Posted on 09/23/2015 9:53:08 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
The intended purpose for vacuums is to clean, pick up dirt that we cannot often see with the naked eye. But when it comes to foreign policy there is another type of vacuum.
Back in August 2011 I was part of a Congressional delegation visiting Israel and we met with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. I will always remember his warning about vacuums, he advised us to not withdraw our military force footprint from Iraq. PM Netanyahu stated that if you create a vacuum it will be filled.
The Obama administration thought it more important to adhere to campaign promises, rhetoric, and rigid ideology and created a huge vacuum in the Middle East. Unless you have forgotten, the Obama administrations stated goal was to pivot away from the Middle East and that included abandoning a position of strength in the region.
An enemy that was defeated has now reconstituted and has secured swaths of territory and driven out historic communities. ISIS would not have been able to bring itself together if we had maintained the requested residual force in Iraq of 10,000-15,000 troops.
As well, Iran would not have been able to become more of an influencer in Iraq if we had maintained a residual force in Iraq. Perhaps, if there were still American leadership in the Middle East, Syria would not have descended into the deplorable situation which is having immense ramifications all the way to Europe.
The Obama vacuum is not like the Hoover vacuum I used as a little kid. Instead of picking up the dirt by sucking it into a bag, this new model blows out the dirt and creates conditions by which it can thrive. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) certainly does not clean up any mess; it exacerbates it and creates a disaster of grand proportions.
Consider the strategic footprint the United States once had when it came to geopolitical positioning regarding Iran. Our forces were arrayed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a perfect posturing to keep watch on the number one state sponsor of Islamic terrorism.
However, America is on the verge of being the largest financial supporter of Irans cause as we release hundreds of billions of dollars to the militant regime. And with those funds, enabled by the vacuum created by the policy of the Obama administration, groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Martyrs, Al Quds, the Houthis, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, and the Quds Force will thrive and more dirt will assemble.
And the Obama model vacuum coupled with mismanaged red lines has resulted in the sustainment of one Bashar Assad the fella who supposedly just had to go.
So now, guess who is in the Middle East selling his new vacuum cleaner model, the Putin. Yes, when a geopolitical vacuum is created, someone will indeed fill that void.
The one inside John Kerry's head?
bmp
Good catch.
Thanks for the ping.
I’ve liked this man since Iraq. He’s smart and knows what he believes and why.
ISIS would not have been able to bring itself together if the Iraqi government had not destroyed their own armed forces through corruption and favoritism, too. Enough fighting for people who are not willing to fight for themselves.
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