PUTIN AS THE MIDDLE MAN????

Interesting to see Saudi, Russia and Israel in a conversation.

The US Secretary of Defense was there early as well, Moscow that is.

Remember what I've been saying about Israel and Saudi having to form  some level of an alliance to  counter Iran's actions in the Gulf Nations.

Maybe they had my computer tapped or maybe great minds just think alike!

Oh well:

Someting else happened today that caought my eye. 

It looks as if the Gulf Nations are catching a clue on who the real trouble makers might be.

http://www.iloubnan.info/en/actualite/id/58632/titre/Gulf-to-deport-Hezbolla

The concept of tossing out Shiite, mostly  Lebanese members, who mostly likely are Hezbollah opratives, from the Gulf Nations is one way of addressing the problem, yet it might have second order effects they need to think about. ( More to follow)

Putting the potential trouble makers out of the area is a concept that needs to be followed up by a sound media campaign.

They need to start telling the story of why they are doing this and give as many examples as they can.

In the typical Arab fashion, if they can't find that many examples, just make them up. Wild stories packed with 'half truths'   is a daily occurrence in the Middle East!

Ok. Next issue:

So what's in this for Mr. Putin?

http://www.debka.com/article/20795/

Putin's 'Center of Gravity', sorry if that confuses you, but it basically means 'what's really important to him', is oil and the whole oil industry.

He, like most of us, sees the Middle East from one major perspective; what is the future of the world oil industry?

Keeping the region in some form of balance is arguably as important to Russia as it is to the US.

It could very well be the Russians, that would be Putin, are trying to find a way to control the course and or damage of the 'Tunisian Virus' as much as the US is.

Having the Saudis, Israelis and the US Secretary of Defense all pass through one town within 24 hours of each other is not a coincidence!

Now an alternative viewpoint must be at least reviewed given the background of Putin; once KGB, always KGB.

It can be argued the Russians, that would be Putin again, would stand a huge advantage with oil at 150+ per barrel.

A shooting War in the Middle East would give the word that level of prices and probably much more.

So, is Mr. Russia, I mean Putin, really "Here to help" ?

I have a sign that has hung in my office for years.

" Love your neighbors, but keep your powder dry".

Finally;

Last night I said I thought I knew where this whole Virus movement may be heading.

If it had not been for the two events I talked about here, I would have addressed my theory.

That will have to wait until tomorrow night.



THE FOUR PHASES  OF TRANSFORMATION

Ok; Things continue to get more and more complex with the 'Tunisian Virus'.

Let's break things down to a simple process to understand where we might be heading.

It appears this movement is breaking down into four parts.

            1.  PROTEST:

             The initial protest and then follow on protest with some level of violence mixed in as the end-        state, ether brought on by the oppressive government of the impacted country or by the ' people          standing in the shadows'. yes they are there, trust me.

            2.  UNACCEPTABLE VIOLENCE WITH MEDIA COVERAGE:

            It's at this time that the point of no return seems to be reached.

            Modern day Social Media, not the organized press, seems to be the oxygen applied to the flame.

            Can you say 'You Tube'?

            3. GOVERNMENTAL PANIC:

            The end result of this phase seems to be the collapse of the recognized / standing leadership.

            4.  UNORGANIZED, REORGANIZATION.

            What does this mean? Take the time to read  the current status of Tunisia and Egypt.

So how does this help us predict where all this is heading?

These four phases of the 'Tunisian Virus' have a relatively short time span.

Thirty days maximum for the whole thing to run its course. That is a FAST Virus!

Again! How does knowing this help us?

It's simple; those who have a plan, will stand a much better chance of surviving the Virus than those who don't.

I submit that the Mad Dog had a plan. He knew from the very first protest he was going to fight, blame others and do whatever it took to survive

That might seem like a ruthless plan, but it was a plan.

Those that didn't have a plan, Tunisia, Egypt, died quickly.

Does having a plan mean survival?

No!

It does mean you have the ability to counter the Virus more than the unprepared.

So, where does this all end?

I've been talking about this for over two months now and up until I watched a program on Al Jazerra today I still couldn't make a valid statement.

What I witnessed today was a  Open Forum discussion on the future of the Muslim Brotherhood.

If you get a chance to watch the clip, I strongly recommend you do so.

The MB has a plan, it's is complicated and very diverse.

When the dust settles in every Muslim country that takes on the 'Tunisian Virus' the MB's plan is to step from the ashes as the accepted form of Government and Social framework.

Sounds outrageous?

Watch the clip.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/empire/2011/03/2011323151718474253.html

I think I know where this is all heading.

Does it have to happen this way?

No!

More to follow





WHO'S ON FIRST? I DON'T KNOW... SECOND BASE!!!

