Obama Scrambles To Create "New ISIS Narrative" After Putin Embarrasses Washington
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/27/2015 20:35 -0500
One of the most amusing things about Russia’s headlong plunge into Syria’s five-year conflict is the extent to which it effectively represented Moscow calling time on Washington’s strategy of seeking to bring about regime change in the Mid-East by intentionally destabilizing otherwise strong (if not always benign) governments.
Until September 30 - which is the day a three star Russian general strolled into the US embassy in Baghdad and informed the staff that airstrikes in Syria begin “in one hour” - Washington, Riyadh, Ankara, and Doha seemed perfectly content to simply wait around for one group of rebels or another to finally succeed in taking Damascus. In the meantime, the US embarked on what one might call a “containment” strategy as it related to ISIS - the idea, basically, was to keep Frankenstein confined to the lab, but not to hit the monster hard enough to render it ineffectual in the fight to destabilize the Assad government.
Once Assad fell, the US would march in and “liberate” the country before promptly installing a puppet government - with the help of the Saudis of course.
All of that changed when the Russians arrived in Latakia.
Once Moscow’s warplanes began to turn the tide in favor of the SAA with the help of Hezbollah ground forces and the IRGC, Putin promptly moved to blow the whole charade wide open by asking (loudly) why the US wouldn’t partner with Russia in the war on terror. He of course knew the answer, but the point was to make the general public question why, if ISIS really is the greatest threat to humanity since the Reich, Washington was unwilling to partner with Moscow and also with Tehran. Between that and the seemingly endless stream of Russian MoD clips depicting hundreds upon hundreds of airstrikes against terrorist targets, The Kremlin made the White House look as though the US was not serious about eradicating the very groups the Western media were holding up as public enemy number one.
Since around mid-October, the US has embarked on a desperate attempt to counter the notion that maybe - just maybe - there’s a nefarious explanation for America’s perceived disinterest in eradicating terror. First, Washington released helmet cam footage of a raid on an ISIS prison which resulted in the first US combat death in Iraq since 2011. Next, the White House announced SpecOps would be sent to Syria. The Pentagon followed up by offering to send Apache helicopters and their crews to assist Baghdad in retaking Ramadi (assistance which PM Haider Abadi, under pressure from Shiite lawmakers and Iran to rollback American influence in the country, refused). Finally, the US began hitting ISIS oil tankers.
Previously, the US claimed it didn’t destroy the oil convoys because The Pentagon was concerned about collateral damage. Once Putin blew the whistle on the Turkey-ISIS oil connection and began posting video clips of oil tanker trucks streaming across the border with apparent impunity, Washington was forced to drop the “collateral damage” excuse and start bombing the trucks (although Russia will tell you that there’s not much bombing going on from the US side of things). All in all, this reinforces the notion that Washington has no strategy. Actually, that’s not true. There’s probably a strategy, but it doesn’t involve an all out effort to degrade and defeat ISIS and so, the narrative needs to be spun in way that makes sense to an increasingly incredulous public.
As The Hill reports, the US is now scrambling to craft a "new narrative" to feed to the impatient electorate. “Military officials on the Operation Inherent Resolve task force have recently formed a working group to formulate a ‘new narrative,’ The Hill writes, citing defense officials.
“The steps are preliminary, and are part of a larger effort to better communicate the U.S.'s military strategy amid heavy criticism from Republican presidential candidates who say Obama is losing the battle against the terrorist group,” the article continues.
"To say there's no strategy is just flat out wrong," Army Col. Christopher Garver, public affairs officer for the Combined Joint Task Force -- Operation Inherent Resolve insists.
“The new working group will look at how best to articulate what it is we're trying to do ... and do it in a concise easy to understand way," he adds.
Yes, the US wants to “articulate what it is they’re trying to do,” because as it stands, it’s Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, and Maria Zakharova that are doing the articulating when it comes to explaining what Washington is up to in Syria. The US desperately needs to recapture the narrative or else end up like Turkey, which is now widely understood to be what amounts to Islamic State’s number one state sponsor, all thanks to Moscow’s PR blitz in the wake of Erdogan’s move to shoot down a Russian Su-24 last month.
