It is always interesting to be able to take a look behind the curtains with the current administration in terms of who is making the policy. Therefore, seeing what Mr Brzezinski has to say about foreign policy is as close as it gets to the reality of the situation. In this case it is pretty ominous. With Russia and China aligned (see the next article), this could get ugly very rapidly.
The leading anti-Russian figure of the Anglo-American establishment and geopolitical chess player, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has recently declared in an op-ed for the Financial Times that the United States should “retaliate” against Russia for its actions in Syria, even going so far as military action to do so.
Brzezinski argues that the recent Russian involvement in Syria puts American credibility and global reputation at stake and suggests that such a situation is intolerable. Brzezinski wrote that Russian attacks against what he and the U.S. State Department have labeled as the “non-ISIS” targets and “rebels backed by the United States” at best reflects “Russian military incompetence” and at worst signals “evidence of a dangerous desire to highlight American political impotence.”
“In these rapidly unfolding circumstances the U.S. has only one real option if it is to protect its wider stakes in the region: to convey to Moscow the demand that it cease and desist from military actions that directly affect American assets,” he wrote.
“But, better still, Russia might be persuaded to act with the U.S. in seeking a wider accommodation to a regional problem that transcends the interests of a single state,” he added later.
Brzezinski hinted that Russia was engaged in a “new form of neocolonial domination” and offered up his assessment of the geopolitical situation when he stated:
China would doubtless prefer to stay on the sidelines. It might calculate that it will then be in a better position to pick up the pieces. But the regional chaos could easily spread northeastward, eventually engulfing central and northeastern Asia. Both Russia and then China could be adversely affected. But American interests and America’s friends — not to mention regional stability — would also suffer. It is time, therefore, for strategic boldness.
It is, indeed, a strange kind of “neocolonial domination” that sees the “dominated” country invite the “dominator” in for support with the “dominator” incredibly resistant to doing so for years. It is also incredibly hypocritical to suggest that Russia is the state actor representing a “neocolonial domination” when the United States has marched its blood-drenched boots all across the globe for decades, slaughtering, draining, and oppressing the hapless civilians that have been unfortunate enough to have been born in a country with natural wealth or strategic positioning.
Of course, the idea that U.S. credibility is on the line as a result of the Russian involvement is without question. Unfortunately for the United States, however, that ship has already sailed a long time ago and what little shred of American credibility that was left is being eaten up by every sortie flown against ISIS by the Russian military.
Indeed, it is quite amazing what one can accomplish when one bombs the actual terrorist organization it claims is the enemy. The Russians have clearly demonstrated that either the United States military is not capable of fighting itself out of a wet paper bag, or the U.S. government never wanted to fight ISIS to begin with. Considering the trail of destruction the United States has left behind in its wake, it is safe to say that the latter is the logical conclusion.
Russia has carried out a series of deadly airstrikes against the terrorist group over the last few days and Vladimir Putin has now sent the country's most elite special forces team into the war zone.
And speculation is heightening that offensive will be bolstered by the China's People's Liberation Army, following a number of reports of military movements in the region backed up by strong words from a senior government member at a United Nations meeting.
Reports emanating from the Middle East last week said China was planning on joining the fight against ISIS "in the coming weeks", according to a Syrian army official.
While Beijing insists it will abide by the United Nations (UN) in the region, hints of an action were backed up when it spoke strongly about a coordinated response to the rising terrorist threat.
Speaking of the Syrian crisis China's foreign minister Wang Yi said at the UN Security Council session in New York: “The world cannot afford to stand by and look on with folded arms, but must also not arbitrarily interfere.”
He added that nations should stand united against "violent extremist ideology".
Mr Wang and his opposite number in Russia, Sergey Lavrov met at length last week and afterwards Mr Lavrov said the two countries are in "similar positions" on many domestic and international issues.
China has also shown solidarity with Syria, joining Russia in vetoeing UN proposals against Bashar al-Assad, which are likely to prevent him being referred by the council to the International Criminal Court.
The latest actions at the UN conference have come amid reports, citing key military sources, Chinese warships have made their way to Syrian shores through the Suez Canal.
It was said China's J-15 warplanes would launch from an aircraft carrier for attacks on ISIS.
Russian media followed that up by quoting Igor Morozov, a member of the Russian Federation Committee on International Affairs, confirming Chinese aircraft carrier, Lianoning, and a guided missile cruiser were heading to the area, and adding Chinese military advisers were already in the region.
Mr Morozov said: "It is known that China has joined our military operation in Syria.
"The Chinese cruiser has already entered the Mediterranean, followed by its aircraft carrier."
It began last year when ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent out a chilling threat to China over the perceived oppression of the Muslim Uighur minority in the state of Xinjiang.
Beijing claims members of the Uighur militant group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, have been training with extremists in Syria and Iraq.
China officials also say they face a severe threat of terror attacks in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in clashes over the past three years.
China has long maintained a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states but, as well as the threat to its own country from ISIS, the situation in Syria is impacting on the Asian state's economy.
That includes the China National Petroleum Corporation being forced to abandon its oilfields in Syria.
China also has oil fields in Iraq and would suffer heavily financially if these fell into the hands of ISIS.
Any interference in the region would pit China against USA and the Asian country would be keen to avoid a confrontation with its fellow superpower.
However, it would be a major boost to the Russian war strategy in Syria.
Since the beginning of Russia’s air campaign over Syria, Russian jets have interrupted American drone flights on three separate occasions. According US officials, the fighter jets have been making their presence known by ‘shadowing’ the drones. All three instances occurred over ISIS territory, which includes the city of Raqqa, Allepo, and by the Syrian border with Turkey near Kobani. As one official put it when speaking with reporters, “The first time it happened, we thought the Russians got lucky. Then it happened two more times.”
In addition to this, there has been at least one instance where a Russian fighter jet came so close to a US aircraft, that it had to change its course.
According to Navy Captain Jeff Davis “We have taken action to maintain safe separation” before adding that the aircraft had to change its flight path, though he didn’t reveal what kind of plane was involved in the incident.
According to Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, commander of the American air campaign over Syria, the Russians are trying to maintain a safe distance with manned aircraft, and have never come closer than 20 miles. But when it comes to unmanned aircraft, they’re not shy about flying “within a handful of miles of our remotely piloted aircraft.”
While these distances may sound vast to most people, in modern air warfare this is as close as it gets. The possibility that Russian and American planes may have an altercation or an accident (or perhaps a convenient false flag) has never been higher.
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