Obama and Kerry have broken with 35 year policy of doing Israel and Saudi's bidding in the Levant. The major shifts in the region are quite impressive. The US decision not to do a bombing raid on Syria was crucial. I have long advocated Iran would be a better long-term ally to the West than the House of Saud. The policy decisions of the last 60 days have opened this opportunity.

The Bush years and the decision to invade Iraq was the moment the bald eagle lost its feathers and the Saudi King was confronted with a Shia majority government as northern neighbor. Saudi Arabia changed policy and began overt funding and supplying arms to the Sunnis in Iraq. In Lebanon and Syria the Gulf states were already heavily involved with investments and meddling in domestic politics.

Wahhabist teachings in mosques intensified the Sunni/Shia divide to undermine the Assad regime. In Lebanon the House of Saud was split in support for Rafiq Hariri (King Fahd) and Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal (crown prince Abdullah). New Saudi King Abdullah won out.

Dark Prince Bandar was sacked as US Ambassador in 2005, reasons unknown to me. He has made a come-back to lead the jihadists in the Syrian civil/sectarian war. Saudi Prince Bandar reportedly threatened Russia with terror activities during the Sochi games, so nothing new here to see by threatening the Levant and counter US policy.

WikiLeaks: BAE secret papers reveal threats from Saudi Prince Bandar

(Guardian) Feb. 15, 2008 - Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed.

See also the BAE 'Al Yamamah' scandal. Bribes likely used to fund covert ops, read: global jihadists.

○ US Will Be Ousted by Saudi King Abdullah in Middle-East  by Oui on Feb. 27, 2013

Posted earlier in Tikun Olam -  Iran and Syria: Best of Times, Worst of Times

'Sapere aude'

'I'd Dump the Israelis Tomorrow': Ex-CIA Analyst Michael Scheuer

(TOI) -  One of the witnesses before Congress was an ex-CIA analyst and operations officer Michael Scheuer. In his appearance - which is on YouTube here - he argues that al-Qaeda's hatred towards the West is driven by western policy and actions in the Middle east, as opposed to a more generalized cultural or religious animosity. If you listen to Scheuer's testimony, you can see he is not spouting anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist or pro-Palestinian rhetoric. While he is rather eccentric, Scheuer bases his opposition to the American alliance with Israel on the purely Realpolitik argument of the US needing to disentangle itself from ties to both Israel and the Middle East more broadly. In fact, it is worth noting that Scheuer considers the US alliance with the Saudis to be far worse to the US from a policy perspective.

○ Former CIA Analyst Exposes Syrian War Lobbyists - Michael Scheuer

The one map that shows why Syria is so complicated

(WaPo) - The map, from Columbia University's really exceptional Gulf/2000 Project, shows the different ethnic and linguistic groups of the Levant, the part of the Middle East that's dominated by Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Each color represents a different group. As you can see, there are a lot of groups swirled together. There are enclaves, and there is overlap.

 « click to enlarge
Each color represents an ethnic or religious group. (Michael Izady / The Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia University)

Ethnic and linguistic breakdowns are just one part of Syria's complexity, of course. But they are a really important part. The country's largest group is shown in yellow, signifying ethnic Arabs who follow Sunni Islam, the largest sect of Islam. Shades of brown indicate ethnic Kurds, long oppressed in Syria, who have taken up arms against the regime. There are also Druze, a religious sect, Arab Christians, ethnic Armenians and others.

Syria is run by Alawites, a minority sect of Islam whose members include President Bashar al-Assad and many in his inner circle. They're indicated in a greyish green, clustered near the Mediterranean coast. Although Alawites make up only 12 percent of the Syrian population, they are playing a crucial role in the war, fighting to prop up Assad's regime.

○ UN Syria Aid Blocked by Assad Regime, Opposition In Disarray - 2,000 Rival Groups

'Sapere aude'

Mention about Syrian Kurds is wrong, they have been fighting Al Qaeda jihadist in northeastern part of the country for quite some time.

Syria Kurdish militias battle al Qaeda fighters, driving civilians across border into Iraq

(CBS News) - Aug. 28, 2013 - Kurdish militias battled al Qaeda-linked rebel groups in northeastern Syria in the latest round of heavy fighting that has helped fuel a mass exodus of civilians from the region into neighboring Iraq, activists said.

Clashes between Kurdish fighters and Islamic extremist rebel groups have sharply escalated in Syria's northern provinces in recent months. The violence, which has left hundreds dead, holds the potential to explode into a full-blown side conflict within Syria's broader civil war.

Around 30,000 Syrians, the vast majority of them Kurds, have fled the region over a five-day stretch and crossed the border to the self-ruled Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Another 4,000 made the trek across the frontier Tuesday, said Youssef Mahmoud, a spokesman for the UNHCR in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Syria Kurdish fighters seize border post from Islamists

○ Parts from my diary - US/Russia Should Lead - A Yalta Conference on Middle East.

'Sapere aude'

Censorship "De Telegraaf" [google translation]

Right-wing Dutch national newspaper refused my comment on the I-P issue. A politician from the far-right Christian Conservative party (CU) requested less funding for the Palestinian Authority. Joël Voordewind accused the PA of using funds to sponsor terror against Israel.

In my comment, I wanted to place Voordewind's bias in some perspective to the 95% of posts who agreed with him. The moderator notified me my comment was refused! This is a novelty for me.

Joël Voorewind talks about prayer for peace in Jerusalem and the bond of Christians with Israel. There is yet hope as many commenters agree with him. Voordewind speaks the language of the occupier, Avigdor Liberman and Bibi Netanyahu who are proponents of a Palestinian state in Jordan. Inside the PA there is corruption, that's a fact. The accusation of MP Voordewind (CU) is dated from the Arafat period. Europe and the US spread funds through the World Bank: "Other income is freed to secure the salaries of the Al-Aksa Martyrs and other militants."

De Telegraaf has no problem with speeches by Geert Wilders in Tel Aviv calling for the transfer of Palestinians to Jordan.

'Sapere aude'