Here is General Allen several years ago, issuing an embarrassing and groveling apology to “the noble people of Afghanistan” for an alleged desecration of the Qur’an by U.S. troops:
General Allen clearly had no idea how weak and pusillanimous his repeated apologies in this video made him appear to many, if not most, of “the noble people of Afghanistan.” He should have known enough about Islamic culture to know that it respects strength and sees apologizing and attempts at conciliation as weakness, only to be despised.
Note also the General’s eager endorsement of Sharia provisions regarding treatment of the Qur’an, and unquestioning acceptance of the fundamental proposition that the burning of these Qur’ans was something heinous and to be apologized for in the first place. He makes no attempt whatsoever, even in the gentlest way, to suggest that rioting and calling for killing people because of the burning of these books is irrational, unjustifiable behavior. He makes no attempt to explain or defend the concept of freedom of expression or its importance.
And even though his assumption of a duty to enforce Sharia in this case was a matter of tactics, not belief, it was unwise: it could not and did not win the hearts and minds of Afghans, and it set yet another bad precedent for the responsibility of Infidel authorities vis-a-vis Sharia.
Allen also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and said that Hillary Clinton, who gave us Benghazi, would defeat ISIS.
This is the kind of person who wants the U.S. to go to war with Turkey.
“US-backed Kurdish forces strike deal with Syria’s Assad,” by Helen Regan and Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, October 14, 2019:
…Retired US four-star Marine Gen. John Allen on Sunday said, “There is blood on Trump’s hands for abandoning our Kurdish allies.”
The former commander of American forces in Afghanistan and former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS under the Obama administration told CNN the unfolding crisis in Syria was “completely foreseeable” and “the US green-lighted it.”
“There was no chance Erdogan would keep his promise, and full-blown ethnic cleansing is underway by Turkish supported militias,” he said. “This is what happens when Trump follows his instincts and because of his alignment with autocrats.”
The Trump administration has insisted Turkey would have proceeded with their offensive regardless of whether US troops had remained and that the US has not deserted the Syrian Kurds.
Emilie Green says
Not in the mold of Chesty Puller or Lee Marvin.
General Allen, a true profile in putty,
gravenimage says
+1
Terry Gain says
The foolishness of President Trump’s disgraceful abandonment of the Kurds and his puerile submission to the Islamist tyrant Erdogan is explained. The is Obama 2.0.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15036/erdogan-plan-annihilation-kurds
TruthForever says
There is a BIGGER PICTURE…. Stop trashing Trump simply because you and these news media are not privy to the real facts behind the scene. Instead of being so hateful why don’t you PRAY for Trump and all our leaders who are dealing with these idiot. Turkey is nothing but pure evil and this proxy war with the Kurds has nothing to do with what Turkey is really planning throughout the Middle East. So sit down and shut up and PRAY.
CogitoErgoSum says
Maybe he should go to Syria and join the Kurds.
CogitoErgoSum says
Maybe he could teach the Kurds some of the lessons the U.S. learned from Vietnam and get the Turks bogged down in an endless guerrilla war.
Marta Newsome says
MUSLIMS are Muslims and they all follow ISLAM, which means DEATH, DEATH, DEATH if you are NOT a Muslim. WHAT PART OF THAT DOESN’T THIS GUY UNDERSTAND? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING IF BOTH ENEMIES ARE JIHAD TERRORISTS. Whoever support them WILL be in the middle and eventually be turned on = AMERICA.
The Kurds are NOT our friends. They have murdered innocent Christians many, many times and they won’t hesitate to kill Jew, which GOD will not like, let alone America, which supports Israel.
THE KURDS ARE JUST AS BAD AS TURKEY.
Angemon says
So many people crawling out of whatever holes they were hidden in to go after Trump. And election season is nearing. Reminds me how the “my policy is that I’m anti-Trump because orange man bad” approach worked back in 2016 – oh, right: Trump became president and the virtue-signalers who clutched their pearls and denounced Trump for allegedly refusing to accept the results of the election while assuring us there was no way outsiders could interfere in said elections spend the best part of the last three years crying “Russian interference” and refusing to accept the results of the election…
Terry Gain says
Angemon
Read the Gatestone article to which I’ve linked. President Trump deserves all of this criticism and more for implementing the defense policies of Rand Paul and Tucker Carlson. President Trump’s foolishness will lead to more chaos and the re-birth of ISIS.
This stupid decision is not in any way connected to the Obama directed Russian hoax and the refusal of the Democrat Party and the media to accept the results of the 2016 election. President Trump’s disgraceful decision to abandon the Kurds and submit to Erdogan should be assessed on its merits. This is a spectacular own goal.
It is fortunate for President Trump that the Democrats are insane, but supporting a clueless decision is not in the interest of President Trump or America.
