The Syrian Arab Government and ISIS have always been enemies.

 There is all kinds of nonsense circulating in the MSM and in the wilder reaches of the internet galaxy concerning ISIS (IS) and the Syrian government (SAG).  There are also an amazing number of stories on the web that claim that "The Caliph Ibrahim" (Baghdadi) is actually an Israeli Jew, born in Israel to Jewish parents.  Whoa! That's a great one!  It has its origins in Iranian media that is selling the idea that Snowden says so.  OK.  Let's see the intercepts that Snowden is said to have on that subject.

- The US and European foreign policy establishments are trapped in a situation in which they have declared themselves to be the enemies of the Government of Syria, dedicated to its overthrow in a world in which the Government of Syria has survived very well, thank you.

- There are a multitude of rebel groups in Syria.  One of the links below leads to a chart enumerating them in all their splendor.  The only effective ones are the Islamic ones.   This was inevitably going to be the case.  The pro-government forces are fighting an existential fight against Sunni Syrian Arabs and jihadi internationals who very much want to put the Alawis, Shia, Christians, Druze and the like either back in their kennels or in their graves.  The Free Syrian Army (the fave of the US children's crusade run from the NSC and State), has proven itself to be an "army" that does not want to fight.  Why should it?  These "moderate" seculars and other sane people want to live, not die for the faith, any faith.  The serious opposition are the tough guys who DO want to die for the faith.  There are many such groups.

 

- The US Foreign Service types are trying to spin the narrative now to make the Syrian Government the secret sponsor of ISIS.  The "evidence" cited for this is the relatively light engagement that the SAG  had until recently against ISIS forces in eastern Syria.  Well, people, that's the part farthest away from the densely populated parts of the country that the SAG is trying to control.  The SAG and their Lebanese Shia allies have a limited number of troops and aircraft and their strategy is clearly to re-take and hold ground and people in a deliberate process that does not waste assets.  ISIS is now in possession of several former SAG installations in the Raqqa area of the eastern sandbox.  They captured Raqqa air base in the last days.  Wherever they have taken control they have butchered Syrian government personnel.  That shows a bad attitude toward a government that supposedly nurtured ISIS.   In addition to that, ISIS and the SAG are locked in battle in the Aleppo region.

- Richard Haas sys that "the enemy of your  enemy is still your enemy."  That may sound good on Zakaria's Sunday kaffeeklatch or at a Manhattan dinner party, but it is a stupid idea.  The US government adopted the regime change policy in the euphoria of the Arab Spring without calculating the staying power of the Syrian Government and without thinking through the inherently weak positions of westernized moderates throughout the Arab World,  It has become clear that westernized moderates are as puissant as an army of unicorns.

-Let us admit our bad judgment and abandon the regime change policy.  Failing that we should covertly provide target intelligence to the Syrians on ISIS targets.  The CIA ought to be able to do that...  Oh, sorry, they will have to get DIA to do the actual work for them.  pl 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/25/us-syria-crisis-minister-idUSKBN0GP0TS20140825

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_Syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_armed_groups_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War

Comments

[turcopolier]

Patrick Bazhad

"You might pass for a modern Diogenes," More snottyness from the gallery. pl

[Patrick Bahzad]

I wouldn't consider this comparison a disagreeable remark. Diogenes might have been the founder of cynicism in Greek philosophy, but he also believed that virtue was better expressed through deeds rather than words. Think it's an ethos any military man should take pride in, so don't read any contempt into it.

[Norbert M Salamon]

All:
Another excellent analysis tying the dots together, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine, Russia China and the Golf allies of USA:

http://www.conflictsforum.org/2014/conflicts-forums-weekly-comment-8-15-august/
Enjoy!

[JohnH]

All--latest from Cooke.
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2014/08/httpwwwreuterscomarticle20140825us-syria-crisis-minister-iduskbn0gp0ts20140825.html#tpe-action-resize-383

Money quote: "The bursting onto the scene of a radical Sunni jihadist movement that really does threaten the Saudi hand that conjured them out from the magic lantern – represents an overturning of decades of western policy. The West has come to be heavily dependent on the belief that Saudi Arabia somehow could manage radical Sunnism in both its interest and that of the West. Now that hypothesis stands as tragically mistaken."

