by Nauman Sadiq
As we know that France under Nicolas Sarkozy had played a lead role in fomenting the insurgency against the Gaddafi regime in Libya in 2011 and after him Francois Hollande too had been on the forefront of supporting the Sunni militants in Syria against the Alawite-Shi’a Assad regime. That arrangement of an informal pact between the Western powers and the Sunni jihadists of the Middle East against the Shi’a-Iranian axis had worked well up to August 2014, when Obama Administration made an about-face on its previous regime change policy in Syria and started conducting air strikes against one group of Sunni jihadists battling against the “hostile” Assad regime, i.e. the Islamic State, after the latter transgressed its mandate in Syria and overran Mosul and Anbar in Iraq and threatened the capital of another steadfast American ally: Masoud Barzani’s Erbil in the oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan.
After that reversal of policy in Syria by the Western powers and the subsequent Russian military intervention on the side of the Shi’a regime, the momentum of Sunni jihadists’ expansion in Syria has stalled and they now feel that their Western allies have committed a treachery against the Sunni jihadists’ cause; that’s why, they feel bitter and they are once again up in arms to seek revenge for this betrayal. If we look at the chain of events, the timing of Paris and Brussels attacks is critical: Islamic State overran Mosul in June 2014, Obama Administration started bombing Islamic State’s targets in Iraq and Syria in August 2014 and after a long time first such incident of terrorism took place on the Western soil at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 and then the November 2015 Paris attacks and now the March 2016 Brussels bombings.
Moreover, the declassified Defense Intelligence Agency’s report [1] of 2012 that presaged the imminent rise of a Salafist principality in north-eastern Syria was not overlooked it was deliberately suppressed, not just the report but that view in general that a civil war in Syria will give birth to radical Islamists, was forcefully stifled in the Western policy making circles under pressure from the Zionist lobbies. The Western powers were fully aware of the consequences of their actions in Syria but they kept pursuing the policy of financing, training, arming and internationally legitimizing the so-called “Syrian opposition” to weaken the Syrian regime and to neutralize the threat that its Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah, had posed to Israel’s regional security; a fact which the Israeli defense community realized for the first time during the 2006 Lebanon war in the course of which Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets into northern Israel. Those were only unguided rockets but it was a wakeup call for the Israeli military strategists that what will happen if Iran passed the guided missile technology to Hezbollah whose area of operations lies very close to the northern borders of Israel? The Western interest in the Syrian civil war is primarily about ensuring Israel’s regional security.
Turkish dilemma and the Western intervention:
The dilemma that Turkey is facing in Syria is quite unique: in the wake of the Ghouta chemical weapons attacks in Damascus in August 2013 the stage was all set for yet another no-fly zone and “humanitarian intervention” a la Gaddafi’s Libya; the war hounds were waiting for a finishing blow and the then Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, and the former Saudi intelligence chief, Bandar bin Sultan, were shuttling between the Western capitals to lobby for military intervention. Francois Hollande had already announced his intentions and David Cameron was also onboard.
Here it should be remembered that even during the Libyan intervention Obama’s policy was a bit ambivalent and France under the leadership of Sarkozy had taken the lead role. In the Syrian case, however, the British parliament forced Cameron to seek a vote for military intervention in the House of Commons before committing British troops and Air Force to Syria; taking cue from the British parliament the US’ Congress also compelled Obama to seek approval before another ill-conceived military intervention; and since both those administrations lacked the requisite majority in their respective parliaments and the public opinion was also fiercely against another Middle Eastern war, therefore, Obama and Cameron dropped their plans of enforcing a no-fly zone over Syria.
In the end, France was left alone as the only Western power still in favor of intervention; at this point, however, the seasoned Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, staged a diplomatic coup by announcing that the Syrian regime is willing to ship its chemical weapons’ stockpiles out of Syria and subsequently the issue was amicably resolved. Turkey, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states – the main beneficiaries of the Sunni Jihad in Syria, however, had lost a golden opportunity for dealing a fatal blow to the Shi’a alliance comprising Iran, Syria and their Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah.
To add insult to the injury, the Islamic State, one of the numerous Sunni jihadist outfits fighting in Syria, trespassed its mandate in Syria and overran Mosul in northern Iraq in June 2014 and threatened the capital of America’s most steadfast ally in the oil-rich region – Masoud Barzani’s Erbil. The US had no choice but to adopt some countermeasures to show to the world that it is still sincere in pursuing its schizophrenic and hypocritical “war on terror” policy; at the same time, however, it assured its Turkish, Jordanian and Gulf Arab allies that despite fighting a symbolic war against the maverick jihadist outfit, the Islamic State, the Western policy of training and arming the so-called “moderate Syrian militants” will continue apace and that Bashar al-Assad’s days are numbered, one way or the other.
Moreover, declaring a war against Islamic State in August 2014 served another purpose too – in order to commit the US Air Force to Syria and Iraq, Obama Administration needed the approval of the US Congress which was not available, as I have already mentioned, but by declaring a war against Islamic State, which is a designated terrorist organization, the Obama Administration availed itself of the “war on terror” provisions in the US’ laws and thus circumvented the US’ Congress.
But then Russia threw a spanner in the wicked schemes of NATO and its Gulf Arab allies in September 2015 by its surreptitious military buildup in Latakia that was executed with an element of surprise unheard of since Rommel, the Desert Fox. And now Turkey, Jordan, the Gulf Arab states and their Sunni jihadist proxies in Syria find themselves at the receiving end in the Syrian civil war. The shooting down of the Russian jet by Turkey in November last year, which is also a member of NATO, seemed like a desperate attempt by Turkey to provoke Russia into a military encounter and thus invoke NATO’s treaty obligation of “collective defense” in the face of “aggression” against any of NATO’s member states.
