It took Islamic State follower Salman Abedi and a bomb to kill 22 people just outside a Manchester Ariana Grande concert to prove a point a few of you already suspected: President Donald Trump is completely FOS about fighting terrorism.
And yet, the Right seems confused, and the Left acts as if Trump is the first to discover banana republics.
With every US President since Richard Nixon supporting what looks to me like a “Saudi first” policy, what part of President Donald Trump’s USD 350 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia surprises you?
I have a message for shocked readers: take a break from digesting this piece and consider two things.
One — every OPEC nation, with the exception of Iran and Venezuela, sells oil in US dollars.
Two — read this dirty secret about how America can consistently run deficits to fund overseas wars and maintain tax cuts for the rich …
Welcome back, formerly shocked readers …
Nevertheless, the arms deal is disappointing.
It means the war on civilians in Yemen — which started with the Obama administration’s support through missiles, refueling planes, intelligence and Special Forces operators — will continue.
It also means the jihadist-led war on Syria will continue.
That’s right — the same terrorist groups currently in Syria fighting Bashar al-Assad’s government forces and wishing to destroy America, have Saudi Arabia’s support.
And America supports Saudi Arabia with arms deals.
The news is even worse — America supports Saudi Arabia with full knowledge of the Kingdom’s support for jihadists.
Even the mainstream media doesn’t hide this fact. In 2010, the New York Times reported on what then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knew about Saudi Arabia’s support for jihadists:
A classified memo sent by Mrs. Clinton last December made it clear that residents of Saudi Arabia and its neighbors, all allies of the United States, are the chief financial supporters of many extremist activities. “It has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority,” the cable said, concluding that “donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”
Nearly five years later, Clinton once again acknowledged the Saudis role in supporting jihadists in Syria’s so-called civil war. Via Wikileaks:
… [W]e need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region.
Hmph. The US has not and will not “bring pressure” — especially when the the Saudis have grabbed the US by the petrodollar.
Hell, Vice President Joe Biden tried to tell y’all about the Saudis’ love for terrorists — before he was shut down.
And let’s not forget the September 11 attacks (Via NY Times):
in sworn statements that seem likely to reignite the debate, two former senators who were privy to top secret information on the Saudis’ activities say they believe that the Saudi government might have played a direct role in the terrorist attacks.
I’ll also throw in the turmoil created by releasing those 28 pages from the 9/11 Commission’s report.
And like other Presidents, Trump amazingly ignores Saudi Arabia’s role in sponsoring terrorism to blame Iran for Middle East terrorism, thus adding to the FOS quotient. Here’s an excerpt of the President’s speech in Riyadh three days ago (emphasis mine):
But no discussion of stamping out this [terrorist] threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists all three — safe harbor, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment. It is a regime that is responsible for so much instability in the region. I am speaking of course of Iran.
From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms, and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region. For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.
It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.
Among Iran’s most tragic and destabilizing interventions have been in Syria. Bolstered by Iran, Assad has committed unspeakable crimes, and the United States has taken firm action in response to the use of banned chemical weapons by the Assad Regime—launching 59 tomahawk missiles at the Syrian air base from where that murderous attack originated.
And less than a day later, Manchester gets bombed by the follower of a terror group that has received cash and arms from Saudi Arabia. Trump became predictably silent about that point.
I get the sense that $350 billion in arms will help Trump prepare the Middle East for yet another regime change adventure. Take a good guess where …
But at least you’ll now get to see those jobs Trump promised during his 2016 campaign! Bloodshed is just collateral damage …
song currently stuck in my head: “tallulah feels good (feat. james brown, gorillaz & jamiroquai)” – tamar mashup
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