I have tried to avoid the Harry/Meghan nonsense because it concerns me neither a jot nor a tittle! I fear Harry has made a 'yuuuuuuuge' blunder but - hey! - he is neither the first nor the last man to get it wrong in choosing a partner. A pity because in many respects, including his military service in Afghanistan, he deserves better but, alas, in this decision he has displayed the sort of minimal intelligence that his late mother possessed when she married 'Charles the Chump'! Mind you, she was exceedingly young when she made her mistake.
The only reason I raise the subject is that Harry's and Meghan's desire to be constantly protected by British policemen where-ever in the world they choose to visit will cost 'we the plebs' a small fortune and that is something up with which I will not put! Sorry, Darlings, it was your choice to walk out so it is your purse that takes the strain - not mine!
Off topic but who gives a flying fig about those two anyway.
Just wanted to admire the Don for yet another political masterpiece following his spectacular victory against Iran, this time in Syria ...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/02/erdogan-turkey-syria-assad
The intrinsic weakness of Erdoğan’s house-of-straw strategy has been further exposed by the inability of the Islamist extremists he supports in Idlib to resist the recent Syrian-Russian advance; and by the refusal of the US and Nato to come to his assistance in any meaningful way. Turkey appealed for support after last week’s convoy calamity. Only limited help with surveillance and intelligence-sharing was offered.
Once again, Erdoğan is reaping what he sowed. He has repeatedly mocked and criticised Nato, the US and European leaders in vituperative and contemptuous terms. He bought a Russian air-defence system over strong American objections. He has jeopardised the west’s fight against Islamic State by waging war on Syria’s Kurds. And he has tried to weaponise the Syrian refugee crisis to bend the EU to his will –hence the current chaos and misery on the Greece-Turkey border. Unsurprisingly, domestic opposition is growing, spurred by the Syrian quagmire.
His withdrawal from the north of Rojava which was seen as a strategic blunder and back-stab of the brave Kurds (including by me I must fess up to) has brought great outcomes.
Dirty Erdy has left the Kurds alone and buggered off to have a pop at Assad and the Rooskies - and got his own arse, and that of his Islamist mates, well and truly kicked! Serves him right for birding the Don on the air defence missile system and being a general pain in the arse to NATO. Plus the euros are now under pressure with the threat of refugees from Dirty Erdy that only the Don can relieve if he wishes so (by lending Diry Erdy a helping hand behind the scenes with battling Assad and the Rooskies - intelligence, etc.). So that's a "quid pro quo" coming the way of the Euros in any forthcoming negotiation with the US. And finally the US forces in Syria are left alone and unmolested While all the other players kick the shit out of each other1 Old Hickory can merrily help siphon out the oil for Rojava and thereby save a shedload of US military donations which the Rojavans can now pay for instead.
"Bait and Bleed" in action - on steroids!
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a 7 fold victory from one executive action by the Don? ...
1. Assad scuffed up
2. The Rooskies scuffed up
3. Dirty Erdy scuffed up
4. Islamists scuffed up
5. The Euros in his pocket
6. Old Hickory left unmolested
7. Rojava self-funding militarily
Jeez, if "war is politics by other means" 'n' all that Clausewitz stuff, then the Don has outperformed the incredible Wehrmacht who sometimes took on odds of 5 to 1 against the Rooskies on the Ost Front and won. But I never read they managed 7 to 1. I never read anyone ballsy enough to take on odds of 7 to 1 plus before except the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae - but they got bum-fked of course!
A latter-day Guderian is loose on the battlefield of politics. Thank Gawd he's fighting for the good guys!
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 19:50
I'm led to believe that these people have something like 45 million pounds between them. Surely they can manage on that. I dislike them and wish they'd just go away and stay there.
Posted by: Andra | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 20:22
A minor correction to SOD. Clive took on the Nabob of Bengal with at most 3000 troops, at most 1000 of them British. The Nabob had 30,000. Equipment was similar. That's 10 to 1 at least.
Posted by: Pat | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 21:06
Some years ago, a bloke from some 'lads' mag was asked on TV what he thought of Harry.
He started fabulously - 'Well, I don't see why the ginger freak should be ...'
Shock horror from the bbbbc apparatchik, but the damage was done.
Marvellous stuff - hilarious in fact, but the little 'royal' guy isn't really worth so many column inches, unless you're an idiot.
Posted by: Scroblene | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 21:17
https://ejmagnier.com/2020/03/01/erdogan-idlib-is-mine/
That's for you SoD (from my very cluttered email) I've had since 28 January mostly off rather than on so, until I can get a couple months "free time" to catch up (if I actually decide I really want to) What with all that's been going on around my actual physical proximity may be impossible anyway I cannot opine knowledgeably.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 23:11
Good call, Pat! Phrase, the boy done good!
And isn't it the thing: no matter how much you meander around in military history there's always something gobsmacking turns up? : -
A 6 foot high raised platform, towed by a herd of oxen, with an artillery battery, crew and equipment on it, trundling along like a flat-top / tank combo, followed by a headbutting elephant to give the whole shooting match a Glasgow kerb kiss from behind if the oxen can't handle it and it gets stuck!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey
Even the fantasy gamers down the Farnborough Wargames Society and Tolkein himself couldn't dream up something as whacky as that!
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 02 March 2020 at 23:36
Nice article JK.
Makes you realize how dumb Obama and Dave Cameron were. Flailing around trying to democratize the Jihadis and bring 'em over to us and shed a few gallons of blood for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit if Happiness. Bad idea. Epic fail. And all the while Dirty Erdy was just waiting for his chance to don a suicide vest and throw himself in with them and onto Assad and Vlad's bristling bayonets for the cause! Bloody marvellous!
I hope the historians make a proper fist of this. The mainstream media are just pathetic at the moment.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 03 March 2020 at 08:00