General Keane: Russia’s Meddling In The Middle East & Europe Is A Result Of Our Leadership Showing Weakness
General Jack Keane, retired four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army and Fox News Military Analyst, called into Kilmeade & Friends to talk about the Syrian refugee crisis and Russia’s growing influence in the Middle-East & Europe.
Listen here:
Senator McCain believes the refugee crisis is because of President Obama’s inaction in Syria. Do you agree?
“I totally underscore what Senator McCain has said and others have said to include myself. The fact of the matter is, President Truman said after World War II as the Soviet Union was rising to power, to paraphrase what he said, ‘When the world order starts to destabilize, it’s in the United States interest to exercise world leadership.’ The fact that we walked away from the Middle East, as distasteful as it was for us to stay involved and prevent wars, based on our long involvement there, we have helped to create and provide a foundation. Obviously for ISIS and also for the absolute barbarianism and human catastrophe that Assad impacted on his people. Now close to two hundred fifty thousand people dead, eleven million people out of a population of twenty three, twenty four million have been displaced from their homes, inside and outside the country. I don’t think we need to wring our hands about why (this is happening), I think we need to do something about it. ”
What is Russia/Putin up to?
“Russia, their number one client in the Middle East is Syria, that is their foothold in the Middle East. They want to have influence there. They already have a port there and I think what they are doing now is putting in an air base there. They know for a fact that they are dealing with the Europeans, whose leaders are feckless and dealing with our White House for the last seven years, they know that we will talk to them, we will make public announcements against it and we will do nothing. They know they can have their way because what is happening to Assad, Brian, the Alawites, who is the Shia sect that he is a part of, he is losing support among them and that is his political base because this war has gone on for so long and they are suffering themselves and he (Putin) knows that eventually Assad is likely to be pushed out by his own people so they want to prop him up, make certain this thing doesn’t turn over to someone else who is not going to be aligned with their country. This is a power play to protect their ally in the Middle East so they can have a foothold in the Middle East and influence not just Syria but other affairs.”
Russia seems to be ignoring America and not asking our permission to intervene in the Middle-East. How does this happen?
“They didn’t ask for permission to go into Crimea. They didn’t ask for permission to go into Eastern Europe. They haven’t asked for permission to conduct two major exercises in the Baltics. They haven’t asked our permission to move into the Artic, where 30-40% of the oil and gas reserves are and they are putting in military bases there like China is doing in the South China Sea. They haven’t asked our permission about anything. They are just doing what they believe is in their self-interest and we exercise our rhetoric and do nothing to deter them from future action. The fact that we never deterred them in Crimea and Eastern Europe has shown weakness and they are taking advantage of it.”
