About this opinion piece, author Jamal Kashoggi- Related to uber arms dealer Adnon Kashoggi.Adnon in his hey days was very admired by the Western moneyed classes. As wikipedia says he participated and was revered in 'western high society' Likely because he was gettin' high society, higherJamal Kashoggi served as a media aide to Prince Turki al Faisal while he was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States.And surprise of surprises- Interviewed Osama Bin Laden. More then once. Jamal moves in all the right circles. He has all the right connections.Jamal puts forth the agenda- Which you are all familiar with. Remaking the Middle East- Except rather then name the US/UK/NATO machine, the imperial powers as the instigating parties he tells us it's ISIS. Mr Kashoggi tells us ISIS knows their history and is setting things right. Kashoggi is also telling us that ISIS is acting as a 'state' and we should give them their respect. Hopefully I sorted fact from fantasy well enough?
Have you recently taken a look at the original map of the Sykes-Picot border? It includes Iraq’s second city Mosul and Greater Syria, which are the lines currently being drawn. So is there an aim to set things straight? The first draft of the map was as such before it was amended to the current borders between Syria and Iraq by the preferences of Mr. Sykes and Mr. Picot in London and Paris. But why was this amendment done? We need a historian to answer this. However, anyone who knows history is aware that no Islamic state was established in Mosul without expanding to Aleppo and the rest of the Levant. So is Mosul the natural extension of the Levant and vice versa? This looks like a fun exercise during a history session but when it comes to politics, it's a nightmare for the region. The state we're talking about is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). I think it's time we give them the “respect” they deserve after the victories they achieved last week and after they forced themselves on the region. We must thus call them "the state," as they like to be called, despite our huge differences with them and the mandatory fear of them.
The victories they achieved?
A dark relationship-
ISIS is also knowledgeable about history, and it dreams of a caliphate state as it eyes the Levant. This truth must remain clear amid claims that ISIS is an "Iranian product" and that it is "allied with Assad." These are just conclusions and not facts. Yes, ISIS secretly dealt with these two regimes and their intelligence but recent events show that this was an exchange of benefits between two parties that have contradictory aims. This dark relationship between two fanatic parties which despise one another has always been a huge mystery that can only be interpreted as a result of Iranian slyness and an evil strategy to incite sectarian strife wherever Iran is active.
That is an interesting paragraph!It addresses all the nonsense about ISIS being an "Iranian product" but makes clear these are conclusions AND NOT FACTS. Kashoggi makes the claim that ISIS had dealings with Iran but it's the same type of conclusion that he has already told us is NOT FACT. He then twists the reality of everything that has gone on to blame Iran It's classic propaganda- Scapegoating along with some adhominem for good measure.His paragraph continues with this sentence and I quote-
This is how Iran justifies its sectarianism and its mobilization of the region's Shiites - by making them feel continuously threatened.
From where I sit, half a world away. Reading multiple stories every day, day in and day out for years and years now. It appears the Shiites (as well as others) are threatened and this has zero to do with Iran.
Everyone gambled and al-Qaeda won.
Al Qaeda/ISIS/Israel/US/UK/NATO= Same/same. So if we are forced to simplify? NATO and western intelligence assets "won"I see many people pushing a blow back agenda. NonsenseI hear people claiming this is a genuine uprising in Iraq. NonsenseObama spouts empty words endlessly- Obvious bullshitThis is a plan. It has been a plan for sometime. It is imperialism. It is order out of chaos! Let's go back to 2006
"What we're seeing here is, in a sense, the growing—the birth pangs of a new Middle East, and whatever we do, we have to be certain that we're pushing forward to the new Middle East, not going back to the old Middle East"Condoleeza Rice
Of course we will have noticed that the first load of disputed oil, via the Kurdish pipeline, to Israel shipped out via Ceyhan Ukraine- 10 k or 100 k buffer zone.Israel gets first deliver of Kurdish OilMr Kashoggi goes on to discuss Syria:
Saving Syria can be achieved by preventing its fall in the hands of ISIS. This of course cannot be carried out by saving Bashar al-Assad and his regime as Assad is the cause and he's the one who brought about all this evil. It's only a matter of time before the borders between ISIS and the Shiite Iraqi South are drawn. Borders with the Kurdistan region are already established. But the responsibility of confronting Kurdish ambitions in Kirkuk and what's around it of the central government (previously) in Baghdad will be that of Commander of the Faithful who rules from his secret chamber. In the end, everyone will agree on borders. Of course, the agreement will not be signed at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo but it will be a fait accompli.