This would explain McCain's meeting with the Sunni terrorists--the notion that "they could be managed." The West's long term dalliance with terrorist is well documented in Mark Curtis' book "Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam."

[turcopolier]

JohnH

"Cook?" pl

[Ryan]

A pity, colonel. Even more that you don't have the arrangement that John "Bonkers" Bolton seems to have with Fox News. He must have a cot set up in the Green Room because every time I watch Greta's show I know I'll get to see Bolton come on and say that Iran is at the root of all our problems in the Middle East. Pat Buchanan is apparently persona non grata with her.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial City...

"At a news briefing in Washington, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that while the Syrian regime was also fighting the militants, the United States and Syria were not “on the same side of the coin” on this issue.

She said that the Syrian regime was helping IS recruit new militants by denying its people their basic rights."

Never mind that this Syrian Regime is protecting those Christians that the media all of the sudden became concerned about, never previously being concerned in the past when a number of them became refugees fleeing to Syria to avoid persecution. Keeping someone alive doesn't seem to be a "basic right" to the Psakis of this world.

"Earlier on Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said his government welcomed any potential US military strikes at IS targets in Syria, but Washington should warn Damascus before launching such attacks.

'Syria is ready to cooperate and coordinate with regional and international efforts to combat terror in accordance,' he said.

'Everyone is welcome, including Britain and the United States, to take action against IS and Al-Nusra with a prior full coordination with the Syrian government.'”

Asked to comment on the Syrian foreign minister’s statement, Ms Psaki said: “When American lives are at stake, we are not looking for the approval of the Syrian regime.”

So much for the crap about "denying its people their basic rights." What passes as thinking here is why the US will lose a third war in a 15 year period if it gets involved in this latest mess. This will be a world record, I believe.

[JohnH]

Oops-- Alastair Crooke

[turcopolier]

johnH

he was referring to SST? pl

[JohnH]

OMG-Haste makes waste. Let me start over.

All--latest from Alastair Crooke.

Money quote: "The bursting onto the scene of a radical Sunni jihadist movement that really does threaten the Saudi hand that conjured them out from the magic lantern – represents an overturning of decades of western policy. The West has come to be heavily dependent on the belief that Saudi Arabia somehow could manage radical Sunnism in both its interest and that of the West. Now that hypothesis stands as tragically mistaken."
http://www.conflictsforum.org/2014/resurgent-iraq/

This would explain McCain's meeting with the Sunni terrorists--the notion that "they could be managed." The West's long term dalliance with terrorists is well documented in Mark Curtis' book "Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam."

[Haralambos]

I think this is the link to what you cited: http://www.conflictsforum.org/2014/resurgent-iraq/

[Medicine Man]

Lord Curzon,

If true, that is astonishing. My understanding is that the Iranians have long been wary of the Kurds and their political ambitions in the region. Do you have a source for this story?

[Seamus Padraig]

There are several sites with photos of McCain and a man they claim is Al-Baghdadi. Here's one: http://topconservativenews.com/2014/06/isis-brags-about-links-to-us-senator-john-mccain/

Here's another: http://www.voltairenet.org/article185085.html

There are others, too. Just google it.

[Seamus Padraig]

But once it was clear that Shiites Liberation Theologians were coming to power in Iran, that scared the tar out of the Iraqi Sunnis. What if it inspired impoverished Shiites to revolt against the Ba'ath? Hence the invasion was also a prophylactic against the revolution spreading westward.

[turcopolier]

Seamus

So what. I can claim that you look like Frodo Baggins but that does not make it so. p

[confusedponderer]

"This would explain McCain's meeting with the Sunni terrorists--the notion that "they could be managed."

Obama could airdrop McCain over Raffa so that he can manage ISIS to join the moderate opposition against the dastardly tyrrant Assad. No?