Composition and organizational structure of Islamic State:
The only difference between the Afghan Jihad back in the ‘80s, that spawned Islamic jihadists like the Taliban and al Qaeda for the first time in history, and the Libyan and Syrian Jihads 2011-onward, is that the Afghan Jihad was an overt Jihad – back then the Western political establishments and their mouthpiece, the mainstream media, used to openly brag that CIA provides all those AK-47s, RPGs and stingers to the Pakistani ISI which then forwards such weapons to the Afghan Mujahideen (freedom fighters) to combat the erstwhile Soviet Union. After the 9/11 tragedy, however, the Western political establishments and corporate media have become a lot more circumspect, therefore, this time around they have waged covert jihads against the hostile Gaddafi regime in Libya and the anti-Zionist Assad regime in Syria, in which the Islamic jihadists (aka terrorists) have been sold as “moderate rebels” with secular and nationalist ambitions to the Western audience.
Since the regime change objective in those hapless countries went against the established mainstream narrative of “the war on terror,” therefore, the Western political establishments and the mainstream media are now trying to muddle the reality by offering color-coded schemes to identify myriads of militant and terrorist outfits that are operating in those countries – like the red militants of Islamic State which the Western powers want to eliminate; the yellow militants of Jaysh al-Fateh (the Army of Conquest,) that includes al-Qaeda allied al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, with whom NATO can collaborate under desperate circumstances; and the green militants of Free Syria Army (FSA) and a few other inconsequential outfits which together comprise the so-called “moderate Syrian opposition.”
It’s an incontrovertible fact that more than 90% of militants that are operating in Syria are either the Islamic jihadists or the armed tribesmen, and less than 10% are those who have defected from the Syrian army or otherwise have secular and nationalist goals. As far as the infinitesimally small secular and liberal elite of the developing countries is concerned, such privileged classes can’t even cook breakfasts for themselves if their servants are on a holiday and the corporate media had us believing that the majority of the Syrian militants are “moderate rebels” who constitute the vanguard of the Syrian opposition against the Syrian regime in a brutal civil war and who believe in the principles of democracy, rule of law and liberal values as their cherished goals?
Notwithstanding, it is a fact that morale and ideology plays an important role in the battle; moreover, we also know that the Takfiri brand of most jihadists these days has been directly inspired by the Wahhabi-Salafi ideology of Saudi Arabia, but ideology alone is never sufficient to succeed in the battle. Looking at the Islamic State’s spectacular gains in Syria and Iraq in the last couple of years, one wonders that where does its recruits get all the training and sophisticated weapons that are imperative not only for the hit-and-run guerrilla warfare but also for capturing and holding vast swathes of territory? Even the Afghan National Army, that has been trained and armed by NATO’s military instructors, is finding itself in trouble these days to hold territory in Afghanistan in the face of the unrelenting Taliban insurgency.
Apart from the training and arms that are provided to the Islamic jihadists in the training camps located on the Turkish and Jordanian border regions adjacent to Syria by the CIA in collaboration with the Turkish, Jordanian and Saudi intelligence agencies, another factor that has contributed to the spectacular success of Islamic State is that its top cadres are comprised of the former Baathist military and intelligence officers of the Saddam regime. According to a highly informative August 2015 Associated Press report by Dawn [2], hundreds of ex-Baathists constitute the top-tier command structure of Islamic State who plan all the operations and direct its military strategy.
Moreover, the US’ State department appears to be quite “worried” these days that where does Islamic State’s jihadists get all the sophisticated weapons and especially those fancy, white Toyota pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns at the back, colloquially known as “The Technicals” among the jihadists? I think that I have found the answer to this riddle in an unprecedented December 2013 report: “Syrian rebels get arms and advice through secret command center in Amman,” [3] from a website affiliated with the UAE government which is highly biased in favor of the Syrian opposition: it is clearly mentioned that along with AK-47s, RPGs and other military gear the Saudi government also provides machine gun-mounted Toyota pick-up trucks to every batch of five jihadists who have completed their training either in the border regions of Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Once those jihadists cross over to Daraa and Quneitra in Syria from the Jordan-Syria border then those Toyota pick-up trucks can easily travel all the way to Raqaa and Deir ez-Zor and thence to Mosul and Anbar in Iraq.
While we are on the subject of Islamic State’s weaponry, it is generally claimed in the mainstream media that Islamic State came into possession of those sophisticated weapons when it overran Mosul in June 2014 and seized huge caches of weapons that were provided to the Iraqi armed forces by the Americans during the occupation years. On empirical grounds, however, is it not a bit paradoxical that Islamic State conquered large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq before it overran Mosul, when supposedly it did not had those sophisticated weapons, and after allegedly coming into possession of those weapons it is continuously losing ground? Only conclusion that can be drawn from this fact is that Islamic State had those cutting-edge weapons, or equally lethal weapons, before it overran Mosul and that those weapons were provided to all the Sunni jihadist groups in Syria, including the Islamic State, by the intelligence agencies of the Western powers, Turkey and the Gulf Arab states.
