The U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan was justified in large part by highlighting the plight of women under Taliban governance. Within the first weeks of the campaign, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Cherie Blair helped spearhead a highly-effective propaganda effort to convince the public that the U.S. and the U.K. were engaged in a moral war—one… Continue reading What Was Accomplished in Afghanistan?
Tag: R2P
If Underpants Gnomes Took Over the Pentagon, Very Little Would Change
In the Comedy Central television series South Park, the boys discover a cartel of gnomes who steal people’s underwear. Over the course of the episode it’s revealed that these seizures are part of their business plan which goes: Step 1: Collect Underpants → Step 2: ? → Step 3: Profit The punchline, of… Continue reading If Underpants Gnomes Took Over the Pentagon, Very Little Would Change
Normalize Relations with Iran Now, Not Later
In an administration which has become known for largely continuing the disastrous policies of the previous White House and doubling-down on its own proven failures—President Obama stunned the world with his surprise announcement that the United States would be normalizing relations with Cuba. The President pointed out that the extraordinary sanctions regime, which has been… Continue reading Normalize Relations with Iran Now, Not Later
Credibility is about Outcomes, not “Resolve”
In wake of Vladimir Putin annexing Crimea into the Russian Federation and supporting Eastern separatists against a Ukrainian government it perhaps rightly views as illegitimate, U.S. policy hawks argued the entire crisis could have been prevented: had President Obama followed through on his August 2013 commitment to bomb the Syrian government in retaliation for its… Continue reading Credibility is about Outcomes, not “Resolve”
Yes, ISIS is “Islamic” (But with regards to policy, it really, really doesn’t matter)
It is perhaps disingenuous to claim that ISIS is not “Islamic,” as many Muslim apologists have attempted. This is in part because there is no “true” and “false” Islam objectively accessible to human beings. And it’s in part because ISIS, it’s leaders and its supporters all explicitly tie themselves to Islam. Would-be Caliph Abu Bakr… Continue reading Yes, ISIS is “Islamic” (But with regards to policy, it really, really doesn’t matter)
Fantasyland Syria and its Horrific Real-World Consequences
In the wake of the Islamic State’s takeover of northern Iraq and Syrian territories, several foreign policy hawks have blamed the Obama administration’s for failing to act in Syria. They claim that had the U.S. provided greater arms to the Syrian rebels or directly intervened on their behalf, Syria’s “moderate” opposition would have long triumphed… Continue reading Fantasyland Syria and its Horrific Real-World Consequences
Libya in Transition… But to What?
Since the overthrow of Gaddhafi, Libya’s capital has long been consumed by fierce struggles between Islamists and the coalition aligned with former PM Zeidan, largely perceived as Western proxies—each with their own parliamentary blocks and militias. Over the course of the last several months, there have been many attempts at deposing the country’s first democratically-elected Prime… Continue reading Libya in Transition… But to What?
The Geneva Talks Are Not About Syria
In the second round of Geneva II talks, the government agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Homs, and a lifting of the blockade, in order to allow citizens to flee if they wish, and to allow some aid and provisions to enter for those who remain. Immediately following this concession on the part of the… Continue reading The Geneva Talks Are Not About Syria
Two Years, Three States, Two Civil Wars? Post-Revolutionary Libya
The NATO intervention in Libya was an unmitigated disaster. At the outset, Washington policymakers believed that the people would rise up en masse against Gaddhafi, and embrace the new “democratic” government which was installed in the aftermath of his execution. This didn’t happen. Instead, NATO was pulled ever deeper into the theater because there were… Continue reading Two Years, Three States, Two Civil Wars? Post-Revolutionary Libya
The Obama Administration’s Case for Military Intervention in Syria? Bullshit.
In philosophy circles, bullshit is a technical term denoting a claim presented as “fact” although its veracity has not been established. The truth value of bullshit is largely irrelevant to its propagators. Bullshit is disseminated in the service of particular ends, typically opaque to the audience. There is no better description for the White House’s… Continue reading The Obama Administration’s Case for Military Intervention in Syria? Bullshit.
Moral Outrage from Munafiqun
“When it is said to them: ‘Make not mischief on the earth,’ they say: ‘why, we are but peacemakers!’ Surely, these are the ones who foster discord, but they perceive it not.” Al-Qur’an 2:11-2 In the midst of his ill-fated case in the Parliament to authorize the use of force in Syria, PM David Cameron… Continue reading Moral Outrage from Munafiqun
Red Lines, Syrian Blood
It doesn’t matter whether or not Bashar al-Asad used chemical weapons. The U.S. and its allies are going to carry out an attack on Syria in the very near future; the reasons for this attack have nothing to do with the recent incident in Ghouta. In response to the chemical attack in April, two months… Continue reading Red Lines, Syrian Blood
Game Theory v. Reality in Syria
Despite the overwhelming skepticism of the international community, the Obama Administration recently changed its evaluation of the ‘evidence’ of chemical weapons use in Syria. By its own admission, this was to serve as a pretext for their previously-rendered and domestically unpopular decision to deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict in an attempt to offset the Syrian army’s… Continue reading Game Theory v. Reality in Syria
Rejoinder to “Order, Freedom and Chaos: Sovereignties in Syria”
“Syria Contextualized: The Numbers Game,” demonstrated that contrary to the popular narratives, most Syrians seem to support President al-Asad over the armed rebels. Moreover, it was argued that most of the casualties from the conflict were combatants, that the regime probably controlled more territory than the narrative suggested, that the dynamics of the conflict seem… Continue reading Rejoinder to “Order, Freedom and Chaos: Sovereignties in Syria”
Chemical Weapons, Toxic Discourse
In a letter responding to inquiries by Arizona Sen. John McCain, a hawkish advocate for U.S. intervention in Syria for the better part of two years (independently of the “chemical weapons” question, which is merely his latest pretext for U.S. involvement), the White House stated that there is intelligence suggesting that chemical weapons have been… Continue reading Chemical Weapons, Toxic Discourse
Breaking the Stalemates in Syria (Literal & Rhetorical)
In a number of interviews in recent months, U.S. Secretary of State Kerry has been talking about the need to “change Bashar al-Asad’s calculus” with regards to the conflict in Syria. While there is a sense in which this statement is correct (should the goal be the President’s resignation), Kerry seems to misunderstand what Bashar’s… Continue reading Breaking the Stalemates in Syria (Literal & Rhetorical)
Moammar Gaddhafi’s Final Victory
It would not be surprising if there are many in the Obama Administration who occasionally think, “I miss Moammar Gaddhafi.” And if no one there is thinking that, they should. And not just because of the camping trips he would take in New York City, his amazing sense of style, his elite unit of all-female bodyguards,… Continue reading Moammar Gaddhafi’s Final Victory
The Arab Spring and the New Mujahadeen
Following the military coup which removed Hosni Mubarak, it was widely reported that al-Qaeda was rendered obsolete by the Arab Spring. Fareed Zakaria, for instance, pronounced: “The Arab Revolts of 2011 represent a total repudiation of al Qaeda’s founding ideology. For 20 years, al Qaeda has said that the regimes of the Arab World are… Continue reading The Arab Spring and the New Mujahadeen
Resist Overly-Simple Narratives About Syria, Asad
While one would never know it from the news, the reform process in Syria is actually going smoother than it is in Egypt. If this might sound crazy to the everyday headline reader, think of it this way: Syria has a popularly approved new constitution, a democratically elected parliament that the state actually recognizes and… Continue reading Resist Overly-Simple Narratives About Syria, Asad
Eternal Recurrence: Al-Asad & Al-Qaeda
On July 15th 2012, Nawaf al-Fares, Syria’s former Ambassador to Iraq, defected to the opposition. Along with his defection, he called for the international community, especially the United States, to act militarily in Syria to remove President Bashar al-Asad from power. At that same time, he claimed that the al-Asad regime had aided al-Qaeda’s insurgency… Continue reading Eternal Recurrence: Al-Asad & Al-Qaeda
Is Reality Another Victim of the Massacre at Houla?
“With a tenuous peace settling over Syria, a former White House official says it would take powerful video images blasted on cable news of regime-orchestrated brutality to draw in the U.S. military. Barry Pavel, a former National Security Council and Pentagon official, tells DOTMIL via Twitter the U.S. “will act only if [a] ‘CNN… Continue reading Is Reality Another Victim of the Massacre at Houla?