Rumblings From Mideast Analysts

++Robert Parry analyzes documents procured by Judicial Watch concerning #Benghazi! and finds that yes, Sy Hersh was right with his article about the CIA creating a ratline to supply Syrian opposition people with weapons from Libya. The documents show that General Petraeus as head of the CIA ok'd shipments from Libya to Turkey of weapons for the Syrian forces,the bulk of whom were affiliated with Al Qaeda.

++We know from Hilary's e-mails that the CIA kept the State department in the dark over this operation. I've always maintained this was the essence of the so-called scandal of Benghazi. But it is curious that the House Committee on Benghazi had chosen to ignore this piece of the puzzle. In a classified appendix of the Senate Benghazi report, Sy Hersh determined that Congress knew about this.

++Robert Parry uses the bulk of his article found at reader Supported News to affirm both Assad and Qaddafhi's claims that they were under siege by Al Qaeda supported militants and that the so-called "democratic opposition" was anything but. He uses the new documents to slam the neo-cons and the liberal interventionists who tried to ignore this fact.

++Juan Cole in the Nation takes off after Robert Kaplan, who advocated in the Atlantic that imperialism should make a comeback in the Middle East to restore order. Cole says that Kaplan mixes up various imperialisms and that Kaplan's Western style imperialism in defense of capitalism is a very recent phenomenon that ignores the events of the past few years.

++The Daily Beast has an article by an American Moslem arguing that American troops must re-engage in Iraq to defeat ISIS. He argues that ISIS has broadened its recruitment efforts to over 80 countries and that it now threatens both the governments of Iraq and Syria.

++Times of Israel says that our analysis that Assad is about to go is false--right now--but could become real soon. They also report that Putin is backing off a full-throated defense of Assad,indicating there is diplomatic moves afoot.

++What strikes me is that the former dissidents on our Middle East policy no longer have the higher ground but look like they are being marginalized. This bodes ill for the country.