About that great Obama foreign policy success …
Seems Japan may not think the US is a dependable ally anymore:
When the U.S. Defense Secretary arrives in Asia this weekend, his biggest challenge may not be convincing China that America will give its full support to longtime ally Japan in the escalating dispute over islands in the East China Sea. His biggest challenge may be convincing Japan.
“There is a perception in Japan that the U.S. commitment is ambiguous,” says Yoichiro Sato, director of international strategic studies at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in southern Japan. “If China thinks Japan will hesitate to respond or that America will hesitate, that will embolden the Chinese. It’s better that America sends a clear, explicit message now than have to respond to something worse later.”
But remember … conventional wisdom (i.e. the MSM) has it that Obama has made the world better, safer and everyone likes us better. That he is a master of foreign policy.
In fact, as many countries have indicated, they see the US as a declining power. This particular instance is only one example of that thinking.
~McQ
Twitter: McQandO
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A failed presidency in one picture
I don’t remember who it was who left a comment asserting that Romney’s statement in the wake of the rioting in the Middle East may have been the moment in which “he lost the presidency”.
A couple of days later and it seems entirely possible to posit exactly the opposite to be true. Those events may be the moment Obama lost the election. Remember, foreign policy was supposed to be Obama’s strong point.
Yet, this image of the bloody handprints of a dying American may be the defining image of his failed foreign policy.
And his reaction to all of this?
Apologize and go to Vegas for a political fundraiser.
~McQ
Twitter: McQandO
Facebook: QandO
Is really all about an anti-Islamic film?
Oh, wait … Yemen too?
Yup, that “Arab Spring” thing is sure a positive for the US. Says the NY Times:
Turmoil in the Arab world linked to an American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters attacked the American Embassy, two days after assailants killed the American ambassador in Libya and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo.
Is it about an “American-made video” really?
There are reports that those who stormed the embassy in Cairo were chanting: “Obama, Obama! There are still a billion Osama’s!”
They certainly weren’t chanting the crazy pastor’s name.
And it was done when? Oh yeah, on September 11th. And what was it they raised after they tore down the American flag and burned it?
Say, wasn’t it Al-Queda’s flag?
So, spontaneous, huh? In reaction to a film, eh?
Meanwhile in Libya, it appears that the “spontaneous” riot was a carefully planned assasination plot. And it worked.
But stick with that “in reaction to a film about Mohammed” nonsense, MSM.
The New York Times leads with that, but in passing, in the 24th paragraph of the story, it almost figures it out:
Also on Tuesday, a car bomb exploded in Yemen alongside a convoy of vehicles used by Yemen’s defense minister, killing seven bodyguards and five civilians in the heart of the capital, while the minister escaped unharmed, government and hospital officials said. The attack came one day after a top operative of Al Qaeda in Yemen was killed in what Yemeni officials called an American drone strike.
Those episodes and the violence on Thursday spoke to the continued volatility in poverty-stricken Yemen, where the United States is seeking to eradicate militant cells held responsible for a number of conspiracies, including an attempt by an operative of Al Qaeda to detonate a bomb hidden in his clothes on a flight bound for Detroit in December 2009.
Sorry folks … not buying the “this is about a film” nonsense. This is and was planned to happen on 9/11 in the same year Osama bin Laden was killed.
For goodness sake, consider the facts and think about it instead of sucking up the MSM pablum designed to protect the incumbent president (after all, why was the story about a dead US ambassador on an inside page and the NY Times condemnation of Mitt Romney on page 1?).
~McQ
Twitter: McQandO
Facebook: QandO
So how’s that ‘Arab Spring’ working out for you?
To paraphrase Jazz Shaw of HotAir, if anyone is wondering why intervention in Syria would be a mistake for us, what happened to our Ambassador in Libya should answer any questions in that regard.
In both Libya and Egypt, unless you just refuse to see it, the future is pretty apparent.
Oh, there will be the usual “regret” from both governments and promises of justice, but the deeds are done and we all know how the promises will turn out.
If foreign relations is Obama’s strong point, I’d hate to see his weak point.
Oh, wait … we’re living that, aren’t we?
~McQ
Twitter: McQandO
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“Because it is all about me!” Obama asks Euro leaders to keep Greece in Eurozone till after the election
No I’m not kidding. Talk about political gall.
There’s a meeting taking place in Europe:
Representatives from the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission are due to arrive in Athens next month to assess Greece’s reform efforts.
They are expected to report in time for an 8 October meeting of eurozone finance ministers which will decide on whether to disburse Greece’s next €31bn aid tranche, promised under the terms of the bailout for the country.
American officials are understood to be worried that if they decide Greece has not done enough to meet its deficit targets and withhold the money, it would automatically trigger Greece’s exit from the eurozone weeks before the Presidential election on 6 November.
Oh my … election. Hey Europe, this is about me! Suck it up and hold off doing anything until after I win!
American officials are understood to be worried that if they decide Greece has not done enough to meet its deficit targets and withhold the money, it would automatically trigger Greece’s exit from the eurozone weeks before the Presidential election on 6 November.
They are urging eurozone Governments to hold off from taking any drastic action before then – fearing that the resulting market destabilisation could damage President Obama’s re-election prospects. European leaders are thought to be sympathetic to the lobbying fearing that, under pressure from his party lin Congress, Mitt Romney would be a more isolationist president than Mr Obama.
Amazing. Disturbing. But not surprising.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Facebook: QandO
Finland prepares for Euro-zone breakup
This is not good news by any stretch. But it is a prudent step. My guess, however, is it isn’t being well received in Brussels.
The Nordic state is battening down the hatches for a full-blown currency crisis as tensions in the eurozone mount and has said it will not tolerate further bail-out creep or fiscal union by stealth.
“We have to face openly the possibility of a euro-break up,” said Erkki Tuomioja, the country’s veteran foreign minister and a member of the Social Democratic Party, one of six that make up the country’s coalition government.
“It is not something that anybody — even the True Finns [eurosceptic party] — are advocating in Finland, let alone the government. But we have to be prepared,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“Our officials, like everybody else and like every general staff, have some sort of operational plan for any eventuality.”
We’ve talked about the cascade effect many times before. What normally causes that effect is some sort of tipping point. So far, it seems, Europe has avoided that tipping point. One has to wonder if it might be Finland that tips the scales. To this point, the subject of the Euro-zone breakup has been pretty much tip-toed around.
Now you have a country that is actively preparing for it and making those preparations public. Note too what they’re saying – Finland has said it “will not tolerate further bail-out creep or fiscal union by stealth.”
That’s pretty final.
Additionally, if such a plan should be put forward:
Like other member states, Finland has a veto that could be used to block any new bail-out measures. However, unlike some states, its parliament would have to approve each future measure of the eurozone rescue, including a full bail-out of Spain.
And, as you read the article, you’ll see that’s not very likely to happen.
So … hold on. My guess is the ride in Europe is about to encounter severe turbulence.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Facebook: QandO
France to impose a 75% tax on "the rich"
The “you didn’t build that” gang’s attempt to get the “rich” to pay what they characterize as their “fair share” in taxes (when in fact in almost every western country they pay more than their fair share) is about to get tested in France:
The call to Vincent Grandil’s Paris law firm began like many others that have rolled in recently. On the line was the well-paid chief executive of one of France’s most profitable companies, and he was feeling nervous.
President François Hollande is vowing to impose a 75 percent tax on the portion of anyone’s income above a million euros ($1.24 million) a year. “Should I be preparing to leave the country?” the executive asked Mr. Grandil.
The question asked by the client is typical of what will happen if such a tax is imposed … anywhere. If you believe “the rich” are going to lay back and take it, you’re crazy. They will do what is in their best interest and paying 75% taxes on what they earn isn’t in their best interest. We’ve often talked about the Laffer curve and how it applies to taxes. How at some percentage of taxation, revenues will drop and in some cases drop dramatically.
That’s precisely what that client’s question indicates will happen in France with a 75% “rich” tax.
France has a history of punitive taxation which is one reason it no longer is considered much of a economic power:
[T]he proposal is the latest red flag in a country that has long labored under the image of being a difficult place to do business. France has a 33 percent corporate tax rate — the euro zone’s second-highest, after Malta’s 35 percent. That contrasts with the 12.5 percent rate in Ireland, which has deliberately kept a lid on corporate taxes as a lure to businesses.
Businesses don’t have to stay and take France’s coercive tax rates anymore. There are countries more than happy to accept their businesses and the boost to the economy they bring.
And, that goes for “le rich” as well. ‘Leaving the country’, in the case of France, doesn’t necessarily mean moving too far:
“It is a ridiculous proposal, but it’s great for us,” said Jean Dekerchove, the manager of Immobilièr Le Lion, a high-end real estate agency based in Brussels. Calls to his office have picked up in recent months, he said, as wealthy French citizens look to invest or simply move across the border amid worries about the latest tax.
