Washington’s “armchair generals” are applauding Pres. Obama’s military plans against ISIS, but is that the best course? Phyllis Bennis and William McCants discuss.
After listening and watching, and watching and listening, I’ve come to the conclusion that, so far, Phyllis Bennis (of the Institute for Policy Studies) is the clearest and most credible voice when it comes to the ISIS mess we’re getting ourselves into.
William McCants’ insights were also invaluable, but Bennis has come through with flying colors time after time. She deciphers the convoluted crises in the Middle East in an easily understood way, making me wish she was part of the decision-making process. The administration should give her a listen. Bennis actually comes up with concrete diplomatic suggestions, something the neocons and war hawks have yet to do.
Here are a few quotes from Phyllis Bennis, someone who, to me at least, just makes sense:
I think that parts of the military are quite averse to moving militarily. Some of the intelligence agencies have been very clear that they don’t see the big danger here.
The pressure comes from the big military industry, those who “make a killing,” as they say, on selling weapons, from this escalation, and then those in Congress and elsewhere who feel accountable to the shifts in public opinion that, with the media largely going along, is this sense of hysteria that emerged with the very brutal murder of two individuals that somehow that was quickly morphed into being an attack on the United States…
The family of one of the journalists has indicated that their information is that the kidnapping originally was carried out by, not by ISIS, but by Syrian opposition forces supported by the west, supported by the United States…
This is not an existential threat to our country.
Please watch the entire video. You’ll learn a lot. I know I did.
