We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Kurds in Fateful Triangle as US Moves to Redeploy IS Terror Groups

Click here to access article by Finian Cunningham from Strategic Culture Foundation. (If you have difficulty like I had in accessing this article, you may find it also posted here.) (This commentary was edited for greater clarity at 7:30 AM CT.)

The Kurds have once again demonstrated (like in Iraq) that they know very little about the ventures they enter in, especially seeking an alliance with, and the protection of, US Forces. Their dream of establishing their own state carved out of Syria and Iraq is going nowhere fast. However, there is increasing evidence that their use by US Forces is another deception imposed upon the American public who are confused by the 24/7 bombardment of fake news. The author who is based in the Middle East offers more evidence that US actions in Syria are creating more mischief.
Kurdish fighters have been used by the US to ostensibly defeat the remaining Islamic State holdouts in eastern Syria. But what is emerging is not a final defeat of the terrorists, more a redeployment to further destabilize the Arab country.

Potentially, the Kurds could wind up not with the regional autonomy they desire, but as part of a rebranded American dirty war army whose ranks include the very terrorist the Kurdish militias have been successfully battling against.

President Donald Trump has been lately crowing about how US-backed Kurdish forces have wiped out the IS self-proclaimed caliphate around Baghouz in eastern Syria. “They’re losers… they’re gone tonight,” he boasted about supposedly vanquishing the jihadists.

However, things are not that clear-cut.
I have a hunch (only a hunch) that the US Deep State (read my commentary to this post) has leaned on (mostly by ignoring his policy decisions) Trump so much that he, in self-defense, has compromised away his nationalist policy decisions to approach those of the Deep State's neoliberal (transnational) policies. The appointments to key offices like Pompeo and Bolton are examples of this. I now consider Trump to be something like a "useful idiot" who has been forced to serve the neoliberal and imperial policies of the Deep State. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter doesn't mind his reelection in 2020.