Guardian - 1,000 Soldiers to Afghanistan

Guardian: Reports that UK PM Gordon Brown will offer to send one thousand troops to Afghanistan. Good Politics and Bad Strategy. There is not Exit for the UK out of Afghanistan, we will leave when the USA leaves, thus expect to lose more of our brave Armed Forces. Politicians never learn, history just repeats itself, one day perhaps we will tell Obama when it comes to Afghanistan that we are out, its Obama's War and Vietnam was LBJ's.

UK Soldiers to Afghanistan

Sky News: Reports that UK PM Gordon Brown has offered more troops to Afghanistan as long as other NATO countries also send troops. It can be postulated that NATO will send civic help, train the police and other civic security forces but no real troop surge. The UK will send the troops to help out with the Presidential Election in August, it has been stated on the news wires it will be for a short time, but I have my doubts, one can postulated that the troops will stay and be added to our forces in the South. This is a bad strategic move but good on the political front, Obama will know that at the end of the day the UK is the only country that will be with the USA when it comes to going over the top, World War One phrase, when troops left the trench and faced battle.

1970s = 2009

Telegraph: Reports that Labour Cabinet Ministers are suggesting that the UK could use the IMF. If this is what we have come to its a national disgrace, it shows that the Labour Government has wrecked the UK economy. This takes the UK back to the bad days of the 1970s when Labour had to go cap in hand to IMF to bail us out. Think we have North Sea Oil, we are in Afghanistan, and we could be broke, think of the rubbish managements that takes to achieve. If Labour does go to the IMF, it should face the same result it faced in 1979, it should be defeated in 2010 General Election, it should be out of power for another twenty years.

Sunni Trouble Brewing in Iraq

The Times: Reports that the fragile peace in Iraq could break down, the Sunnis that changed sides from the terrorists to support the Iraqi Government and the USA are feeling left out in the Cold when it comes to jobs. In the words of JFK, its their war and they have to win it, the UK is out of the door in the South, the UK handed over Command to the USA. The USA will have combat troops out of Iraq by August 2010, and a smaller group of around thirty five thousand to fifty thousand by 2011. Its up the Iraq government to makes sure the Sunnis are bought in to government, thus past deals have to be honoured, as those deals between the Sunnis and the USA. On the other hand if a strong man has to take over, so let be, the West is out, Iraq has to make a choice, does it go back to the violence of 2006/7 or does it look forward. If Iraq falls apart this will hurt the Obama Foreign Policy, he does not want two years out a surge of violence in Iraq, that cost Bush 43 the Congress in 2006 and the Republicans lost the White House in 2008. It can be postulated that Iran is behind moves to cause problems in Iraq, if there is mayhem in Iraq, the USA cant really place pressure on them over their nuclear ambitions. A game within a game folks.

Obama to NATO - Help with Troops in Afghanistan!

The Times: Reports that President Obama will place pressure on NATO send more troops to Afghanistan. The could be the crunch time for UK PM Gordon Brown and his relationship with President Obama. If he wants to be seen in the line of succession from Roosevelt - Churchill, Reagan - Thatcher, Bush 43 - Blair, he has to send more troops to Afghanistan. As has been reported by CNN the US could send another ten thousand soldiers to Afghanistan at the end of the year, as the Times notes the UK could send another two thousand troops out to Afghanistan. The question that has to be asked is it the right policy, this blog has argued many times it is not but lest but that aside to discuss the politics of it, it would be good for Brown to show support for the President, Obama would see that he has the friendship and support of the UK. Thus would make the rest of Europe look bad, a plus for the UK. Thus in pure political terms Gordon Brown should send the troops, it would guarantee that Mr Brown would always get through to the President at the end of the day, the President would know that he needs Mr Brown and thus could help him later down the line. As in some nice statements before the General Election in 2010.

North Korea threat to Japan and US Navy

Fox News: Reports that Communist North Korea has threatened to take military action against Japan and the US Navy should either shoot down the North Korean Missile. This is bluff from the loons in North Korea, any attack on Japan or the US Navy would be meet with massive US reaction. The Communist North Korea might think they can roll President Obama, as he his new to the job, but they are missing a stage here, they should have tried to talk to the new Administration. This long range missile launch will force Obama to take a tough stand, the UN has passed a resolution that bans North Korea from going down this road, also the Obama Administration does not want South Korea or Japan to go nuclear, thus expect tough words from the Obama Administration if the launch is successful, also expect a move to have more sanctions on North Korea. This is an endless game, the West has to deal with the loony leadership in North Korea, the sole reason is because they are a nuclear power. This is an endless game, thus expect North Korea to blackmail the West for more food etc. One day the poor people of North Korea will get rid of their loony government.

Launch Date ? - North Korea

The New York Times: Reports that Communist North Korea could launch its long range missile on Saturday. Thus the options for the Obama Administration are not good, the first option is do nothing, military or diplomatically, this would be seen as appeasement by North Korea, they would pull something else down the line, thus the second option, the USA, Japan and South Korea take North Korea to the UN. The launch of the missile is against a UN resolution, also China could veto any resolution. Lets recall China has been playing games with the US Navy of late. Also the US cant annoy China to much, its China that is keeping the US Economy going by buying its debt. Thus Obama has very limited options when it comes to placing pressure on China. The third option is for some kind of military action, will the US or Japan shoot down the missile, this issue could arise if the missile is seen as a threat to Japan or the USA. If it was shot down we are in new ball game, Obama might have to deal with another War. Thus we come to option four, watch the launch and sees what happens, if it is a success you have another problem, North Korea will become a member of the nuclear club. They wont give up their nuclear weapons, its to much of a value for them in the long term. Thus we have a successful launch, expect the plans to be sold to Iran. If Iran can develop in nuclear ambitions Israel will have to take action, thus Obama might have another War in Iraq, this time Iran invades Iraq as a counter to an Israeli attack on its nuclear plants. Also they would help the Taliban/Terrorists in Afghanistan, thus more grief for the American War effort. Thus we wait, the next few hours and days could be quite tense for the folks in the region.