News review November 12

Russian doping
Well, seems like the threat of a suspension and banning from the Rio Olympics has got President Putin's attention.

Putin is now scrambling to show activity - meaningful or otherwise - and that Russia is taking the issue seriously and will conduct its own investigation.

So the IAAF must keep up the pressure and pass a provisional ban - suspend Russia from all international athletics competitions for up to two years, with a review in say 6 months.  This review would see if Russia has changed at all and if it has 'cleaned-up its act' then they could participate in the Rio Olympics, if not, they can't.

Incidentally, if any Russians are reading this, it is not relevant that other nations are allowing doping.  Fact (and it is indisputable) is that Russian athletes were doping.  Fact is that the Russian state supported the suppression of the evidence and findings - they didn't just close their eyes to it, they actively supported it.

I suspect/suppose that doping is occurring in other countries.  Maybe some of those countries are also 'doing a Russia' and, as a state, supporting the suppression of investigations.  That though, in no possible way, excuses Russia.

Russia must be punished so that it and every other country, understands that such cheating will not be allowed.

Refugees
So the solution to stopping the flood of African economic migrants from invading Europe, is to bung $2 billion to their governments!  Who knew?

These are the same governments who have mis-managed hundreds of billions of aid dollars in the past and squandered part of these vast sums on grandiose projects, with suitably large transfers to Swiss accounts.

A health tip for you - don't hold your breath for this 'solution' actually achieving anything.  For a start, given the parlous state of the public finances of many (most?) of the European countries, we can expect that this will not be 'new' money but rather diverted from existing aid budgets.  Then of course, since the money won't filter down to the people of Africa, it won't achieve the desired effect.

My tip to those European leaders in Malta.  If you want to stop the flood, do two things.  End tariffs on all agricultural exports from Africa to Europe.  This will dramatically increase the benefit of staying on the farm in Africa.  Secondly, send back any and all such migrants.

So carrot and stick!

Kurds and Sinjar
Today the Kurdish Peshmerga, supported with coalition air strikes, are seeking to re-take the strategic town of Sinjar.

This is very welcome news.  This might be a precursor to the re-taking of Mosul.

What would be more welcome though, is if European nations and the US, started arming the Kurds and doing so, in a big way.  The Kurdish Peshmerga have been holding the front line against Daesh since last year, when they halted the advance of this murderous death-cult.  They have been doing this at great cost to their people and without any materiel support from the West.  The West apparently don't want to offend the Iraqi government, in Baghdad.  I have news for the West, the Kurds can be our friends, while Baghdad is moving daily evermore into the Iranian sphere of influence and control.  

I will follow my own tip though and not hold my breath.  Obama is in such thrall to the Ayatollahs in Tehran and Qom that the US won't be doing the right thing, this side of January 2017!  Europe though, can and should start arming the Kurds.  Consider that the Kurds are doing, in Kurdistan, what might otherwise be happening much nearer to Europe's own doorstep.

Cameron under impresses
Not a surprise but people have seen the 'demands' that David Cameron has sent to Britain's European Union partners, and found them severely wanting.  They just don't get us anywhere near where we need to be, in terms of a changed relationship.  Also, why start with such weak demands and have nothing to concede as part of the negotiating position?

I am starting to come to the conclusion that Cameron is either a Euro-skeptic or his fast heading that way!  Knowing he can't get the German-dominated EU to see the error of their ways, he is putting forward something so weak, that if he doesn't get that, then he can campaign for Brexit.

Egypt plane crash
We don't no for sure but is seems pretty likely that the Russian Metrojet airliner was brought down as a result of a bomb, probably loaded into the luggage cargo hold.

People are pointing the finger at lax security procedures at Egyptian airports.  Truth is though, that many airports are vulnerable, in my view.

At the front of airports, we have very extensive (some would say intrusive) procedures to search passengers and their cabin luggage.  Yet, the back-door is potentially left wide open.  These airports are 'manned' by hundred and sometimes thousands of workers on minimum wage.  Many of these, in Europe, are immigrant and they may well be subject to local community pressure and/or pressure back in their home country's and yet the level of security, at the back-door, seems to be quite rudimentary.

Very worrying!

          

If not Assad

It is clear that we are moving towards a change in approach to the Syrian civil war.

Putin's Russia has always been clear that he supports the regime of President Assad.  We can sense though, that some European leaders are also moving in that direction.  The problem for the Europeans is that they have been very publicly strident in their condemnation of Assad.  They have repeatedly said, that Assad must go and they wouldn't talk to him.

Finally, however, these leaders are recognising that Assad has to play a part in the process.  This dawning of reality, however odious it might seem (and do listen out for the knee-jerk shrieks of horror from the liberal media), also finally moves the focus very strongly onto how to eliminate Daesh (ISIS).

Russia is calling for coordination of the military effort and, if only to avoid a potential clash between East and West forces, this really has to happen.  France has now commenced air operations against Daesh, in Syria - having earlier said that such actions would be illegal!  Seems like President Hollande is putting socialist rhetoric behind realpolitik in the pecking order.  UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, is expected to bring a motion before parliament, within the coming weeks, seeking parliamentary approval for the UK to join in the bombing of Daesh targets in Syria.  If Germany can pull itself away from the silly Volkswagen matter, then they too might participate.

