26 Aug

Rough Triangles Redux

Is it conventional wisdom yet?

ADDED: Peter Bergen at CNN: “Doing nothing will not be treated kindly by future historians writing in the same vein as Power.” (Every time you read that sentence you’ll get more out of it.)

August 26, 2013admin 4 Comments »
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4 Responses to this entry

  • Psykonomist Says:

    Looks like the newly adjusted neoconservative take by the NYT (McCain is growing ever more lonely in his camp). I see it slightly differently.

    http://psykonomist.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-superficially-schizophrenic-nature.html

    [Reply]

     Posted on August 26th, 2013 at 10:59 pm Reply | Quote
  • The Syrian Operation | Handle's Haus Says:

    […] Nick Land noted, my favorite geopolitical strategist, Edward Luttwak (stay tuned for a review of his new book, The […]

     Posted on August 27th, 2013 at 1:24 am Reply | Quote
  • Trainspotter Says:

    Luttwak is Jewish and has ties to Israel and its establishment.

    So it’s understandable why he’s not favorably disposed to both the rebels and Assad, and why he’d conceive America’s interests in this dispute in a way that conforms to this disposition.

    But from an American point of view, there’s no reason why America “loses” if Assad wins. The Assad regime is not bad for American interests.

    Luttwak says so much himself:

    Indeed, it would be disastrous if President Bashar al-Assad’s regime were to emerge victorious after fully suppressing the rebellion and restoring its control over the entire country. Iranian money, weapons and operatives and Hezbollah troops have become key factors in the fighting, and Mr. Assad’s triumph would dramatically affirm the power and prestige of Shiite Iran and Hezbollah, its Lebanon-based proxy posing a direct threat both to the Sunni Arab states and to Israel.

    So it’s bad for the Sunni Arab states and Israel. Not America.

    [Reply]

     Posted on August 27th, 2013 at 8:04 am Reply | Quote
  • Trainspotter Says:

    Of course it’s also not the case that America “loses” in any meaningful sense if the rebels win, either. The outcome of this conflict is ultimately immaterial to America’s interests. Neither Assad nor the rebels pose any sort of threat to America. So there was no point for this conflict to arise in the first place. There was no point for a relatively stable regime to be destabilized in the first place.

    [Reply]

     Posted on August 27th, 2013 at 8:21 am Reply | Quote

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