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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 10-Sep-2013
10-Sep-13 World View -- New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria

Web Log - September, 2013

10-Sep-13 World View -- New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria

An example of the intelligence of today's college professors

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria
An example of the intelligence of today's college professors

New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria

John Kerry

John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State made a major new gaffe on Monday, when he was asked in London what Syria's president Bashar al-Assad could do to prevent an American strike. He said:

"Sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week. Turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total accounting for that, but he isn't about to do it and it can't be done, obviously."

This remark was completely off-script, and the last phrase was apparently a failed attempt to recover. Too late. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov immediately asked Syria to promise to turn over his chemical weapons to the international community, and Syria immediately said they accepted the proposal, though they never said they would implement it. United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon immediately approved the plan to launch a project to transfer chemical weapons to "places inside Syria where they can be safely destroyed." He said that the "international community will have a very swift action."

That's all that President Barack Obama needed to apparently back off completely from the threat of a Syria strike. According to one commentator, President Obama appeared to be breathing a sigh of relief when he said that he would take the time to consider the "Russian proposal."

This all would be laughable if it weren't so serious. I've written before about my utter astonishment at what's going on -- a return to 1938-type appeasement, when Adolf Hitler snookered Britain's prime minister Neville Chamberlain into declaring "Peace in our time," at a time when Hitler was already making preparations for a war with Britain. I never dreamed that I would see a repeat of that scenario in my lifetime, but here we are. Kerry bumbled and made a gaffe, and Russia turned it into a "Russian proposal," Ban Ki-moon turned into a "U.N. proposal," and Obama did a flip-flop. It's hard to believe.

Obama will be addressing the nation on Tuesday evening. Atlantic Wire and Telegraph (London)

An example of the intelligence of today's college professors

Columbia University Political Science Professor Kimberly Marten

Columbia University Political Science Professor Kimberly Marten

As I was writing this column, Al Jazeera aired an interview with Kimberly Marten, Professor of Political Science at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. I decided to transcribe what she said, as a shining example of the level of intelligence and scholarship of college professors today, and also an example of what our college students are being taught.

Marten was asked what she thought of the "Russian proposal" to ask al-Assad to turn its chemical weapons over to the international community. She praised Russia's president Vladimir Putin:

"I think it was a BEAUTIFUL proposal.
It was a BRILLIANT move by Putin. He looks STRONG before his domestic audience because he SOLVED this problem. He's actually done a FAVOR for Obama, by getting Obama out of a jam, which I think maybe he was looking to do, because there were indications earlier in the summer that he wants a good relation ship with OBAMA.
And you know he looks like the GOOD guy in all of this. He gets support throughout the WORLD for not being the warmonger.
I think it gets ASSAD out of a jam too. It's a way of insuring that there are no STRIKES on his TERRITORY - he doesn't actually NEED chemical weapons to accomplish anything. Chemical weapons are not the most effective weapons to use. So it makes HIM look like not such a bad guy either.
I don't think [Assad is getting away with anything], because there are other ways you can punish Assad. you could take him and his regime to the International CRIMINAL Court. So I don't think it's the end of the story.
But I think, you know, PUTIN is a JUDO master. And I think this was a JUDO move. You don't win in judo games by being the stronger player. You do it by having SURPRISE attacks that throw your opponent off balance."

Well, I do agree with this moron about one thing: Putin did win on Monday, and Obama and the United States lost big. Al-Jazeera

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 10-Sep-13 World View -- New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (10-Sep-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 10-Sep-2013 10-Sep-13 World View -- New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria

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An example of the intelligence of today's college professors

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 10-Sep-2013
10-Sep-13 World View -- New Kerry gaffe leads to further political chaos over Syria