Maintaining credibility through charades:
In order to create a semblance of objectivity and fairness, the American policy-makers and analysts are always willing to accept the blame for the mistakes of the distant past that have no bearing on the present and the future, however, any fact that impinges on their present policy is conveniently brushed aside. In the case of the formation of Islamic State, for instance, the US’ policy analysts are willing to concede that invading Iraq back in 2003 was a mistake that radicalized the Iraqi society, exacerbated the sectarian divisions and gave birth to a Sunni insurgency against the heavy handed and discriminatory policies of the Shi’a-dominated Iraqi government; similarly, the “war on terror” era political commentators also “generously” accept that the Cold War era policy of nurturing the al Qaeda, Taliban and myriads of other Afghan so-called “freedom fighters” against the erstwhile Soviet Union was a mistake, because all those fait accompli have no bearing on their present policy.
The corporate media’s spin-doctors conveniently forget, however, that the formation of Islamic State and myriads of other Sunni Arab jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq has as much to do with the unilateral invasion of Iraq back in 2003 under the previous Bush Administration as it has to do with the present policy of Obama Administration in Syria of funding, arming, training and internationally legitimizing the Sunni militants against the Syrian regime since 2011-onward in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa region, in fact, the proximate cause behind the rise of Islamic State, al Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and numerous other Sunni jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq has been Obama Administration’s policy of intervention through proxies in Syria.
If the Obama Administration decides today to stop providing money, arms and training to the so-called “moderate rebels” and declares them terrorists (Islamic jihadists,) the insurgency in Syria will fizzle out within months, at least, in the densely-populated urban Syria from Damascus and Homs to Hamah, Idlib and Aleppo and the coastal Latakia. The northern Syria under the control of Kurds and the central and eastern Syria from Raqqa to Deir ez-Zor which is dominated by the Islamic State, however, is a whole different ball game now and it will take years to subdue the insurgency in those rural-tribal areas of Syria, if at all.
Leaving the funding, training and arming aspects of the insurgencies aside, but especially pertaining to conferring international legitimacy to an armed insurgency, like the Afghan so-called “freedom struggle” of the Cold War, or the supposedly “moderate and democratic” Libyan and Syrian insurgencies of today, it is simply beyond the power of minor regional players and their nascent media, that has a geographically and linguistically limited audience, to cast such heavily armed and brutal insurrections in a positive light in order to internationally legitimize them; only the Western mainstream media, that has a global audience and which serves as the mouthpiece of the Western political establishments, has perfected this game of legitimizing the absurd and selling the satans as saviors.
Sources and links:
[1] The declassified US’ Defense intelligence agency’s report of 2012:
[2] Islamic State’s top command dominated by ex-officers in Saddam’s army:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1199401/is-top-command-dominated-by-ex-officers-in-saddams-army
[3] Syrian rebels get arms and advice through secret command center in Amman:
About the author:
Nauman Sadiq is an Islamabad-based attorney, columnist and geopolitics’ analyst who has a particular interest in the politics of Af-Pak and MENA regions, neo-colonialism and petro-imperialism.
Excellent story. Thank you Mr. Saddiq.
So there we have it. Same as the Suez crisis in ’56, the White House and Russians are working to counter the interests of old colonial Europe.
A vote for Trump represents continuity with the Obama policy of cooperation with Russia.
A vote for Hillary represents confrontation with Russia and the enactment of project ‘Dabiq.’
Anglos vs. Zionists.
As Mohammad used to say, God bless Donald Trump and Barrack Obama.
Can somone explain how 911 was a ‘tragedy’? It isthe key event thatspawned all the real tragedies that have afflicted th ME. So, who benefits from this chaos?
Anonymous, you ask who benefits from all this chaos. I would answer “The Billionaire’s Club” of whom Congress writes in this Report: http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/6ce8dd13-e4ab-4b31-9485-6d2b8a6f6b00/chainofenvironmentalcommand.pdf
Exactly.. just a story.. both false flags. Paris.. at entertainment venue. No blood on ‘victims’ clothes. Only about 20 ‘victims’ not over 80. All ‘victims’ in the middle of the room yet ‘shooting started at entrance of packed floor. Bright red greasy-looking ‘blood’ on floor yet blood turns black after hours. No one guarding ‘dead’ bodies. Limbs of some ‘bodies’ distorted as if mannequins had been hurriedly placed for photo shoot. Photos deliberately blurred, despite today’s superior digital.. Brazilian lady tourist arrested by police AFTER incident, declared to be a victim of shooting.
Brussels,. No video footage of Brussels airport released. Video released 2X proven to be 2011 Domodedovo Russian airport attack.
One would have thought readers of this site were more alert to the machinations of Govts.
Well said. I only read the headline and the first paragraph and gave up.
Only the blind cannot see that Paris was a false flag and there are plenty of probable perpetrators including Gladio and the French security services, but to write an article on a serious site like the Saker, is just taking the mickey.
Europe crushed by the fascists, islamofascists, bureaufascists and their masters
http://bit.ly/1O3eaWP
@nmb:
Yep, but to me the question remains why nobody is willing to draw the correct consequences from it!
Ernst Busch – Kämpft wie Lenin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B14zrSYUdqk
Ernst Busch – Arbeiter, Bauern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH6Ajowgg4U
A few people are talking here, a few more there, but unless we unite to a force like the RedArmy we all will be crushed to death.
Mr. Sadiq: With a few exceptions, I enjoyed reading your recap of the Syrian “regime change” operation.
I certainly hope that the truths you speak are communicated throughout your native Pakistan, and hopefully the people and leaders of your nation will move out of the orbit of the hegemon and its Middle-East, especially Wahhabi, allies. However, I regretfully fear that it will take many more Lahore’s, and such events targeting the Sunni Muslim majority, before the ruling elites of your country finally realize the evil with which they have been intimately involved with in political and military matters.