Here’s Obama: "There is a legitimate criticism of what I've been doing and our administration has been doing in the sense that we haven't, you know, on a regular basis I think described all the work that we've been doing for more than a year now to defeat ISIL," he said.
Here’s a list of steps the US has taken in the mad scramble to counter the notion that the US military has either failed, or is under orders to avoid eradicating the group:
On Nov. 30, the White House announced the president had tapped a new ISIS czar, Robert Malley. He held a Twitter chat two weeks later, answering questions from the general public and journalists.
On Dec. 6, the president addressed the nation on ISIS from the Oval Office, reiterating and defending his strategy.
On Dec. 8, the National Security Council press team began emailing to journalists daily summaries of "key developments" "in our unyielding campaign to degrade and destroy ISIL."
On Dec. 14, the president himself visited the Pentagon, to convene a National Security Council meeting on ISIS. While he issued remarks afterwards, he did not take any questions from journalists.
On Dec. 15, a senior State Department official briefed Pentagon reporters on efforts to target ISIS's oil assets.
And on Dec. 16, Adam Szubin, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, briefed White House reporters on efforts to shut down ISIS's financing.
For his part, Paul Ryan says the problem isn’t the messaging, it’s the strategy itself.
"This isn’t the first time the president has stressed that the American people just don’t get it, blaming poor communication for America’s discontent rather than the failed policies themselves," said a statement from Ryan’s office.
The issue was not with "a communications plan" to defeat ISIS but rather over the need for a "comprehensive plan to destroy this enemy and protect our homeland," it said.
Right. But what Ryan apparently either doesn't get or simply can't say, is that this isn't about destroying ISIS, it's about achieving larger geopolitical goals like rolling back Iranian influence in the Arabian Peninsula and helping ensure that the Mid-East balance of power doesn't shift too dramatically towards Iran once sanctions are lifted next year. As Amb. James Jeffrey, a former Army infantry officer put it, “if you're not willing to change policy ... or you're not willing to change your goals, then what you do is you reorganize the deck chairs on the Titanic."
In other words, the only way the US is going to reclaim some shred of its lost credibility is to simply stop trying to overthrow the Assad government and focus on "the terrorists." Of course that isn't going to happen despite the best efforts of Tulsi Gabbard and the handful of other lawmakers inside the Beltway who actually "get it."
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-27/obama-scrambles-create-new-isis-narrative-after-putin-embarrasses-washington
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/27/2015 20:35 -0500
One of the most amusing things about Russia’s headlong plunge into Syria’s five-year conflict is the extent to which it effectively represented Moscow calling time on Washington’s strategy of seeking to bring about regime change in the Mid-East by intentionally destabilizing otherwise strong (if not always benign) governments.
Until September 30 - which is the day a three star Russian general strolled into the US embassy in Baghdad and informed the staff that airstrikes in Syria begin “in one hour” - Washington, Riyadh, Ankara, and Doha seemed perfectly content to simply wait around for one group of rebels or another to finally succeed in taking Damascus. In the meantime, the US embarked on what one might call a “containment” strategy as it related to ISIS - the idea, basically, was to keep Frankenstein confined to the lab, but not to hit the monster hard enough to render it ineffectual in the fight to destabilize the Assad government.
Once Assad fell, the US would march in and “liberate” the country before promptly installing a puppet government - with the help of the Saudis of course.
All of that changed when the Russians arrived in Latakia.
Once Moscow’s warplanes began to turn the tide in favor of the SAA with the help of Hezbollah ground forces and the IRGC, Putin promptly moved to blow the whole charade wide open by asking (loudly) why the US wouldn’t partner with Russia in the war on terror. He of course knew the answer, but the point was to make the general public question why, if ISIS really is the greatest threat to humanity since the Reich, Washington was unwilling to partner with Moscow and also with Tehran. Between that and the seemingly endless stream of Russian MoD clips depicting hundreds upon hundreds of airstrikes against terrorist targets, The Kremlin made the White House look as though the US was not serious about eradicating the very groups the Western media were holding up as public enemy number one.
