Aleppo, ISIS, and CIA Proxy Wars

• 55:48Tim distinguishes between hating Assad and hating ISIS, noting the original rebels became al-Nusra and other factions.
• 56:11The Syrian conflict isn't just Assad versus rebels but Assad versus proxies, with different factions competing for control.
• 56:43Tim questions whether ISIS is a complete shock to the US given that Saudi Arabia and Qatar fund ISIS and the US indirectly funds them.
• 57:17If you take a cynical but objective approach, it's not shocking that American actions could stoke these fires in the Middle East.
• 58:04Calling the US role 'indirect' is being generous—there's direct involvement with double agents, turning people, and military operations.
• 58:45Special forces were involved in Syria during the Arab Spring, airstrikes happened, and the US armed rebels, possibly instigating the war from the start.
• 59:13Beyond textbook CIA functions of keeping America safe and collecting intelligence, Tim asks what else the agency is actually doing.
• 1:00:01The CIA receives political directives from the NSC without real understanding of the parties involved, creating a disconnect between policy and ground reality.
• 1:00:37Presidents give vague orders like not getting too violent with rebels to avoid bad optics, while people on the ground see the strategic necessity of more aggressive action.
• 1:01:40Every military intervention the US has conducted more than 15 years ago eventually comes out to have been done for business interests, usually pipelines.

Bashar AssadCIAISISQatarAmerican military interventionsDonald TrumpSaudi ArabiaBarack ObamaAri Shaffir