Obama Administration Policy on Middle East and Africa all over the place

If one has followed President Obama’s statements and position on the middle east and North Africa prior to his policy speech on the region last week, you like me probably have no clue to the reasoning behind his words. After reading his remarks last Wednesday, I am even in more of a stupor of consternation.

What I can say is that his approach and policy alike are whimsical or fickle at best and unprincipled and inconsistent at worse – thus the rarefied stupor I alluded to previously. For example, I recall how initially in Egypt, he proclaimed his support for Hosni Mubarak in word, but fleetly altered this position upon the observation that President Mubarak did not have the support of the military. Similarly in Bahrain, he offered effeminate words of support for the long ruling leadership yet at the same time; he attempted to protect the leadership and longtime alley for the sake of the fleet anchored in its harbor. Even as the Monarch, with the aid of Saudi Tanks and military, killed unarmed protesters, the administration and its figure head turned a blind eye to the citizenry desire for democratic rule and liberty. This same behavior and action drew harsh military reprisals and words from Obama via NATO requesting Muammar el-Qaddafi leave office.

In Libya, our military are protecting the innocent, but we do no such protection for those in Yemen, Syria or Bahrain. In his speech, Obama commented, the “humiliation that takes place every day in many parts of the world – the relentless tyranny of governments that deny their citizens dignity. “ He added “we can – and will – speak out for a set of core principles – principles that have guided our response to the events over the past six months: “In fact the President eludes to hearing the calls for help, but strangely it is only in the middle east and Libya but no other parts of Africa.

The problem for me is that there is not one standard stated; for there isn't any unifying principle that guides this new policy. Meaning, that any effective policy for unstabilized governments on our behalf will require coherence, which thus far is lacking. Will he treat all attacks on the general populations the same? Will King Abdullah of Saudi be held to the same standard of Qaddafi? What makes a distinction to have different positions between Qaddafi and Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad? He did not even mention Bahrain or Saudi Arabia in his speech.

The Obama administration is all over the place, for to say we hear the calls for democracy yet cover our ears from similar cries from the Congo, Uganda, Sudan and other nations is disingenuous and fails the litmus test of reality and consistency.

The True Reason The Administration Bombed Libya

Deception as a tactic has both advantages and pitfalls. It seems that the Obama administration has not calculated nor considered either from their promotion, support and initiation of a no fly zone over Libya. The overzealous mandate for the incessant bombs over the North African Country makes me consider several issues that the main stream media and associated pundits have yet to consider let alone discuss.
First, the US has no strategic or security interest neither in Libya nor in seeing Quaddifi removed from power. Although the premise of protecting civilians is promulgated as being of utmost importance, they do not say if rebels start to kill ruthlessly once they reach the immediate areas around Tripoli, that the US will protect pro government supports equally as vehement. This throws a wrench in what is apparently illogic US logic.

Second, the hypocrisy displayed by the current administration causes additional consternation. Looking at Yemen for example, where in theory we have a strategic interest, we are taking no action. Yemen is a country in which we have evidence that al Qaida is holding training for terrorist attacks against the US. There is also a division between the military between defectors from the monarchy and those loyal to the US confederate President Ali Abdullah Saleh. We are not involved at all yet a split in the military is likely the US worse fear seeing that it may lead to isolation for us not openly and aggressively supporting the youth revolt. They already are more anti-US than most other Arab nations and this may push them closer to Al Qaeda.

This week in the small nation, rival tanks deployed in the streets after three senior army commanders defected to support protesters calling for the U.S.-backed president to step down. Last Friday President Saleh's forces opened fire from rooftops, killing more than 40 protestors. The United States instead of stating they need to protect the citizens – ignored this act completely.

We say that such a vacuum in Yemen may result in an opening for Al Qaeda politically. The same is true for Bahrain, Libya and Saudi Arabia just to name a few but we only militarily get involved with Libya. Plus we see what our military insersion in Afghanstan has produced – no progress and a more enduring Taliban. We should have also been able to see what Iraq taught us – that billions of dollars and hundred thousands of troops cannot mandate democracy.

The United States and the West forget their historic colonial and imperialistic past when dealing with the nations and the fact that many of these places we call nations were never nations until others outside of the region drew the present day maps. Iraq is a region of Kurds, Sunni’s and Shiite’s we forced together. Afghanastan is a similar nomadic land, and many are run by autograts in the form of monarchs.

This is our problem. Yes, the real reason we are using military might in Libya is because we want to take attention away for not being consistent in Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Places were Kings and Sunni minorities rule oppressed Shiite majorities. Places where the use of force and guns on protestors causes more instability when we claim our worry is instability. The President was even protested in Brazil this week on his Latin American visit. And what did they use to break this protest? Rubber Bullets.

Our assult on Libya is misplaced and more like the move of a bully or a punk. Punks never deal with the problem at hand but rather they find a scapegoat to take away attention from the problem. Which in this case is America’s national security; which is not a function of Libya or Col. Muammar Qaddafi, but what happens in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. We must never forget they lyrics of that classic hip hop song – “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down.”
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Face to Face Shooting in Bahrain [GRAPHIC]

Saudi Tanks Enter Bahrain