tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post8854729230332480859..comments2024-03-18T16:37:26.577-07:00Comments on WAR TARD: Egypt: The loss of Suez and the West's pet dictator to 'democracy'. What comes next?War Tardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695998564986230897noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-10975693812442140032014-06-05T10:03:17.319-07:002014-06-05T10:03:17.319-07:00Don't worry, Saudi Arabia will never fall. Th...Don't worry, Saudi Arabia will never fall. There are more Saudi Princes in the CIA than any other royal family. Saudi Arabia is a CIA state through and through. Saudi Arabia has always been a CIA-owed state after the 70's oil embargoes. Never again.........Rambohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16508098928987877289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-58862274999293625372014-02-10T17:23:57.983-08:002014-02-10T17:23:57.983-08:00I appreciate your boldness sire. but, I do keep as...I appreciate your boldness sire. but, I do keep asking myself while I am reading your article is that whether or not you have lost your journalistic impartiality. this article while very thorough in its many points seems antagonistic and full of personal feelings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-41104285128280365712011-07-30T15:39:33.630-07:002011-07-30T15:39:33.630-07:00I once read an article on the reasons for the usua...I once read an article on the reasons for the usual sub par performance of Arab armies, written by an US officer who spend a lot of time as a military consultant in Arab countries and was one of the guys who trained the Egyptians on their newly acquired M1 tanks.<br /><br />He told stories about Arab officers collecting all the instruction manuals the US instructors had handed out to the tank crews and hiding them in their quarters. Apparently they wanted to be the only ones who had those information and wanted everybody else to have to come to them and beg for it, because that made them important and gave them power.<br />Apparently stuff like that is normal in Arab culture.<br /><br />No wonder they suck at modern warfare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-7715285571844984152011-02-11T01:58:03.892-08:002011-02-11T01:58:03.892-08:00Thats bad news. I am putting my head in the sand a...Thats bad news. I am putting my head in the sand and hoping for a god damn happy day scenario from now on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-15422456268421358362011-02-02T23:25:41.411-08:002011-02-02T23:25:41.411-08:00A fresh country would have enough on it's hand...A fresh country would have enough on it's hands besides going to war with Israel. What for? Resources? no.... fun? no.... Palastine? pfffff. I have never heard more cruel things said about the actual Palastinian people then what I've heard out of an Arab's mouth. That's not to say that they don't care, it's just that they both care and don't care. Nothing to war over, just something to game over.<br /><br />I hope Egypt does leverage it's new found position to make Israel be less of a fuck up to the Palastinians... that culture is so destroyed from what it once was I worry that it is lost forever. To hear the old Palastinians in my city (Los Angeles) speak of their virtues and what they were taught way back when(all of them speak about the importance of education among other things) and to see what has become of the peoples that stayed... sigh<br /><br />I just can't see Egypt becoming a theocracy. Not now, not as the board is set, no way. More power within the system for the Muslim Brotherhood? Yes. Them having to deal with religious nutbags within their democracy like we do in America? Yes. Super Islamic Islamsisamsisms? Not so much.<br /><br />They will have so god dam much work to do. They have millions of people that just want something useful to do with their lives. And their cultural heritage is so god dam gigantic they must have enough pride in themselves to not go batshit. It will be fine. It will be better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-70649282815555219332011-02-02T19:39:50.337-08:002011-02-02T19:39:50.337-08:00This is slowly developing into the go-to blog for ...This is slowly developing into the go-to blog for me when geo-political shitstorms occur.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-91201213577867408482011-02-01T08:08:19.459-08:002011-02-01T08:08:19.459-08:00Errrr... nop
Not "technologically equal opon...Errrr... nop<br /><br />Not "technologically equal oponents". Not even close. Egypt has got M1s, but their <br />serviceabity rate is low, at best. Lot's of trouble getting the Soviet minded conscripts in the manteinance echelon to properly service a M-1. Also, there are very few armies around in shape to cope with the gas bill of a jetfuel powered tank. I once heard a good joke from an Egyptian tanker: "We should have purchased the M1 from the Americans and then a good diesel engine from the Germans".<br /><br />Main MBT in Egypt right now is the M60Asomething. <br /><br />Then there is that funny small cap notation in stickers bellow almost all US military hardware sold through Defense Security Cooperation Agency agreements. The one that reads something like this: "Ask before use. Not following this advice may involve severe logistical troubles".<br /><br />So, you start pissing the Israeli lobby in DC, next you're not getting more spares for your M1s, F-16s, etc... No, it would not be a very long symmetrical war... And the last one wasn't either, when both sides were quite more of a close match in tech terms.<br /><br />Egyptians had been trying to be a military power since Ismail brought a complete canon foundry back in the 1860s (it was an US foundry IIRC), they haven't got any measurable success up until now.John Figlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-16530513965829689992011-01-31T23:34:40.991-08:002011-01-31T23:34:40.991-08:00What if Mubarak does fall? What if Egypt's col...What if Mubarak does fall? What if Egypt's collective 'fuck you' to the West is war with Israel? I'm not sure there's enough beer and popcorn in the world for that one. The US has been supplying both states with military hardware, and for the first time in history Israel would be pitted against a technologically equal opponent. We'd see M1A1s and F16s square off against each other. For the first time in a long while the fight would be decided by skill of arms instead of technological superiority (familiar with Pharsalus? How is that not your favorite historical battle, by the way?). My money's on Israel here, just because the IDF is so badass and I think the Israelis have been getting the creme of US equipment, although I'm not familiar with the training and requisition regimens of the Egyptian armed forces; it's really up in the air on this one. Who knows? Maybe the old Russian/European tech that Egypt has around would turn the tide by weight of numbers. Whatever the case, it'd be like a modern, desert Kursk between two sides both fielding the T-34 and the Stuka. Finally some symmetrical warfare. Heavy infantry would once again sit on the bench while the armored cav and the air force slug it out. Any thoughts, Wartard?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-81765752302110328222011-01-31T11:23:18.907-08:002011-01-31T11:23:18.907-08:00Here's a good one from Mr. Mubarek, from Time ...Here's a good one from Mr. Mubarek, from Time last Friday: <br /><br />"I'm not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-67567715706114740572011-01-31T00:33:46.869-08:002011-01-31T00:33:46.869-08:00Is the Muslim Brotherhood really to be feared as m...Is the Muslim Brotherhood really to be feared as much as you imply? I'm led to believe that they are a voice of moderate anti-extremist Islam, in contrast to the stances they held in decades past, when first founded.Teddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11481378550767618931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-3474558574178627662011-01-30T07:24:50.024-08:002011-01-30T07:24:50.024-08:00Mind you... Ol' Hosni hasn't thrown the to...Mind you... Ol' Hosni hasn't thrown the towel. Yet.<br /><br />When he leaves, most of what you say would be important. But one of the perks of being a ruthless dictator is... well, being ruthless, and nobody making too many waves about dozens of Egyptian sans-culottes, massacred. Specially Brotherhood sans-culottes.<br /><br />I'm just wandering right now if using the US made M-113 and M-60s seen in all the press photos to quell the revolts instead of the Soviet left-overs is some kind of subtle PR message to his patrons in the west, or it was just that the battalions near Cairo were the ones US equipped.John Figlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-89472974383342030412011-01-30T00:28:47.946-08:002011-01-30T00:28:47.946-08:00Well, that was a surprisingly well-written and wel...Well, that was a surprisingly well-written and well-thought-out article. It gives a much-needed insight into the current dynamics in the region, and what the long-term effects of a regime change could be.<br /><br />This is why we need to get involved (as in, people that care about freedoms and such, not the USA itself) in the region ASAP; the level of sophistication of the protestors and their quick reactions to the usual "dirty tricks" of a government under siege have been suspicous...<br /><br />Now, it looks like there has been a destabilization campaign afoot, likely funded by anti-US interests. I'm not saying that they don't have a point, mind you. They've got reason to be pissed... But we don't exactly want a mini-Iran or Saudi Arabia forming there; that's not good for anyone, either.<br /><br />Say what you will, Mubarak was a bit of a necessary evil - I think the USA's worst sin was not finding a way to transition him out of power earlier before this shit happened. Oh well; now it's time to pay the piper, I suppose. I just hope the Egyptians end up better off than before - I've seen plenty of regime changes (Africa has countless ones in recent history) for good reason that ended up in an even worse deal for the people of that nation. Heck, an old roommate was a remote member of the Liberian ruling family and had to bail out to the US when a revolution occurred. Within a couple years, everyone was poorer and less safe and free, and the new dictator was far worse than the old (but also corrupt and abusive) dictator.<br /><br />That's the problem; anyone can bring down a ruling party - very few can replace it with a functioning government that really improves things. Look how many smart, rich, talented and well-educated people in a very special situation (and help from other nations) it took to get the US squared away after revolution. That stuff doesn't happen by accident.NovaeDeArxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111395980737563171.post-74349428702748804132011-01-29T18:36:59.414-08:002011-01-29T18:36:59.414-08:00Well that was awesome. Again.Well that was awesome. Again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com