Middle East Implosion: Nero Watched While Rome Burned.

“Nero watched while Rome was burning…” 

While the media in the US, football players, Hollywooders, and a few ‘liberals’ are busily discussing ‘taking a knee’, the world is still turning, and Syria is no exception.

The government of Syria, which is still under the auspices of Assad, is making fervent ground in taking back their country from rebels, ISIS, al Qaeda, Saudi Arabia, and others who sought it’s destitution. Not one to miss an opportunity, China has been sending envoys and assistance in the efforts with their ambassador recently stating, “the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and protected.” Sounds like Trump’s UN speech.

The Chinese Ambassador also reiterated China’s strong desire to participate in the reconstruction efforts… But they aren’t alone, Brazil has also made known their desire to help rebuild with construction of pre-fab units. Iran has offered to help, India wants a piece, and South Africa has stepped up to the plate. In fact 164 companies have clamored to the rebuild Syria money machine.

Ba-BING!

With an estimated price tag of well over $180 billion, it would not be a small contract to sign on the dotted line. While the actual cost of this war is roughly $1.5 trillion, and decades to come, instead of wasting bombs and artillery, China is thinking roads, infrastructure, steel, concrete, buildings, hospitals, schools, etc… and dollar signs.

The international forces that appear most prevalent in the ongoing war are the Iraqi’s and the Russian’s, but with a referendum being held today in Iraq that proposes to divide and partition the country into two states, the northern portion to the Kurds, the fight against ISIS could come to a grinding stop.

If the fight against ISIS is disrupted, the rebuild obviously would be too. Given the animosity the Syrian government has for the US, it is fair to say we would not be allowed into the bidding process to rebuild. Alliances will rein.

It will also require the return of millions of refugees needed to participate and reclaim their homeland. There are currently between 5 and 6.5 million Syrian refugees around the globe with the largest concentrations in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon is already calling for refugees to go home despite the fact that home is a destitute piece of ruble.

Although losing ground, ISIS and al Nusra, who are labeled Wahhabi or Salafi adherents of Islam, believe that anyone, including Muslims, that do not adhere to their Salafi faction are to be eliminated.

Several months ago, Qatar entered the equation when Saudi Arabia accused them of supporting ISIS and al Qaeda. As a result, Saudi Arabia severed economic ties and cut off specific shipping routes as a gesture of punishment. Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE banded with the Sauds. However, the mud gets a bit thicker…

Most of Qatari’s identify as Wahhabi, the most conservative and fundamentally strident faction of Islam. Qatar houses the largest US base in the Middle East. Built in 1996 by Qatar, the US set up operations at the base – September 2001, after 9-11.   Housing significant equipment and command presence for military maneuvers in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, the base then becomes the center of an interesting axiom; sleeping with the enemy.

Of course this all begs the question – who is the enemy?

Reading news from the early 2000’s one might find that the Saudi’s were considered the center of Wahhabism, and this particular faction was considered the most extreme, most violent, and most likely al Qaeda affiliated.   And yet, the US, the UK and France all have a largess presence in Qatar, a centrist country for Wahhabism.

ALL of the suicide pilots for 9-11 were Wahhabi. So what we have is the US using Wahhabi Qatar as a base to dismantle the Wahhabi al- Qaeda in Afghanistan. Except – Afghanistan is actually predominantly – Sunni, as is Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, the same countries that are now in an economic embargo of – Qatar.

So why would the Saudi’s point a Wahhabi finger at Qatar, when they have been considered the root country of Wahhabi ideologies?

Two ideas:   1.   Someone has to take the blame, and if in fact al Qaeda and ISIS are on their last leg, the Sauds might be pretty determined not to go down with them.   Casting blame, creating a scapegoat, could be their only escape from potential sanctions and internal ‘restructuring’.   2.   The Muslim Brotherhood is a core organization in Qatar, and a terrorist organization according to the Sauds. The Saudi’s believe that the Muslim Brotherhood could threaten their monarchial rule and potentially topple the regime.  By Qatar embracing the Muslim Brotherhood, they align with an organization that could take out the Royal Saudi’s monarchial rule.

It also bears mention that Qatar was one of the recipients of $11 billion in weapons during Hillary’s tenure at the State Department, despite having only a $1.9 billion budget and a mere 32,000 total active military personnel. In addition, Obama sold Qatar another $4 billion in F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets in 2016, and Trump just pledged an additional $21 billion which is purportedly to be used to fight ‘extremism’.

That means that on a $1.9 billion annual budget, the most extremist violent Islamic faction, Wahhabi Qatari’s, in alliance with The Muslim Brotherhood, have purchased or budgeted to purchase $36 billion in weapons and fighter jets from the US since 2014.   So why would the US woo Qatar? Because, if they are pushed out of the Saudi block, their alliance could easily shift to Iran, which would put the US in somewhat of a ‘pickle’.

Or, is that the strategy? If the US weaponizes both sides in the Middle East, then instills ripples of factioning, could Muslims ultimately completely annihilate each other, each believing they are the one and only – true Muslim?

And is that internal divisiveness, the exact same division we are witnessing in the US citing racism, sexism, nationalism, and anarchy?

Imploding from within…