A New High Water Mark In Foreign Policy Insanity

The pinnacle of foreign policy absurdity was hit a few years ago under the Obama administration, when it was reported that some DOD-backed rebels in Syria were engaging in skirmishes with CIA-backed rebels. The US government was effectively fighting a proxy war in the Middle East against itself. Such was not the intention of President Obama, who fashioned himself as a sage intellect who would solve world problems by applying academic rationale and progressive virtues, but it reflected the reality that his control over his own branch of the government was limited. Even more egregious than witnessing a clear sign that the deep state was not under presidential authority was watching the media pretend otherwise. Of course, President Trump has no more control (and apparently much less), but at least the pretense is gone, as his government is engaged in visible legal coups against him. No longer is anyone pretending that the deep state doesn't exist or that it is interested in the will of the voting public.

While the operations by the FBI and CIA to remove a president is a much larger scandal than bungled, incoherent foreign policy initiatives, it does not necessarily raise the bar on absurdity. It is expected those agencies will abuse their power if left unchecked, and it is a common worldly occurrence for regimes to be undermined by their own intelligence services. Thus, the US launching a proxy war against itself remains the high-water mark for foreign policy absurdity.

However, they may have been outdone by - who else? - the Swedes. It is being reported by at least one outlet that the sitting Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari is a naturalized Swedish citizen who receives a monthly welfare check. He does so in violation of Iraqi law - which doesn't permit high-ranking officials to hold dual citizenship - and by lying to Swedish bureaucrats and claiming to have no income.

When we say the west is being invaded, we don't use the term loosely. Here, the leader of a foreign military has established a residence in Sweden and then exacted monthly tribute from them. The naive Swedes, in their desire to aid so-called war refugees, have taken up the head of a foreign military as a citizen. Sweden may be the most insane country to ever exist. Such stupidity should always be punished, so we should look favorably upon Minister al-Shammari's dastardly abuse of the feminist welfare state. The question that remains is: is the peaceful invasion of Sweden by the head of a foreign military more or less insane that the US fighting a proxy war against itself in Syria?