Stephen Cohen — US-Russian Deal: 'DoD Openly Saying It May or May Not Obey Obama'

Given the fact that US warplanes knew the Deir ez-Zor region very well and that the US Department of Defense (DOD) had openly expressed its skepticism regarding the US-Russian plan on Syria, it is "a little hard to believe" that the attack on the Syrian Arab Army was an "accident," Professor Cohen suggested.

He quoted the New York Times editorial, which read that "at the Pentagon, officials would not even agree that if a cessation of violence in Syria held for seven days — the initial part of the deal — the Defense Department would put in place its part of the agreement on the eighth day." The editorial also referred to Carter, "who has deep reservations about the plan for American and Russian forces to jointly target terrorist groups." "In other words," Cohen noted, "Pentagon officials refused to say whether they would obey President Obama." 

The US academic stressed that in a Constitutional democracy where the military is clearly subordinated to the civilian leadership that is extraordinary. "We've come to a point in this craziness, in this New Cold War with Russia where DOD is openly saying it may or may not obey President Obama. If DOD will say that publicly you can imagine the opposition in Washington against the Syrian deal, [US Secretary of State John] Kerry brokered with Russian Foreign Minister [Sergei] Lavrov," Professor Cohen highlighted. The professor remarked that the opposition comprises very influential figures from the Pentagon, the US State Department, both Democratic and Republican parties and the US' mainstream media.

If true, this is not only insubordination but subordination of the president of the United States to policy dictated by the deep state. Americans and the rest of the world should be concerned that the US has apparently gone rogue.

This also accounts for the about face of candidate Obama on becoming President Obama and switching from someone that received the Nobel Peace Prize — prematurely to be sure — to an ally of the neocons and liberal interventionists, only attempting to restrain extreme policy rather than to reverse it.

Sputnik International
US-Russian Deal: 'DoD Openly Saying It May or May Not Obey Obama'