(From Douglass J Hagman @CFP) According to the U.S. government, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed during a spontaneous protest at the consulate office in Benghazi by a frenzied crowd of Muslims outraged over an obscure internet video. Recently released “sensitive but not classified e-mails” from Stevens to the U.S. Department of State painted a picture of poor security for U.S. personnel and the embassy, which was obviously true but had little to do with the events of September 11, 2012.

The failure to dispatch an extraction team or otherwise rescue the men during a firefight that lasted upwards of nine grueling and tortuous hours was not the result of any intelligence failure, but caused by our unwillingness to widen the conflict and expose the nature and scale of our true mission in Benghazi. (more…)

A BBC World Service opinion poll has found sharply higher overseas approval ratings for US President Barack Obama than Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

An average of 50% favoured Mr Obama, with 9% for Mr Romney, in the survey of 21,797 people in 21 countries.

Only Pakistan’s respondents said they would prefer to see Mr Romney win November’s election.  France was the most strongly pro-Obama (72%).  The survey was conducted by GlobeScan/PIPA between 3 July and 3 September.   (article)

(more…)

The Middle East – Let’s cut to the chase so that a broader understanding is possible.

Look at a map of the Middle East:

The first understanding is to know the “Modern West” was accepting of mass migration from N-Africa through Tunisia and Libya into Cyprus, Italy and on to Europe for decades.  This migration was/is the beginning of their substantive multi-cultural issues they are now facing socially and economically.

Long story short…. Eventually Europe wanted the spigot turned off because the “undesirables” were not assimilating correctly and they could not afford the resulting problems.   The ruling fascists in Libya (Gaddafi) and Tunisia (Zine El Abidine Ben Ali) now held “leverage” over Europe.    Quackdaffy and Ben Ali became the gatekeepers. (more…)

If this report is true, and an alliance is formed, two of the three countries needed to restore the Islamic Caliphate will be partnered.   The necessary “trinity” is Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.   Prediction:  If radical Islamist elements in Egypt and Iran align they will turn their collaborative efforts toward destabilizing Saudi. 

Yemen below them, Bahrain beside them, and Kuwait above them, are all precariously balanced and ready to tip with minimal effort.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi will attend a summit in Iran later this month, a presidential official said on Saturday, the first such trip for an Egyptian leader since relations with Tehran deteriorated decades ago.

The visit could mark a thaw between the two countries after years of enmity, especially since Egypt signed its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and Iran underwent its Islamic revolution. Under Morsi’s predecessor Hosni Mubarak, Egypt, predominantly Sunni Muslim, sided with Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-dominated Arab states in trying to isolate Shiite-led Iran.

Until now, contacts have been channeled through interest sections, a low-level form of diplomatic representation. In May last year, Egypt, which was ruled by an interim military council, expelled a junior Iranian diplomat on suspicion he tried to set up spy rings in Egypt and the Gulf countries. (more…)

Afghanistan’s government is rewriting history, literally.  The education ministry has endorsed a new history curriculum for school students that deletes nearly four decades of the country’s war-torn past.

The government says textbooks based on the new curriculum will help bring unity in a country traditionally polarised along ethnic and political lines.

But critics accuse ministers of trying to appease the Taliban and other powerful groups by erasing history that portrays them in a bad light. They say the government is trying to win over the Taliban before Nato and US forces leave the country. (more…)

Wow, what a time to be an American

Russian President Vladimir Putin laughs uncontrollably at the weak little girly man called Barack. 
Back in October 2007 Barack Obama promised as president he would make the United States defenseless.

“I’m the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. And as president I will end it. Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. And I will institute an independent “Defense Priorities Board” to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending. Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons; I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material; and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert, and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals.”

Now Barack Obama is going to unilaterally cut US nukes. (more…)

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month rejected an offer from United States (US) President Barack Obama for landmark bilateral talks at the White House, the Kremlin revealed on Tuesday.

Less than a week before Mr Putin’s May 7 inauguration, he received a missive from Mr Obama touching upon bilateral and international issues and inviting him to discuss them in a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the May 18 to 19 G8 summit, Mr Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said.  (more…)

As expected in the following Treehouse posts:

• Enter The Dragon – Putin positions himself for massive global influence, including the Middle East.   Iran, China, Turkey coalition
• The New Cool Dark Overlord of Communism – The resurgence and marketing plan of Vladimir Putin similar to Obama’s hope and change.
• Putin Calls America a “Parasite” – The New Beginning
• Russian Academics Freaked Out About Putin – Russian people begin to realize what might happen.

MOSCOW –  Vladimir Putin claimed victory in Russia’s presidential election before tens of thousands of cheering supporters Sunday, even as the opposition and independent observers insisted the vote had been marred by widespread fraud.
At a massive rally just outside the Kremlin, Putin thanked his supporters for helping foil plots aimed at destroying Russia, sounding a nationalistic theme that has resonated with the prime minister’s core supporters amid a wave of unprecedented protests.
“I have promised that we would win and we have won!” he shouted to the flag-waving crowd, which responded with shouts of support. “We have won in an open and honest struggle.” (more…)

Once again President Obama shows how incredibly influential his administration can be in the world.   NOT.   President Obama makes a statement to the global community demanding support for a resolution against Syria’s Assad.  Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton follows up and makes demands of the global community for support of Obama, and then UN ambassador Susan Rice delivers the United States demands for a resolution against the Syrian regime.

Russia and China laughing uncontrollably at the little man Obama, Pantsuits, and the woman of bovine fart (global warming) infamy Susan Rice, tell them to sit on their puny foot stomping resolution and rotate. (more…)

The primary support for Syria comes from Iran.  Period.  This is no secret.  In response to criticism over the failure of Obama to support the Iranian “green movement” uprising President Obama specifically said in 2009 he wanted to extend his unclenched fist to Iran and work on better relations.  To prove his point Obama watched Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shoot his opposition in the street and stood silent.   At the same time Hillary Clinton called Syria’s Bashar Assad a “moderate” and a “reformer”.

However, now that attacking Iran’s nuclear ambition -to improve his “gutsy caller” image- becomes a process of Obama’s re-election strategy, you can expect a complete change in tone and approach to Assad.  It’s less about Syria, and much less aboout Assad or his brutal dictatorship, and more about Obama re-election optics.

(Foreign Policy) As the violence in Syria spirals out of control, top officials in President Barack Obama‘s administration are quietly preparing options for how to assist the Syrian opposition, including gaming out the unlikely option of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria and preparing for another major diplomatic initiative.

Critics on Capitol Hill accuse the Obama administration of being slow to react to the quickening deterioration of the security situation in Syria, where over 5,000 have died, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Many lawmakers say the White House is once again “leading from behind,” while the Turks,  the French, and the Arab League — which sent an observer mission to Syria this week – take the initiative to pursue more aggressive strategies for pressuring the Assad regime. But U.S. officials said that they are moving cautiously in order to avoid destabilizing Syria further, and to make sure they know as much as possible about the country’s complex dynamics before getting more involved. (more…)