Not going to say much about operations in Libya tonight given the confusion over what needs to be done and what can be accomplished.  It is not my place to second guess my peers as they continue to execute missions.

I want to spend this time talking about what really worries me and that is Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen.

Syria:

            Events in Syria today were out of the ordinary. Those that protested  where not the usual suspects            that have taken to the streets in the past few weeks.

            These groups were 'common' folks, Sunni, who have not had the nerve to protest in the past.

            That is a very troubling trend for the leadership of Syria and Iran.

            It's the first real sign the 'Tunisian Virus' is taking hold in Syria.  

            I would have loved to have heard the phone calls between Damascus and Tehran today.

            Remember; trouble in Syria is not all good news. 

            In my opinion, it's very bad news.

Bahrain:

            If Iran was not willing to turn up the heat too quick in Bahrain, they may very well change their     minds now that Syria is starting to worry them.

            A huge distraction to take the 'eyes' off of Syria is not out of the question for Iran.

            Extended violence in Bahrain could be just the ticket Iran is looking for and arming up the Shi of    Bahrain is not hard for Iran  to do.

            Saudi understands this all too well.

Yemen:

            Having yet another leader, if you can call him that, warn of a 'Civil War' is not what we need to    hear right now.

            Tribal lines run deep in the Middle East and Yemen is no exception.

            The next few days in Yemen could be the competition for Libya when it comes to news coverage.

The Chess Game in the Middle East is getting harder and harder to predict.

The stakes are going to go up exponentially if Syria begins to see real violence in the streets.

\

IRAN FORGOT TO GIVE SYRIA THE ANTIDOTE

for two months now I've been talking about the 'Tunisian Virus' and the impact on the Middle East and North Africa.

I've talked about how Iran has made a  very good attempt to 'weaponize' the Virus in order to utilize it against the Gulf Nations.

I've talked about how difficult and downright dangerous it is for any nation to think it can control the Virus.

Well; in the past three days, Syria seems to a prime example of just how uncontrollable  this Virus really is!

Iran's  clever sound bites about the US being fast to support the people of Egypt  and Libya, yet being somewhat silent on the topic of Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi have played well so far.

The shoe now seems to be on the other foot.

Iran must justify the heavy-handed  response of Syria and in doing so, play right into the hands of those in Iran who also want 'Change'.

"Change" ... A buzz word that seems to have a much different meaning in the Muslim world than in the US.

So what is going on?

Nothing has changed from what I predicted would happen two months ago.

The 'Tunisian Virus' shows the ability to attack all host nations and that is going to be a troublesome concept outside of North Africa and the Middle East if the world economy continues to tank.

Here is one true advantage Iran and Syria have over the free world.

They control their press/ media.

The pictures painted in Iran and Syria will be only what the leadership allows it to be.

A HUGE difference compared to CNN / FOX / BBC / coverage in Egypt, Libya. Tunisia ect .. ect..

Ok. Get ready for this.

We may need to rely on Al Jazerra to keep the news moving in Iran and Syria.

I know that sounds wild, but it just may be the difference maker; that and social medias.

Is Syria in real trouble of social unrest?

Yep! I believe they are.

I told several people today that Syria is to Iran what Bahrain is to Saudi.

The truth is Syria is more important to Iran than Bahrain is to Saudi!!!

Early on in this remarkable event, I stated a wounded Iran and or Syria is a very dangerous moment.

Iran is not Egypt. It is not Libya.

Iran cannot afford to lose Syria as it's 'proxy war-fighter'.

What Iran is willing to do to avoid the 'Tunisian Virus' appearing in Syria and Iran is anyone guess.

I know Yemen and Bahrain and Libya have the media's attention right now, but trust me when I say, we need to keep a very close eye on Syria and Iran.

You can bet Israel is!!

Gadhafi  executed a classic military maneuver today.

            He moved his lead forces in close with the opposition and the civilian population.

            Two things happen when you 'close the distance' with your enemy if you are suffering from air     strikes.

                        1.  You make it much harder for precision weapons to strike intended targets.

                                    Two trucks near each other that look identical, one being a good guy the other                                          being the bad guy, makes it very hard for the pilot to decide what target to hit.  

                        2.  You insure you enemy will inflict civilian casualties and the media will cover that part                           of the attack far more than the actual targets themselves.

            So this morning when you hear how his forces are  being seen moving into the two major 'rebel' strongholds, you understand now what he is trying to accomplish. He is hiding his forces amonsgt the opposition.

This tells us two key strategic facts.

            1. The Mad Dog believes the strikes are not over.

            2.  He anticipates more than just clearing out anti air ops to create a No Fly Zone.

                        He believes Air to Ground attacks are the real goal here, not just a No Fly Zone.