This coalescing towards a coordinated and focused attack on Daesh can have a number of positive effects.

Firstly, this should allow for the creation of a series of safe zones within Syria, protected by the air power available.

Secondly, this will then provide a reason to halt the flood of migrants that have been leaving Syria.  For this, real assistance, rather than just score settling with Turkish Kurds, will be need to be demanded from Turkey.  Demanded because Turkey has, throughout the whole sorry story, served only its own interests.  Indeed, it is clear that Turkey, led by the strongly Islamic Erdogan, has allowed for a significant destabilisation of its neighbours and the EU.

Thirdly, this will take the fight to Daesh.  It is clear that the Syrians do not have the capability to eliminate them.  It is equally clear that the Iraqi army does not have the stomach for a fight against Daesh.  They have very little to no support amongst Sunni Iraqis.  Their Shia militias are simply lawless and, not too different from Daesh in how they subjugate the areas they occupy.  Their Iranian allies, seem more interested in colonizing the south of Iraq than in taking on Daesh.  The Kurdish Peshmerga can, and do, hold the line against Daesh but they are poorly armed and, due to Turkish, Iraqi and Iranian pressure, the West have produced very feeble support and materiel, so the Peshmerga are being under-used.

The issue of who succeeds Assad needn't concern us, at this point.  He is very weakened and whatever the outcome, cannot survive in the medium term.  This does not mean that Syria, free  of Daesh, will become a democracy post-Assad.  One has to question whether or not, the imposition of Western style democracy is suited for some countries, including Syria.  The Syrian civil war was a direct outcome of the so called Arab Spring.  This 'flowering' of people power has led to absolute chaos in Libya, an effective military dictatorship in Egypt (no realm change there!) and a loosening of control in Tunisia, following the ousting of long-term President Ben Ali, such that Islamic terror can stalk their tourist resorts, killing at will.

So change is coming to the Syria conflict and this will create some strange bed-fellows but the West, if Obama and Kerry's naivete  can be sidelined, has an opportunity to eliminate Daesh and then to eliminate Al Qaeda in Syria (though doing the latter might just create a vacuum for Hezbollah to fill). Now therefore, is the time for Cameron and Hollande to show backbone and stand-up to this lame-duck US President and his court-jester Secretary of State.  Who knows, they might even get some trade-off, from Russia, relative to Ukraine.

Obama's revenge

Say what you like about President Obama, no one can accuse him of letting the grass grow under his feet, when it comes to settling scores.

No sooner had Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, been re-elected (read more here ) than people from Obama's team have leaked highly classified information relating to Israel's nuclear capabilities.

Be very clear, this leak was directed against Israel.  The document also contained information on Britain's and France's capabilities but these were redacted and only that on Israel, remained.

Israel has incurred the wrath of Obama because they, and particularly Netanyahu, see the dangers in treating with Iran, as with nuclear deal and, very publicly, say so.

Maybe Israel should follow the example of Iran?

Here they are, going to get a sweetheart deal that will allow them to continue with their development of a nuclear capability and will see economic sanctions lifted and yet do the Iranians sit back and take it easy?  Heavens no (or in Iran's case, hell no.)

They haven't even signed the deal with America but that hasn't stopped them from fomenting trouble and seeking regime change in Yemen.  And this is where it starts to get really dangerous.

America has withdrawn troops from a base in Yemen because they feared it might be overrun by Al Qaeda terrorists.  No Alamo type defence for Obama's boys!  They ran for the hills.  Is it any wonder when America has a President that fetes the family of a deserter, like Bowe Bergdahl?  With all the money that is spent on America's military, you have to expect that the 'top brass' must know the consequences of this and previous capitulations and yet all of those 4 stars and admirals stay silent.  They shame the uniform they wear and the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen who serve under them.
Let's assume that the military plead ignorance, for a moment.  Let them take a look to the North, to a country called Iraq.  At Obama's bidding, America ran away from here before the job was complete.  America's military leaders knew and know that this was the wrong thing to do.    The result?  In the South of the country, Iran and its stooges allowed ISIS to advance far into the country and take over large swathes of central and Northern Iraq.   I suppose Iran and their local militias figured that ISIS would focus on the North of the country but the Kurdish Peshmerga proved a far more formidable force than the 'turn tail and run' Iraqi Army and so ISIS has sought to change direction, southwards, and so started to step on Iran's toes.    And now we have the position where Iran and its local militias have tried to take Tikrit but cannot do so and in steps the US air force to bomb a path for them.  Of course, good form requires that the Iranians step back while America bombs and are not seen on the scene but don't doubt who will take the credit for ISIS' defeat.

The consequences of Obama's actions are many-fold.

