motonoggin Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/03/donald-trump-qassem-suleimani-haunt-quds-iran?fbclid=IwAR2BLRYKhZX59JkJqvn3Xvjp_tjkSVICgO1BnPrhpN1KBQfjwcrhm_NXu0M Nicknamed the “shadow commander” in the popular press, Suleimani spent his formative years on the battlefields of the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s, when Saddam Hussein – who at the time enjoyed the support of western and Arab powers – was attempting to destroy the emerging Islamic Republic. But few people remember that his first major mission as commander of the Quds force – the extraterritorial branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – involved implicit coordination with the United States as the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban were, and to some extent remain, a mutual enemy. That alliance of convenience ended in 2002 when the US president George W Bush notoriously branded Iran a member of the “axis of evil”. In the years after, Suleimani laboured to bleed the US military in places like Iraq. He succeeded. After having spent trillions of dollars and lost thousands of troops, Washington withdrew from Iraq in 2011 – partly as a result of Iranian pressure on the Iraqi government. Suleimani had little time to celebrate, however. His attention was turned to containing fallout from the Arab spring, propping up the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. That development saw the creation of a region-wide network of Iranian-backed militias numbering more than 100,000 men, unprecedented Iranian military collaboration with Russia, and the transformation of Hezbollah into a force capable of operating on significant scale outside Lebanon’s borders. By 2014, when he successfully halted Islamic State’s attempt to overrun Iraq, Suleimani was being feted as a hero among Iraqis alongside the local commanders, including al-Muhandis. The same response was evident in Iran, where he quickly became a household name and was rumoured to be a potential future president – a trend that was strengthened by the Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. So the US has not merely killed an Iranian military commander but also a highly popular figure, viewed as a guardian of Iran even among secular-minded Iranians. And with the assassination of al-Muhandis, the Trump administration has put itself in the position of having killed the operational commander of a large branch of the Iraqi armed forces. Some will characterise the deaths as a huge blow to Iran’s proxy capabilities and wider policy in the region. But such an approach ignores how the Iranian system is structured. Suleimani’s successor as Quds force leader – his long-time deputy, Esmail Qaani – was announced within 12 hours of his death. And while Suleimani was charismatic and played a personal role in cultivating many of Iran’s relationships in the region, those ties do not rely on him alone. Rather, they are the product of extensive and deep bonds that often go back decades and in many instances involve family ties. Suleimani was well aware of the dangers of the job, as was his singular boss, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who in years past deemed him a “living martyr”. So succession planning was never far from his mind. Indeed, 62-year-old Suleimani gave his younger lieutenants considerable operational authority. In practice, this has meant the elevation of a new generation of Quds force operatives, some of whom Suleimani had already begun positioning in vital posts: a case in point is Iraj Masjedi, the current Iranian ambassador to Iraq. So what comes next? Predictably, the Iranian authorities have promised “severe retaliation”. How that unfolds in practice is anyone’s guess. There is certainly no shortage of US targets in the region. But Suleimani may, with his death, have already achieved the greatest revenge of all, and without firing a single bullet: namely, his ultimate objective of ending the US military presence in Iraq. If he was indeed behind the attack on the US military base that ultimately precipitated his own assassination, then he has probably succeeded in trapping the US into initiating its own ejection from Iraq. So far, most Iraqi decision-makers, from the caretaker prime minister to the country’s highest spiritual authority, have condemned in no uncertain terms the violation of sovereignty that the assassination entailed. As for Trump, he is stuck with the same problem he faced before Friday’s strike. The United States is no closer to the much-touted “new deal” with Iran, which the president boasted would eclipse that negotiated by his predecessor. Whatever remaining diplomatic off-ramps there were are rapidly crumbling. Meanwhile, at a time when his unprecedented sanctions had stirred unrest inside Iran, the political elite has just been handed a rallying cry. The strike on Suleimani, whose status approached that of national icon, will harden popular sentiment against the US while simultaneously shoring up the regime. For all his crowing about the decisive blow dealt to an insolent enemy, Trump may be about to discover that the problem with martyrs is that they live forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 CHICKENS!!!!! CHICKENS COMING HOME!!!!! AND YES!!!! THEY BE A ROOSTIN’!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Can you imagine the leadership in Iran right now? I can guarandamntee ain't a one of them riding around with the sunroof open. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franks pond Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motonoggin Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 Just now, franks pond said: 2002 called and they want their dipshit propaganda back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franks pond Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 It wasn't an assassination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ez ryder Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 should have been done 20 yrs ago .better late than never Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ez ryder Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 9 hours ago, motonoggin said: 2002 called and they want their dipshit propaganda back so this guy is a hero of yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ez ryder Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 sorry was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticCrusher Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Two protest in TO this evening. One applauding the attack by Trump, the other condemning. The group applauding it were Iranians calling Salami a murderer, the others were clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, ArcticCrusher said: Two protest in TO this evening. One applauding the attack by Trump, the other condemning. The group applauding it were Iranians calling Salami a murderer, the others were clueless. Wait...which group did CNN cover? No...don’t tell me, I want to be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 The Iranian general was superior to trump in so many ways. He really got shit done. Trump simply talks a lot of shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Just now, spin_dry said: The Iranian general was superior to trump in so many ways. He really got shit done. Trump simply talks a lot of shit. Who is comparing him to Trump. Why are you so awkward, bud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticCrusher Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 3 minutes ago, Zambroski said: Wait...which group did CNN cover? No...don’t tell me, I want to be surprised. They did emphasize the general faught Isis. For the benefit of us no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Zambroski said: Who is comparing him to Trump. Why are you so awkward, bud? You’re so engaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Just now, ArcticCrusher said: They did emphasize the general faught Isis. For the benefit of us no doubt. Trump beat Isis. Just like the US won WWII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Just now, ArcticCrusher said: They did emphasize the general faught Isis. For the benefit of us no doubt. He was our hero! Orange man muredered him!!!! Just now, spin_dry said: You’re so engaged. Just not stupid. TDS prevents you from telling the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 49 minutes ago, Matt said: It wasn't an assassination. Yeah, that’s what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DriftBusta Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 22 minutes ago, spin_dry said: The Iranian general was superior to trump in so many ways. He really got shit done. Trump simply talks a lot of shit. Yet......The generals dead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motonoggin Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Ez ryder said: so this guy is a hero of yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 8 minutes ago, DriftBusta said: Yet......The generals dead He died a hero to his men. Just like trump will be to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motonoggin Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 2 minutes ago, spin_dry said: He died a hero to his men. Just like trump will be to you. Zing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted January 5, 2020 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 minute ago, spin_dry said: He died a hero to his men. Just like trump will be to you. It's amazing to me how a draft dodger is a hero to the staunch Red, White and Blue Apple Pie Americans around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member ViperGTS/Z1 Posted January 5, 2020 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted January 5, 2020 1 minute ago, spin_dry said: He died a hero to his men. Just like trump will be to you. Good Gawd.....you said the same thing about your martyr Baghdadi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.