generalspeaking

Consulting With Allies

What a motley crew is represented by the purported "allies" of the United States and the extended Western democratic societies of the world, by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and the Gulf States. We know how helpful Pakistan has been in the 'war on terror', and for that matter Saudi Arabia as well. Since it was the Saudis to begin with who helpfully paid for and built the many madrassas that have never stopped turning out jihadi-minded fundamentalists.

From the madrassas to the terror training camps, both have pride of presence in Pakistan which churned out the mujahadeen on command to provoke India, to upturn Afghanistan, to branch out toward Iraq and toward countries of the West. But here is Hillary Clinton, American Secretary of State, leaving for a tour of the U.S. Gulf Arab allies to enjoin them to greater commitment in extending sanctions against Iran.

She will visit the United Arab Emirates on a five-day trip to consolidate the U.S. position with respect to its allies, planning to seek 'insight' into events occurring in Iran and the prospective multilateral nuclear talks. Oops, that'll work wonders, won't it, since the host of talks at a later date with Russia, China, Britain France and Germany is Turkey, and that country has made no secret of its support of Iran and its nuclear adventure.

The UAE is well known to be funding violent extremist groups. As is Saudi Arabia. On the one hand they are 'allies' of the West and specifically of the United States, the grand conductor of the international community, and on the other their well-heeled oil princelings and state treasuries have been most generously funding terror groups to spread fundamentalist Islamism.

These friends of NATO with their vast riches have not expended any of their financial resources on battling Middle East terrorism, but they have funded it. They depend on the United States to be sufficiently alert, armed and committed to protecting its friends and allies - conspicuously, the very group that is funding terror - when it is directed toward them by al-Qaeda offshoots who have no love of wealthy rulers of the oil kingdoms.

Secretary of State Clinton will arrive to traditionally warm and generous Middle East welcomes and confer with her colleagues in the UAE and elsewhere, and hasten back to Washington to divulge to the State Department and the White House the extent of the commitment of their friends in the Middle East in averting further terror bloodshed, and their commitment to the Iran sanctions regime.

She would do as well to remain in Washington instead of jetting about, throw some dice, engage in some chicken-bone divinations, and conclude from the hints obtained thereby the same level of reliable intelligence that she will come away with from these trips.

Labels: Middle East, Political Realities, Technology, Traditions, Troublespots, United States

posted by Pieface @ Sunday, January 09, 2011