I must object to the very first sentence of your article, in which you, consciously or not, parrot what I perceive to be an essential mis-truth of the false western narrative about the nature of the Syrian government and the war of aggression against its people. It is a secular Arab nationalist government, a duly elected one at that, not a sectarian based “regime,” and to repeat the false sectarian description and intentional perjorative (“regime”) only fosters the lies about the nature of that government. From everything I read and see, Pres. al Assad conducts himself as a secular Arab Ba’athist first and foremost, not as a sectarian partisan. The fact that the vast majority of Syria’s Sunni community stand by his government, and have shed so much of their blood and given their lives for their multi-confessional, secular nation of Syria speaks volumes about the truth. Someday their sacrifice may well be recognized as not a, but the, tipping point in modern geopolitical history when the scales began to tip against the hegemonic enemies of peace and mankind.
One hopes that your prediction that liberating western Syria will take years is likewise an erroneous parroting of the false western narrative. Considering the pace of recent SAA & allies advances that have liberated and are now moving beyond Tadmur/Palmyra towards Deir Ezzor, the people of Syria, as they have during their 5 years of fighting off the hegemon’s proxy armies, may have other ideas about the future of their Republic.
Regards, Jim
@JiminNH
Excellent post.
@Mr. Sadiq
I believe Pakistan is moving in the direction of closer trade relations with Iran and China.
This suggests its relationship with the Saudis is cooling, which might shed some light on the Lahore attack (Christians on Easter Sunday.)
I also got the impression the current admin was less than enthusiastic about the Saudi-led drill ‘Operation Thunder’ which in turn suggests a less than whole hearted commitment to the Islamic military alliance, supposedly organized to counteract ISIS .
Are these indicators of a geopolitical pivot?
I do believe changes are afoot in Pakistan, particularly concerning the military Establishment’s view of extremist groups. If anything, they are more serious in their response to the threat these from pose to Pakistan than the civilian government.
Regarding Saudi Arabia, that’s a tough nut. However Pakistan’s refusal to tangle in the Yemen war is a big indicator of the direction. The problem remains the religious right who are funded by Saudis. The interesting thing is the criticism last year of Saudian position was so strident on electronic media that the regulator stepped in ( on behalf of the Sharif govt and ordered the TV channels to tame it). Criticism of the house of saud was unheard of in Pakistan.
Last Russia. The ice has broken. How far the relationship will travel is again complicated. The USA has massive leverage with those who matter. Ask the public, and they’ll prefer Russia to USA. Americans are now thoroughly reviled apart from the slice of upper class Pakistanis.
@ JimminNH,
I had the same impression you are expressing and also called my attention that the author, Mr. Sadiq, labeled the legitimate elected government in Syria as regime and besides as sectarian.
” you, consciously or not, parrot what I perceive to be an essential mis-truth of the false western narrative about the nature of the Syrian government and the war of aggression against its people. It is a secular Arab nationalist government, a duly elected one at that, not a sectarian based “regime,” and to repeat the false sectarian description and intentional perjorative (“regime”) only fosters the lies about the nature of that government. ”
Very accurate observation. The commentator wants us to believe ‘his’ narrative of:
(1) “Anglo” vs. “Zionist” plot whereby the old pre-WW II imperial masters and neo-cons (who, in this case, represents Zionists) and USA power elites (who represents Anglo camp, in this case) are not in the camp.
How could anybody forget the stated aim of Obama administration of “leading from behind” where USA provides intelligence and engages in non-conventional mode of war while Europe put ‘boots on ground’ ?
How could people gloss over the fact that, every war is a Banker’s war which is initiated and played by the AngloZionist clique who are in power in USA, 5-EYES, West Europe NATO countries for last at least 3 centuries ?
(2) Assad government of Syria and Gadhafi government of Libya are “regimes” while Obama government is “administration”.
Why should we omit the fact that Assad is a democratically elected Head of State, something which most Arab west Asian countries and non-Arab Islam dominated countries like Pakistan do NOT have for most part of their existence post-WWII ?
How can we forget that Syria offers a socio-cultural life for all Syrian citizens irrespective of their religion and language, something which most Arab west Asian countries and non-Arab Islam dominated countries like Pakistan do NOT provide for most part of their existence post-WWII ?
Forgot to add my name to the above post …
In the interests of full disclosure I am a Pakistani.
The civilian government does not care about the common ma. They only care about themselves and ensuring their political survival. Just like Roman Russia has 5th coloums so does Pakistan – but a lot more or them!! Agents within the civilian government are working with RAW and foreign funded Khawarij groups to cause destabilization.(Just recently an Indian Naval Officer was arrested in Balochistan on charges of terrorism and spying). The problem is that the military cannot go full strike against the civillian government as this would be exactly want the enemies of Pakistan would want….another Syria or Libya would then ensue after the “International Community” would shout about “democracy”.
Another thing is the Nawaz Sharif government wanted to help KSA in Yemen however the pressure from the rest of the parties and the military meant he could not please KSA.
Now you have Bharat cozying upto the KSA and offering soldiers to KSA for their protection. Things do not look good for Pakistan and the civilian government is more concerned about her image.
I pray that Pakistan makes an alliance with Russia akin to the one with China otherwise she is stuck between two giants, NATO in the West and the best friend of Israel in the East.
Can the Israeli firm that manages security provide video of the actual explosion, please? This is absurd, after all Brussels has facial recog cameras in place in the city. I cant go into a drugstore parking lot and not be recorded by a video cam, never mind an airport.
Btw, I’m still waiting for videos of the plane that flew into the pentagram.