Saudi Arabia and other Arabian Gulf countries can clearly see that Obama is abandoning the Gulf and allowing Iran a free rein to become the regional super-power.  These other countries have intervened in Yemen, because America ran away and because they cannot allow Iran a foothold on the Arabian peninsula.  Saudi Arabia is not in a position to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon - Obama has seen to that.  So we can now expect Saudi Arabia to get its own nuclear weapons.  Perhaps buying from Pakistan or even North Korea?  Saudi Arabia has plenty of what both of these countries need - money.

So courtesy of Obama, the Arabian Gulf will become a nuclear-armed region, in a short space of time.

Of course, will Israel sit tight and allow Iran to become a nuclear power?  Or will they bite the bullet and bomb the Iranian facilities out of existence?  Will Israel get its nuclear retaliation in, first?  Might Israel figure, that the usual opprobrium that is heaped upon them, from Arab nations, would be more than somewhat muted, given that both Israel and these Arab nations share a common enemy - their neighbor, Iran.  The Europeans would screech and moan but what else can they do?  The US?  What do Israel have to fear?  They will get no favours or benefits from America for the next two years, only more of the same from the Obama White House.  Russia will use any such event as an opportunity to expand in Ukraine and maybe even further westward.  China?  They could be bought off with Gulf oil.

Such is the crop from the seeds that Obama has sown!

Somebody on Twitter, suggested that Vice-President Joe Biden was Obama's impeachment insurance - people might consider impeaching Obama but then would look at the line of succession and abandon the notion, when they see that Biden is next in line!  Biden does have an almost perverted interest in fondling other men's wives, which would be interesting on State occasions but surely the time has come to consider him the far lesser of the two evils?

Think of the damage that Obama can do in another 20 months.  Move for articles of impeachment to be issued, now.

Well done Bibi

 The title says it all.  Well done to Benjamin Netanyahu on his success in the recent Israeli elections.

This victory was seemingly against the odds as domestic issues - the economy etc., - tended to predominate and the story was not good.  Also because, to America's shame, it seems that President Obama went out of his way to interfere in Israeli politics and to actively work against Netanyahu's re-election.

It must have really stuck in the craw, for Islam-loving Obama, to find his only non-Bibi choice was a party bearing the word Zionist in its name but he swallowed deep and followed his political teachings, where the end justifies the means.  Except that this time, his end wasn't met.  The people of Israel did not fear the wrath of Obama.  

I trust though, that they can now depend on the support of the US Congress, whom Bibi just recently addressed.  The rumour-mill has it that in retaliation or more accurately, in a fit of childish pique, Obama will now change the US' stance at the United Nations and withdraw the previously solid and constant support for Israel.  

And why is Obama doing this?  

Well it is of course because Obama is looking to seal an agreement with Iran.  He sees this as an opportunity for a legacy.  His flagship Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as it is better known, is a miserable failure.  This will end-up being repealed wholly or in part, in the next administration. The American people are seeing through the pack of lies on which it was passed.  Not least because the people that passed it and their union backers have claimed exemptions  for themselves.  It's funny how Americans whose ancestors threw off the 'yoke of a monarchy' now have to endure an elected monarchy that sets one rule for the people and then sets themselves above those same rules.  Not so much 'let them eat cake' as let them eat higher insurance premiums'!

Benjamin Netanyahu understands that the deal being mooted, is a bad deal.  In this he is supported by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, who recognise the threat posed by a nuclear armed Iran.  This isn't just an existential threat to Israel.  Iran is developing Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).  The clue to their target is in the name - intercontinental.  The target is of course, the 'Great Satan' itself, the USA.  Once again, Obama is seen to be jeopardising the safety of America and Americans.  His swapping of the 5 Taliban terrorists for the deserter Bowe Bergdahl was another example. 

Obama has pussy-footed around on Syria and ISIS and in part has allowed ISIS its successes because it serves his anti-Israel and anti-America aims.  It has been left to the courageous Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan to offer any real opposition to the murderous Islamic State - which Obama still insists, isn't  Islamic!  The Peshmerga have been collecting arms from European countries but isn't being supported by the USA.  Obama prefers instead, to put minimal resources into training (again) the Iraqi army controlled by Baghdad.  This is the same army that is being supported by murderous Shia-Muslim militias.  These same militias, in recent activity, went into Sunni-Muslim tribal areas, previously controlled by ISIS and then started massacring local Sunnis.  Obama and the Baghdad government know, absolutely know, that the defeat and annihilation of ISIS in Southern Iraq, is very dependent  upon the support of Sunnis but that didn't stop them from letting the militias loose.  Is there any wonder that the Kurds want to take Mosul and Kirkuk themselves rather than leave it to the butchers from Baghdad?

It seems clear to this non-American observer, that Obama is working against the interest of the USA and its allies (sadly, a dwindling band) and it is now incumbent on the US Congress, in addition to providing support to Israel, to commence impeachment proceedings against Obama and should at the same time, use existing congressional mechanisms to de-fund Obamacare and other anti-American and anti-free enterprise legislation that has been recently passed.

Be clear, America and the World cannot successfully survive another two years of this very dangerous White House.

Do Americans still have courage?