Obama and Assad, the best of enemies
Israel Hayom | Obama and Assad, the best of enemies.
Prof. Eyal Zissler
Overconfidence, smugness or perhaps an operational mistake led the Syrian army to kill more than a thousand civilians, many of them children, in a deadly gas attack in a Damascus suburb.
The attack marks a year since the Syrian army’s first use of deadly gas in its fight against rebels. Until last week the usage was done in remote areas far from the world’s view, against isolated targets and in low quantities. Those isolated attacks were enough to kill a few dozen rebels and provide the Syrian army with a tactical advantage, as well as net the regime a few points in the ongoing fight against the insurgency, yet not enough to force U.S. President Barack Obama to act on his pledge to respond against Syria if it uses chemical weapons.
But last week the red line was crossed, one of the many times Bashar Assad has crossed it during his nearly 30-month-long fight to eradicate his opposition. Crossing red lines however will not necessarily lead to his demise. The U.S. is not particularly excited by the prospect of getting involved militarily in Syria, and even if Obama decides to act, he — experts believe — will be satisfied with targeted missile strikes against Syrian military installations. The targets would be similar to those that Israel, according to foreign reports, attacked earlier this year.
Assad pointed his finger at Israel for the reported attacks, but stopped short of taking action against Israel. It is very possible he will react the same towards the U.S. After all, his real fight is with the rebels, as such it is safe to assume he will do everything in his power not to get dragged into all out war with the Americans.
In this, Obama and Assad have a mutual interest. Both are not interested in a wide-scale conflict with each other, which would end in the fall of the Syrian regime but could leave the U.S. mired in hostile territory à la Iraq and Afghanistan. If what the experts say is proven true, Obama will strike Assad just hard enough to satisfy world opinion, yet still leave him standing and not compelled to respond, thus allowing Damascus to continue its fight against the rebels. Until next time.
WarSclerotic 
August 26, 2013 at 3:41 PM
Other than to help our friends in Israel, why the hell are we even in the Mideast? Some say in a crude manner (no pun intended) that we are there for the oil. Others say it’s for humanitarian reasons. We I say both responses are false.
Oil and gas is so abundant here in the USA and Canada that we do not need foreign oil, period. As we speak, I have a friend working in the oilfields of North Dakota and he says the wells are producing like crazy. While down here in Louisiana, there’s enough natural gas to power our automobiles for hundred’s of years. And they say we need to protect foreign oil. Please…give me a break. All we’re doing is preserving the world market price of oil.
As for humanitarian causes, yes, there are atrocities in the Mideast as well as in other parts of the world, yet we run to the aid of ‘victims’ in the Mideast exclusively. And what do we do about it? Turn them into humanitarians by bombing the hell out of ’em, that’s how. So ironic. So ridiculous.
The federal government is out of control, and it’s not just Obama. Once again, the elites in Washington are sending young Americans to foreign lands who will risk life and limb because they feel it’s their duty to protect our freedom and liberty. To this, I say the federal government is like a chimpanzee (no racial slur intended) with a machine gun firing a volley of young soldiers into areas without any purpose or true aim.
Of course, that’s just my opinion, I could be entirely wrong.
August 26, 2013 at 3:50 PM
Steve, with all the humble I could be possible capable – really – I strongly recommend to you reading – but of course, its not an ”oblige” – my lines referring the situation Obama is in right now. May be than we’ll understand the whole complex of facts and deeds which might strongly influence his decision, this time.
August 26, 2013 at 4:22 PM
I’ll be glad to Luis. But you have to realize that here in the States we still have a steady flow of body bags containing the bodies of our young soldiers (and diplomats) returning home to devastated families.
August 26, 2013 at 4:46 PM
What I meant to say was that Obama is not present here, in the Middle East, because of Israel and the American – NATO retaliation wont be because of Israel or because Israel has such a nefarious influence on America, in particular , or on the world, in general. Those ”believes” are what our enemies want you to believe. America was defending its interests in region and has maintained large fleets and man power, in the past. In the Obama’s Gold Era, those interests suddenly weren’t so important to sustain and The Big American Retreat has started. Obama never loved or liked Israel. Obama was never an anti-Semite, look careful to what I’m writing. He never felt very deep for the Christianity, either. There is no Holly Land for him. For Obama, the world is more like a Teletubbies Land, with universal harmony, nice running rabbits and sweet laughing babies.
But, in one day, in this Obama Land, a very big danger suddenly has appeared. It was The Nasty Assad Doctor, holding in his hand little poisoned gas cans and throwing them to the rabbits and to the babies. The Teletubbies and Obama were deeply shocked. Their world was rocked to the core and never be the same again.
August 26, 2013 at 4:57 PM
Makes a lot of sense Luis. Might I add that Obama is nothing more that a ‘community organizer’ and his world is very small, about the size of a ghetto neighborhood. Internationally, he’s lost and totally dependent on his advisers. So who set’s foreign policy here in the US? Who’s belief system is guiding our young soldiers into battle? Hell if I know!
One other thought if I may Luis. When the bombing starts, Syria will most probably strike back at everyone including Israel with CW’s. It’s a horrible thought, but in all probably it could happen. Anyway, what’s the response? Such an attack would have to be ‘shut down’ immediately. An intense bombing campaign or nuclear response might be our only options at that point. So, are we on the brink of a nuclear response? Or will we just decapitate the Assad regime? Again, who knows.
August 26, 2013 at 5:16 PM
If anyone in the World will dare to attack Israel, The Jewish State, with Weapons of Mass Destruction, that ”Anyone” will halt to exist in the very next moments after he / they committed that fatal blunder.
The State of Israel will not ask any permission from anyone – friends included – to react and Israel second strike capability will take place almost instantly. Nobody should underestimated the Israeli Samson Option. That is a fact.
August 26, 2013 at 5:24 PM
So the nukes will fly…but it won’t stop with Israel’s.
August 26, 2013 at 5:30 PM
more reslove melting