"Project Cassandra, launched by the DEA in 2008, investigated Hezbollah’s cooperation with the cartels only to be quashed by an Obama administration determined to achieve a nuclear deal with Hezbollah’s patron, Iran. "
No surprise here: Hope & Change Obama made a stupid-ass decision.
Failed Muslim governments in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran have transformed entire countries into drug cartels ruled by warlords. Drug production is the symptom but failed governments are the core problem. Nothing will change until responsible governments are formed and laws enforced.
Yes, we can intervene and destroy the status quo by toppling the government in these nations, but what is the plan to stabilize the regions afterward to avoid the vacuum being filled by other warlords promoting profitable illicit activities? Qutar and other Gulf States have been proactive in the Gaza conflict and offered to provide order there after the fighting ceases. Can a coalition of Muslim States develop a proactive plan to occupy and stabilize these areas of failed governments finding solutions for stability rather than leaving the problems to fester eventually erupting into War?
What we are witnessing in Gaza today shows the consequences of a failure to establish a viable Palestinian government and the lack of a clear exit strategy for when the fighting stops. Wars are easy to start, but extremely difficult to stop. If only it were as easy as spraying defoliant on some poppy fields and declaring “Mission Accomplished”. “Allah helps those who help themselves.” The region has been in disarray since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. When are Muslims going to take responsibility for their fate? Nassar of Egypt dreamed of Pan-Arabism to confront the rise of radical Islam. Perhaps it is time to revive his dream.
Ambassador Oren recommends disrupting and degrading the drug operation supply-side. Does Israel also have a role in interdiction and the demand-side?
What are Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia currently doing to protect their respective country’s citizenry and their economies against this scourge? For example, are they paying bribes to Hezbollah and Syria to “protect” their countries, thereby filling the terrorists’ coffers?
(I’d add the UN to the list, but they’re probably just the beginning of a discussion about how the drug trade corrupts official bodies. That’s an interesting issue, but slightly off topic.)
I ask these questions because I see Israel paying an enormous political, economic, military, and human cost. Israel has more important things to do than to become a tool for cleaning up Arab problems, as laudable an activity as that may be.
"Project Cassandra, launched by the DEA in 2008, investigated Hezbollah’s cooperation with the cartels only to be quashed by an Obama administration determined to achieve a nuclear deal with Hezbollah’s patron, Iran. "
No surprise here: Hope & Change Obama made a stupid-ass decision.
He was a foreign policy dud.
I can’t think of one good argument, NOT to do this? Of course, I’m not a politician.
Obviously you have not thought of the Environmental Impact this would have!
/snark
Failed Muslim governments in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran have transformed entire countries into drug cartels ruled by warlords. Drug production is the symptom but failed governments are the core problem. Nothing will change until responsible governments are formed and laws enforced.
Yes, we can intervene and destroy the status quo by toppling the government in these nations, but what is the plan to stabilize the regions afterward to avoid the vacuum being filled by other warlords promoting profitable illicit activities? Qutar and other Gulf States have been proactive in the Gaza conflict and offered to provide order there after the fighting ceases. Can a coalition of Muslim States develop a proactive plan to occupy and stabilize these areas of failed governments finding solutions for stability rather than leaving the problems to fester eventually erupting into War?
What we are witnessing in Gaza today shows the consequences of a failure to establish a viable Palestinian government and the lack of a clear exit strategy for when the fighting stops. Wars are easy to start, but extremely difficult to stop. If only it were as easy as spraying defoliant on some poppy fields and declaring “Mission Accomplished”. “Allah helps those who help themselves.” The region has been in disarray since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. When are Muslims going to take responsibility for their fate? Nassar of Egypt dreamed of Pan-Arabism to confront the rise of radical Islam. Perhaps it is time to revive his dream.
Ambassador Oren recommends disrupting and degrading the drug operation supply-side. Does Israel also have a role in interdiction and the demand-side?
What are Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia currently doing to protect their respective country’s citizenry and their economies against this scourge? For example, are they paying bribes to Hezbollah and Syria to “protect” their countries, thereby filling the terrorists’ coffers?
(I’d add the UN to the list, but they’re probably just the beginning of a discussion about how the drug trade corrupts official bodies. That’s an interesting issue, but slightly off topic.)
I ask these questions because I see Israel paying an enormous political, economic, military, and human cost. Israel has more important things to do than to become a tool for cleaning up Arab problems, as laudable an activity as that may be.
I won’t assume anyone saw this in JPost today.
Captagon crisis: Middle East's $5.7 billion drug trade fuels Hezbollah https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-826546?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share
What is the counter argument? Is there one?
Great idea!
Wow, this is news to me…. But makes perfect sense…. Crooks being crooks