Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A strange world...politics are a funny thing

It's funny right now how a lot of world events aren't getting reported in American media--especially by the sources most partisan, places like Fox or MSNBC. 

Why?  I mean, there has to be a reason.

Maybe it's that Russia has invaded Ukraine.  But Britain relies on Russian investment and BP is a massive investor in Russia.  Britain, of course, maintains a 'special relationship' with the United States.  So we don't like Russia--again.

But in Iraq, we've been working with the Russians to get Russian warplanes to the Iraqi government to fight ISIS.  Of course, fighting ISIS, the US has also worked with Iran and the Kurds--who don't like one another, but while working with Iran, we've also assisted with Sunni militia again who dislike the Iraqi government, but have worked with Iran/Iraq against ISIS as well which means that Saudi Arabia and Iran have cooperated even though they hate one another.

Within Syria, Filipino UN peacekeepers were attacked by rebels.  They were able to hold off the attackers with the assistance of Syrian artillery (the peacekeepers were there to keep Hizbollah and Israel from fighting, I believe)--which allowed the Filipinos to reach safety inside Israel--at least the area occupied/claimed by Israel.  So the Syrians and Israelis are working together while Hizbollah (which takes its cue from Iran and despises Israel) stays out of things--since the attackers were radical jihadists...even though to the west in Gaza, Hizbollah's Palestinian faction continues to resist Israel which has been working with Egypt, but against Turkey--which was the first Muslim country to befriend Israel.

Confusing?  Of course it is.  And it is no different than politics were thirty years ago when in one African country (which one escapes me at the moment) you had American built oil rigs serving a  regime being advised by Israelis but given aid by the Soviet Union against 'communist' (perhaps socialist is a better term...) rebels being funded by the US.

I don't think most people understand this.  Some have.  It's how you got Bismarck's Realpolitik.  Reagan understood it--if we can't agree on one thing, let's work on the others we can, so something gets done regardless.

Which do you choose:
1 - If you aren't with us, you are against us.
2 - If you aren't against us, you're with us.

Random politics for a Tuesday...

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