The title says “why Islamic state carried out the Paris and Brussels attack” but the whole article doesn’t answer that…especially when the overall perspectives presented in this blog site is giving more weight to those being false flags!
There are other contradictions as on some occasions the Americans are worried about ISIS sometimes they are helping them…is this what it is? Personally I do not think Americans don’t know what they are doing!
this is called keeping options open
Waqas, I think you have raised some questions that should be discussed further. Your first point, that the author Mr. Sadiq did not answer his own question in his title to the essay, I think he did answer in the first paragraph, where he said that the Paris and Brussels attacks were ISIS revenge for an Obama government betrayal of ISIS. However, you raise the valid point that many believe that some, or all, of these attacks were false flags. So, the question of whether or not these were real false flags is worthy of further discussion. But for me, this raises another vexing question: if these were ISIS revenge attacks for American government betrayal, then why attack EU cities and people? Why not attack Americans in Europe, or American embassies and corporate offices in Europe? The EU did not betray ISIS, the US did. Besides, the EU is not a government, it has no governmental authority, and has no armed forces. It’s a bureaucracy. Why would ISIS want to use its limited European human resources to attack a minor supporter of US imperialism and double-dealing?
Your second point, about the Americans being sometimes worried about ISIS and sometimes supporting them can probably be attributed to domestic American politics and political spin for primarily domestic reasons. The American government wants to be seen, at home, to be fighting the good fight against terrorism, but at the same time wants to use terrorism and terrorists for their own convert imperialist agenda. I agree with your sentiment that the Americans know exactly what they are doing and why. The problem for them is that they cannot exercise the complete control of players and events that they want to control, and thus the outcomes that they want often do not occur. Of course, we observers of events can only speculate on what the deep state really wants.
Totally agree with you Stiv, I also found weird that the revenge against the US could go in the form of consecutive terrorists attacks within the EU.
Has no sense for me at all.
Stiv, the author suggests an answer in his second paragraph but rambles through the remainder of the essay without substantiating it. In the remaining paragraphs he appears to imply that ISIS is not actually an independent agent but simply a “proxy.” However, if ISIS is a proxy, the reasons for the attacks cannot be attributed to hurt feelings on the part of ISIS. It would logically follow that they must have been ordered to carry out these attacks. If, in fact, they actually did. If that was the case, the author does not attempt to address this question. This would actually have been the most interesting point he could have raised.
Elsi, you’re correct that the logic doesn’t work. Perhaps this is what happens when an effort is made to force information into a narrative despite things not quite hanging together. I guess the hope is that people will overlook the inconsistencies.
It reminds me of the Russian airliner attack. It was stated that the Russians were not bombing ISIS whereas the US was. For some reason ISIS then decided to attack a Russian plane. Not that that was the way it happened, of course.
This is called keeping ‘options open”. Play both sides of the narrative. Bring about cognitive dissonance. This blog is the masterpiece. One side by Saker the other by someone else.
1 Russia is the epitome of resistance to empire. Russia is occupied by the 5th column and Putin is not fully sovereign.
2 Alawites constitute a shia minority. But the majority (read Sunni majority) is not against Bashar
3 These are (Gladio) false flag ops. Oh no the ISIL carried them out as revenge
4 BRICS the hope. BRICS The nonstarter
5 DONBASS – Minsk agreement a masterpiece of Russian Diplomacy. Minsk -It is a sellout, a masterpiece of the 5th column
I prefer to look at it as giving various viewpoints and letting the readers decide. One problem with the MSM is that we only see one viewpoint. Here we can see several different views ,either in articles,or in comments.
I agree with Uncle Bob’s conclusion.
Mr Anonymous you really ought to apply Occam’s Razor to the tower of paranoia you’ve constructed there. As my old friend J Vupo Esq was want to state, “Sometimes things just is what they is.” The Saker is exactly as he presents himself to be.
BTW how about selecting a name you can use for your posts? You only need to put your first name or if you don’t like that idea you could use a code name or a pen name even. Choose something you like.
Siotu
Occam’s Razor
There was a time, where applying occam’s razor as a principle worked just fine. One of the commonly used corolaries was: “do not attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity”
But since Edward Bernays thought about it, “the conscious intelligent manipulation of the organized opinions and habits of the masses is an important element in a democratic society” and his great fan Goebbels went full “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it” a lot has changed. Let’s also not forget the related works of Skinner and Bandura on social reflexes and conditioning and Festinger’s work on cognitive dissonance.
Since then “plausible deniability” is the name of the game, if you know people are going to try to apply occam’s, all you have to do is prepare something so convoluted, so complicated, so outrageous, that people will instintivelly fly from it (9/11 by the US government anyone?)
So, summing it up, occam’s razor is dead for intelligence or geopolitical analyses. Given a simple or a complicated geopolitical analyses, the simple one is more often than not wrong.
The new corolary is: “do not attribute to stupidity what can be attributed to malice and self interest”.
@Anonymous 5:10
Check out Popper’s ‘falsefiable hypothesis’ doctrine.
Then read JiminNH’s post.
Cheers!
Well, I must say that in this case I have to agree with this anonymous, having the same sensation over the last 4-5 months here, with several articles already.
Call it paranoia or whatever psichiatric label you may want, but I am sure of my own perceptions, having a bunch of hours reading almost all is published in this blog.
On the other hand, I think no need to choose a nick name since many people here is not able to stand with any kind of dissent, this going from readers to authors, being the better option remain anonymous in order to avoid ad hominem attacks.
Very perceptive Anonymous.
It’s the same philosophy that guides Russia Insider and related sites, complete with a well organized commentariat to guide perceptions.
However..