Since around mid-October, the US has embarked on a desperate attempt to counter the notion that maybe - just maybe - there’s a nefarious explanation for America’s perceived disinterest in eradicating terror. First, Washington released helmet cam footage of a raid on an ISIS prison which resulted in the first US combat death in Iraq since 2011. Next, the White House announced SpecOps would be sent to Syria. The Pentagon followed up by offering to send Apache helicopters and their crews to assist Baghdad in retaking Ramadi (assistance which PM Haider Abadi, under pressure from Shiite lawmakers and Iran to rollback American influence in the country, refused). Finally, the US began hitting ISIS oil tankers.
Previously, the US claimed it didn’t destroy the oil convoys because The Pentagon was concerned about collateral damage. Once Putin blew the whistle on the Turkey-ISIS oil connection and began posting video clips of oil tanker trucks streaming across the border with apparent impunity, Washington was forced to drop the “collateral damage” excuse and start bombing the trucks (although Russia will tell you that there’s not much bombing going on from the US side of things). All in all, this reinforces the notion that Washington has no strategy. Actually, that’s not true. There’s probably a strategy, but it doesn’t involve an all out effort to degrade and defeat ISIS and so, the narrative needs to be spun in way that makes sense to an increasingly incredulous public.
As The Hill reports, the US is now scrambling to craft a "new narrative" to feed to the impatient electorate. “Military officials on the Operation Inherent Resolve task force have recently formed a working group to formulate a ‘new narrative,’ The Hill writes, citing defense officials.
“The steps are preliminary, and are part of a larger effort to better communicate the U.S.'s military strategy amid heavy criticism from Republican presidential candidates who say Obama is losing the battle against the terrorist group,” the article continues.
"To say there's no strategy is just flat out wrong," Army Col. Christopher Garver, public affairs officer for the Combined Joint Task Force -- Operation Inherent Resolve insists.
“The new working group will look at how best to articulate what it is we're trying to do ... and do it in a concise easy to understand way," he adds.
Yes, the US wants to “articulate what it is they’re trying to do,” because as it stands, it’s Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, and Maria Zakharova that are doing the articulating when it comes to explaining what Washington is up to in Syria. The US desperately needs to recapture the narrative or else end up like Turkey, which is now widely understood to be what amounts to Islamic State’s number one state sponsor, all thanks to Moscow’s PR blitz in the wake of Erdogan’s move to shoot down a Russian Su-24 last month.
Here’s Obama: "There is a legitimate criticism of what I've been doing and our administration has been doing in the sense that we haven't, you know, on a regular basis I think described all the work that we've been doing for more than a year now to defeat ISIL," he said.
Here’s a list of steps the US has taken in the mad scramble to counter the notion that the US military has either failed, or is under orders to avoid eradicating the group:
On Nov. 30, the White House announced the president had tapped a new ISIS czar, Robert Malley. He held a Twitter chat two weeks later, answering questions from the general public and journalists.
On Dec. 6, the president addressed the nation on ISIS from the Oval Office, reiterating and defending his strategy.
On Dec. 8, the National Security Council press team began emailing to journalists daily summaries of "key developments" "in our unyielding campaign to degrade and destroy ISIL."
On Dec. 14, the president himself visited the Pentagon, to convene a National Security Council meeting on ISIS. While he issued remarks afterwards, he did not take any questions from journalists.
On Dec. 15, a senior State Department official briefed Pentagon reporters on efforts to target ISIS's oil assets.
And on Dec. 16, Adam Szubin, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, briefed White House reporters on efforts to shut down ISIS's financing.
For his part, Paul Ryan says the problem isn’t the messaging, it’s the strategy itself.
"This isn’t the first time the president has stressed that the American people just don’t get it, blaming poor communication for America’s discontent rather than the failed policies themselves," said a statement from Ryan’s office.
The issue was not with "a communications plan" to defeat ISIS but rather over the need for a "comprehensive plan to destroy this enemy and protect our homeland," it said.
Right. But what Ryan apparently either doesn't get or simply can't say, is that this isn't about destroying ISIS, it's about achieving larger geopolitical goals like rolling back Iranian influence in the Arabian Peninsula and helping ensure that the Mid-East balance of power doesn't shift too dramatically towards Iran once sanctions are lifted next year. As Amb. James Jeffrey, a former Army infantry officer put it, “if you're not willing to change policy ... or you're not willing to change your goals, then what you do is you reorganize the deck chairs on the Titanic."