[nick b]

MM,

The report is based on a photo taken of Iranian tanks moving to the border of Iraq. It was first posted here:
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/iran-sends-tanks-into-iraq-to-fight-islamists-d130c9fa58bb
I posted it on an earlier thread and got scolded by 'b', who said it was "complete nonsense". The next day Al Jazeera was reporting Iranian soldiers had crossed the border and joined the Kurds in their efforts to take back the town of Jalawla. See: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/iran-soldiers-iraq-islamic-state-2014823161322258630.html
Since then the Iranian govt has denied all of it, but the story has seems to have gotten legs. Eli Lake mentioned it in a piece on the Daily Beast today. See:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/26/u-s-and-iran-hit-isis-ignore-each-other.html
It's tough to know what's factual and what isn't. This is all I've been able to find thus far.

[Philippe-André Boileau]

Feedback & arguments that I got today regarding Syria:

1- the US interest is not to intervene in a decisive manner against ISIS. ISIS controlling a lot of the petrol production & selling it at deep discount, 15-20$ a barrel, to US & turkish interest in Turkey. In return, they either get weapons directly, thereby generating more profits for many US interest, or money to buy these weapons from other US interest. In military retaliation to ISIS, other US interests make money. The longer it lasts the more these interests will make money.

2-When the kurdish oil fields were targeted by ISIS the US intervened decisively because of Israeli investments in them. Of course, that would imply that the US is pursuing a strategy tagged to the interest of another nation rather than to its own. It makes no sense. So forget this one.

3-The christians in Irak are gone with less than 60K. Syria went from a christian majority in the 1800s up to the 1860 war to about 5% of the population now. Hassake, just a few decades ago held by a christian majority, is now totally encircled by ISIS. Even very wealthy christians with millions of dollars worth of property are leaving it behind. There would be about only 26K left in there.

4-ISIS is currently targeting minorities such as Yazidis(Head-cutting halal style or not, etc.) Next on their agenda will be shias and then they can start killing each other like they do so happily in Libya. This regional instability is seen to be in the interest of Israel who would not want a strong neighbor such as one with a strong christian minority!?! This is obviously anti-semitic thinking.

5- Some christian communities are allowed to stay provided they pay the 13 grams of gold a month which is really affordable.

[Lord Curzon]

MM,

http://eaworldview.com/2014/08/iran-daily-tehran-admits-sent-troops-iraq/

Also interesting is the snippet at the bottom, of the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif meeting Grand Ayatollah Sistani...

[Lord Curzon]

MM,

http://eaworldview.com/2014/08/iran-daily-tehran-admits-sent-troops-iraq/

Also interesting is the snippet at the bottom of the piece, of Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif meeting Grand Ayatollah Sistani...

[Babak Makkinejad]

nah, he was just stupid...

[Babak Makkinejad]

Iran will not intervene directly and overtly in Iraq.

They will not and have not acted directly and overtly against ISIS.

They have helped Kurds fight ISIS.

Iranians view ISIS as a trap by their enemies. They will not fight Sunni Muslims in Iraq or anywhere else - unless they are attacked.

Two days ago General Dempsey in effect stated that as long as ISIS leaves US alone, US would not bomb it in Syria.

Prior to that, Dempsey and Hagel both had stated that ISIS cannot be defeated unless attacked also in Syria.

So, what am I supposed to make of these public announcement?

Is ISIS acceptable to US provided it attacks Shia and Syria - friends of Iran?

[Babak Makkinejad]

He is correct; Iranians have publicly stated that they have advised Kurds as well as sending them arms.

Kurds are not one coherent nation - they are organized in Tribes and clans without a coherent agenda of cooperation among themselves.

[rrl2108]

That's not Baghdadi. Ugly conspiracy theory. McCain met with leadership of an "FSA" group called the Northern Storm Brigade, which is/was based in Azaz, in Northern Aleppo province. This group actually came under attack by ISIS last fall, and was kicked out of Azaz, and re-occupied that territory when ISIS fell back to Raqqa in early 2014. Not sure what the status of the group is now - I believe they're still clashing with ISIS in Raqqa. Either way, definitely not Baghdadi.