Doc's Talk: The Emperor’s New Clothes: Foreign Affairs

Friday, April 09, 2010

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Foreign Affairs

Chet Nagle

The lapdog congress, tailored to our imperial White House, has produced a garment made of health care. Unfortunately, that very expensive suit may come apart at the seams, and the administration may find they are needful of new clothes. So the administration has decided foreign affairs are just the ticket. As a result, and because members of the Obama administration are leaders and statesmen in name only, American foreign policy is now in shambles on every continent. Why do the incompetents persist?

Disastrous White House foreign policy initiatives are typified by the discourtesy shown Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent state visit. Results of that Chicago-style diplomacy are already apparent. This week the head of Israel’s important Defense Forces Planning Directorate, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, will visit China to meet senior officers of the Chinese defense establishment. The State Department and the White House insist that visit is just to convince the Chinese to back sanctions on Iran, and it is not designed to repair Israel’s military relations with China, frozen for the last four years at U.S. request. And no way would Israel sell China any of its superior weapons technology. Still, Gen. Eshel will be greeted with full military honors in China, just as Chinese generals will be honored during their reciprocal visits to Israel. Additionally, rumors abound of more Israeli visits to Russia.

Mindless of that, Washington keeps pushing the “reset button” to make Moscow smile. For example, a tiny Associated Press release on 18 March said the White House has authorized American troops to march in a Red Square parade on May 9th. It seems the administration wants our troops to salute Lenin’s tomb during what the Kremlin promises will be a huge “Victory Day” celebration. White House Press Secretary Gibbs has yet to mention American troops honoring Russia, nor has he commented on Russian nuclear bombers routinely buzzing Alaska and overflying Britain. American foreign policy disasters are endless. A few more examples:

· The abrupt cancellation, applauded by Russia, of missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic designed to protect European democracies from Iran’s missiles. Governments of two allies were damaged and embarrassed.

· The state visit to Australia, cancelled so the president could promote his healthcare bill at home. The government of Australia was hurt.

· The cancellation of President Obama’s attendance at the May U.S./EU Summit in Madrid, ensuring that high level meeting would not be held. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy are slighted and angry.

· The over-flights of the U.S. border by Mexican military helicopters. Danger to citizens near that border is downplayed by the Department of Homeland Security, as is the murder of two Americans in Mexico.

· The $35 billion contract to replace our fleet of aged refueling aircraft. Europe’s EADS consortium (France, Spain, Britain and Germany) partners of Northrop Grumman, have the best aircraft. Lobbied by Boeing, the administration directed the Pentagon to change the rules and eliminate EADS. French President Sarkozy has made it clear, in subtle Gallic fashion, that he considers the leadership of the United States to be dolts, from top to bottom.

· There is START, latest nuclear arms reduction treaty negotiated with Russia. Aware the White House desperately needs foreign policy successes, Moscow got what they wanted in the negotiations. We do not know just how bad it is because details of the proposed treaty are largely being kept secret. The Senate, after November’s elections, may save us.

· There is Washington’s corrupt boss of Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai. Fearing an honest vote, Karzai said U.S. and UN forces were influencing elections in order to end his wobbling reign. He even threatened to join the Taliban. The White House said his statement was “genuinely troubling.”

· The pressure by the State Department on Honduras to return deposed Manuel Zelaya to power. An ally of Hugo Chávez, Zelaya is opposed by the Honduran congress, Supreme Court, church and army, all of whom legally deposed him according to Article 239 of the Honduran constitution.

· And then there is Argentina, Britain, and the assassination of the “special relationship,” the Obama administration’s worst blunder in 15 months.

In 1982, Argentina’s junta invaded the British Falkland Islands. The islanders are English speakers who want nothing to do with the unstable, mismanaged, and failed state of Argentina, so they asked their mother country to save them. Margaret Thatcher sent the Royal Navy. The Brits shed their blood and took back their islands – and that was that. Until last month when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointlessly reopened an issue settled for 30 years. She said Britain should negotiate the status of British land with Argentina, a bankrupt nation thirsting for oil deposits reputed to lie below the Falklands.

Why did Secretary Clinton do that? Why did the White House send the bust of Churchill back to England? No room in the basement? Why did they respond to Prime Minister Brown’s thoughtful gift with a set of DVDs that cannot be played on UK equipment? Why did they give Queen Elizabeth an iPod loaded with presidential speeches? Some say these actions were because of British sins in Kenya, the president’s ancestral homeland that the Brits once ruled (1895-1963). Whatever the reason for all the animosity shown to Britain, it has finally come to a head.

Last week a committee of the British parliament officially noted the history of the Obama administration’s churlish actions and declared the “special relationship,” forged in the fire of the Second World War, was now ended. Old friend Bruce Anderson wrote in London’s Independent: “We British not only speak the same language. We tend to think the same way. We are more likely than anyone else to provide tea, sympathy and troops.” Whether the White House intentionally killed the special relationship or was just careless, it will take a new and very capable American government to bring it back to life.

If all this damage was done by the White House and State Department to insure reelection, it might be understandable. But how could so many disasters help? Will not the voters realize the growing danger to the safety of America and of Western civilization? It seems American foreign policy now caters to left wing liberals, or it is short-sighted, or it is simply managed by incompetents who care nothing for the national interest. Or all three. But whatever the reasons, no one in the world now trusts, fears, or respects the United States.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing editor Chet Nagle is a Naval Academy graduate and Cold War carrier pilot who flew in the Cuban Missile Crisis. After a stint as a navy research officer, he joined International Security Affairs as a Pentagon civilian – then came defense and intelligence work, life abroad for 12 years as an agent for the CIA, and extensive time in Iran, Oman, and many other countries. Along the way, he graduated from the Georgetown University Law School and was the founding publisher of a geo-political magazine, The Journal of Defense & Diplomacy, read in over 20 countries and with a circulation of 26,000. At the end of his work in the Middle East, he was awarded the Order of Oman in that allied nation’s victory over communist Yemen; now, he writes and consults. He and his wife Dorothy live in Virginia.

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

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