This is not a comment on the millions of military age male refugees who have flooded into Europe, putting unreasonable demands on the social welfare states there (they want “money for nothing and chicks for free“).  They will remain in Europe sucking down free kabob and raping the local ladies  on their way to and from work and the mothers taking their children to soccer practice (referred to as ‘western whores’ in Islam).
On 7 February, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it was ready to supply ground troops to help support and train an international military coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria, provided such efforts were led by the United States.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said, “I think that this has been our position throughout … that a real campaign against Daesh (ISIL) has to include ground elements… We are not talking about a thousand troops, but we are talking about troops on the ground that will lead the way, that will train, that will support … And I think our position remains the same and we will have to see how this progresses. Of course an American leadership in this effort is a pre-requisite,” Gargash said.
The UAE is the second Gulf State to declare its readiness to commit ground troops to the fight against ISIL in Syria. Saudi Arabia made an even stronger declaration on 4 February. The Saudi and Emirates leaders apparently have decided that the most efficient way to build an Arab coalition against terrorism, as announced on 15 December, is to join the existing Coalition. 
Syrian state media today reported on 6 February that the military had “returned security and stability to the town of Ataman,” a small town just north of the Jordanian border, and near the main city on that border, Dara’a, which was where the initial protests leading to the civil war were held.
This is a continuation of the offensive operation that began around 25 January. The government objective is to take Dara’a. Ataman/Athman is only 4 kms from the city center of Dara’a. Past attempts to recapture the south have stalled after running short of supplies. The latest offensive has lasted two weeks and continues to make progress.
The fact that Syrian government and allied forces are maintaining two strategically important offensive operations simultaneously is a good measure of the health of the regime at this time. Syrian forces are having success fighting on two major fronts. It also is significant that both offensives are on Syria’s periphery. Violent instability begins and ends on the periphery. The Syrian government has stopped collapsing and falling inward and is now expanding outward to the national boundaries in the western part of Syria. Much of this reversal has to do with Russian support of the regime, which also wiped out the CIA’s program near Ataman and Dara’a, designed to replace Assad. Russian airpower disrupted the American clandestine effort (not really very secret these days) and Syrian ground troops, backed by Cubans in tanks helped to push that effort back into Jordan. 
Once the Russians entered with a limited ground force and airpower, the resistance both US backed and ISIL/Daesh has been diminished. The US has a horse in the race with the Kurds in the eastern portion of Syria and Iraq, but the Kurds don’t have the manpower or will to take over Syria. They just grow opium in their little corner of the world and sell it to US markets (in New Hampshire) and elsewhere. Strange how all this connects, isn’t it?
I think that a sovereign Syria is a good thing in the short term. It will stem the flood of military age male refugees and at the same time will check ISIL. The US is embarrassed, but when you consider that Obama-Clinton-Kerry have been running the foreign policy ship on the rocks, it’s not surprising.

13 COMMENTS

  1. All of the people from that generation or those who showed the sort of character that Gen. Schwarzkopf did have been purged from the ranks of General Officers over the past seven years of ObamaNation.

    I have immense respect for Stormin' Norman and feel that somebody like that would have made a great president. He wasn't political and did not have those aspirations, but he was a great character on the American and world stage. One day if we're having lunch or something I can share personal stories.

    But no. They're gone. We need to do something to promote people of that class in the coming administration.

  2. Europe will never be the same. And I fear the same for the US. Those up and comers replacing us old fogies have a completely different mindset/moral values. There's a good reason why the US is not found in biblical end times prophecy. We're seeing it now.

  3. Curious, isn't it, that as soon as Al Nusra/Quaeda occupied Aleppo is encircled, Turkey, Saudi et al make noises about sending soldiers to fight, ahem, ISIS.

    I get the feeling that Sultan Erdogan isn't going to come out this a winner.

  4. A bit tricky with all those Russian planes everywhere and Cubans in tanks. And Iran. Is it just me, or is our foreign policy a shambles?

  5. America needs to define what its vital interests are, as do the Europeans. I agree with Trump that if they want our bases to defend them against the cossacks or the Muslim hoards, the Europeans need to pay for it. Or we can leave and leave them to their own devices. There are countries such as Poland who love us. We need to defend them and recognize that love. The rest of them must pay to play.

    If the Russians overrun those nations who don't pay protection, there is a side benefit, because they'll put all of the military age Muslim males up against a wall and give them a round or two a piece.

  6. Lunch would be great.

    If you can ever get up this way on a Wednesday, I can not only give you "The Cook's Tour" of the Iowa, but get you into the Radio Room and Transmitter Room.

    And even sneak you into the plotting room to see the Ford computers, and the brass triggers used to fire the guns…..

  7. Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
    Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
    Maybe get a blister on your little finger
    Maybe get a blister on your thumb.

  8. This Wednesday will be pretty busy on the ship.

    We're going to try and get the 1980's radio gear on-the-air, and I really won't have time to give you a tour.

    Let me see what next Wednesday's schedule is like, and I'll drop you an email….

Comments are closed.