Cort, For your first question, it was answered in the Wiki Release posted in full below your question. Read it.
Second... why the subject change? This is about US/Western and their allies interfering in Syria. Of Course Russia was there before. But of course, before they even existed the Western Influences were in the Middle East doing the same thing we are doing today, back to at least the 1880's. So it sounds like your trying to make it OK for Western Interventions because Russia was there first? Scott > Please Scot, tell us which opposition group is the US training? > > I suggest you look at the all the > http://wikileaks.org/syria-files/releases.html cables on Syria and US > dealings with the regime and still no word about Russian and Iranian > imperialist intervention which pre dates US imperialism intervention by > decades. > > Cort > > > On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 6:49 PM, <scotpe...@cruzio.com> wrote: > >> ** >> >> >> This is worth re-posting. Any assumptions about Syria that discounts >> Western Intervention or Western creation of events so they can >> intervene, >> is at best incomplete, but more likely to support US intervention. Many >> people get paid big bucks to make people want to do those things that >> we'd >> not do if we had all the facts in the first place. >> >> Scott >> >> "Military Intervention In Syria", US Training "Rebels" Since 2011 And >> The >> Complete Grand Plan - The March 2012 Leak >> >> >> http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-25/military-intervention-syria-us-training-rebels-2011-and-complete-grand-plan-march-20 >> >> For all those still shocked by the "developing events" in Syria, here is >> the full rundown as it was orchestrated back in 2011, and as it was >> released in March 2012 by Wikileaks. >> >> From Wikileaks, released 3/6/2012, typos and grammar errors as in >> original. >> >> * * * >> >> INSIGHT - military intervention in Syria, post withdrawal status of >> forces >> >> Released on 2012-03-06 07:00 GMT >> >> A few points I wanted to highlight from meetings today -- >> >> I spent most of the afternoon at the Pentagon with the USAF strategic >> studies group - guys who spend their time trying to understand and >> explain >> to the USAF chief the big picture in areas where they're operating in. >> It >> was just myself and four other guys at the Lieutenant Colonel level, >> including one French and one British representative who are liaising >> with >> the US currently out of DC. >> >> They wanted to grill me on the strategic picture on Syria, so after that >> I >> got to grill them on the military picture. There is still a very low >> level >> of understanding of what is actually at stake in Syria, what's the >> strategic interest there, the Turkish role, the Iranian role, etc. After >> a >> couple hours of talking, they said without saying that SOF teams >> (presumably from US, UK, France, Jordan, Turkey) are already on the >> ground >> focused on recce [ZH: "recce" means reconnaissance] missions and >> training >> opposition forces. One Air Force intel guy (US) said very carefully that >> there isn't much of a Free Syrian Army to train right now anyway, but >> all >> the operations being done now are being done out of 'prudence.' The way >> it >> was put to me was, 'look at this way - the level of information known on >> Syrian OrBat this month is the best it's been since 2001.' They have >> been >> told to prepare contingencies and be ready to act within 2-3 months, but >> they still stress that this is all being done as contingency planning, >> not >> as a move toward escalation. >> >> I kept pressing on the question of what these SOF teams would be working >> toward, and whether this would lead to an eventual air camapign to give >> a >> Syrian rebel group cover. They pretty quickly distanced themselves from >> that idea, saying that the idea 'hypothetically' is to commit guerrilla >> attacks, assassination campaigns, try to break the back of the Alawite >> forces, elicit collapse from within. There wouldn't be a need for air >> cover, and they wouldn't expect these Syrian rebels to be marching in >> columns anyway. >> >> They emphasized how the air campaign in Syria makes Libya look like a >> piece of cake. Syrian air defenses are a lot more robust and are much >> denser, esp around Damascus and on the borders with Israel, Turkey. THey >> are most worried about mobile air defenses, particularly the SA-17s that >> they've been getting recently. It's still a doable mission, it's just >> not >> an easy one. >> >> The main base they would use is Cyprus, hands down. Brits and FRench >> would >> fly out of there. They kept stressing how much is stored at Cyprus and >> how >> much recce comes out of there. The group was split on whether Turkey >> would >> be involved, but said Turkey would be pretty critical to the mission to >> base stuff out of there. EVen if Turkey had a poltiical problem with >> Cyprus, they said there is no way the Brits and the FRench wouldn't use >> Cyprus as their main air force base. Air Force Intel guy seems pretty >> convinced that the Turks won't participate (he seemed pretty pissed at >> them.) >> >> There still seems to be a lot of confusion over what a military >> intervention involving an air campaign would be designed to achieve. It >> isn't clear cut for them geographically like in Libya, and you can't >> just >> create an NFZ over Homs, Hama region. This would entail a countrywide >> SEAD >> campaign lasting the duration of the war. They dont believe air >> intervention would happen unless there was enough media attention on a >> massacre, like the Ghadafi move against Benghazi. They think the US >> would >> have a high tolerance for killings as long as it doesn't reach that very >> public stage. Theyre also questiioning the skills of the Syrian forces >> that are operating the country's air defenses currently and how >> signfiicant the Iranian presence is there. Air Force Intel guy is most >> obsessed with the challenge of taking out Syria's ballistic missile >> capabilities and chem weapons. With Israel rgiht there and the regime >> facing an existential crisis, he sees that as a major complication to >> any >> military intervention. >> >> The post 2011 SOFA with Iraq is still being negotiated. These guys were >> hoping that during Biden's visit that he would announce a deal with >> Maliki, but no such luck. They are gambling ont he idea that the Iraqis >> remember the iran-iraq war and that maliki is not going to want to face >> the threat of Iranian jets entering Iraqi air space. THey say that most >> US >> fighter jets are already out of Iraq and transferred to Kuwait. They >> explained that's the beauty of the air force, the base in Kuwait is just >> a >> hop, skip and jump away from their bases in Europe, ie. very easy to >> rapidly build up when they need to. They don't seem concerned about the >> US >> ability to restructure its forces to send a message to Iran. They gave >> the >> example of the USS Enterprise that was supposed to be out of commission >> already and got extended another couple years to send to the gulf. WHen >> the US withdraws, we'll have at least 2 carriers in the gulf out of >> centcom and one carrier in the Med out of EuCom. I asked if the build-up >> in Kuwait and the carrier deployments are going to be enough to send a >> message to Iran that the US isn't going anywhere. They responded that >> Iran >> will get the message if they read the Centcom Web Site. STarting Jan. 1 >> expect them to be publishing all over the place where the US is >> building up. >> >> Another concern they have about an operation in Syria is whether Iran >> could impede operations out of Balad air force base in Iraq. >> >> The French representative was of hte opinion that Syria won't be a >> libya-type situation in that France would be gung-ho about going in. Not >> in an election year. The UK rep also emphasized UK reluctance but said >> that the renegotiation of the EU treaty undermines the UK role and that >> UK >> would be looking for ways to reassert itself on the continent ( i dont >> really think a syria campaign is the way to do that.) UK guy mentioned >> as >> an aside that the air force base commander at Cyprus got switched out >> from >> a maintenance guy to a guy that flew Raptors, ie someone that >> understands >> what it means to start dropping bombs. He joked that it was probably a >> coincidence. >> >> Prior to that, I had a meeting with an incoming Kuwaiti diplomat (will >> be >> coded as KU301.) His father was high up in the regime, always by the >> CP's/PM's side. The diplo himself still seems to be getting his feet wet >> in DC (the new team just arrived less than 2 weeks ago,) but he made >> pretty clear that Kuwait was opening the door to allowing US to build up >> forces as needed. THey already have a significant presence there, and a >> lot of them will be on 90-day rotations. He also said that the SOFA that >> the US signs with Baghdad at the last minute will be worded in such a >> way >> that even allowing one trainer in the country can be construed to mean >> what the US wants in terms of keeping forces in Iraq. Overall, I didnt >> get >> the impression from him that Kuwait is freaked out about the US leaving. >> >> Everyhting is just getting rearranged. The Kuwaitis used to be much >> better >> at managing their relations with Iran, but ever since that spy ring >> story >> came out a year ago, it's been bad. He doesn't think Iran has >> significant >> covert capabililiteis in the GCC states, though they are trying. Iranian >> activity is mostly propaganda focused. He said that while KSA and >> Bahrain >> they can deal with it as needed and black out the media, Kuwait is a lot >> more open and thus provides Iran with more oppotunity to shape >> perceptions >> (he used to work in inforamtion unit in Kuwait.) He says there is a sig >> number of kuwaitis that listen to Iranian media like Al Alam especially. >> >> On the Kuwaiti political scene - the government is having a harder time >> dealing with a more emboldened opposition, but the opposition is still >> extremely divided, esp among the Islamists. The MPs now all have to go >> back to their tribes to rally support for the elections to take place in >> Feb. Oftentimes an MP in Kuwait city will find out that he has lost >> support back home with the tribe, and so a lot of moeny is handed >> out.The >> govt is hoping that witha clean slate they can quiet the opposition >> down. >> A good way of managing the opposition he said is to refer cases to the >> courts, where they can linger forever. good way for the govt to buy >> time. >> He doesnt believe the Arab League will take significant action against >> Syria - no one is interested in military intervention. they just say it >> to >> threaten >> >> >> > ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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