Understanding the Syrian Refugee Crisis in 20 Easy Steps.

1.  Although there are many sub-divisions and shifting alliances, there are for broader purposes two types of Arab states:  so-called “moderate” states (usually represented by monarchies and strongman regimes) like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, and the radical states:  Iran, ISIL and pan-national terror groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

2.  States like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya and Yemen are active battlegrounds in an ideological and inter-religious war by these two contending strains of Islam.

3. They all hate Israel, ranging from barely disguised, disgusted tolerance to outright advocated genocide.

4.  Syria has been run for decades by the corrupt Assad family.  During the Arab Spring, various factions rose up to try and topple the Assad regime after successes in Algeria, Libya and Egypt.  The Assad government resorted to its stock-in-trade: brutal repression and the use of chemical weapons on its own people.

5.  The Obama administration committed its policy to the ouster of Assad.  And dramatically drew “red lines” on Assad’s use of chemical weapons.  Assad promptly stepped all over those lines (perhaps the fate of Gaddafi convinced him he had little to lose.)

6. Unfortunately, in the international arena, Barack Obama is a naïve amateur, complete incompetent and total wus on a scale not seen since the days of Jimmy Carter.  Assad completely called his bluff.  Aside from a few air-strikes, Obama did nothing.

7.  Simultaneously, exhibiting his astonishing incompetency on a region-wide basis, Obama – against the nearly unanimous advice of all his military leaders – removed American troops from Iraq, allowing the rise of ISIL (all you progressives and liberals waxing apoplectic about how it was Bush who created ISIL can just calm down – history will sort out the causes of the Islamic State, but the fact remains that the lid was on until Obama removed it.)

8.  By weakening the Assad regime, but not toppling it, the Obama administration allowed the expansion of ISIL into Syria.  The inhumane atrocities of ISIL only deepened the deadly chaos in Syria.

9.  Concurrently, Obama’s incomprehensible policy of projected weakness reached Neville Chamberlain-like proportions with Russian President Putin.  After Putin (much like Assad) called Obama’s bluff in the Crimea and Ukraine, Putin felt emboldened to assist the Assad regime (the Russians have been backing the Assads since the presidency of Richard Nixon.)  Putin’s intervention, nominally against ISIL, but not coincidentally in support of Assad, has only guaranteed that the Syrian civil will be even more protracted.

10.  Which has led to the current refugee crisis, and the debate in Europe and the United States as to how to address it.  Some pertinent facts:

11.  ISIL has not been contained, it is no longer (if it ever was) the “JV Squad” of Islamic terrorism, it is not on the run, it has not been “degraded” – on the contrary, it is clearly expanding – and equally important, tightening its hold on the territory it already has seized.  So when President Obama says that his administration’s strategy is working, that is either an outright lie, or a breath-taking example of his willingness to contort reality to fit his flawed ideology.

12.  In yet another example of his complete ignorance of strategic imperatives in the region, the Obama administration has entered into a potentially disastrous nuclear deal with a Iran (a state that not only exports terrorism world-wide, but most especially into the moderate Arab states) that almost ensures that Iran WILL acquire nuclear capability without the hindrance of crippling international sanctions.  This will only lead to increased instability and the possibility of further refugee crises.

13.  Like most ideologically-driven regimes (e.g. – Nazis, Soviets, Chinese Communists) ISIL is only too happy to tell the world exactly what it intends to do – and they have made it clear that they regard the refugee crisis as an opportunity to infiltrate operatives into the West – and that attacks are being specifically planned against targets in Europe and the United States.

14.  Jihad is predicated on the spread of Islam by violence and the sword, not just in predominantly Muslim countries, but throughout the world.  This is the religion ISIL embraces and has pledged to spread.  The historical road of conquest through the Balkans into Europe is being replicated today.

15.  In the past 40 years, large Muslim migrations have shown a complete resistance to assimilation into the countries in which they settle.  In almost every major city in Europe, there are Muslim enclaves where even the local police don’t enter – sharia-driven states-within-a-state, that have time and time again been shown to be breeding grounds and hiding places for home-grown terrorism.

16.  JUST YESTERDAY, the French Prime Minister confirmed that mastermind of the Paris attacks EXPLOITED THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS TO SLIP INTO THE COUNTRY.

17.  The Obama administration has assured us that there will be the most stringent review and screening of refugees.  Which beggars the question – can we believe this?  Obama and his administration have lied with almost Clintonian compulsivity about just about everything:  the scope, cost and impacts of Obamacare (remember about “keeping your own doctor” and planning that was predicated on the “stupidity of the American voter”?); the IRS and Veterans Affairs scandals; the Justice Department’s Fast and Furious operation; the effectiveness of the stimulus and “shovel-ready” jobs; that the Benghazi attack was the direct result of an anti-Muslim video, when THEY KNEW that was not the case – I could go on, but why beat a dead horse?  Most especially when it comes to its policy in the Middle East, the American people have no reason to believe the Obama administration about ANYTHING.

18.  Opposition to the Obama’s Syrian refugee policy is gaining serious bipartisan traction both in the Congress (where House legislation passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority) and the states (33 states have either outright refused or declared an opposition to accepting the latest round of Syrian refugees.)  The Obama administration’s attempt to politicize this issue and claiming some sort of moral high ground is starting to fall flat in the face of the realities of Paris and other terrorist attacks in the world.

19.  The simple fact is that the Middle East is in the most unstable and dangerous condition since the 1970s (when the potential of nuclear weapons was not an issue.)  While progressives foam at the mouth that it is all Bush’s doing, it has been the weak and ineffectual leadership of President Obama that has turned a tenuous situation into a potentially catastrophic one.  From Iran in 2009 (when protestors on the street chanting, “Are you with us, Obama?” were met with stony silence), through Algeria, Libya and Eqypt, right into Iraq and Syria today; the policy (or rather, non-policy) of the Obama administration has emboldened our enemies and alienated our allies.  The Syrian refugee crisis is a direct result of President Obama’s weak and ineffective leadership; so it is understandable that rational and thoughtful people might be reluctant to follow his lead in dealing with it.   

20.  Even Pope Francis (hardly a war-monger) observed this week that we are in the beginnings of WWIII.  World Wars are not fought under the sheen of political correctness, and there are always innocent victims.  The president’s first duty is to defend the United States of America against enemies foreign and domestic.  In time of war, it is the obligation of the government to secure the homeland against attack, especially if seemingly humanitarian concerns have been SHOWN AND PROVEN to mask evil intent.

TWO SUGGESTIONS:

First, those who are supporting the administration through memes that compare the current refugee crisis to Jews fleeing the Nazis or (to reach the zenith of absurdity) the Nativity – however well intentioned – should really get some historical knowledge and perspective.  No serious person can believe that the Nazis were trying to infiltrate German operatives into the United States through Jewish refugees, as ISIL has done with the Syrian refugees.  Such a comparison degrades the uniqueness of the Holocaust; especially when the Jihadist viewpoint of ISIL and Iran calls for the extinction of Israel and the Jewish people.  The condescending attitude of progressives who advance this argument is even more ironic given that the president who turned away the Jewish refugees during the late 1930s was progressive icon Franklin Roosevelt.

Second, my solution to the refugee crisis is simple.  The government should run a gathering program on Facebook (you know they can do it) and single out all the individuals who have posted memes similar to those described above or who have expressed shame at being Americans because of this issue.  Those on the list would receive a Syrian refugee family, not only to house, but to be responsible and accountable for.  If the refugee commits a crime or terroristic act, the host family would be criminally and civilly liable as an accessory to whatever offense is committed.  If as the administration claims, these refugees are all old people and children, there will be nothing to fear; and these progressives will set a shining example to those of us who might consider the safety of our own families and children a little more important.

Think they’ll rise to the challenge?  Me neither.