Rufus T. Firefly says
The United States has no Muslim allies. The best we have in the Muslim world are devious “frienemies” like the Saudis. The Kurds are not our allies. They vigorously persecute Christians and when they still had them Jews. Our Kurdish “allies” are Shiites and aligned with Iran. They joined the fight against Islamic State for their own interests which are the same as Iran’s. The mess in Syria is an intra-Muslim mess. Let the evil Turks (who should never have been allowed into NATO) and their allies and the evil Iranians and their allies kill each other. Like the Geico commercial, murder and mayhem? That’s what Muslims do. Americans need not die for either Muslim sidecas they are all our enemies.
Ron Bass says
The only way for the U.S. to stop Isis is to keep troops in the country permanently. This strategy has failed in Afghanistan, we have not eliminated the Taliban. We need to bring our troops home and protect our borders.
If you would like to fight a war lets take care of the starving Venezuelan people in our own hemisphere. The Monroe doctrine was a great idea until Democrat jimmy Carter trashed it when he gave up the Panana canal.
If you want to fight in the middle east buy a rifle and go over there. Trump said he would bring our troops home and he is doing that.
Fighting them over there while we bring them in over here is an absolutely insane strategy. Look what that policy has done for Minneapolis, MN, now Little Mogadishu. The Democrats and Republican globalist have ruined our country.
Steve says
If you look at General Allen’s history he is nothing but an academic and is reflective of the damage Social Justice Warriors started back in the 70’s, accelerated with Bill Clinton, and came to full fruition with Obama who got rid of senior officers that were, in Obama’s view, not going to play along with turning the military into a social experiment. Allen is a total disgrace to the Corps. Chesty Puller he ain’t.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Allen
mortimer says
Gen Allen’s point may prove to be correct, namely, “There was no chance Erdogan would keep his promise, and full-blown ethnic cleansing is underway by Turkish supported militias.”
I personally preferred that Kurds be asked in a plebiscite, whether they wish for independence, and then open a US military base in Kurdistan to maintain stability in the region, since Turkey wishes to destabilize it.
SAFI says
Even if no large scale violent “ethnic cleansing” takes place, (and I think it likely won’t, not because of the threat of sanctions, but simply because everyone is watching at the moment,) I still think it was a major strategic blunder. The US is the big loser and Russia is clearly the big winner out of this. It won’t earn Trump any gratitude from Erdogan. Putin will remain the only player on good terms with both Turkey and Iran, his friend Assad will finally regain contol of the lands east of the Euphrates, and the Kurds – a US proxy until a week ago – will be forced to knock on Russia’s door for protection.
Anyway even if no violent ethnic cleansing takes place, the stated goal of the operation is to change the demography of the region by settling there a couple million of Syrians, of the non-Kurdish variety, preferably those affiliated with the “FSA” turkish backed “opposition”, loyal to Erdogan. So far so good (not really but anyway). The really strange part is that Erdogan expects (and demands) from the EU to foot the bill of this whole operation. And the even scarier part is that German officials have already signaled that they are willing to pony up…
pennant8 says
Robert, this might not have happened if the Pentagon hadn’t canceled your seminars and kicked out others such as Stephen Coughlin who were trying to educate on the true nature of Islam.
Terry Gain says
Unfortunately No. I have great respect for Robert Spencer but he supports President Trump’s clueless decision to withdraw the few remaining American troops from Syria (and allow the Turkish Tyrant free reign to slaughter the Kurds. Articles have been posted on this site which imply that what the Kurds are alleged to have done 100 years ago somehow justifies abandoning them now even after they did the dirty work on the ground which resulted in the defeat of ISIS and sustained heavy casualties in the process while America supplied air power and sustained few casualties.)
RichardL says
Met Allen personally and watched him interact with Mohammedan commanders. Despised him. One of the few Marines I don’t admire.
Spiro says
If this is our military leadership currently on active duty we’re screwed
Lotus says
Any apology from Muslims for their burning of Bibles and their destruction now and over the centuries of Christian artworks, churches, abbeys, monasteries and the killing of innumerable priests, monks and nuns?
(Complete silence).
Oh, I guess not. Apologies only ever seem to go one way. When was the last time a Muslim apologised for anything?
Ben Kennedy says
All Field Grade (Full Bird Col. and above) Officers in the US Army are politicians. They are not in any way the US State Department and comments such as he made are “above his pay grade”. He should be either demoted or frozen in rank (the only kind of punishment a field grade Army officer ever gets. They are never “Courts Marshaled”. The Army protects it’s own with a fervor at that pay grade. Only the American President has the authority to really take action in that (if he decides to do so).
Dr. Doom says
This is what happens when generals are politicians rather than fighting men serving the country. This particular general is a disgrace to Corps and the uniform.
janwog says
Not Trump has kurdish blood on his hands but the ally of Neo Cons Erdogan.
janwog says
Not Trump has Kurdish blood on his hands, but Erdogan the ally of Neo Cons.
Tattooed Man77 says
Was he the same General who ordered the US Forces to ignore the rape of young boys by the Afghan War-Chiefs?
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/asia/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html