Article

2008-12-04 Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Report: Obama advisors want NATO troops in West Bank

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Posted by Steve White 2008-12-04 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 What Steve said, especially in that last annotation.

WTF is it with the head-smackingly dumb s**t that people come up with - including people "who've been there" like Zbig and Brent? The foreign policy field, more or less my home forever, seems to have an amazing abundance of of and tolerance for simply idiotic ideas.

I'm pretty sure Obama's not as smart as many like to believe, I'm positive he's utterly over his head in these matters, but I still don't see anything like this happening. The problems and booby traps are too obvious even for the Clinton III/Beltway Lightweight Brigade to ignore. Plus there's risk (eewwwwww, we don't do risk, even if we ARE "transformational").

In any case, Iz'rl would have a veto over anything remotely like this, so I can't see it being feasible.

Meanwhile, if the new team (or the Iraqis) doesn't manage to screw up Iraq, whatever will we do with the hallucinogenic touchstone assumption that all good things in the MidEast can only proceed from and follow upon a love-fest between Iz'rl and the Paleos? The assertion that has beclowned a thousand think tankers, "intelligence community" analysts, State weenies, and former big-shots will just be left there, writhing on the deck. Not that it will die, or its buffoonish adherents suffer a bit - first principle of idiotic Beltway conventional wisdom foreign policy: no ridiculous claim or idea, however spectacular or undeniable the debunking thereof, can result in a loss of prestige or regard for the clown who authored it. Absolute zero accountability.

Posted by Verlaine 2008-12-04 03:37|| 2008-12-04 03:37|| Front Page Top

#2 In any case, Iz'rl would have a veto over anything remotely like this, so I can't see it being feasible.

Actually, I think the Israelis are smart enough to allow this. It would be a black hole sucking the life out of the Obama regime for no accomplishment or less than zero benefit. Scowcroft and Jones should be smarter than this, but looking at the policy papers of the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank they are assoc with), this is just like the self defeating actions they advocate.

It's going to a long four years and we are going to appreciate just what a tough guy Jimmy Carter was.

Posted by ed 2008-12-04 08:01|| 2008-12-04 08:01|| Front Page Top

#3 and less than zero benefit.

Posted by ed 2008-12-04 08:01|| 2008-12-04 08:01|| Front Page Top

#4 NATO won't play. I've said for some time that Obama may will try to enfluence the action in Africa through the deployment of US troops under the new AFRICOM/US State (Peace Corps-Lite) structure. Scowcroft, Brzesniki and Kissenger are bitter old men who no longer have any visible or elected public role in international affairs. The need to go find Florida. I well remember their hayday. It wasn't that outstanding, believe me.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-12-04 08:08|| 2008-12-04 08:08|| Front Page Top

#5 They would be human shields for a massive Paleo arms upgrade, same as the Lebanon border.

Posted by Grunter 2008-12-04 08:35|| 2008-12-04 08:35|| Front Page Top

#6 I can see one reason to have NATO forces there. To assist in moving the Paleos into Jordan, in lieu of the Israelis forcing them to leave, prior to reclaiming the West Bank as part of "greater Israel".

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-12-04 09:38|| 2008-12-04 09:38|| Front Page Top

#7 "They need to go find Florida. I well remember their hayday. It wasn't that outstanding, believe me."

Ditto, in spades.

Posted by AlanC 2008-12-04 09:48|| 2008-12-04 09:48|| Front Page Top

#8 Grunter is right, and I forgot to include that important point in my diatribe. The Widows Ammunition Fund would indeed be busy ...

Posted by Steve White 2008-12-04 09:49|| 2008-12-04 09:49|| Front Page Top

#9 There is now a "Temporary International Presence in Hebron" called by the acronym TIPH which most Israelis refer to as "Two Idiots Patroling Hebron".

It is acknowledged as a farce by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Posted by mhw 2008-12-04 10:02|| 2008-12-04 10:02|| Front Page Top

#10 I would take this with a huge mountain of salt.

But if true...
It would be the political equivalent of using a flamethrower to remove a wart on your nose.

Posted by DarthVader 2008-12-04 10:07|| 2008-12-04 10:07|| Front Page Top

#11 Let's also not forget that if U.S. troops actually shoot any palestinians it will have negative consequences in our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and elsewhere in the muslim world.

Posted by DoDo 2008-12-04 11:09|| 2008-12-04 11:09|| Front Page Top

#12 But DoDo, to the left that's not a bug, but a feature.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2008-12-04 11:52|| 2008-12-04 11:52|| Front Page Top

#13 This is outside of the NATO charter.

Posted by Lagom 2008-12-04 13:09|| 2008-12-04 13:09|| Front Page Top

#14 Oh yeah, lets send lots of practice targets for the nasty little animals to take pot-shots at. Great idea.

Posted by mojo">mojo 2008-12-04 14:05|| 2008-12-04 14:05|| Front Page Top

#15 V2 of this will be a UN peace-keeping force. Someone will point out that no other member of the UN would send troops there either, for the same reasons.

V3 of this will be a Pan-Arab peace-keeping force, I suppose because the Palestinians will presumably be less willing to shoot at other Arabs. Even the Arabs are too smart to fall for that.

Posted by buwaya 2008-12-04 15:50|| 2008-12-04 15:50|| Front Page Top

#16 On behalf of Florida, we don't need any more trash washing up on our beaches, thanks.

Posted by Cornsilk Blondie 2008-12-04 18:46|| 2008-12-04 18:46|| Front Page Top

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