HERE IS VLADIMIR PUTIN’S NEXT TARGET…JED BABBIN
http://www.epictimes.com/londoncenter/2015/10/here-is-vladimir-putins-next-target/
It’s necessary to take another short break from the endless coverage of the 2016 election. There are a lot of things of more immediate importance going on in the world, and they demand our undivided attention for at least a few minutes.
Those of us who of skeptical mind wonder why so little attention is being paid to the story out of Moldova (where?) about smugglers trying to sell nuclear material to ISIS. And to the statement of FBI Director Jay Comey about the problem his agency is having with the Syrian refugees coming to America.
Even though Cold War 2 has been going on for about ten years, it didn’t take nearly that long for the Russians to re-learn old habits. We haven’t kept pace with our abilities to spot anomalies in their behavior. We’d better re-learn our abilities not only to spot anomalies but to connect them to Russian capabilities and intents when they fit.
Moldova – now that you’re wondering – is a very poor nation of 3.5 million people on the Black Sea wedged in between Ukraine and Romania. Its government is enthusiastically corrupt and its economy is agricultural except for the part that’s supported by smuggling.
The news last week out of Moldova told us its secret police (apparently supported by the FBI) had for the fourth time in five years interrupted Russian-connected smuggling operations that were trying to sell radioactive materials – in this case cesium – to ISIS terrorists. A few small fry were caught but, as we should expect, the big fish got away.
It’s always a good thing to disrupt terrorists’ operations. But why was this new published then, or at all? None of the other supposed successes over the past five years were made public. Cui bono? Who benefits from the story being published.
Good old Vlad, of course. Putin is riding a wave of popularity at home based mainly on his repeated victories in public showdowns with America. He’s expanded Russian territory – by seizing the Crimean Peninsula – and is trying gradually to take over all of Ukraine. His adventures in Syria have succeeded in pushing America out of the zone, and are on the verge of ending our influence in the Middle East altogether.
The publication of the Moldova smugglers story enables Putin to claim that Moldovans are bringing terrorism to Russia’s borders and to use that threat as an excuse for action. Moldova is just a short jump from Crimea, so Putin could use the terrorism idea to justify Russian troops taking over Moldova one morning soon.
The expansion of Russian territory is very popular among Russians, so Moldova could easily be Putin’s next target. Moreover, it would be in character for Putin to make a move in Moldova before he wraps up his successes in Syria and Ukraine. Keeping us off-balance (which has been really easy to do since 2009) is all part of the game. The big part is in Syria, and we’re still playing on Putin’s terms.
A big piece of evidence was provided by FBI Director Comey at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing last week.
Speaking about the possible dangers inherent in bringing people to America from Syria, Comey said, “My concern there is there are certain gaps … in the data available to us…There is risk associated of bringing anybody in from the outside, but specifically from a conflict zone like that.”
President Obama plans to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. Comey’s statement is an admission that we have no way to know if any of them are members of ISIS, Hizballah or terrorists belonging to other groups such as al-Nusra, an al-Qaida affiliate. It’s an admission that we can’t even determine whether the people being admitted are Syrian.
Comey’s statement should have been obvious to anyone. The nations from which these people seek to emigrate don’t issue drivers’ licenses or voter ID cards. Many of the refugees won’t even have passports. We can’t know who they are.
So why are we allowing any of those people into the United States? And why isn’t the supposedly Republican-led congress doing anything about it?
Mr. Obama wants to admit the 10,000 Syrians next year. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Obama admitted about 70,000 refugees from Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia in 2015 and will increase the overall refugee intake to 100,000 people in 2016.
America should always welcome legal immigrants who don’t pose a danger to our citizens. But those who are a danger – or those who we can’t determine if they are a danger – shouldn’t be brought into our nation. So why isn’t congress doing something to stop Obama based on Comey’s warning?
It’s not because they’re busy doing something on Syria. There are so many pols and pundits now playing around with “solutions” on Syria, and just about zero recognition of the facts on the ground that the so-called solutions have to include to achieve credibility.
First, let’s recognize that this isn’t a proxy war. Russian pilots, flying Russian combat aircraft and drones, are operating in the no-fly zone they established. By a not-so-diplomatic demarche two weeks ago, they warned us out of their zone and, while huffing and puffing to the contrary, Obama and Defense Secretary Carter are complying with their demand. And Iranian troops, operating in uniform under Iranian command and cooperating with the Russian forces, are engaged in ground combat.
I heard one old general say last week that we should be arming the “Syrian rebels” more, and protecting them by “cratering a few runways,” apparently meaning the Russian runways. He said it was a proxy war we need to engage in to help our Syrian “allies.”
The Russian-Iranian-Syrian coalition intends to maintain the terrorist Assad regime and complete their domination of Syria. Russia has launched cruise missiles at Syrian targets from their Caspian Sea fleet, overflying Iraq and Iran (where four Russian cruise missiles crashed). Anyone calling this a proxy war is simply delusional.
This is a war to dominate the Middle East. The Russians and Iranians are fully engaged. If we want to prevent Russia’s success, we would have to be fully committed. Our president is not committed at all. As a headline in The Economist said a week ago, “Putin Dares, Obama Dithers.” Just so.
I’m reminded of the mottos of two of the world’s best military forces. The British Special Air Service motto is, “Who dares, wins.” And their Special Boat Service goes by the credo “If not by strength, then guile.” Those are concepts alien to us. That won’t be corrected until – at least – January 2017.
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