of a northern arch’ from Tehran to Beirut. A good way to achieve both objectives would be back Israel’s response to Iran’s aggression — now and in the future.”
The FDD is an annex of the Israeli lobby and a charter member of the War Party.
Chagai Tzuriel, who heads the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence, echoed the FDD: “If you (Americans) are committed to countering Iran in the region, then you must do so in Syria — first.”
Our orders have been cut.
Iran has dismissed as “lies” and “ridiculous” the charge that it sent the drone into Israeli airspace.
If Tehran did, it would be an act of monumental stupidity. Not only did the drone bring devastating Israeli reprisals against Syria and embarrass Iran’s ally Russia, it brought attacks on Russian-provided and possibly Russian-manned air defenses.
Moreover, in recent months Iranian policy — suspending patrol boat harassment of U.S. warships — appears crafted to ease tensions and provide no new causes for Trump to abandon the nuclear deal Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani regards as his legacy.
Indeed, why would Iran, which, with Assad, Russia and Hezbollah, is among the victors in Syria’s six-year civil war, wish to reignite the bloodletting and bring Israeli and U.S. firepower in on the other side?
In Syria’s southeast, another incident a week ago may portend an indefinite U.S. stay in that broken and bleeding country.
To recapture oil fields lost in the war, forces backed by Assad crossed the Euphrates into territory taken from ISIS by the U.S. and our Kurd allies. The U.S. response was a barrage of air and artillery strikes that killed 100 soldiers.
What this signals is that, though ISIS has been all but evicted from Syria, the U.S. intends to retain that fourth of Syria as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
In the northwest, Turkey has sent its Syrian allies to attack Afrin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened Manbij, 80 miles to the east, where U.S. troops commingle with the Kurd defenders and U.S. generals were visible last week.
Midweek, Erdogan exploded: “(The Americans) tell us, ‘Don’t come to Manbij.’ We will come to Manbij to hand over these territories to their rightful owners.”
The U.S. and Turkey, allies for six decades, with the largest armies in NATO, may soon be staring down each other’s gun barrels.
Has President Trump thought through where we are going with this deepening commitment in Syria, where we have only 2,000 troops and no allies but the Kurds, while on the other side is the Syrian army, Hezbollah, Russia and Iran, and Shiite militias from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan?
Clearly, we have an obligation not to abandon the Kurds, who took most of the casualties in liberating eastern Syria from ISIS. And we have a strategic interest in not losing Turkey as an ally.
But this calls for active diplomacy, not military action.
And now that the rebels have been defeated and the civil war is almost over, what would be the cost and what would be the prospects of fighting a new and wider war? What would victory look like?
Bibi and the FDD want to see U.S. power deployed alongside that of Israel, against Iran, Assad and Hezbollah. But while Israel’s interests are clear, what would be the U.S. vital interest?
What outcome would justify another U.S. war in a region where all the previous wars in this century have left us bleeding, bankrupt, divided and disillusioned?
When he was running, Donald Trump seemed to understand this.
Someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Pat Buchanan knows that the entire Syria war is a fabrication from beginning to end. And that Isis is just a US, Israel, Saudi fabrication to be used as a puppet force for regime change. And that defeating Isis is just an excuse for the US and Israel to engage in direct involvement in the proxy regime change operation that is failing.
His concern about the US and Israel escalating direct involvement in Syria to try to salvage what they can from their proxy regime change war facing total defeat is justified. And countering this is part of the Syrian government coalition planning and preparations. Which is why you see additional S-400s going into Syria, and the Turks moving to shut down Israelistan in the making to prevent it from being used against them.
Right now the Syrian government coalition has dwindling territory west of the river to reclaim, and a rising men and materials to problem area ratio. So they have more resources to focus on smaller areas left to recover. Which is why you see the terrorists folding at a much faster rate than many expected. This has a big impact on how the war east of the river is going to play out. Because with fewer non government areas west of the river to have to deal with, more government resources can be applied to the eastern front on an as needed basis.
Extending Syrian government coalition air cover east of the river is necessary to bring the Kurds to the negotiating table. And if the Turks push east from Afrin, that is also going to put pressure on the Kurds to negotiate the return of Syrian government administration to SDF areas.
“Is US being sucked into Syria’s War”
Nope, it gladly orchestrated it with it’s usual terrorist allies, Israel, Saudi Arabia and it’s sock-puppets in the ‘west’ like Britain and France. It financed and gave weapons to terrorists seeking to dismember Syria and when it thought it could get away with it, bombed Syrian positions just prior to the terrorists attacking them proving coordination. If that isn’t enough, while the Syrian government was liberating the cities and villages from the scourge of terrorism, the US and it’s terrorist allies were busy fighting and coordinating with the terrorists, the capture of Syria’s oil fields east of the Euphrates. As is the custom with the US, when a group of allied Syrian forces sought to clear a section of Syrian territory east of the Euphrates from terrorists, the US and it’s sock-puppets shelled and bombed them once again proving their alliance with the terrorists and their goals of dismembering Syria and turning it over to the terrorists.
Western People are Idiots & Numbnuts….. why talking about attacking other Nations when it was their OWN governments that gave us Terrorists……..I’m embarrased with these People and would like to apologise to the rest of the World for the stupidity of my Peoples..back in the good ol’ days we would bring out the guillotines…..
Go back to your Kiddiekidnapping Khazarian Mobsterssss…. Crystal Meth…
Please do us all a favor and FO. Thank you!
