Obama's Syrian Debacle Will Have Consequences Far Worse Than Current Refugee Crisis

Obama failed to take action when it might have done some good. Now, it's too late!

Two years ago this week Obama declared the crisis in Syria a threat to our national security:

When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory. But these things happened. The facts cannot be denied. The question now is what the United States of America, and the international community, is prepared to do about it. Because what happened to those people -- to those children -- is not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security.

He then proceeded to dither about what to do. First drawing a red line, repeatedly demanding the removal of Assad and later applying only weak airstrikes and empty promises. One of those empty promises was his plan to stand up a Free Syrian Army by training thousands of Syrians to fight both Assad and ISIS. A year later and over $40 million spent less than 60 fighters were trained and these were immediately captured or disappeared.

Politico sums up the debacle this way:

With all the U.S.-trained fighters dead, captured or missing and their leader in the hands of Al Qaeda, top U.S. commanders are scrambling this week to determine how to revive the half-billion dollar program to create a moderate Syrian army to fight the Islamic State.

The outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, who viewed the force as a critical element of the military strategy in both Syria and Iraq, is conferring with top Pentagon officials behind closed doors to figure out what options are left for what is widely considered a policy and military failure, according to senior defense officials.

Meanwhile, Obama is focusing on the non-issue of climate change and has stopped talking about Syria and seems to hope the problem will just go away. Instead it's getting worse.

Russia Sending Troops a "Concern" to Obama/Kerry?

Not only is ISIS cementing it's hold on large parts of Syria and Iraq but Russian troops are now in Syria to help Assad. Reports indicate Iranian troops are also in Syria. On Wednesday Secretary of State John Kerry called his Russian counterpart to warn of his "concern" that "could lead to greater violence and even more instability in Syria." Obama weighed in on Friday saying "We are going to be engaging Russia to let them know that you can't continue to double down on a strategy that's doomed to fail."  Oh that will scare the Russians! Speaking of failure, after so many empty threats from Obama and Kerry over the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Russians and Iranians know the United States won't do anything to stop them.

Refugee Crisis a Consequence of Obama Dithering With More Bitter Fruit to Follow

The current crisis of refugees flooding across Europe is a direct consequence of Obama's failure to lead and contain the situation. Now millions of displaced people are threatening the social fabric of states like Jordan and Lebanon while hundreds of thousands head to northern Europe.

The influx of refugees presents a direct challenge to the security and stability of Jordan and Lebanon, which I suppose explains why the Saudis and the Gulf States refuse to take in refugees or make it very difficult for them to come.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are desperately trying to reach states in northern Europe where generous welfare benefits are very attractive to people who have lost everything. But there are significant problems with such a mass migration.

European states take care to supply refugees with the basic human needs of housing, food and money for flat screen televisions and cell phones. But instead of assimilating into the western secular consumer culture many immigrants attempt to duplicate the Islamic culture they left behind. The result is a self segregated society in which resentments towards the majority culture are exploited by radical Islamists. Areas surrounding London, Paris and other European cities bear witness to the problem of cultural isolation and ease of  radicalization.

While Saudi Arabia won't accept any refugees, it has offered to pay for the construction of  200 mosques in Germany. On this 14th anniversary of  the 9/11 attacks readers may also recall that the plotters of that attack came from a mosque in Hamburg, Germany. How many more radicalized Muslims will be created by this current wave of refugees once they become disillusioned with the generosity of welfare benefits in their new homes?

The consequences of Obama's failed policy in Syria mean that hundreds of thousands of potential recruits for Islamic radicalism will be brought to Europe and also to the United States. The recruitment drive has already begun in Germany. How many more 9/11's will result from Obama's failure to lead and to act when the cost would have been low!

UPDATE: Top officials refused to present intelligence data that showed Obama's failure? Obama lied, thousands died!