“Tell me I’m wrong”!
Scott Ritter just did an interview with Danny Haiphong.
I’m an analyst”, says Scott” a little defensively, “tell me I’m, wrong”.
Umm…..OK. “Scott you are not so much wrong, as just not right”.
I’m an analyst too. — and wrong lots of times.
Ritter thought that Assad’s army of (on paper 170,000) would defeat the Jihadist invasion of 30,000 handily because he’s a “military analyst” I guess. .
I thought Assad might stay in power if the Iranians and Iraqis came to his aid – and with the Russians bombing the invading force. I didn’t think the Syrians could do it alone. Still, they seemed to be doing doing all right— for a while. Then - not.
In fact, the Jihadists did not “defeat” the SAA-- it collapsed from the inside.
HTS did not win. Assad lost
Which means, HTS did not win – rather, Assad lost. So Ritter’s simple-minded calculus was wrong. Of course, mine was too! Just not as much.
As for Ritter as a self-described “analyst”—actually he is not—not in any area outside his rather narrow area of experience. He is a military person trained by the Americans – an expert in American military tactics and strategy. Analysts do not just read the news and opine — they need to research.
Ritter has experience with Middle Eastern people, especially in a defeated and demoralized and raped and ruined Iraqis.
Somewhere in his mind is a kind of supremacism -- not racism – but the supremacism of being in a clean, well-laundered and ironed uniform while the locals are in rags, kids begging for candies. Experience can generate bias.
Israelis, of course, have nice clothes and cars and all that.
Scott thinks Israel will emerge from this debacle stronger, How could they not? Thy look like Americans. In fact, a lot of them are Americans! If it walks like an American and talks like an American, it’s either a duck or a Zionist.
Israel will go on to complete the Palestinian genocide – with (he says) the support and approval of the US -AND also the Arab states—who will ignore the plight of the Palestinians because they are ...well...Arabs—y’know...Arabs…
The IDF is bombing Damascus and its tanks are reportedly entering or threatening to enter the city. Why? Because HTS has declared solidarity with Palestine, say some.
What does that mean? It means that Syria is the new Lebanon. HTS is the new Hezbollah. Israel lost in its invasion of Lebanon. Will it be any more successful against HTS, which now has the remnants of that 170,000 strong, trained army in its control? The war will go on…and on…and on.
Weapons?
The Syrians have already lost most of the weapons that Syria had in the South. Its entire MIG 29 fleet. But much of it was old. MIG 21s? MIG 23s? T62 tanks?
But that will not stop HTS from getting weapons elsewhere.
It does also does not mean that Hezbollah is cut off from receiving weapons from Iran. This the Middle East – an enormous arms bazaar And let us remember Ukraine which is eager to sell off weapons and doesn’t really care to whom, as long as they are not Russian. Perhaps Trump will build a wall.,
Ritter might be wrong about Syria, but he IS right about a lot of other things. You should listen to what he says. He raises important issues that you should think about. I do, even if I don’t agree.
Quagmire
He sees Israeli victory — I see quagmire.
And a lot of other things.
Arab governments might be inclined to sell out the Palestinians. But the Arab Street will not. And their governments do at their peril.
Jordan held elections recently. Not many voted.
Elections aren’t viewed as fair. It’s been like this for a long time. There’s a lot of vote buying, ballot tampering and outright fraud ...
Jordan’s government is shakey. The people are angry.
In addition, Israel’s move into Syria must strike fear into the hearts of all Arabs in the region. If Israel were successful in its Palestinian genocide, which is religiously inspired, next would be the re-creation of what Zionists believe used to be Greater Israel. More death. More destruction. To the Zionists all Arabs are Amalites.
Greater Israel includes all of Lebanon, most of Syria, chunks of Turkey, more than half of Iraq, a big chunk of the KSA, all of Jordan, part of Kuwait, part of Egypt and the Suez.
Threat changes things. Suddenly, the Iraqis, and the KSA and Iran are friends. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”.
Right now, I am waiting for a bomb to drop. Many think that bomb will be Iran announcing it has a Bomb. And, of course, delivery systems. Worked for North Korea.
But it doesn’t have to be that. The unforeseen.
Unintended consequences…..
For another point of view…
"The IDF is bombing Damascus and its tanks are reportedly entering or threatening to enter the city. Why? Because HTS has declared solidarity with Palestine, say some".
It's simpler than that: much simpler. Israel does those things because it can. In the mind of Zionists, things are immensely simple. Jews are real human beings with souls, whom God has chosen and loves. All other "people" are subhuman, because their souls - if any - are "lower than cattle". Therefore Gentiles can be killed, tortured, lied to, cheated, or dealt with in any way that would be possible for lower animals - rats, for instance.
Israel, as you write, wants to be bigger. With the collapse of Syria and Mr Assad's overthrow, Syria can no longer defend itself - so the Israelis will move in and grab everything they can. Like Captain Jack Sparrow and his pirate friends, their motto is "take what you can; give nothing back". And if anyone gets in your way, just kill them. God will approve.
"Jordan held elections recently. Not many voted".
Why would any sane person vote? In an hour or two, I could either vote, have a cup of coffee and a nice slice of cake, read a newspaper, or perhaps write an article.
Spot the significant difference? Enjoying coffee and cake, reading, and writing all bring rewards of various kinds.
Voting doesn't.