It is not necessarily so nefarious. It could be but there is also the need to talk to as wide an audience as possible, so as to be in a position to deliver messages to all sides during key moments, thereby having a greater impact on the information battlefield.
People participate in these projects either because they are paid, or because they have more altruistic objectives. Go ahead and try to tell people the whole truth at all times and see how they react. You are just as likely to alienate as you are to convince.
All human beings are biased. Even truth tellers must operate from the ground on which they stand. Learn to read critically and call out total bulls**t but don’t get paranoid. The Saker blog is an excellent place to learn to think critically and test your arguments with real people. So equipped you need to take yourself to the street and speak to people face to face. You won’t be liberated sitting behind a flickering screen.
Finally, you won’t be blocked if your comments and observations are bang on or embarassing to the blog masters. Compare that to how you are treated in the comments section of old media. You have an opportunity to learn at Saker blog like no other site. Make the best of it.
A true discussion should be open to diferrent opinions. Every attempt to close the alternative and opposite opinions will make it the same as mainstream.
We finance jackals with our taxeswho plunder other countries on behalf of sociopathic money lust.
We must destroy the media in this country to get truth out. Otherwise propaganda will continue and lives will perish.
Thank you dear Mr. Saddiq
You are a wizard who wrote a masterpiece.
thanks
“where does Islamic State’s jihadists get all the sophisticated weapons and especially those fancy, white Toyota pick-up trucks ”
Well one thing is for sure. A single phone call from the whitehouse to Toyota would have cut off all deliveries of white toyotas to the region in a stroke. One wonders why those intelligent people in washington or Langley never thought of it…
Excellent stuff. I think you have down played both the role of Turkey in all of this, and the role of the US in re-assuring Turkey of it’s support.
What we now seem to be seeing is the US withdrawing its support from Turkey with the aim of Turkey taking all the blame for Syria – probably combined with a collapse of the Erdogan regime which will make any accusation and placing of blame on Erdogan seem credible. You can see the first signs of this in the Western media now.
It certainly appears that way Michael. When Abdullah al Hussein of Jordan throws Erdogan under the bus, you know he does so at the direction of his British and American overlords.
More than that, it seems apparent that the Kurdish project is gaining momentum. It will be ironic that Erdogan will take the fall for ISIS and the western backed proxy war on Syria and see Turkey dismembered in the fallout, assuming he lives to see that eventuality.
Someday these minor vassals will learn that going to bat for the AZ empire in their wars of aggression is costly to not only the target, but ultimately to the vassals and their own nations as well. Just ask Saddam.
I believe the Shadow Government are clear on their objectives.
But, as always, there is a fatal flaw in the process of influencing, manufacturing and generating events to achieve those objectives
They believe those ‘unintended consequences ‘ can be predicted through gaming, so allowing for flexible tactics.
Unfortunately. humans are not digits. Their modelling/gaming depends on huge assumptions. mainly psychological, political and economic.
These assumptions in turn feed the nature of intelligence which is gathered and used.
As long as you assume self-interest to hold true across all domains of human behavior, the approach works, particularly if you have unlimited bribery resources, or coercive nodes of control over targets.
But there are other psychological phenomena that don’t operate according to these baseline assumptions – recently most evident in the Donbass.
The Empire may generate the chaos that allows for exploitation by various interests. but the idea it can be controlled (cf. Cheney) is the fatal flaw : thus you have the phenomenon of blowback.
That the harmful outcomes will remain outside the ‘closed system’ (America’s continental separation ) is the second fatal flaw: such systems are subject to entropy, which will come from within – and from no predictable origin.
Sleepers Awake: Daesh Unleashes Long-Term Terror Plans for Europe
Faced with intense bombing by western forces of its territory in Iraq and Syria, Daesh – also known as ISIL – is now unleashing its hidden cells within Europe as part of its plans to exploit “Muslim No-Go Zones” established as far back as 2012.
According to a 99-page manifesto, ‘Black Flags from Rome’ — which intelligence agencies have been aware of since January 2015 — radicalized Muslims from who have been trained in Syria were told to form ‘sleeper’ cells in Europe — particularly in areas of cities and towns that were heavily populated by Muslims.
Read a clip from the e-book ‘Black Flags from Rome’: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160330/1037195187/daesh-europe-sleeper-cells.html#ixzz44NylpXt7
The manifesto states that: “While the experienced Islamic State fighters left Syria for Europe, the European Muslims who had emigrated to the Islamic State would train within the Training camps, and nobody doubted — neither the Islamic State, nor the West — that some of these trainees would be sent back to Europe to form their own secret cells to continue the Jihad and to seek revenge for the Western occupation of Muslim lands.
These fighters would simply receive their training and be told to go back to their European home countries, to go into ‘sleeper cell’ mode until the Khalifah (Caliph) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ordered to start attacks in Europe.”
“They were quick to take the opportunity of entering into the different countries of Europe (most probably as early as 2012). All this was happening under the nose of the European intelligence services whose job during this time (2012) was only to prevent European Muslims from entering Syria. (This shows how quick the Islamic groups were in planning ahead. Years before Europe even knew where its Muslim citizens were going — experienced Islamic fighters had already found safety in Europe.)
“Europe and American intelligence agencies had never seen anything like this before in their war against Muslims in the West. When Al Qa’idah was the threat (throughout the 2000s), they were looking for untrained and armed individuals who were lone wolves who were vulnerable,” the manifesto states.
The Brussels and Paris attacks were all centered on Belgium which is seen as a soft touch in Europe because of its fragmented government and law enforcement systems, leading to a lack of intelligence about Muslim communities.
