And here lies the problem: Putin’s sense of Hobbesian realism calls for the adoption of an approach to world politics that is in essence a struggle of all against all, while Obama’s realism encourages disengagement in the hope of avoiding such struggle, ceding one battle after another – the eventual result is to set the ground for a struggle for which no one is really prepared.
Tag: The Obama Administration
The Real Reason Putin Supports Assad
The Real Reason Putin Supports Assad | Foreign Affairs.
In short, Putin wants no change in Syria, and his people will keep fighting for regime preservation in Geneva 2 and beyond, even as the country and the region implode. Caught between the ideological blinders of Obama and those of Putin, a rock and a hard place indeed, Syria has been lost and millions of her citizens are now paying the price. Acting in his own unique way, each leader managed to conjure up the worst case scenario had had dreaded all along, and since each is in the habit of running forward from his fuckups, the situation is bound to get worse. Regional meltdown is around the corner, and the fallouts will go global.
150 Syrian refugees ‘disappear’ in Greece
150 Syrian refugees ‘disappear’ in Greece | Europe | World Bulletin.
Sweden and, to a certain extent, Germany have set a good example for how Europe should deal with Syria’s refugees arriving onto her shores. Bulgaria, Italy and Greece are setting a bad one. The United States, reflecting the thinking of her President, remains of a few minds about the situation. Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrians die every day and thousands join the ranks of refugees as the world turns its back, insistently, as if by doing so the problem would just disappear. On this Christmas Days, let me just say: “Fuck You World.”
Syria, South Sudan & The Genocides Yet To Come
I have been arguing for months now that the Syrian genocide and the way the Obama Administration has (mis)handled it are bound to inspire similar developments across the region and far beyond. I believe that the situation in South Sudan promises to be a case in point. Yes, the potential for such tragic developments there is inherent and organic, but this can be said of myriad instances across the world, which is exactly why the Administration needed to quickly contain developments in Syria and not allow them to devolve to where they are now. Apathy in the face of mass atrocities and genocide cannot but inspire more of the same. Before Obama leaves office, we will probably have a dozen such conflicts unfolding simultaneously.
Continue reading “Syria, South Sudan & The Genocides Yet To Come”
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 