Article

2006-05-20 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran delivers 1,000 SA-7 Strela ground-air missiles, more IEDs to Iraqi Shia

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by 3dc 2006-05-20 12:09|| || Front Page|| [10 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 This may not be completely accurate, but most likely this is the case. I agree with what Old Patriot posted here. This is a mess as long as there is no control on inflows from Iran & Syria. Of course, Iran is problem # 1. Has been since'79. There is no point being there unless this is handled as a theatre problem. I have the ugly knawing feeling that Bush/Cheney Inc. think they can use American blood to just safe guard their oil pals and keep the oil flowing. No other objective. Paid help just to keep things bubbling along. Otherwise, you have to get serious and clean out the entire rat's nest.

Posted by SOP35/Rat 2006-05-20 12:46|| 2006-05-20 12:46|| Front Page Top

#2 There is no point being there unless this is handled as a theatre problem.

Agreed, but the problem is whether/when the direct military action gets addressed at this level. The Bush administration has in fact been using other means: we tend to forget, for instance, how hard they pushed Syria and how shocked everyone else was at the overt pressure.

The job our military are doing in Iraq is incredibly important, more difficult in many ways than force-on-force operations and a central part of dealing the with early-stage breakup of international power structures going on. Oil is, I think, just a part of it ...

Posted by lotp 2006-05-20 12:58|| 2006-05-20 12:58|| Front Page Top

#3 Or, to be a little clearer, oil is certainly a reason for us to be in Iraq. But I don't think it's a matter of protecting "oil pals". I think it's a matter of protecting oil flows to the global economy so that the next 10 years of instability and conflict don't crash the world economy.

Posted by lotp 2006-05-20 13:03|| 2006-05-20 13:03|| Front Page Top

#4 The least we could do is step up attacks in Iran. There are ways, let's use them. Let us take the offensive and put them back on their heels for a change.

Posted by wxjames 2006-05-20 13:43|| 2006-05-20 13:43|| Front Page Top

#5 You don't have to have direct military confrontation with blackhats to make the point. All you do is pop an an oil terminal.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2006-05-20 15:09|| 2006-05-20 15:09|| Front Page Top

#6 or pop a mullah ....or a barracks full of Revolutionary Guards - payback for Beirut

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-05-20 16:06|| 2006-05-20 16:06|| Front Page Top

#7 Or killa Kilo.

Posted by 6 2006-05-20 16:11|| 2006-05-20 16:11|| Front Page Top

#8 It always slays me when people riff the president about keeping the oil flowing while they tool along in their gasoline fueled vehicle. This is both cynical and hypocritical. Those who protest should get out and walk.

This is and will be a regional conflict, starting with diplomacy if only to avoid warfare and still achieve our obvious objective: the mad moolahs sans nukes. Once this card is played out (and it looks to be) should we invest blood and treasure.

Posted by Captain America 2006-05-20 18:12|| 2006-05-20 18:12|| Front Page Top

#9 Captain...I understand. But, US servicemen and women are dying almost daily because the blackhats are supplying technology, money, and explosives to the terrorists. Somehow they have to receive a message...crystal clear. I don't want a shooting war. I want to disrupt the fragile infrastructure such that they implode...and implode before they get the first N-warhead.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2006-05-20 18:41|| 2006-05-20 18:41|| Front Page Top

#10 Anymouse has got it. We either take the gloves off on both the Iranians and these new Shiite militias/insurgents or we should just leave and write the whole thing off. Just letting our guys get whacked with Iranian-sourced weapons is not acceptable. Doing nothing is a sign of weakness and will only encourage more these animals.

Posted by Remoteman 2006-05-20 20:00|| 2006-05-20 20:00|| Front Page Top

#11 Move along, boyz, no Radical Iranian empire in the ME here, NO WMDS in IRAN, Its only Uranium, NOT Plutonium - Mistaken Ditzy Klutzy Dufus Moronic = wilful Warmonger Imperialist Bully Arrogant America makes yet another mistake showing why it needs to come under OWG and Regulatory Socialist-Centralist-Governmentist Totalitarian rule = governance.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2006-05-20 22:36|| 2006-05-20 22:36|| Front Page Top

#12
"We either take the gloves off on both the Iranians and these new Shiite militias/insurgents or we should just leave and write the whole thing off."

The gloves will come off in due time, as for just walking away, we can't do that either.

Keep in mind, for everything you think you know about the situation, there are a thousand things you don't know.

As for our men and women in the Armed Forces, it hurts to lose even one of them! But it's the job they all VOLUNTEERED for.

-M

Posted by Manolo 2006-05-20 23:00|| 2006-05-20 23:00|| Front Page Top

09:52 bk
23:59 Redneck Jim
23:59 DMFD
23:58 Darrell
23:58 mhw
23:49 Redneck Jim
23:44 Bangkok Billy
23:39 SOP35/Rat
23:20 bigjim-ky
23:18 Old Patriot
23:15 bigjim-ky
23:11 Anonymoose
23:04 Frank G
23:00 Manolo
23:00 bigjim-ky
22:56 junkirony
22:53 JosephMendiola
22:50 JosephMendiola
22:49 Manolo
22:45 Frank G
22:41 JosephMendiola
22:36 JosephMendiola
22:34 Frank G
22:33 Frank G