Buchanan should take a job with Zerohedge. He is every bit as good with half truths as they are. He is trying to tell us that that darn ISIS is just continuing to pop up and that we’re being forced to stay…unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, right? All the while he is telling us about the Israelis and their fronts, as he is mentioning the WSJ and their op-ed, next he mentions how Iran wouldn’t risk a drone…and look what happened because of the drone shoot down. Israel attacked Syria with devastating results. Hmmm…Syria was ravaged and Russia was embarrassed. Really? Next is the insinuation it was the Russians that were actually shooting down the Israeli missiles. Of course, as always this conflict is described as a civil war. Then he goes on to saying complete BS by saying that Syria could end up dragging Israel and the US into it. Buchanan is the same as he always was..a lying propaganda whore…only now he is dressing up as an anti-war patriot. The fact that he spews the same half truths as gospel, continues the MSM misinformation campaign is telling. Unfortunately, most Americans will drink this swill thinking it to be something other than another helping of neocon Kool Ade…but it isn’t.
he didn’t even mention only idiot would fly that junk just to shoot a drone..!
Thanks for the Candid post Z : )
https://journal-neo.org/2018/02/14/will-lebanon-be-the-next-energy-war/
https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/western-firms-plan-to-cash-in-on-syria-s-oil-and-gas-frontier-6c5fa4a72a92
After years of headchopper genocide and talking morons….which of late could Include Lavrov
Who mumbo jumbo about Syria’s Sovereignty.
The global exit from big oil….as World Bank will no longer fund/loan to nations on Oil,
Nat/gas projects after 2018.
It’s the doom….for some nations. ..as world goes Electric /Digital and nuclear.
My personal take on Syria recent is Iran testing it’s Radars and R&D Missiles off Russian tech.
Iran has Serious ballistic tech that can bring the hurt….
Like the ballistic Missile strike last year on Der Ezzor ISUS who got clobbered like Russia send you Kalibr hugs : )
Israhell keeps attacking deep into Syria…has me thinking it’s the Iranian weapons systems and communications which they are scared of.
Syria has BUK M2E, …Iran has their copy of this. .
The IAF F16i got downed while other IAF jets got damaged…
I’m thinking the BUK systems did this…
Israel’s cartoonish UN propaganda with Netanyahu against Iran = them…or US,
Going to get shot down like Vietnam war.
Iran is one of the few nations not under Planet Rothschild Central Banking.
No magic 8 Ball required for what is coming next.
The end of Planet Rothschild?
I’ll drink to that.
Jonathan Schanzer
Schanzer holds a BA from Emory University and a master’s degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Middle Eastern studies. Schanzer was a member of Phi Delta Theta while at Emory. He studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo in 2001. He earned his PhD at King’s College London. He is a graduate of Lower Merion High School.
Oh vey !!! – I shall skip this article.
I already did that.. and went straight to the comment section.. hehehe.. yes.. I’m glad i skipped all the BS..!
Putin presidential election and Football world cup obstruct a overwhelming response of Russia…as Russia fear US economic sanctions which becomes a destabilizing factor of its economy…Russia deployed S-400 in Latakia near Turkey and it was a deterrent for the Turks…but once they have tested successfully air defense system ( Pantsir) vs Israeli AGM 142 cruise missile and USA will continue airstrike vs SAA in Deir Ezzor with any excuse…its time to deploy S-400 in Damascus and Deir Ezzor and to close Syrian air space allowing flights only with the permission of Russian forces!…and therefore to defend Syria like Russian do for example with Belarus!…it is to preserve his sovereignty!…that´s what Iran wants… and surely is the most convenient to preserve a United Syria!
“Russia fear US economic sanctions ”
Lolololololololol.
Very true , other than the Kurds who will definitely stop fighting moment Assad’s allies start to mass big forces to take East Euphrates , how would the tiny US force of 2000 take on ASSAD’s allies?
Just saying so will not do
I love Pat but never underestimate the ability of each group to act stupidly in its own interests and screw everything up.
The Pentagon and State Department have already condemned Iran and thrown their support behind Israel. The question now is whether the Trump administration will go further. …!
They will support israhell even if israhell kills babies b4 their eyes.. or kicked their asses..!
The question now is whether the Trump administration will go further. …
what do you think, for what is the actual military budget 750 bill. usd?
Unlimited! they just print mo’ Moneyyy
a couple of trillions weren’t enough to win in Afghanistan after 17 years.
Sorry Pat, but there is a big difference between being “sucked in” and willingly jumping in with both feet….
When he was running, Trump said he wanted Russia to be a friend rather than an adversary, which is why (as outlined recently by P.C. Roberts) the MIC, CIA and FBI started this Russophobic witch hunt now into its second year- without an enemy, justifying the ever ballooning military budget (along with payouts to various political accomplices such as the Clinton Foundation) would be problematic. And they don’t care how many Americans starve or die of disease due to budget constraints, as Hollywood, fake “news” and reality tv would still be there to keep them from thinking. As for Trump, he obviously didn’t expect what he was getting into, and seems to be completely out of his depth.
Please stop calling the Syrian war a “civil war”. A civil war means that the citizens of a Sovereign State fight each other. In Syria, you have the proxy forces of NATO countries, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others opposing the legitimate government of Syria. That’s an insurgency, or an undeclared war against a Sovereign State. The fact that there are fighters from some 100 countries in the IS and Al-Qaeda groups is a clear indication that this is not a civil war.
No, Syria is being sucked into USA´s war, little Buchanan.