In other words, the only way the US is going to reclaim some shred of its lost credibility is to simply stop trying to overthrow the Assad government and focus on "the terrorists." Of course that isn't going to happen despite the best efforts of Tulsi Gabbard and the handful of other lawmakers inside the Beltway who actually "get it."
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-27/obama-scrambles-create-new-isis-narrative-after-putin-embarrasses-washington
Today at 7:04 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/16/24 IQD Update - Iraq Dinar - America - Activate - Massive Economic Deals -
Today at 7:02 am by Rocky
» utube MM&c 4/19/24 Iraqi Dinar - Private Sector - Economic Stability - Financial Reform - Al Sudan
Today at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Iraq officially signs the “Singapore” agreement to resolve trade disputes
Today at 6:59 am by Rocky
» Parliament Finance advises raising exchange rates again... What about oil revenues?
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is in the process of recovery and has taken its leading position that attracts work
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji: Iraq is prepared to deal with all circumstances and seeks partnership with the United Stat
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Sudanese from Michigan: The government represents all components and is keen to take care of the aff
Today at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Democratic Party: The "new generation" is the most corrupt and has dozens of cases in court
Today at 6:47 am by Rocky
» What is the benefit of Iraq establishing a petrochemical plant in Egypt?!.. An oil expert explains
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A judicial delegation participates in the Permanent International Forum for Commercial Courts in Qat
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government follows a balanced policy that makes Iraq a station for security
Today at 6:42 am by Rocky
» Deduction of 160 million dinars from the salaries of MPs absent from Parliament sessions
Today at 6:40 am by Rocky
» Central Bank: Washington praised Iraq's measures to resolve 80% of the financial transfer file
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Voices of Resilience: Al-Sudani’s frankness embarrasses the White House
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Alaq confirms the formation of a committee between Baghdad and Washington regarding sanctions on
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Former MP: The Democrat will not hand over power after the regional elections
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Document/allocation of 20% of the lands of Al-Jawahiri Complex to employees of the Ministry of Defen
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington was a protocol and missed the two most important files
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Security: The National Security Service law will be voted on by Parliament soon
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Reconstruction and Housing: Zarbatieh residential project completed by 82%
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani reveals an intention to establish Al-Faw refinery with a capacity of 300 thousand barrels
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Government readiness to move the Doura refinery to an alternative location.. What are the conditions
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington.. Implications and results
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Association of Iraqi Private Banks: The suspension of some electronic payment services yesterday was
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary memorandum.. Two solutions were before the Federal Court instead of removing the compo
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Blue fuel... Iraqi steps towards inexhaustible wealth for a century
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» For fear of being "upset"... MPs "evade" signing to host Al-Sudani in Parliament
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s statement to convert 40% of Iraq’s exports into derivatives.. What does it have to do wi
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» An Iraqi-American partnership to benefit from oil field gas
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce announces the distribution of the first payments of farmers’ dues for the 2
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Sudanese to members of the Iraqi community in the American city of Houston: Iraq has regained its he
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Romanski announces loans worth $50 million to support the Iraqi private sector
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We plan to invest production capacities for export
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» “Something happened” in Iran and no one is talking about Iraq and Syria. This is what we have so far
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani asks the American Baker Institute for assistance in preparing studies related to the oil m
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» The Interior Ministry denies the occurrence of explosions inside Iraqi territory and diagnoses “the
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Tensions between Najaf and Baghdad over the airport... the rule of law over “military force” and the
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani from Washington: We agreed with Abu Dhabi on joint management of Al-Faw Port
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» "Al-Party" talks about the region's elections and reveals the reason for refusing to pay salaries di
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Russia's oil is taking more of the Middle East's shares in the Indian market.. How much has Iraq los
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Early next month.. Traffic confirms that the electronic payment system is working only
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» The Service Council accuses state departments of refraining from disbursing bonuses because of the m
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Electricity: The Baghdad street lighting campaign will be completed before the middle of this year
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Oil poses two conditions for moving the Doura refinery to an alternative location
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» The Foreign Minister reveals the truth about his resignation and the reason for his departure to Erb
