Posted on 09/29/2015 4:00:51 PM PDT by Kaslin
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) was prophetic at CNN’s GOP presidential debate Sept. 16, predicting that Russia would continue to exploit a vacuum in the Middle East and “prop up” Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to demonstrate to the Middle East it was the most important power broker there.
The Obama administration was admittedly caught by surprise this week when Russia announced an intelligence-sharing agreement with Iran, Syria and Iraq to battle the Islamic State, another example of Vladimir Putin expanding his influence in the region after he deployed warplanes and tanks to help Assad earlier this month. Over the weekend, Russia announced it would step up its military support to prevent the collapse of Assad, which Putin believes would be destabilizing.
This, Rubio said at the time, is Putin’s vision for repositioning Russia “as a geopolitical force.”
“It’s pretty straightforward,” Rubio said at the debate. “[Putin] wants to reposition Russia, once again, as a geopolitical force … He’s trying to destroy NATO. And this is what this is a part of. He is exploiting a vacuum that this administration has left in the Middle East. Here’s what you’re going to see in the next few weeks: the Russians will begin to fly combat missions in that region, not just targeting ISIS, but in order to prop up Assad. He will also, then, turn to other countries in the region and say, ‘America is no longer a reliable ally, Egypt. America is no longer a reliable ally, Saudi Arabia. Begin to rely on us.’
“What he is doing is he is trying to replace us as the single most important power broker in the Middle East, and this president is allowing it.”
Such overtures from Russia on fighting IS and expansion of influence into Syria and Iraq are “exactly what the Arab world hoped to obtain from a foreign power”, the Wall Street Journal reports:
Russia’s influence in the Middle East has grown steadily since the fall of the Soviet Union largely because of its alliance with Iran. As Iran severed ties with the U.S. and reduced alliances with Western countries, it looked toward Russia for economic trade and military assistance. The two nations also shared the common interest of reducing the U.S.’s influence in the region.
Now Iraq and Syria appear to be following Iran’s trend in turning to Russia, as opposed to the U.S., as a new patron. Russia’s swift and forceful foray into Syria and Iraq while voicing clear commitment to fight Islamic State at whatever cost is exactly what the Arab world hoped to obtain from a foreign power.
The Russian leader has been bulking up forces and bases in Syria in moves U.S. officials say are designed to safeguard Mr. Assad and his regime. Over the weekend, Iraq revealed that it had signed an agreement to share intelligence with Russia, Iran and Syria, and an Iraqi defense official said on Monday that the country would welcome Russian surveillance flights over Iraq.
Full exchange:
JAKE TAPPER: Senator Rubio, you’ve taken a very different approach to the – the question of Russia. You’ve called Vladimir Putin a, quote, “gangster.” Why would President Rubio’s approach be more effective than President Trump’s?
MARCO RUBIO: Well, first of all, I have an understanding of exactly what it is Russia and Putin are doing, and it’s pretty straightforward. He wants to reposition Russia, once again, as a geopolitical force. He himself said that the destruction of the Soviet Union – the fall of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, and now he’s trying to reverse that. He’s trying to destroy NATO. And this is what this is a part of. He is exploiting a vacuum that this administration has left in the Middle East.
Here’s what you’re going to see in the next few weeks: the Russians will begin to fly – fly combat missions in that region, not just targeting ISIS, but in order to prop up Assad. He will also, then, turn to other countries in the region and say, “America is no longer a reliable ally, Egypt. America is no longer a reliable ally, Saudi Arabia. Begin to rely on us.” What he is doing is he is trying to replace us as the single most important power broker in the Middle East, and this president is allowing it. That is what is happening in the Middle East. That’s what’s happening with Russia, and–
TAPPER: Thank you, Senator Rubio.
You don’t have to be a ROCKET SCIENTIST to have predict how Syria was going to end.
The bigger question, for Rubio, is explaining how OPEN BORDERS is in this country’s interest, particularly with MILLIONS OF ISLAMISTS streaming into Western Nations.
Maybe Rubio sees a benefit with bringing in thousands (or millions) of terrorists...but most of us here cannot quite understand his plan. It would be useful if he would explain it...without lying (yet again) to us.
Where’s Captain Obvious?
Rubio is correct. But what Rubio failed to say is the the United States not only left a vacuum in Syria, but we actually created it. Somehow we thought it would be a good idea to overthrow all of the secular dictators in the Muslim world -- the ugly strongmen who kept a lid on the cancerous spread of radical Islam. Now these stone age Mohammedans are rampaging across the Mediterranean and will soon set fire to Europe itself. In hindsight, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak and Bashar Assad don't look quite so menacing anymore.
I was about to say the same thing. Nothing he said here is new.
That has been predicted by EVERYONE ever since Obama started restraining American power, worldwide.
-----------------------------------------
Not by Donald Trump
Amnesty. Rubio should self-deport.
Looks like the Establishment realizes Carly is not selling....
So they are rolling Rubio back out. He must now be the latest Establishment guy?
Anyone notice how the Establishment is keeping Jeb on the back burner for now? Guess they are not ready to burn that bridge?
Trump/Cruz 2016!
You don’t care because you are ignorant
Rubio is a child. I want Assad propped up. Anyone with half a brain knows that the alternative is ISIS and the Jihadi rebels.
Wake up
What for? His parents weren’t illegals and he was born in Miami,Florida, which is the 22nd state
I don’t care what Rubio thinks because he is ignorant. Do you want to know why people don’t like him other than on immigration?
I will tell you.
He is like McCain and Linda. He sounds like a war hawk like Bush family is. GOP war hawks get people into wars that are never won. I am sure Rubio had no problem going along with furnishing weapons to Syrian “so called” rebels. You know, the guys that gave it all up and joined ISIS?
Rubio would have known all of this and what was coming because he is privy to intelligence reports.
Perhaps people would think more of him if he hadn’t bedded down with the Obama regime regarding Syria and immigration.
So think whatever you like, but Rubio is no genius. In fact, he is dense.
A
I don’t give a damn crap about Marco Rubio or anything he has to say about anything.
He is McCain with a accent.
At the time of the second debate, anyone who’d been paying attention realized that Russia intended to reestablish itself in the Middle East by moving forces in Syria to assist the Assad government.
Hardly some great crystal ball feat by Rubio.
Rubio has been paying attention and several other people have also commented on how Russia is taking over. The only strange thing is that Obama, who has done nothing about anything when it relates to Muslim terrorism, was surprised by today’s meeting.
Isolationism has always been a big US tactic, both on the right and the left, and most of our candidates of the moment on either side are bailing on the rest of the world. The problem is that we are not as far away as we once were (and, of course, Obama is inviting the enemy into our midst) and that we always get dragged in one way or another.
So we should have a position and a strategy, neither of which we have, except the Monty Python strategy...”run away, run away...” But it’s not going to work.
The biggest problem is not that Obama is weak, but that he’s playing for the other side. And nobody is opposing him.
This admin feigning ignorance does not fool me.
They designed this.
You broke the code. They did design this.
The whole treasonous lot of them.
I knew this was going to happen three years ago after watching the first Frontline about Syria.
Want my prediction of what happens after Rubio’s Amnesty?
California.
Duh.
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