Many of the Paris attackers came from — or had links with — the poor district of Molenbeek, in Brussels, which was also targeted by intelligence agencies following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015.
The mayor of Molenbeek — dubbed a “terrorists’ den” because of the sheer number of jihadists living there — in November admitted receiving a list of 80 suspected Islamic militants living in the area. It included Abaaoud, who was killed outside Paris, along with Salah Abdeslam and his brother Brahim, who blew himself up.
Dr Peter Neumann, director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization said in his latest analysis of the attacks: “Like many European cities, Brussels has neighborhoods that have become migrant ghettos after decades of neglect by the state and society. There are clear signs of social and economic deprivation in these areas, fostering alienation and marginalization. Extremists have been able to exploit this vacuum, particularly in Brussels, which has entrenched jihadist recruitment structures.”
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160330/1037195187/daesh-europe-sleeper-cells.html#ixzz44NysCW17
I enjoyed this article.
I would like to ask Mr. Sadiq when he was aware of this DIA´s released report of 2012.
I do not know weather he could find of value being able to know of this report before the last three months, even before the Russian intervention, from which we have seen aluded this document in this blog, just in another article by another arab author and now in this one by Mr. Sadiq.
From my part, at least, I knew about this report long time ago and I can asure that the same report was available for publication even for alternative media.
Why was not published when first the alternative media became aware of this is beyond me.
elsi,
You expressed skepticism somewhere else as well as specifically wrote here:
” From my part, at least, I knew about this report long time ago and I can asure that the same report was available for publication even for alternative media. Why was not published when first the alternative media became aware of this is beyond me ”
Well, your and some others’ skepticism has strong basis. We all know that MSM is owned by corporate Media & Entertainment groups, hence the overt bias of the reporters-analysts-specialists. Similarly, we know most of the Academic Institutions are either government-owned or government-NGO jointly owned, so, no surprise that, there are subtle messages on pro-status quo and/or cosmetic change for continuation of the power and authority of elites-aristocrats. But, be sure that, in Alternate Media also, there are so many peoples/groups who write ‘on behalf of some interest’ and represent elites-aristocrats-corporates. Having said that, it is also true that there are many peoples in Alternate Media who spend their time for knowledge or altruistic ideals.
There are dozens of analysts and reporters (like the author of this article) who during past 4 – 5 months have been trying to prove that USA is not be blamed for Syrian war, and it is the old European Imperialists who want to bring down Assad government. The fact is, ANGLOZIONIST CLIQUE since 1991 (post USSR break-up) wanted to destroy every government in the world who has some independent voice and/or thought. Thus, the anti-government movements and unrests in Yugoslavia-Iraq-Iran-Libya-Syria-Venezuela-Bolivia-Argentina-Brazil were mostly created-groomed-managed by the local elite-oligarchy in league with global plutocracy of AngloZionists. Why then these Analysts want to prove otherwise ? The answer is, the Hegemon wants us to believe that there exist a fissure between the “Anglo” and “Zionist” camps !
Please read the article which appeared in 2006, i.e. 10 years back – you will find that USA conceptualized-planned-executed everything in middle-east. And, be sure that this is a continuous process, and wait for next moves.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/plans-for-redrawing-the-middle-east-the-project-for-a-new-middle-east/3882
The common peoples of the world is at crossroad – either we will have to continue to experience the painful imperialistic destruction of all societies particularly, of regions with natural resources (minerals, metals, energy, potable water, agricultural land), or some powerful countries who seek truth-justice-equality will stand-up against the evil Hegemonic forces to save the mankind. And, I believe, the block of Russia-China-Kazakhstan-Mongolia-Iran is appearing in the horizon towards that effect.
However callous I may sound – any country or society that fermented trouble in another country/society or helped knowingly to harm others, should taste some of treatment itself. A punishment, even if punitive, goes a long way in keeping human in check. Europe has long enjoyed war spoils while leaving USA to take world blame (and it is fair IMHO). They should take their cut of pain also. Anyway most of the geo-political problems are legacy of colonialism and the fact that European masters ran away mid-way without suitably settling the boundaries as per local demands.
Some of this analysis makes sense will other parts are nonsensical. I don’t buy the nonsensical parts.
The radical jihadists groups in Syria and Iraq are still receiving western help so it makes no sense to bite the hand that feeds unless that hand has said bite me so that I may show my wound and gain sympathy and other means to an end goals in my domain. None of which can be publicly stated. The European attacks and the San Bernardino were self inflicted as were others before and yet to come!.
The incursion into Iraq by ISIS was an event that disposed the unpopular in the US Maliki government and allowed the redeployment of US troops there under a new performance agreement amenable to the Pentagon. It also expanded the CIA backed jihadist mercenaries economic situation besides propaganda wins for the U.S-MIC on ISIS invincibility and the long war to come against them. Cui bono?
The shifting of former “radical terrorists” to become “moderates” gives us another clue to western schemes as they will be most likely withdrawn given succor and sent back into Syria if the western cabal does not get what it wants from the Geneva talks, to begin anew the war, with perhaps a safe zone from which to conduct operations. Presently the safe zone is Turkey itself.
The western goals are to split the Islamic world along sectarian lines for Israel’s comfort and expansion (Golan heights with the new found oil deposit) and to cut off Iranian and Russian supply of hydro carbon energies to Europe replaced by western and USD friendly suppliers. The safety and betterment of Israel’s situation is second to disrupting Russian influence. The end plan here is to topple Syria and Hezbollah before making hybrid war on Iran, Central Asia and finally Russia and China in a quest of world dominance by the western oligarchs. These oligarchs are acting on many fronts simultaneously, many many domestically, and in Syria and many many other places internationally.
Good write though.
Woman accused of burn koran stoned and burned.
https://youtu.be/sGDrTZwfMN4
@ klik klak,
Jews stoning women, babies, the elderly:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2012/07/woman-baby-stoned-by-haredim-in-beit-shemesh-123.html
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Haredim-stone-police-tending-to-woman-attacked-by-modesty-squad-in-
http://urokivyazaniya.ru/F8sWsSJfDzY/haredim_stone_pour_bleach_on_woman_haredi_ultra-orthodox_assault_jewish_woman_in_beit_shemesh.html
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2012/02/haredi-modesty-patrol-beats-elderly-haredi-woman-456.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4196645,00.html
Carmel by the Sea
My compliments to anodinous, anonymous, Stiv & Elsi,
I wonder if Mr. Sadiq really believes the Paris or Brussels attacks occurred? Hoaxes are soo much easier to control– and participants, police more willing if no one is killed– except perhaps the patsies.
CHARLIE HEBDO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Res6sCptdY4 Busted! Fake bullets outside Jewish grocery store , cuz cop is shooting from behind the others; also white smoke– blanks?
http://nsnbc.me/2015/11/19/alleged-organiin-police-raid/ Perp was manacled when shot by police. Wait for the slow motion; it gets slower & slower. They may have been shooting blanks, but why the manacles then? Makes no sense.
.http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bc6_1420632668
1. At the beginning there is a single black cue line in front of the car, to position it for camera 1, which is by the rubber tree on the window sill. When the “shooters” return to the car a second cue line at right angles to the first has been added. This indicates that a second take was necessary and they wanted to be sure to return the car to the same position.
2. Before beginning video see the 2 white cuelines in front of the tires of the navy car at the curb. There is a black one by the van’s front tire.
3. Camera 2 has good line-of-sight to the “victim”. The entire action was one minute. How did TWO people anticipate it and get into the correct positions to film it?
4. The gunshots are flat like blanks, but echoing as if fired in a canyon of buildings.
5. If you stop the video in exactly the right position you can see the white wadding which holds the powder of the blank. It is visible fluttering behind the head of the “victim”.
6. Doubtful that cell phones could have picked up the voice audio. Directional mike?
7. No blood from the wound which fells the “victim”, nor from the coup de grace.
8. All of the youtube copies of this innocuous but incriminating video have been scrubbed as too disgusting for us to see. But it’s OK to see beheadings, right?
Helric Fredou, Commissioner in charge of the investigation, had dispatched a team of police officials under his jurisdiction to interview the relatives of one of the Charlie Hebdo victims and had been debriefed about the interviews. It has been reported in varying media that immediately after the police debriefing, he began preparing his report, staying late at police headquarters to write it up. He was later found shot dead at 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, and the report he was writing was never found. He was reportedly suffering from depression and suicided.
5/7/15 French Nat’l Ass’y passes Draconian Surveillance law. Demonstrates what Charlie Hebdo was for. http://www.globalresearch.ca/french-national-assembly-passes-draconian-electronic-surveillance-law/5448006 Allows data collection on the entire population, restrictions on internet, much else. Vote was 438-86, with 42 abstentions.
WAS BRUSSELS either state-sponsored or a hoax, or really terrorism?
Images are mostly from the drill a few weeks earlier:
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/03/25/brussels-terrordrome-masterminds-fake-cctv-footage-eu-funded-terror-drills-prior-knowledge/
http://memoryholeblog.com/2016/03/27/the-dark-truth-behind-the-brussels-attacks/
Pedophilia always seems to be involved w these creeps. [Sad & outrageously tragic, shows Brussels police force corrupt, too. Gives the 13 methods used by those in the system to defeat accusation/investigation.]
http://winteractionables.com/?p=26395 “The recent revelations concerning the pedophilia of former Speaker Dennis Hastert and the insertion of genitals into pig’s heads ritual of David Cameron points to the certainty that compromised individuals are actively recruited into positions of power — particularly within the deep-state intelligence, law enforcement, judiciary and media. In the course of my research, I discovered that it goes far beyond just compromising enforcers and gatekeepers. Satanists and pedophile rapists are put into the control grid not just because they can be easily corrupted by the Crime Syndicate, but they typically are completely lacking in any moral scruples. Par for the course, BBC reports this week that child abuse files on hundreds of U.K. cases were “accidentally deleted.”
. . .
“Shortly after Dutroux and Nihoul, kidnappers for this trafficking network, were arrested, the top investigator who broke this high-profile case was mysteriously removed and replaced with inexperienced sycophant. An enormous outcry followed in Belgium, peaking with a 300,000-person “white March” against the government. Elements within the government and elite were so seriously implicated in the crimes and cover up that Belgium came close to open insurrection in 1996. Documents also link to various Dutch officials as well.”
—
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3505243/It-s-blessing-God-s-alive-American-Mormon-injured-brush-terrorism-Brussels-surviving-Boston-bombing-Paris-attacks.html incredible liars. crisis actors in 3 events
—
In my opinion this belgian group is a group madeup of belgian born children of immigrants that are called shariah4belgium and has nothing to do with isis in syria
I’ll believe Mr Sadiq about the motive when the Langley handlers of ISIS successfully attack a target not owned or secured by Israeli’s…
I think the rulers of all Muslim countries are just puppets of anti Islam forces and disciples of anti Chriest “Dajal” so what is happening is not favour of anyone. This is will of Allah to punish the so called Muslims.