Tag Archives: American foreign policy

American military adventures since the end of WWII

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Came across this list of American invasions that have occurred since the end of World War II. It’s not a complete list since I can think of a couple of others, and to give Vietnam a single line is to diminish its significance. Personally, I was happy with the anti-communist efforts, although that may be a view I developed perhaps post-1975. But it is an amazing list.

1948 PHILIPPINES – CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.
1950 PUERTO RICO – Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.
1951 KOREA – USA and South Korea fight China and North Korea to stalemate.
1953 IRAN – CIA overthrows democracy deposes President Mossadegh, installs Shah.
1954 GUATEMALA – CIA directs exile invasion.
1958 LEBANON – US Marine occupation against rebels.
1960 VIETNAM – Fought South Vietnam revolt and North Vietnam; 1-2 million killed.
1961 CUBA – CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
1962 CUBA – Naval blockade during missile crisis; near-war with USSR.
1964 PANAMA – Panamanians shot by US troops for urging canal’s return.
1965 INDONESIA – Million people killed in CIA-assisted army coup.
1965 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – US Marines land during election campaign.
1966 GUATEMALA – Green Berets intervene against rebels.
1969 CAMBODIA – Up to 2 million killed in decade of US bombing, starvation and political chaos.
1970 OMAN – USA directs Iranian marine invasion.
1971 LAOS – USA directs South Vietnamese invasion; carpet-bombs countryside.
1973 CHILE – CIA-backed coup ousts elected President Allende, installs Augusto Pinochet.
1975 CAMBODIA – US troops captured ship, 28 die in helicopter crash.
1976 ANGOLA – CIA assists South African-backed rebels.
1981 LIBYA – Two Libyan jets shot down in manoeuvres.
1981 EL SALVADOR – Overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.
1981 NICARAGUA – CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants mines in Managua Harbour.
1982 LEBANON – US Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, US Navy bombs and shells.
1983 GRENADA – US invasion deposes elected Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
1984 IRAN – Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.
1986 LIBYA – Air strikes to topple nationalist government.
1987 IRAN – US intervenes on side of Iraq in war.
1989 LIBYA – Two Libyan jets shot down.
1989 VIRGIN ISLANDS – St Croix Black unrest after storm.
1989 PHILIPPINES – Air cover provided for government against coup.
1989 PANAMA – Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers. More than 2000 people killed.
1990 IRAQ – More than 200,000 people killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait.
1992 SOMALIA – US-led UN occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.
1992 YUGOSLAVIA – NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.
1993 BOSNIA – No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; USA downed jets, bombed Serbs.
1994 HAITI – Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office.
1995 CROATIA – Krajina Serb airfields attacked by USA before Croatian offensive.
1998 SUDAN – US attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be ‘terrorist’ nerve gas plant.
1998 AFGHANISTAN – Missile attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups.
1998 IRAQ – Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.
1999 YUGOSLAVIA – Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo.
2001 AFGHANISTAN – US attack and invasion, deposes government and installs US puppet President Karzai.
2003 IRAQ – US attack and invasion, deposes President Saddam Hussein.
2007 IRAN – US Congress allocates $400 million to overthrow elected government, mounts covert infiltration.
2011 LIBYA – USA and allies attack Gaddafi government assets in civil war using cruise missiles.

And while the present American administration is hopefully an anomaly, for we in the West American power remains indispensable. Nevertheless, I also think this is undeniably true: Joe Biden ‘in bed’ with Chinese Communist Party.

When the New York Post published its blockbuster reports on the evidence from the laptop just three weeks before the 2020 election – indicating Joe Biden not only had knowledge of his son’s business dealings, contrary to his claims, but also profited from them – the CEO of the company formed to deal with CEFC China Energy, Tony Bobulinski, came forward.

Bobulinski, Devine said, “verified, corroborated the material that we had published and had a whole slew of his own emails and documents and WhatsApp messages with Hunter Biden referencing Joe Biden.”

“And Tony Bobulinski had also met with Joe Biden twice when the former vice president was vetting him to be the CEO of this new joint venture with a Chinese energy company,” Devine noted.

I don’t think I ever thought any politician ever did what they did out of pure altruism, but the corruption that is evident at every turn across most of the West at the present time is astounding.

“Obama likes Suleimani, and admires his work”

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This is from 2015: Obama Strikes a Deal–With Qassem Suleimani. It’s by Lee Smith from the Hudson Institute.

According to the terms of the Iran deal announced in Vienna on Tuesday, U.N. Security Council sanctions regarding nuclear-related issues will be lifted on a number of entities and individuals—from Iranian banks to Lebanese assassins, like Anis Nacacche. The name that most sticks out is IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani. Administration officials counsel calm, and explain that Suleimani is still on the U.S. terror list and will remain on the terror list. But that’s irrelevant. The reality is that Suleimani is the key to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

It is all incredible, but this is extraordinary.

Obama likes Suleimani, and admires his work. As the president reportedly told a group of Arab officials in May, the Arabs “need to learn from Iran’s example.”

In fact, they need to take a page out of the playbook of the Qods Force — by which [Obama] meant developing their own local proxies capable of going toe-to-toe with Iran’s agents and defeating them. The president seemed to marvel at the fact that from Hezbollah to the Houthis to the Iraqi militias, Iran has such a deep bench of effective proxies willing to advance its interests. Where, he asked, are their equivalent on the Sunni side? Why, he wanted to know in particular, have the Saudis and their partners not been able to cultivate enough Yemenis to carry the burden of the fight against the Houthis? The Arabs, Obama suggested, badly need to develop a toolbox that goes beyond the brute force of direct intervention. Instead, they need to, be subtler, sneakier, more effective — well, just more like Iran.

Is it stupidity, incompetence or duplicity? Who can tell, but we should be very grateful it is gone for now. With foreign policy such a low-grade issue to at least half the American population, you never know who they will elect for president next. In the meantime, we have to hope they keep the one they now have for the next four years.

But where you will never unravel any of these questions is by reading the daily papers or watching the ABC. This is from the Australian Financial Review today, with this the heading in the paper, but not online: Trump scraps Obama legacy. This is the sub-head in the paper, but again, not the one used online.

“In confronting Iran, the president, driven by a desire to trash his predecessor’s foreign policy record, is determined to prove himself a superior commander-in-chief.”

And in the very middle of the page, the inset quote reads:

“I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say the root of much of this is Obama envy.”

It would be nice if these people would stick to foreign policy and lay off the pop-psychology. For what it’s worth, in my view Obama was the worst president in American history, both for domestic and foreign policy. Anyone who cannot at least understand why someone might come to this conclusion should be prevented from commenting on current events.

“A shocking column of bias, vitriol and singular ignorance”

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It’s getting to be as regular as the rising sun that the only value from most of the columnists at The Australian is so that they provoke replies from their readers. And so again, yet another anti-Trump screed, this one by Graham Richardson whose only skill has ever been to count heads in Parliament and present whatever is the latest version of the lies of the left. This one on Donald Trump’s singular moment of lunacy alienates the US further. To quote:

Barack Obama left office as a very popular President despite some obvious shortcomings. On the domestic front he was an undoubted success. . . .

If you thought that American foreign policy had hit rock bottom you were wrong. Donald Trump’s blunder this week leaves Obama and Bush looking adequate by comparison. When Trump released his bombshell statement that America would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel he managed to alienate every US ally around the world, he gave live ammunition to every US enemy and Middle Eastern terrorist group.

I’ve left in the opening words, the bit about Obama’s “undoubted success” in domestic policies, as a kind of benchmark for what follows. Anyway, the comments thread starting from the top and going down right to the end without a single one in support of Richardson.

So the arabs are upset and threaten violence. What has changed exactly?

Well Richo after many years of appeasement failure maybe its time to do something different. Your side of politics will be horrified if this succeeds.

What you are forgetting G Richardson is that not only Obama, George Bush but also Bill Clinton declared that Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel. Trump has been the only President to keep his word. Long live Trump in the White House.

…but Richard, you’ve failed to mention that Jerusalem being recognised as Israel’s capital was also the policy of Obama and Clinton. You knew that. Hence you have been caught out again. Fake news indeed.

You really have this wrong. It was a masterstroke.

Time to hang up the pen, Richo.

I think that you summed it up in one sentence. 5 decades of sensible US policy has produced nothing because the Palestinians have no benefit in making peace. Better to infect the UN and continually deride Israel until such time as Iran goes nuclear. North Korea is another problem that needed to be tackled years ago but Clinton and Obama just sat back. It’s about time someone stood up to the likes of the Palestinians and Kim. Doing nothing doesn’t work.

Genius move by Trump and US.

Sheesh. Obama was not an “undoubted” success on domestic policy. That’s not even close to being accurate.

Clinton, Bush (GW) and Obama Presidencies ALL made public, on the record statements that recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and there’s PLENTY of video evidence to support this. Why is THIS instance so different from every other?

Western Jerusalem has been capitol of Israel since 1948. Russia and the Czechs also have recognized that reality. The recognition changes nothing for final state negotiations. Finally the entire world at UN voted as per UNESCO that there is NO Jewish presence , history or emotional ties for Jerusalem. Palestinians wanting to pressure jerusalem /Israel without actually having face to face negotiations. It is fitting that they all now feel the reverse in the actual final recognition of reality…and that they feel what Israelis felt from the put downs and prejudice in denying any jewish connection to jerusalem. Palestinians are very noisy when it does not go their way, aren’t they!

“Barack Obama left office as a very popular President despite some obvious shortcomings. On the domestic front he was an undoubted success.” Well obviously. The Democrats lost 1,030 seats in state legislatures, governor’s mansions and Congress during Obama’s presidency. They lost control of Senate and House of Reps. The Republican dominance was greater than it had been since 1860. Undoubted success. Obama, Bush and Clinton all promised to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before reneging. Trump promises it and delivers. An “act of lunacy”. Sorry Richo, but your leftism is showing.

Garbage. The city of Jerusalem has been the traditional capital city of the country we now call Israel since the beginning of recorded history. Pandering to the Arab movement has never achieved one single thing as they are solely focused on the destruction of Israel. He has called a spade a spade.

Richo, you are aware that recognising Jerusalem as the capital and moving the US embassy there, has been part of every presidential election campaign for decades, right? Barack Obama’s policies included recognising Jerusalem. So did George W. Bush, Bill Clinton. In 2008, then Democratic candidate Barack Obama called Jerusalem the ‘capital of Israel’. In 2000, then Republican candidate George W Bush promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. In 1993, former president Bill Clinton also came to office saying he supported ‘the principle’ of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. In fact, the US Congress even passed a law in 1995 called the Jerusalem Embassy Act which described Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and said it should not be divided. Trump is just the first one who is not all talk and simply gets the job done. I know that must be a very strange, almost alien, approach to a politician, but that’s how stuff is done outside politics. In the real world.

Tell me if I am not correct: The US Congress has acknowledged (by vote), for some time, that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but no President has acted on that decision in an administrative sense, and say they will move the US embassy to Jerusalem, until now? A President enacting the will of Congress is how things should work in a democracy (and thankfully does most of the time, until lately, perhaps). Right or wrong, if it is a will of Congress, it is the will of the people.

What Mr Richardson knows about foreign affairs and geopolitics, you could write on a small postage stamp. All his knowledge is local, parochial and partisan. Not a single idea in this article is explored beyond its bald assertion. He is out of his depth on this subject, and is only parroting what he has heard–and what he has heard is essentially the Democratic/U.N. party line.

In his last two columns, Mr Richardson has sadly revealed that moments of lunacy are becoming his personal trademark. A shocking column of bias, vitriol and singular ignorance.

So Israel are just bombing Gaza for no reason? No provocation Richo?

Maybe spend 30 seconds researching what successive POTUS policy has been on recognition of Jerusalem. Yes, even the messiah Obama. But then of course, the narrative is more important then the facts in the post-truth age.

Oh Richo – so poorly informed on this one. 90 -0 the US senate voted for this issue only 6 months ago. So, its all Trumps decision, thought the President followed the government, not dictated to it. This decision (finally some one makes one, and sticks to it) forces the Truth to be faced. There is no peace process, not while the Arab world desires jus tone thing, the genocide of Israel. Also, you might want to ask why did Congress, on the same day, announce that the 887 million, yes, that’s 887 million dollars of aid it gives to the Palestine authority” will cease after Christmas unless the 334 million it “gives to its “martyrs” also stops. The Children in the room, and that appears to include you, need to understand, this is a message to the Arabs, recognise Israel, face the Truth, and then maybe, just maybe, a real peace can begin. There can be no peace when one side teaches its children, and has as part of its constitution the death of a its neighbour. Lunacy, I think not, Trump derangement syndrome, I think, on your behalf, yes.

Excellent and game changing move by Trump – executing a move that previous presidents promised, but never delivered.

Trump has signaled the USA – remember he is the President, like it or not, Richo -backs the only functioning democracy in the region, which Barack ‘Red Line’ Obama abandoned. Whose side are you on, Richo? Bob Carrs’?

Past Presidents had dithered for 25 years, delaying a decision every 6 months.(Bush & Obama). Along comes a President (Trump) who does what he promises and some get upset, but he made a decision. Go Trump, Make America Great Again, that helps the world.

Sorry, but the Israelis founded Jerusalem in BC, Christians in Anno Domini, and Islam barged in in the 7the century. So ,having driven a million or so Jews out of their countries since 1948, the Arabs should give them their s bit of their middle east land, that is now Israel, permanently. The Catholics have the Vatican, the Muslims have Mecca, and quite justly , the Jews should have Jerusalem.

Exactly Graham! WE MUST APPEASE, APPEASE, APPEASE, hey comrade?

Seriously tho, when did Australian politics devolve into a bunch of wimps frightened of upsetting anyone? And before anyone calls me an armchair general, I have more time in uniform than anyone in parliament, including Mr Hastie.

As bad as it is there is worse to come

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Depending on America since the retreat of Britain has had its imperfections but we are in a whole new world since the coming of the Age of Obama. The article opens with a listing of the horrors of American foreign policy under Obama before coming to this:

Is there a pattern or unifying conviction that underlies such disarray?

Yes says Bret Stephens, the Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist. In “America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder,” he argues that the many debacles of the last six years — with the striking exception of the White House’s dogged intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — are tied together by Obama’s determination to scale back America’s global responsibilities. “America’s retreat — or what the Obama administration prefers to call ‘retrenchment’ — is the central fact of this decade, just as the war on terror was the central fact of the last decade,” contends Stephens. It is setting the stage for far worse.

I don’t think America has become more isolationist but it is willing to elect an incompetent and ignorant chief executive who has left wreckage everywhere he has turned. If an open borders policy doesn’t frighten the electorate enough to abandon the Democrats, I am at a loss to imagine what now will. The world map in 2114 will look nothing like the one we see today.

Educated ignorance

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This is about American foreign policy and foreign policy advisors but it is just as true about economics and economists.

Most of these smart young people really don’t know anything. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they had great SATs and went to top schools and have mastered the art of sounding smart, attaining admirable fluency in that unnatural dialect known as Beltway-speak, but as for any deep knowledge about any particular subject relating to how the world really works, that’s about as rare in this crowd as unicorns and Bigfoot. There should be no surprise that Chekists are winning handily these days.

That said, it’s important to note that the ignorance of reality found among our Bright Young Things in DC is hardly their own fault. It can be attributed to their deformed education, especially among those who have studied International Relations, memorizing Game Theory and related unreality when what they needed to be doing was studying languages and history and getting out of the Beltway more.

Experts in game theory, clueless about history and the actual dynamics of the real world. Everything comes back to first principles which are never checked against reality. It is astonishing just how impervious the American foreign policy establishment is to the events of the past few years in the same way that the economic establishment has been impervious to its own disasters of the past few years.

There is then the media who come from the same cohort of over-educated highly intelligent ignoramuses. This is from Rush Limbaugh where I’ve quoted only his first and last lines. You can go to the original to see what comes in between:

I think the mainstream media is pig-ignorant of practically every discipline except party discipline. . . . We talk about low-information voters. We’ve got low-information media, and they are not aware of what they don’t know. They are so arrogant about their all-knowingness that they can’t conceive that they don’t know anything — and, when they encounter it, they’re just flummoxed.

But really, there’s so much going wrong all at once that it’s hard to know either what the problem is or what anyone could do to fix it.

First link via Small Dead Animals