“It’s a huge loss for France because people and businesses come to Belgium and bring their wealth with them,” Mr. Dekerchove said. “But we’re thrilled because they create jobs, they buy houses and spend money — and it’s our economy that profits.”
You’d think, for anyone with an ounce of common sense, this outcome would be obvious. Apparently not. And so France will drive off its rich, see revenues in that income bracket drop even while the tax percentage is increased to 75% and attack those who’ve avoided those taxes as “greedy”. Just watch.
Of course I agree with the words of Dr. Thomas Sowell in that regard:
“I’ve never understood why it is “greed” to keep money you’ve earned, but not greed to take somebody else’s money”.
Yeah … me neither. Right now, the greediest entities on earth are governments.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
When is a secret not a secret?
When government leaks sensitive national security information to the press, of course.
President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said.
Obama’s order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.
What is it that occurs in early November? And who needs a little boost?
Oh, yeah.
Forward.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Is Iran preparing to close the Straits of Hormuz?
That’s what our intel guys are saying:
U.S. government officials, citing new intelligence, said Iran has developed plans to disrupt international oil trade, including through attacks on oil platforms and tankers.
Officials said the information suggests that Iran could take action against facilities both inside and outside the Persian Gulf, even absent an overt military conflict.
The findings come as American officials closely watch Iran for its reaction to punishing international sanctions and to a drumbeat of Israeli threats to bomb Tehran’s nuclear sites, while talks aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons have slowed.
Now, of course, “developing plans” and actually executing them are entirely different things. But, as irrational as Iran can be sometimes, the development of such plans has to be taken seriously.
If you’ve been paying attention over the past few months, we’ve been creeping any number of assets closer to Iran. So obviously we believe where there is smoke we may see fire.
"Iran is very unpredictable," said a senior defense official. "We have been very clear what we as well as the international community find unacceptable."
The latest findings underscore why many military officials continue to focus on Iran as potentially the most serious U.S. national-security concern in the region, even as the crisis in Syria has deepened and other conflicts, as in Libya, have raged.
Defense officials cautioned there is no evidence that Tehran has moved assets in position to disrupt tankers or attack other sites, but stressed that Iran’s intent appears clear.
Iran has a number of proxies, as we all know, none of whom have much use for the US or the rest of the Western world. What would possibly cause Iran to attempt to strike at outside targets? The belief that they could get away with it:
But U.S. officials said some Iranians believe they could escape a direct counterattack by striking at other oil facilities, including those outside the Persian Gulf, perhaps by using its elite forces or external proxies.
I’m not sure how one thinks they can escape retribution by such tactics, but it is enough to believe you can. And apparently there are some in Iran who do. That’s dangerous, depending on where they sit in the decision making hierarchy.
The officials wouldn’t describe the intelligence or its sources, but analysts said statements in the Iranian press and by lawmakers in Tehran suggest the possibility of more-aggressive action in the Persian Gulf as a response to the new sanctions. Iranian oil sales have dropped and prices have remained low, pinching the government.
So, we wait. And creep more assets into the area. And wait.
As an aside to all the arm-chair defense experts who claim we shouldn’t be developing advanced weaponry because all our future wars are likely to be “just like Afghanistan”.
Really?
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Pan-Islamist Muslim Brotherhood takes over in Libya
Yes sir, that Arab Spring is really what we all wanted, isn’t it? So much so that the US and NATO helped this particular one along. In Libya:
While the elections for a 200-member National Congress is unlikely to grant a majority to any one faction, the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies are confident they can join their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt at the helm of leadership.
Negotiations between the Muslim Brotherhood and a secular-based political movement led by former interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril have focused on forming a post-election government as soon as the result is known.
An adviser to Mr Jibril said the former prime minister was likely to take the post of figurehead president with Mustafa Abu Shagour, currently interim deputy prime minister of the Muslim Brotherhood, taking the prime minister’s slot as head of government.
The Muslim Brotherhood would dominate the ministries.
And what pan-Islamist faction is positioned in Syria along with its militant al Qaeda brothers to take the reigns there when the current government eventually falls?
Why the same Muslim Brotherhood now ascendant in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
All good, right?
Exactly what we expected and wanted, right?
Foreign policy success, right?
Caliphate? What Caliphate?
Forward.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO