Chaitanya Jyothi Museum Opening, 2000

RAMANAM
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.  Amen.

Countrymen,

ORBIS NON SUFFICIT
SOLUS DEUS SUFFICIT

… that energy extraction strategy alone would have put Papadopoulos in opposition to the interests of Obama, Clinton, Turkey, Qatar and ultimately Iran and Russia.

Clinton/Obama/Alexander Downer all were involved in the rival pipeline project I was working on. They wanted Israel to be handcuffed by Turkey. When I advised Trump et all about the better alternative (Greece-Cyprus-Israel) that’s when the wolves came out and framed me. Politics.

— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) December 21, 2018

I can see Russia on that list proximately but not ultimately.  And I think current Russians think more ultimately than proximately.  Ultimately, Salafi-Shiite Jihad (Brotherhood-Mullahs) is as much Russia’s enemy as ours.  Also ultimately, Salafi and Shiite Jihads are competing, not united, Islamic pathologies.

Inviting Israel, Saudis, and Hashemites to replace US forces in Syria is an option B (referencing your post) vector already underway.  Those countries have a better read on local situation than US does given US intelligence services’ stupidity, conceit, and corruption.  And they have less R2P sanctimony infecting their domestic politics and ratiocination.

Pulling US forces out of Syria effectively pulls US out of NATO and UN.

Russia has plenty of customers for her hydrocarbons.  What she does not have are borders difficult to traverse.  Any economic strength — which is diplomatic, financial, and warfighting strength — USA can cultivate on Russia’s western borders (near abroad) — i.e., Three Seas [Intermarium] initiative — protects Russia from re-invasion by now-Salafi Europe.  Putin knows that.  Ideally this is done with Russian assistance.  The old and legitimate near abroad buffer-states concept reiterated, only, guaranteed now by USA and Russia rather than by Russia alone.

POTUS Trump removed the barbarian Brennan/Rice mission of removing Assad.  Good.  And he has given Kurds time and space to pull themselves together and act as a valuable participant at the big boys’ table.  More is needed, but they have made a sound start already, especially the Eastern Kurds — there are two Kurds, not the same families, one Eastern, one Western.  So without the wish to remove Assad — and really anger the Russians needlessly — and with Kurds on their way to nationhood or not, their choice — and remember years ago Putin said he thought that is a good idea — there is no reason for US forces in Syria.

The loser there is going to be the Brotherhood, Asian Turkey, and Iran.  Erdogan had best start looking to his laurels.

MENA is Europe’s baby.  Syria is France’s.

US interests are in and across the Pacific.

Throw your eyes in that direction and pay attention.

The Moslem threat is permanent but currently at bay and handle-able by MENA and European nations, many of whom cultivated it, even inviting it home for Sunday Dinner.  Not USA strategic business.

Watch the Pacific.  USA interests — strategic businesses — are there, always have been.  And Russia is a natural ally, has been in earlier times, should be now.

Moral posturing (puritanism) has no place in statecraft.  It is counter-productive, destructive, e.g., Libya, Syria, Iran of Clinton/Power/Rice/Monaco/Obama/Kerry infamy.

FWIW: I think Five-Eyes is on its way to retirement, its service done, its utility unmatched to the needs.  Ever prescient regarding emergent realities, the James Bond movie franchise holders have felt the pulse of this one as well as of several other equally salient matters.

Eyes west.

Βασιλεία του Θεού
Kingdom of God

Update 1: Christopher Roach: Trump Is Smarter Than The Generals

Update 2: Bayou Renaissance Man: Was the Syria withdrawal a brilliant move by President Trump?

Update 3: Trump slams Mattis, says allies taking advantage of U.S.

Update 4: Michael Ledeen: Neither Mattis nor Trump Recognizes the Scope of This Fight

I commented: And another pundit hits the wall of intellectual achievement.

Update 5: Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria came after he stumped Bolton with one question

Update 6: Leslie Eastman: Saudi Arabia and UAE sending troops to help Kurds in Syria

Update 7: Angelo Codevilla: Trump’s Syria Withdrawal Hinges on Turkey

Update 8: Pat Buchanan: How the War Party Lost the Middle East

Update 9: Angelo M. Codevilla:

European Defense

Desperate Embrace At Europe’s Core

Related: German Defense Chief: Unleash NATO on Opponents of “World Order”
Related: German Defense Minister Reinforces Trump’s Reservations On NATO

Update 10: Good point, good article.  Emphasizing: vector of USA development is westward, not eastward, away from Old World snits (to include MENA), not towards them.

Geo-strategically, water is wet land.  The same strategic rules that apply to land warfare apply to sea warfare.  The sea is wet land.  The air is thin land.

One implication of that reality is that INDOPACOM is an Army show primarily, not a Navy one.  Current  deployments of thought and dispositions of assets do not reflect that fact.

Navy is a transport and fires support asset.  Marines are an assault asset.  Air and Cyber — and Space — are forward fires support assets.  Army is the asset tasked and equipped (when well) for land-control primarily and assault when needed.

The US foreign policy establishment anchors in the premise that USA strategic interests lie to the east, across the Atlantic.  They do not.  They lie to the west, across the Pacific.  That abyssal error is the source of confusion and mayhem in the assembly and execution of statecraft by the USA’s bi-partisan leadership kakistocracy, essentially mutineers against USA identity and strategic interests.  Until now.  Now, someone is shaking their foundations, thankfully.

Update 11: When Turkey Destroyed Its Christians

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA