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Mr. Obvious Has a Question on Hamas Leadership
I’d like to pose a rather obvious question on the topic of how the US conducts itself with regard to Hamas in the current Hamas-Israel conflict. Why doesn’t the USA flex its alleged “superpower” status and simply capture the top leadership of Hamas in Qatar? After all, isn’t Hamas an official terrorist organization according to US policy?
Multiple reports seem to verify the fact that Hamas’s top leadership lives in luxury in Qatar. These top Hamas leaders essentially have no skin in the game and can direct terrorist operations with immunity while sitting on at least $11 billion in far away Qatar. One might observe they are not in physical danger of the conflict and likely worry little about their comfort, much less their safety. If the US was a serious power, that would not be the case.
A basic thought experiment here: imagine that after 9/11, Osama Bin Laden was simply hanging out in a posh resort in Qatar, continuously making public statements and operating al-Qaeda. How would the American people of 20 years ago have taken that? I doubt Americans then would largely shrug their shoulders and give a gesture of resignation with a comment of “oh well, I guess there’s nothing that can be done. Mind as well do nothing about it.”
Of course, there are a few things I can think of as to why the US doesn’t simply lean hard on Qatar in seizing the Hamas leaders. I could anticipate some objections from critics. But either you are a serious power or you are not. The US has military assets in Qatar and is a much bigger international player than Hamas. There is an asymmetrical relationship between the US and Qatar. The idea that the US must be impotent in this matter, even while Hamas holds American hostages, seems absurd.
The method of capturing the Hamas leadership in Qatar could vary. One possibility would be to use US Special Forces along with Intelligence agencies while diplomatically telling Qatar authorities to stand down. Use whatever leverage required on Qatar. Islamic terrorists seem to have no boundaries. It doesn’t make sense to continue the practice of “counting coup” when the other side is “taking scalps.” There seems to be a strong faction in the State Department and federal government that prefers moral vanity over practical morality.
I may not be an expert on foreign policy in the Middle East, but helping to pay for room service to Hamas leadership seems like a poor measure of deterrence to a layman.
Published in Foreign Policy
Don’t want to because it’s an arms race we won’t likely win.
Would you settle for seizing any money given to them by the PLHamaban, demanding restitution and putting every one of them on a watch list? bc sins of the father and stuff.
Amen. I hope this is the last time. Israel has to do it by law. Not a well-thought out law, imo.
Patience. Let the Israelis get their innocents home.
I feel this. But it would have consequences for how wars are prosecuted henceforth, some of which might not be worth the price of ignition.
A man can pray between hookers.
I approve this rant.
Disagree. If the IDF does not destroy Hamas, like now, will be a lot fewer innocents to worry about in the future.
We can’t “flex our muscles” in every case of injustice in the world. So we would have to pick and choose.
We now have oil independence. So why are we getting muddled up in Middle Eastern politics? Supporting Israel is a pretty good reason, but we should give them the resources to go after Hamas in Qatar. The United States has an aversion to flag draped coffins of U.S. servicemen showing up at our airports from overseas, so we have to use stand-ins to do our dirty work.
Where we do provide more direct support, it’s providing air support where it’s rare for pilots to get shot down, as well as sending arms to our allies.
As things stand now, we are slowly defunding our military, including the Navy, which will result in our becoming more isolationist. Many conservatives support this.
Perhaps we will change course, but with all the screaming we are doing at each other now, it means that we will not have a coherent foreign policy, where one administration supports Israel, and another supports Iran.
It’s clear that our allies cannot depend on us, whatever part of the world we’re talking about. It’s time they spend money on their own defense, instead of turning to us.
I’m not opposed to us continuing to be a hegemonic power in the world, but too many are. The quicker we signal we’re getting out, the quicker our soon to be former allies will become self sufficient (or at least try and fail at it).
Not now-now, but next. Like next week.
Long-term, most of our allies aren’t having enough children to replace themselves, and they’ve been importing muslims who will eventually be running those countries.
It’s true of Western Europe. Not as much in the Asian Pacific (importing Muslims, that is).
I’m not sure we can call India an ally, their foreign policy towards us is a bit prickly, but their mostly Hindu population is increasing. Japan is starting to let immigrants in, but I don’t get the sense that that includes Muslims.
Frankly, I consider Western Europe to be a lost cause in the long term, and our involvement in NATO will reflect that. It will probably be non-existent in 50 years. I’m not sure about Eastern Europe. I think they are suffering population decline, but are not replacing them with Muslims.
Not yet, anyway.
Not yet, anyway.
Gee, I dunno. Perhaps our government has made some sort of important agreement with Qatar which includes not assassinating their invited guests.
Currently on Apple Maps (date unknown): Some of the USAF tanker and C-17 (Qatar has 8 C-17) parking areas at Al Udeid Air Base, SW of Doha. Many shelters for smaller aircraft (Qatar has several dozen F-15) can also be seen, as well as extensive weapons storage areas. The entire base looks fairly new.
If not militarily, our president can at the very least express an unambiguous statement about the depravity of Hamas and its supporters. That Biden can’t do even that demonstrates a craven disregard for morality and world leadership. I am totally disgusted by him and his administration.
It has already been stated, in so many words (by Israeli leaders), that “they are dead men walking”. Let Israel take a few scalps….
Israel already released a killer. One of the terrorists released for that Israeli solder some years back is said to have one of the masterminds of 10/7.
When they least expected it…..
“We now have oil independence”? When did THAT happen? In between the edicts banning gas stoves, ICE cars, and eating beef? Oh, I forgot the light bulbs, gas generators, and whatever else. We have ALWAYS meddled in ME politics, to some degree or other.
While the suggestions for taking care of the Qatar “problem” have been entertaining, let’s use the K.I.S.S. principle. Some weeks from now, gas the apartment/house/building where they live with nonlethal gas, grab the pertinent people, and leave. Let everyone wake up naturally, when they realize, “Oh, no—He/they are gone!” A few weeks later, mail pieces of them back. Or, gas, then toss off the balcony!
It happened when fracking became widespread in the United States. And those bans can be ended whenever we have the political will to do so. We have the resources, we can use them when we want.
You’re referring to the Trump years. FJB started undoing that literally on Day One of his term.
Yep, it was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it? We saw the handwriting on the wall when the Resident cancelled the Keystone Pipeline on Day 1. Fracking was a good thing, except for Colorado, who tried to pass something with the voters, and when they said, “NO!”, did an end run and did it anyway. Something about no fracking activity within 15000 ft (or was 1500 ft?) of a residence, which killed fracking in Colorado, didn’t it? Please, kindly correct me if I’m wrong, memory ain’t what it used to be……