New Hampshire Second District congressional candidate Andy Martin is in London en route to New Hampshire after investigating allegations in the Middle East that American intelligence reporting was falsified to seek favor from the Obama administration. Andy provides a three-part analysis of the Middle East: present, future and the impact on American politics. Andy’s penetration into the war zone may have been the deepest recent review of conditions along the Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian border by any non-official and independent analyst.

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ANDY MARTIN /2016        

Republican candidate for Congress

Second Congressional District-NH

           

 

“Make New Hampshire Great Again”

 

 

                    www.AndyMartinforCongress.com

www.AndyMartin.com

www.FirstRespondersOnline.us

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

 

New Hampshire congressional candidate Andy Martin reports on the Middle East: present, future and politics

 

Andy has now stopped in London to monitor and evaluate first-hand the British cabinet’s reaction Wednesday to the Brexit vote, and the vote’s impact on the New Hampshire and U S economies

 

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(London, UK) (August 30, 2016)

 

Dear Granite Stater:

 

This is my seventh letter to you from the congressional campaign trail and comes to you from London where I have stopped briefly en route from the Middle East back to New Hampshire.

I’d like to present my views in three sections. First, I’ll present a synopsis of what I found on my personal journey and what is taking place in other regions of the Middle East.

 

Second, I will “go out on a limb” and make some predictions about the region.

 

Finally, I’ll offer my views on the political implications of Middle East instability for American politics and my own campaign for congress in New Hampshire.

 

1. The Middle East is in a big mess and worsening by the day

 

A. There are two components to my Middle East analysis. I am probably one of the few analysts to travel through and study developments along the Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian border (the “Eastern Desert” or “Panhandle”). Relief organizations are very active but their employees are focused on saving lives, not analyzing the security situation. My trip into the desert was focused on gathering facts.

 

B. Because of a terrific driver, I was able to proceed far past my original goal, Ar Ruwaishid, and penetrate deeper into the Jordanian panhandle where Jordan, Iraq and Syria meet. A few days before my arrival, ISIS had bombed an area next to the common border. For that reason we stayed away from the actual border. Jordanian, British and U S troops are also very active in the zone.

 

C. We appear to have discovered a new intelligence station in the desert, whose location will not be identified. The station appears to be supporting activity in Syria, as well as helping with border security.

 

D. Jordan represents the only oasis of stability in the Middle East. Its borders are relatively secure, and my conclusion is that Jordanians in exposed areas are not afraid of being attacked. Jordanian military activity is intense, but is conducted almost exclusively out of sight. Jordan is not a democracy, but there is significant economic freedom. Based on the mushrooming diplomatic presence in Amman, where the U S Embassy is undergoing a major expansion (in a nation with only six million citizens), and a massive new Saudi Embassy, the regional power players have settled on Jordan as a safe zone where they can conduct their business.

 

E. The Russians are ramping up their attacks in the region. They recently attacked a joint U S – UK base near the Jordanian border in Syria and they dared Obama to take any retaliatory action. Obama whimpered.

 

F. Imagine, if you will, the madness in the north of Syria (where I did not travel because it is much too dangerous). The U S is supporting Kurdish forces, because Kurds have shown some fighting spirit. Turkey, under the pretext of attacking ISIS, and with the support of U S forces, has attacked the U S-backed Kurdish units that also contain U S Special Forces components. Unless the U S stops this insanity, it is almost inevitable that U S forces on the Turkish side will end up killing U S forces on the Kurdish side. Turkey is endangering American lives, apparently in retaliation for the claim that the U S is harboring the instigator of the recent coup in that nation.

 

G. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican (please no partisanship on national security and foreign policy!) President Obama is likely to leave behind for his successor the most dangerous situation since World War II. As a Cold Warrior, I can tell you that there were always clear lines during that war. The major powers did not taunt each other by bombing each other the way Russia bombed the At-Tanf U S – UK camp in Syria. Because the Republican Party’s “neo-cons” who orchestrated the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003 have rejected Trump’s candidacy and migrated to Clinton’s side, and despite my awareness of his shortcomings, I support Trump as the only hope for a restrained but powerful policy in the region.

 

H. If I am elected to congress in November I will use my experience and expertise in the region to restrain both Republicans and Democrats from pursuing ill-advised interventions. (In 2002 and 2003, I opposed the potential, then actual, invasion of Iraq. I lived in Iraq in 2003 and saw the chaos created by our incoherent policies.)

 

2. The future for the Middle East and Islamic world looks bleak

 

The future for the Middle East and Turkey could not look bleaker. China is the latest arrival in a war zone that features overlapping US, British and Russian operations. Here are some thoughts:

 

A. The Syrian civil war will grind on until U S policy dictates that it end.

 

B. Turkey will continue to attack U S-backed Kurdish forces because of Turkey’s priority to attack Kurds, not ISIS.

 

C. Turkey, which was viewed as a stable nation, must now be viewed as an unstable country after the recent coup attempt and radical Islamic retaliation by the Turkish dictator. Turkey is no longer a reliable U S ally and its future in NATO is questionable.

 

D. Kurdish nationalism, which was betrayed by the great powers 100 years ago, may be reaching a critical mass in Iraq and Syria that could threaten eastern Turkey and lead to the establishment of a Kurdish state. The Turkish government’s inability to resolve relations with its Kurdish minority promises a renewed zone of endless and escalating conflict. While the Turkish dictator uses Kurds as scapegoats, in reality Turkey is destroying its own dying democracy by attacking Kurdish aspirations. The trend towards Kurdish nationalism may be on the cusp of becoming irreversible.

 

E. Despite the reluctance of both presidential candidates to become deeply embroiled in the Middle East quagmire, deeper involvement is almost certain. Because the Republican Party’s “hawks” have dumped Trump and are supporting Clinton, Trump represents the only opportunity for a restrained policy in the region. (I know Trump turns people off with his behavior, but despite his behavior his instincts have proven more accurate than Clinton’s over the past fifteen years.)

 

F. The Russian dictator Putin is relentlessly testing Obama in the closing days of Obama’s presidency, and a major Russian test of the new president will come almost immediately in 2017. With China now entering the field, the region is close to spinning out of control.

 

G. Although the rhetoric in both parties calls for using “allies” as cannon fodder to avoid U S casualties, I see absolutely no evidence that any local military forces can unravel and untangle the ISIS mess without significant U S leadership and participation. The claim that the U S can win the war from the air alone is utter nonsense.

 

H. George W. Bush was chided for his “Axis of Evil” claim. But there is a very real Axis of Evil in Syria and the Middle East, now evolving among China, Russia and Iran.

 

3. The Middle East will not dominate the pre-election debate but the post-election agenda will be driven by developments there

 

A. Both presidential candidates have promised to eliminate or eradicate ISIS. Neither has any rational understanding of how that task must be accomplished.

 

B. Absent some new explosion between now and Election Day, the Middle East will not be a major factor in the campaign. But that prediction could be shredded if some new attack is launched by ISIS or the Russians.

 

C. The most important vote that members of the new congress will take is the vote to authorize military action against ISIS. Your vote will entrust someone to hold the power of life and death over our men and women in uniform.

 

D. On a personal political level, the liberal New Hampshire media establishment is trying to nominate GOP candidates that will be easy prey for Democrats in November. In my own primary, the media is supporting two clown candidates who don’t have a clue what is involved in voting on matters of war and peace; these faux GOP candidates are sure losers against the Democratic incumbent. I remain the only New Hampshire candidate in either party running for congress in 2016 that understands the Middle East and will strive to balance the competing priories of policy restraint and the need to take decisive action.

 

Finally, I am stopping in Britain to monitor a cabinet meeting Wednesday on Brexit. Britain’s separation from the European Union may offer both New Hampshire firms and the overall U S economy a positive opportunity.

 

I will be very happy to be home as soon as possible.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Andy Martin

 

P.S.

 

Please vote for me in the Republican Party primary for the Second Congressional District nomination on September 13. You’ll be proud you did. I am the only candidate that can handle Annie Kuster and her lies. Watch for my new series, “The Three Stooges Run for Congress,” coming soon about my three principal primary opponents.

 

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LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/30/the-bravery-of-the-kurds-has-been-ignored-by-the-west-for-too-lo/

 

New citations after emailing:

 

ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:

 

Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-eight years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm

 

Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over forty-five years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.

 

He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).

 

He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.

 

Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
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