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Defense Secretary describes the plans supported by key members of the National Security team to support Syrian democracy forces in the summer of 2011- supported by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Clinton, General Dempsey of the Joint Chiefs, and CIA director Petraeus. The president failed to act because of approaching elections and the general hesitation to act that was displayed since the start of the democracy movement in Tunisia, and then through the movement's spread to Egypt, Libya, followed by Syria. The U.S. failed to grasp an opportunity for the Free World and create goodwill in the Arab world by standing up to its ideals of democracy and freedom.
Grouped Articles
Israel Says Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons
New York Times 04/23/2013
New York Times 04/22/2013
Pentagon Plans for the Worst in Syria
Wall Street Journal 05/07/2013
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Grouped Articles
Book Review: ‘Worthy Fights’ by Leon Panetta
Wall Street Journal 10/07/2014
Amplified by Social Media, Insider Memoirs Make More Racket
New York Times 10/07/2014
Panetta tries to explain - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/15/2014
First Batch of Hillary Clinton Emails Captures Concerns Over Libya
New York Times 05/21/2015
Chuck Hagel Says About-Face on Syria Hurt Obama’s Credibility
New York Times 12/18/2015
How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk
New York Times 04/21/2016
Grouped Articles
Amplified by Social Media, Insider Memoirs Make More Racket
New York Times 10/07/2014
Panetta tries to explain - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/15/2014
How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk
New York Times 04/21/2016
Wall Street Journal 04/29/2011
The Right Way to Trim Military Spending
New York Times 08/04/2011
New York Times 08/13/2011
Grouped Articles
New York Times 08/25/2013
U.S. Prepares for Solo Strike On Syria After Britain Balks
Wall Street Journal 08/30/2013
Wall Street Journal 08/29/2013
Wall Street Journal 09/01/2013
GOP Leader Rallies for Obama Plan
Wall Street Journal 09/04/2013
New York Times 09/08/2013
Grouped Articles
French Surgeon, Jacques Beres Recalls Slipping Into Syria Last Month
New York Times 03/12/2012
The unbelievable devastation of a shattered Syrian city - The Washington Post
Washington Post 04/06/2016
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Never Ending War: Why The Cease-Fire in Syria Won't Help - SPIEGEL ONLINE
SPIEGEL ONLINE 09/17/2016
Washington Post 09/26/2016
Grouped Articles
Syria Civil War Forces Brutal Split in Aleppo
Wall Street Journal 04/25/2014
Want to Defeat ISIS? Help the Syrian Opposition
Wall Street Journal 08/14/2014
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Washington Post 09/26/2016
DW.COM 10/07/2016
Jeremy Corbyn calls for protests outside US embassy over Syria, claiming too much focus is on Russia
The Telegraph 10/12/2016
Grouped Articles
Syrian Rebel Offensive Against Islamic State Sparks Exodus
Wall Street Journal 04/16/2016
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Syrian rebels backed by Turkish tanks capture key border stronghold from ISIS
Washington Post 08/24/2016
Never Ending War: Why The Cease-Fire in Syria Won't Help - SPIEGEL ONLINE
SPIEGEL ONLINE 09/17/2016
Arrival of US troops intensifies struggle for influence in Syria
The Guardian 03/09/2017
Turkish military expert: Putin uses Turkey to achieve his own ends | News | DW.COM | 09.03.2017
DW.COM 03/09/2017
Keith Bradsher of the NYT provides glimpses of Turkey's slowing economy from a town set on the high speed rail line between Istanbul and Ankara. The shooting down of a Russian plane means the loss of farm exports to Russia. The wars in Syria and Iraq has reduced the exports to these countries. Cheap Chinese exports have also replaced Turkish exports in some countries. Wages for construction workers have dropped with Syrian refugees taking up jobs at lower wages. Construction continues to grow in Ankara and Istanbul as people from other parts of the Middle East invest in apartments in Turkey as a safe haven.
Grouped Articles
Tensions With Russia Add to a Chill in Turkey’s Economy
New York Times 11/29/2015
Turkey Moves to Clamp Down on Border, Long a Revolving Door
New York Times 12/22/2015
Washington Post 01/12/2016
E.U. Woos Turkey for Refugee Help, Ignoring Rights Crackdown
New York Times 03/08/2016
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Turkish military expert: Putin uses Turkey to achieve his own ends | News | DW.COM | 09.03.2017
DW.COM 03/09/2017
Grouped Articles
To Defeat Islamic State, Remove Assad
Wall Street Journal 10/07/2014
Turkish Inaction on ISIS Advance Dismays the U.S.
New York Times 10/07/2014
Will Syria Be Obama’s Vietnam?
New York Times 10/07/2014
The Too Little, Too Late Presidency
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
To Stop Iran’s Bomb, Bomb Iran
New York Times 03/26/2015
Gen. Martin Dempsey Leaves a Legacy of Caution
Wall Street Journal 05/06/2015
Grouped Articles
New York Times 04/11/2014
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Grouped Articles
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
David Ignatius: Syrian resistance needs U.S. help - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/07/2012
Syrian Rebels Say West Has Abandoned Them
New York Times 10/05/2012
Jihadists Receiving Most Arms Sent to Syrian Rebels
New York Times 10/14/2012
Grouped Articles
The Middle East Diaspora Descends on Europe
Wall Street Journal 08/31/2015
Image of Drowned Syrian Boy Echoes Around World
Wall Street Journal 09/04/2015
Refugees Find a Mostly Smooth Welcome in Germany
Wall Street Journal 09/05/2015
Treatment of Migrants Evokes Memories of Europe’s Darkest Hour
New York Times 09/04/2015
Secretary of State Kerry makes an unannounced visit to Afghanistan - The Washington Post
Washington Post 04/09/2016
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Grouped Articles
60 Million People Fleeing Chaotic Lands, U.N. Says
New York Times 06/18/2015
Germany unnerved by scores of xenophobic attacks against refugees - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/17/2015
Why some German universities will educate refugees for free - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/20/2015
For refugees, it’s destination Germany - The Washington Post
Washington Post 09/06/2015
New York Times 09/05/2015
A Frontline Solution to Europe’s Refugee Crisis
Wall Street Journal 09/25/2015
Grouped Articles
Syria Is Breeding Western Terrorists, U.S. Warns
Wall Street Journal 07/09/2014
Leaving U.S. Allies Adrift as Chaos Rises
Wall Street Journal 08/01/2014
New York Times 08/11/2014
How to Save Iraq and Honor American Sacrifice
Wall Street Journal 08/15/2014
Wall Street Journal 09/20/2014
The Too Little, Too Late Presidency
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
What happens in North Africa, does not necessarily remain there, says this WSJ editorial, even if European governments and the Obama administration would prefer it to be that way. The withdrawal from the Middle East and North Africa under Hollande, Merkel and Obama, says the Journal, has led to the situation where the entire region is unravelling and being torn apart, leading to millions of refugees in first Turkey and Jordan, and now in Europe. True it says there are risks in intervening, but points to the Iraq where normalcy of life was returning to Baghdad by the end of the Bush administration, and the unraveling beginning only with Hollande (the departure of Sarkozy leaving Cameron alone), and the Obama administration's withdrawal from the Middle East (no action in Libya and Syria, and withdrawal in Iraq), Germany's traditional non-interventional role.
Grouped Articles
Wall Street Journal 09/08/2015
How we got to the Syria mess - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
More waffling on Syria - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
Wall Street Journal 10/02/2015
Merkel Links Turkey’s E.U. Hopes to Stemming Flow of Refugees
New York Times 10/18/2015
British Jets Hit ISIS in Syria After Parliament Authorizes Airstrikes
New York Times 12/02/2015
In early 2014 op-ed pages of the NYT and WSJ are used by Hillary Clinton and General Jones, former Secretary of State and former National Security Advisor, calling into question Obama's failure to act decisively in Syria and Iraq. By September 2014 the policy appears to be unraveling. Hardly any reporters or critics mention that all the Syrian democracy forces needed was the "no fly zone" offered to Libya. Timely decisive use of American airpower early in the conflict would have enabled the success of the democracy forces in Syria. General Keene called for this in an op-ed on 5/22/2013 and the WSJ editorial on 8/29/2013 refuted claims that this would cost $1 billion. Actually Gen. Keane stated that all that was necessary was to destroy the 50 runways and the air defense system of the Assad regime, which the U.S. had capabilities for even with the Russian support to Assad. It also would have met the early misguided efforts of the Putin government to exert influence in regions against the will of the people in the name of Russian nationalism, which extended following Syria to Eastern Europe. It would have kept U.S. ground forces out and gradually stabilized the region with democratic governments in Syria and Libya- with U.S. economic support and guidance during a transition period. Truman was coming out of the Second World War when he faced and responded to the efforts to extend communist regimes in Greece and southern Europe within a few years of the global conflict. Truman and General Marshall accomplished in Europe what Obama failed to do in North Africa when a challenge as well as an opportunity presented itself. Truman also listened to exceptional leaders in his circle of advisors. The U.S. has strategic interests in the Middle East and concern for the welfare of the region and its people. This was neglected in preference for involvement in Afghanistan, where involvement is only for the purpose of keeping a failing state from becoming a haven for terrorism. A permanent settlement between India and Pakistan c
Grouped Articles
Wall Street Journal 09/20/2014
New York Times 02/07/2015
U.S. to Give Some Syria Rebels Ability to Call Airstrikes
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
The Too Little, Too Late Presidency
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
Gen. Martin Dempsey Leaves a Legacy of Caution
Wall Street Journal 05/06/2015
First Batch of Hillary Clinton Emails Captures Concerns Over Libya
New York Times 05/21/2015
Grouped Articles
Inside White House, a Head-Spinning Reversal on Chemical Weapons
Wall Street Journal 09/16/2013
Wall Street Journal 09/16/2013
Saudi Arabia gets forceful on foreign policy - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/25/2013
Rice Offers a More Modest Strategy for Mideast
New York Times 10/26/2013
Fouad Ajami: When the Obama Magic Died
Wall Street Journal 11/15/2013
‘America Must Always Lead,’ Obama Tells West Point Graduates
New York Times 05/28/2014
Gen. Keane and Pletka say inaction can be more risky than action with the spillover of the war in Syria to neighboring countries. The Assad regime's attack on civilian populations and use of chemical weapons, the democracy movement in Syria, and the support from the Arab world and Turkey, are critical factors that would bring the U.S. credibility in the region and gain the respect of people in the region, if action is taken in 2013. They point out that the air defense system in Syria even with Russian systems can be rendered inactive without much effort.
Grouped Articles
Jack Keane and Danielle Pletka: How to Stop Assad's Slaughter
Wall Street Journal 05/22/2013
Russia Outmaneuvers Obama Over Syria
Wall Street Journal 06/14/2013
Behind Obama's About-Face on Syria
Wall Street Journal 06/15/2013
Wall Street Journal 08/22/2013
Andrew Roberts: Syria's Gas Attack on Civilization
Wall Street Journal 08/25/2013
A Veteran Saudi Power Player Works To Build Support to Topple Assad
Wall Street Journal 08/25/2013
Grouped Articles
A Rift in Worldviews Is Exposed as Clinton Faults Obama on Policy
New York Times 08/11/2014
Hillary Clinton, Barbed and Bellicose
New York Times 08/11/2014
New York Times 08/11/2014
With Maliki Out of the Picture, U.S. Prepares to Boost Iraq Aid
Wall Street Journal 08/16/2014
How to Save Iraq and Honor American Sacrifice
Wall Street Journal 08/15/2014
Amplified by Social Media, Insider Memoirs Make More Racket
New York Times 10/07/2014
Paneta tells the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Congress how the Obama administration responded, including a timeline of events during questioning by Inhofe, McCain and other senators.
Grouped Articles
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Diplomat Airs Benghazi Attack Details
Wall Street Journal 05/09/2013
Benghazi E-Mails Put White House on the Defensive
New York Times 05/10/2013
New York Times 05/13/2013
What we’ve learned in Libya - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/25/2011
Wall Street Journal 05/22/2013
Grouped Articles
Wall Street Journal 06/14/2013
Heavy Pressure Led to Decision by Obama on Syrian Arms
New York Times 06/14/2013
Wall Street Journal 09/01/2013
GOP Leader Rallies for Obama Plan
Wall Street Journal 09/04/2013
9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask | WorldViews
Washington Post 09/07/2013
New York Times 09/08/2013
Grouped Articles
Pulling the Curtain Back on Syria
New York Times 09/07/2013
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Grouped Articles
Austria Takes Role of Distribution Center for Germany-Bound Migrants
New York Times 09/21/2015
Some of the Arab States Have Admitted Many From Syria
Wall Street Journal 12/09/2015
Why Obama’s Middle East Policy Is Failing
Wall Street Journal 02/16/2016
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann Quits as Migrant Crisis Roils European Politics
Wall Street Journal 05/13/2016
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Survey: Germany divided over Merkel's migrant policy changes | Germany | DW.COM | 21.08.2016
DW.COM 08/21/2016
By allowing reckless intervention by Putin's Russia in Syria, and by its policies in the Middle East after the Arab Spring, the Obama administration has starved the hopes of an entire region heavily oriented towards a young demographic for participatory democracy and economic development, leaving it to descend into religious conflict, and then into sectarian conflict.
Grouped Articles
Sunni Militants Drive Iraqi Army Out of Mosul
New York Times 06/10/2014
Mosul Falls to ISIS, Endangering Iraq’s Democracy
New York Times 06/11/2014
U.S. Scrambles to Help Iraq Fight Off Militants as Baghdad Is Threatened
New York Times 06/12/2014
Veterans Watch as Gains Their Friends Died for Are Erased by Insurgents
New York Times 06/13/2014
Obama Finds He Can’t Put Iraq War Behind Him
New York Times 06/13/2014
Iraqi Shiite Cleric Issues Call to Arms
New York Times 06/13/2014
Grouped Articles
German Parliament Votes to Send Military Assistance to Fight ISIS
New York Times 12/04/2015
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Germany Weighs Push for European Sanctions Against Russia Over Syria Behavior
WSJ 10/05/2016
The huge difference in the U.S. and German resettlement of Syria's refugees. About half the population of Syria is dslocated in a tragedy of massive proportions for a country of 23 million- additional numbers of refugees are spread out in Iraq and Libya. The U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East under the Obama administration led to a worsening of the crisis in Iraq, Syria and Libya, and the unraveling of the fragile situation in these countries. The result is the flow of migrants to Europe by the hundreds of thousands in 2015. German chancellor Merkel will be remembered in history for the courage to say in Sept 2015- "If Europe fails on the question of refugees, its close connection with universal civil rights will be destroyed." And for rallying German society to the work of integrating refugees with the openness of educational institutions and civil society, especially in the urban areas.
Grouped Articles
U.S. Pressed to Take More Syrian Refugees
Wall Street Journal 09/05/2015
Refugees Find a Mostly Smooth Welcome in Germany
Wall Street Journal 09/05/2015
Piercing the Denial on Refugees
New York Times 09/04/2015
The Refugee Crisis Isn’t a ‘European Problem’
New York Times 09/05/2015
New York Times 09/04/2015
New York Times 09/05/2015
Turkey's parliament authorizes the government in October 2014 to take all steps needed for national security as it faces Islamic State (ISIS) forces on its borders. Islamic State is trying to take a Kurdish town of Kobani near the Turkish border leading to 160,000 refugees fleeing the fighting.
Grouped Articles
Turkey Votes to Allow Operations Against ISIS
New York Times 10/02/2014
Turkish Inaction on ISIS Advance Dismays the U.S.
New York Times 10/07/2014
Oil Gives Kurds a Path to Independence, and Conflict With Baghdad
New York Times 10/25/2014
Germany Pledges Aid to Countries Sheltering Refugees From Syria
Wall Street Journal 10/28/2014
Iraq faces new crisis as winter descends on millions uprooted by Islamic State - The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/27/2014
Outlook Darkens for Syria Refugees in Turkey
Wall Street Journal 12/28/2014
Grouped Articles
Buried in foreign soil | The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/16/2013
Washington Post 12/16/2013
New York Times 04/11/2014
U.S. to greatly expand resettlement for Syrian refugees - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/01/2014
Washington Post 10/14/2014
Germany Pledges Aid to Countries Sheltering Refugees From Syria
Wall Street Journal 10/28/2014
Displaced Iraqis in Kurdish areas of Iraq and other parts of the country following the U.S. intervention period and the invasion by Islamic State from Syria. Just as the country was returning to a degree of normalcy after the U.S intervention, actions of the Maliki adminsitration and Islamic State's attack on Mosul lead to a huge wave of refugees and displaced people by the winter of 2014-2015. The inaction of the Obama administration till the fomation of the new Abadi government in Iraq worsened the situation.
Grouped Articles
Iraq faces new crisis as winter descends on millions uprooted by Islamic State - The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/27/2014
Coalition Has Reclaimed Territory from Islamic State, Kerry Says
Wall Street Journal 01/23/2015
Kurdish Forces Declare Victory in Kobani
Wall Street Journal 01/28/2015
The Too Little, Too Late Presidency
Wall Street Journal 02/18/2015
Splits in Islamic State Emerge as Its Ranks Expand
Wall Street Journal 03/10/2015
Iraq Inches Toward 3-Way Split
Wall Street Journal 03/26/2015
Grouped Articles
Truce in Three Syrian Towns Breaks Down as Fighting Resumes
Wall Street Journal 08/15/2015
The New York Times 08/11/2016
Arrival of US troops intensifies struggle for influence in Syria
The Guardian 03/09/2017
Grouped Articles
Obama Acknowledges U.S. Erred in Assessing ISIS
New York Times 09/28/2014
Iraq and U.S. Find Some Potential Sunni Allies Have Already Been Lost
New York Times 11/15/2014
Months of Airstrikes Fail to Slow Islamic State in Syria
Wall Street Journal 01/15/2015
Coalition Has Reclaimed Territory from Islamic State, Kerry Says
Wall Street Journal 01/23/2015
New York Times 02/07/2015
Obama’s Dual View of War Power Seeks Limits and Leeway
New York Times 02/11/2015
Grouped Articles
How we got to the Syria mess - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
More waffling on Syria - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
The U.S. cannot pass Syria on to Putin - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
Obama’s Syria debacle - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/02/2015
Wall Street Journal 10/02/2015
Teaming up with Russia in Syria could be a dangerous false step for the U.S. - The Washington Post
Washington Post 11/19/2015
Grouped Articles
In Syria, Doctors Become the Victims
New York Times 11/19/2014
The New York Times 08/11/2016
The western world looks on as chemical weapons are used repeatedly by Syria's Assad government, according to some reports. The lack of leadership from the U.S., France, Britain and Germany. The failure of the Russian government under Putin to separate global geopolitics from the aspirations of the people of Syria for freedom and democracy and the use of artillery and bombing of civilian population.
Grouped Articles
Israel Says Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons
New York Times 04/23/2013
New York Times 04/22/2013
Obamaâs Vow on Chemical Weapons Puts Him in Tough Spot
New York Times 05/04/2013
Pentagon Plans for the Worst in Syria
Wall Street Journal 05/07/2013
What if the U.S. doesn’t intervene in Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Grouped Articles
Why did Mr. Obama overrule his advisers on Syria? - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/09/2013
Syrian Refugees in Jordan Struggle to Survive
New York Times 05/08/2013
New York Times 05/05/2013
Middle East Strains Under the Weight of Syria's Two Million Refugees
Wall Street Journal 09/03/2013
Syria Seen as Most Dire Refugee Crisis in a Generation
New York Times 11/23/2013
Buried in foreign soil | The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/16/2013
Most of the refugees are in Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan. UN officials say the figure could reach 3.5 million by the end of 2013. About 4.25 million are displaced by the fighting in Syria by 2013.
Grouped Articles
Middle East Strains Under the Weight of Syria's Two Million Refugees
Wall Street Journal 09/03/2013
Syria Seen as Most Dire Refugee Crisis in a Generation
New York Times 11/23/2013
Buried in foreign soil | The Washington Post
Washington Post 12/16/2013
Washington Post 12/16/2013
U.S. to greatly expand resettlement for Syrian refugees - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/01/2014
Turkey Votes to Allow Operations Against ISIS
New York Times 10/02/2014
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