Top General Validates Bernie’s Syria Policy Suggestion

Bernie Sanders’ proposal for dealing with Syria has been validated by a very surprising individual – one of America’s top generals.

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Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn proposed the creation of a NATO-style alliance and United Nations involvement in the war on ISIS in an interview with the German publication Der Spiegel. Flynn, who recently retired as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, also gives a very disturbing picture of ISIS and the threat it poses to America and other nations.

Flynn’s proposal for fighting ISIS sounds a great deal like Bernie Sanders’ suggestion for a NATO 2.0. The general, who also commanded U.S. Special Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2007, actually goes a little farther than the old leftist-turned-U.S. Senator from Vermont, he specifically wants the UN involved.

Coalition to Fight ISIS proposed

“In addition, we would need a coalition military command structure and, on a political level, the United Nations must be involved,” Flynn said. He proposed breaking Syria up into sectors, each of which would be the responsibility of a different major power.

“The United States could take one sector, Russia as well, and the Europeans another one,” Flynn proposed. “The Arabs must be involved in that sort of military operation as well, and must be part of every sector. With this model, you would have opportunities; Russia, for example, must use its influence on Iran to have Tehran back out of Syria and other proxy efforts in the region.”

The suggestion makes a lot of sense, perhaps too much sense for America’s current crop of shortsighted leaders. Flynn’s interview refutes the idea that Sanders’ proposal is farsighted or idealistic.

Here is a hardnosed military man making a very similar suggestion and proposing that America go even further. My guess is that Flynn’s proposals will get short shrift from the U.S. media, as well as the leading Presidential candidates, especially Hillary, who is determined to preserve the Obama-Bush foreign policy at all costs.

It is interesting that Bernie, who has fairly close contacts with the Pentagon, through his service on the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; made a similar proposal. Flynn and Bernie’s statements seem to indicate that the U.S. military establishment is sick and tired of policing the Middle East and wants an alternative.

All-Out War on ISIS Needed

General Flynn also noted that we will have to wage an all-out war on ISIS and put troops on the ground. That war will have to be led by the U.S. and need to involve U.S. forces.

Flynn also noted that the magnitude of the ISIS threat might be greater than we thought. Some important points he made included:

• ISIS is currently recruiting around 1,500 foreign fighters a month and bringing them to Syria to prepare for Holy War.

 

• ISIS has been able to recruit fighters from around 100 countries.

 

• There are around 200 ISIS fighters from Australia alone.

 

• ISIS has so many foreign fighters that its capital of Raqqa is divided into zones for the different languages terrorists speak.

• ISIS’s self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a very dangerous enemy who is determined to wage a “religious and global war.” Flynn noted that al-Baghdadi went to great length to present himself as the Caliph (or supreme commander) of Islam.

 

• Killing al-Baghdadi would be a major tactical mistake because he could easily be replaced.

 

• Killing past terrorist leaders such as Osama bin Laden and Abu al-Zarqawi was a major mistake because it simply cleared the way for al-Baghdadi’s rise to power. Flynn thinks imprisoning them for life would have been a better alternative because it would have discredited them.

 

• Flynn views the Iraq War as a strategic failure that paved the way for the rise of ISIS.

• ISIS has a military-like command structure, and there are ISIS commanders with independent authority in Europe and the United States.

 

• Unlike the French government, Flynn thinks that the Paris attacks could have been planned without help or direction for al-Baghdadi and his subordinates in Raqqa.

 

Flynn sounds like a highly intelligent and capable military commander. He would be an ideal choice for heading NATO 2.0 or a United Nations agency dedicated to fighting terror. One has to wonder if he will join the Bernie Sanders campaign or not.

One thing is certain, the current U.S. foreign policy and Middle East policy is a complete failure. Our military men recognize those obvious facts; one has to wonder when our so-called political leadership will realize the sorry truth and do something about it.