The Chessboard is Changing!
By Paul E. Vallely, Major General, US Army (Ret.)
Each day as I watch the news reports from across the globe on recent events, I begin to wonder who our friends are anymore. I ask you to identify who are the friends of the United States? Allies are dropping like flies. Saudi Arabia just fell off the American friend tree!
We have major problems even defining who our enemies are. Having visited the Middle East (Turkey, Syria, and Egypt several times in the past eighteen months), I was witness to the obvious signs of the downward spiral of US credibility and respect we have with our friends, allies, and enemies.
Egyptians cannot understand after 45 years that an American administration would spurn their civil uprising against the Muslim Brotherhood and shut off the US military modernization assistance at a critical time in the Middle East when the security of the Suez Canal is at stake. It appears that this administration continues to cast aside allies, to marginalize our friends, and the number of our enemies seems to be growing.
MG Vallely meets with General al-Sisi in Cairo last month as part of a ‘Blue Ribbon’ panel sponsored by the Westminster Institute.
Do we in fact, have any competent senior government officials or are the only amateurs handling foreign relations and our national security? How many of you see this happening and are you as concerned about this as I am?
Any special relationships garnered since World War II appear to have disappeared or are certainly in decline. Maybe many of our old allies have lost confidence in us as a leader in the world. The international chessboard is changing and not changing for the good of America.
We cannot permit the current leaders in the White House and Halls of Congress to continue in their efforts to lead us down the road of Progressive Socialism and destruction of America. We cannot continue to allow our national prestige and honor to be decimated at home or abroad.
The chessboard must be reset, and reset now; before chaos and any irreparable damage takes place. The more damage incurred by this nation only means that we will have to endure more pain in order to resurrect the United States international reputation and former standing as the world’s sole super-power. Please do not take my word for it. Just look around and commit yourself to being part of the solution, become a large and major part of resetting the chessboard of the globe.
The current battle that Constitutionalists and Americans face is the incompetence, deceit, fraud, corruption, dishonesty and violation of the US Constitution and oaths of office of certain and well identified elected and appointed officials. To our friends (whomever they may be now), this relates to our national character, our alliances, our mutual security, our interwoven economies, and the trueness and viability of our friendships.
The Obama White House, State Department, and CIA have been peculiarly inept at working with any of our allies and enemies to the point that it has jeopardized some of our most important relationships (Egypt as the current example). Can anyone tell me when our last diplomatic victory occurred?
Hillary Clinton traveled the world, setting new State Department records for burning fuel, with no record of any success diplomatically anywhere that I can document. John Kerry appears to be following the same path and continually trying to reuse old, tired, and failed ploys.
As a result, President Vladimir Putin of Russia rises as a diplomatic hero and has charmed much of the world even though they know the nefarious intentions of the Russian government. I have tried to determine the last diplomatic victory for America and lo and behold, it was in the Reagan era when the ‘Wall” came down and the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton on one of her many trips, this one to the Middle East
No less dismaying is Mr. Obama’s attitude to U.S. friends. A current example of this here is to think that leaving the Israelis open to recent diplomatic attacks regarding the Flotilla blockades into Gaza will buy goodwill in a Middle East.
The still greater folly is to think that distancing ourselves from the Israelis will buy us leverage with the Muslim states. Turkey, an old ally, has now changed the current chessboard and is cozying up with Iran and was responsible for encouraging and supporting the flotilla against the Israeli naval blockade.
Now, it also appears that Saudi Arabia is upset with the way Obama has handled Syria, Iran, and the Palestinian issues. He brought everyone to the brink, then he just washed his hands of it all from the appearances the Saudis and others perceive in favor of talks with Iran and kowtowing to Russia. None of these moves included discussions with the Saudis and their neighbors.
Russia is not our friend and never has been. Russia does what it wants to do and if it can gain any edge over America, it will. As for North Korea and Iran, the National Security Strategy threatens them with rhetoric, and/or sanctions and isolation. Is North Korea not already isolated? Is talking to the Iranians in alignment with previous actions? Again, this administration plays into the hand of the enemy while marginalizing friends.
The administration cannot even bring itself to accurately characterize the enemies that it must admit we have. Their National Security strategy declares that we are at war with “Al Qaeda and its affiliates.” Islamist extremists? Jihadis? No, they will not admit that. Senior officials have repeatedly insisted that they know that radical Islamism runs counter to the authoritative teachings of an altogether peace-loving religion—when the truth is that all religions, including Islam, have within them entirely authentic, deeply rooted, and often sophisticated fanatical streams. In the case of Islam though, it is the controlling factor. This refusal to acknowledge the creed of our enemies is further evidence of a lack of strategic seriousness.
Demand Resignation of derelict and incompetent officials by the people of this country is now required. The Declaration of Independence states:
“To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.”
The oath of office is simple and reads:
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
Sadly, we have seen them violate their oath, constantly consistently. Fraud, lying, and corruption are rampant and some have engaged in treasonous activities. They effectively thumb their noses at us and have sold you to the highest bidder. Just take a look at the latest evidence in Congress itself where “extortion” has been uncovered and “get rich” schemes abound through the intentional misuse of campaign funds.
The Articles of Confederation were replaced with the Constitution, which granted the federal government enough authority to cultivate, promote, and secure the Blessings of Liberty. The balance of authority and individual liberty was understood. Power was confined to that which was enumerated in the Constitution with a certain and meaningful intent for check and balances.
Lincoln issued this warning in his inaugural address:
“Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government and form a new one. This is a most valuable and sacred right – a right which we hope and believe is to liberate the world.”
Being a representative republic, not a democracy, “rising up” means making change other than revolution by force of arms. The people must “rise up” from the grass roots across this great country as we think of the greater good of this and future generations. We are limited in the peaceful transfer of power… forced resignation, natural death, secure elections, and impeachment, but we must act now.
“We the People” have had enough.
The Obama Administration and identifiable Members of Congress are now taking America on a death march and are reducing our country to new lows and jeopardizing our very survival as a nation. We have watched them violate their sacred oath of office. In the end it is imperative that the “people” must open their eyes, educate themselves; decide to Stand Up for this great country and defy those who tear her down and destroy our future and that of our friends as well.
Let us build friendships not destroy them!
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MG Vallely is the Chairman of Stand Up America US