Saving Syria can be achieved by preventing its fall into the hands of ISIS? Odd. Since Mr Kashoggi has just told us ISIS is a state and deserves respect, but, Syria should not fall into it's clutches?The Saudi opinionator tells us it's just a matter of time, though no agreement will be signed, it will be a fait accompli- This tells me it won't be a fait accompli and the ground is prepped for future conflict Where is Israel? Oh yah, it didn't exist. Just Palestine with Palestinians. Flashback- Jordan: Threatened by Western pressure applied via ISIS- Chafe at US/Israeli peace plan
ISIS benefitted from its previous mistakes and expanded its alliances. Some are experts and strategists from the old Baath regime. It's also not considered an "organization" but a real state that has oil resources factories, farms and national production and which is in charge of few million people's security and livelihood. Therefore, it's acting like a state and a government. Of course it's different from the world's definition of "government" as the latter definition is based on acceptable common international relations. The world actually rejects and despises ISIS which is gradually progressing and avoiding failed wars. This was clear via its movement when it progressed towards Baghdad last week moving around Samraa which it knows there's no popularity or anger like those it used to win the support of people of Mosul and Anbar.
The above paragraph? What the hell? Yes, ISIS is chock full of Baath regime strategists from Iraq. But, again with the state? Let's see? ISIS has oil resources, factories and farms. I guess in so much as ISIS acts like a tyrannical, imperialist land grabber,enriching it's top dogs and crushing the masses under it's feet, yah you could say it acts just like a government.
Upcoming battles
The upcoming battles will reveal the extent of ISIS’ maturity. Most probably, it will stop at the maximum extent in the south like it now with the North’s Kurds and it will rest a little benefitting from international incompetence. The U.S. will of course not launch war.(They don't have to because they are in control already!) Deterring ISIS will not be achieved without a complete war that's no less than the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. America and Obama don't want such wars or what's even lesser than that. Iran knows that the truce with "al-Qaeda-ISIS" has ended and remember the message which "Salafist jihadism" sent in 1994 via Ramzi Youssef who was behind the bomb explosion of Imam Reza shrine in mashhad and who's currently serving time in the U.S. for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Someone from ISIS or al-Qaeda must've sent the Iranians saying: "Remember what we can do when your borders are open to us, from the east and west."
International incompetence? HAHAHA- International Collusion is much more accurate.
The second easy target for ISIS and where the circumstances are similar to Mosul, Anbar and Ramadi before they took over them is Syria where there's Sunni suppression, daily murder and international reluctance ( Kashoggi is LYING!- The Syrian army is largely Sunni and the last election made clear Sunni's support the Assad government and also there has been no international reluctance) ISIS is hated there but it has supporters. Success will bring it more victories and power alters previous convictions. Jabhat al-Nusra and its emir, Golani, must be more worried now. However there must be common ground that justifies some sort of reconciliation with them, with the Islamic Front and with the rest of Salafi organizations. The Free Syrian Army is almost finished off and the upcoming ISIS attack will completely finish it off. The anti-aircraft missiles which the U.S. prevented Syrian rebels from attaining are now available to ISIS. No one will prevent the latter from transferring some of these missiles to Syria. And just like we woke up few days ago to the news of Mosul's fall into the hands of ISIS, we will soon wake up to the news of the fall of Aleppo and other cities in the hands of ISIS. Is this good news? He who wants to be saved from Assad's daily barrel bombs and from the international community's reluctance and who desires some peace will accept ISIS.
Those who are worried by the expansion of this fundamentalist state which wants to change all the region's rules of politics and who prefer to besiege this state in its current Iraqi zone until it destroys itself, should better go forward, topple Assad and his regime and establish a pluralistic system that adheres to constitution and elections.
Kashoggi the king of spin should get his facts straight. Oh, but then he wouldn't be a spin doctor. Syria has a constitution and holds elections. Kashoggi should turn his attention to the tyranny in Saudi Arabia. Or the religious fanaticism of Israel. Oh, never mind