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Progress: Al-Halbousi’s acquittal has become conclusive, and his return to the presidency of Parliam
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Disagreements strike Al-Maliki's coalition over choosing the governor of Diyala
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» The Union accuses Türkiye of exploiting the political situation for a ground incursion into Iraq
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» The Democratic Party: Barzani is eagerly awaiting the results of Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Frame: Al-Halbousi in the news and his return has become a pipe dream
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary request to capitalize on Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad to end the water crisis
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani urges the US corporation Honeywell to help finish the Basra refinery
Yesterday at 2:48 pm by Rocky
» Al-Sudani Meets with Representatives of Western Media Outlets in Washington
Yesterday at 2:46 pm by Rocky
» Chairman of the Investment Authority signs the United Nations Convention on International Mediation
Yesterday at 2:44 pm by Rocky
» PM: We will sign a contract to establish the Al-Faw refinery with a Chinese company
Yesterday at 2:42 pm by Rocky
» PM arrives in Houston as part of his visit to USA
Yesterday at 2:41 pm by Rocky
» Militia Man & Crew 4/18/24 Bush signed it and all presidents implemented it. Iraq’s funds have been
Yesterday at 1:46 pm by Rocky
» Iraq is close to launching the electronic signature
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky
» The Basra government discusses with an international oil company the implementation of social benefi
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister confirms to an American company: Gas projects in Iraq are a priority for the gove
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Planning discusses with the World Bank mechanisms for scheduling external loans
Yesterday at 7:09 am by Rocky
» Oil sets the twenty-seventh of this month as the date for opening contracts for the fifth complement
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» “Electronic begging”...professionalism and fabrication of stories” generates millions of dinars dail
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani calls on the American company Hanwell to contribute to the completion of the Basra refiner
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» An American company expresses its willingness to establish LED lighting production lines in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:02 am by Rocky
» Including Iraq.. Iran announces the possibility of exporting 300 megawatts of “renewable electricity
Yesterday at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Political forces present two options to find an alternative to Al-Halbousi
Yesterday at 6:58 am by Rocky
» Parliament is awaiting the arrival of the budget schedules and the government is studying higher spe
Yesterday at 6:56 am by Rocky
» The International Monetary Fund adjusts its expectations for the development of the world’s economie
Yesterday at 6:54 am by Rocky
» A representative talks about the difficulty of finalizing the file of “electing the Speaker of Parli
Yesterday at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Work on preparing a law for diplomatic passports
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» A female representative accuses the Ministry of Immigration of corruption
Yesterday at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Minister: Solving the Kurdistan salaries problem is the beginning of addressing other disputes betwe
Yesterday at 6:45 am by Rocky
» About 270 million dollars were sold by the Central Bank of Iraq in the currency auction
Yesterday at 6:42 am by Rocky
» The volume of trade exchange between Jordan and Iraq will exceed 800 million dinars in 2023
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Iraq signs memorandums of understanding with American companies in the fields of electricity, oil an
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» The American company that manufactures the F16 expresses its readiness to implement the terms of con
Yesterday at 5:30 am by Rocky
» The volume of expected Qatari investments for the Iraq Fund for Development exceeds $3.5 billion
Yesterday at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Decrease in dollar prices in Baghdad and Erbil
Yesterday at 5:27 am by Rocky
» The President of the Region brings together the Kurdish parties to resolve the election file
Yesterday at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives in Washington the Chairman of JPMorgan
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Transport is starting to transform its ports into smart ones
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Sudanese reveals the volume of exchange with America
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» "Al-Eqtisad News" publishes the memorandums of understanding signed between the Iraqi delegation and
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani urges an American company to contribute to establishing a chemical materials factory
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» Iraq stresses the importance of Lockheed Martin's commitment to opening military aircraft maintenanc
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Iraq is on the verge of a “water disaster” by 2035
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Great satisfaction and optimism with the results of Sudanese’s visit to Washington
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Transport is beginning to adopt a plan to transform its ports into smart ones
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Completed 8,000 loan transactions at the Housing Bank
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We plan to invest production capacities for export
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Transformation and partnership...a new horizon in Iraqi-American relations
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» What is new in the economic dimension of the Washington visit?
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Two letters to the future
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» National interests first
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Iraqi-American rapprochement...a national necessity
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington and the course of Iraqi-American relations
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Sudanese carries security, economic and development files to Washington
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky