Petraeus accuses Putin of trying to re-establish Russian Empire - CNN

Petraeus accuses Putin of trying to re-establish Russian EmpireRetired Gen. David Petraeus, testifying before the Senate Armed Service Committee, suggested that the U.S. establish safe zones for Sunnis in Syria.Russian moves in Syria are designed to bolster and hold on to their naval base and airstrip along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, Petraeus said.One of America's top former generals compared the situation in Syria Tuesday to a historic nuclear disaster, implicitly criticizing the U.S. for allowing it to worsen, and accused Russia's President of trying to re-establish an empire.Retired Gen. David Petraeus, testifying before the Senate Armed Service Committee, also recommended that the U.S. establish safe zones for Sunnis inside Syria and potentially put American boots on the grounds in Iraq to stop the spread of ISIS.The former commanding general of U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan equated the situation in Syria today with one of the most deadly nuclear accidents in history.Syria "is a geopolitical Chernobyl -- spewing instability and extremism over the region and the rest of the world," Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee, referencing the 1986 nuclear meltdown in the former Soviet Union. "Like a nuclear disaster, the fallout from the meltdown of Syria threatens to be with us for decades, and the longer it is permitted to continue, the more severe the damage will be."Part of the solution to stabilizing the situation inside Syria would entail helping to protect large swaths of the Sunni population from bombing by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in order to bring in more willing partners to fight ISIS."They are not going to be willing to be supported by us if we're not going to support them when they're under attack by Bashar, as well as when they're under attack by ISIS (or) Jabhat al-Nusra," and other al Qaeda-sponsored groups in Syria, Petraeus said.Barrel bombing by the al-Assad regime, rather than ISIS, "has been the primary source of civilian casualties; it has also been a principal driver of the radicalization fueling ISIS and the refugee crisis," he said. Patraeus, who led the so-called surge in Iraq in 2007 that brought disenfranchised Sunnis into the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq, said Sunni involvement in both Iraq and Syria will be necessary to turn the tide against ISIS. ISIS and al Qaeda are both Sunni organizations, while al-Assad adheres to an off-shoot of Shiite Islam.To date, the Obama administration policy in Syria has been to support efforts to train and equip a moderate Syrian opposition to fight ISIS, but to otherwise largely stay not get involved with the bloody civil war that has raged for more than four years.Former CIA Director David Petraeus resigned in November 2012 for what he called personal reasons after revelations that he was having an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Before his resignation, he had been a highly regarded public official, serving in the military for 37 years and taking on the roles of Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and NATO International Security Assistance Force.Petraeus served as commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division U.S. Army between 2002 and 2004 and led troops into battle when the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003. Pictured, Petraeus speaks with Paul Bremer, the new U.S. overseer in Iraq, during a helicopter tour of Mosul, Iraq, in May 2003.In June 2004 Petraeus, a three-star general at the time, was tasked with overseeing the transition of power from the Coalition military authorities to the Iraqis. Pictured, Petraeus tours Kirkush Military Training Base in June 2004.Provincial Governor Ghanem al-Basso, left, commemorates the 83rd anniversary of the establishment of the Iraqi army with Petraeus and the graduation of its new 2nd Battalion in Mosul, Iraq. Lt. Gen. Petraeus, left, listens to President George W. Bush after Bush met with top military officials to discuss the war in Iraq in October 2005.Gen. David Petraeus was promoted to commander of all U.S. forces in Iraq in February 2007. Pictured, Petraeus awards Purple Hearts to a wounded soldiers at the 28th Combat Support Hospital in March 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. Petraeus speaks with store owners in the Ghazaliya neighborhood in Baghdad in August 2007.Petraeus, third from left, listens as President George W. Bush speaks at Al Asad Air Base in Anbar Province, Iraq, in September 2007. From the right, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Croker, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived with Bush, look on.Petraeus acknowledges the fans before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the second game of the 2008 MLB World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays in October 2008 in Tampa.At the end of October, Petraeus was advanced to Commander of Central Command. Pictured, Petraeus and Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak inspect an Afghan Guard of Honor at the Defense Ministry in Kabul on November 5, 2008. Petraeus arrived in Kabul to assess efforts against insurgents in the start of his new job, the U.S. military said.Petraeus announced October 6 that he was diagnosed in February with early stage prostate cancer and underwent two months of radiation treatment. Pictured, the commander of U.S. Central Command meets young officers in October 2009 at Forward Operating Base Wilson in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Petraeus had been touring bases to meet with base commanders. Petraeus apparently faints while testifying during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2010 in Washington. Pictured, he is escorted away after the incident.Petraeus speaks during an Assumption of Command Ceremony at the International Security and Assistance Force Headquarters in July 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Following the dismissal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Barack Obama named Petraeus the commander of the Afghan war and the 140,000 foreign troops serving in Afghanistan.Britain's Queen Elizabeth meets Petraeus in March 2011. The general was still serving as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Petraeus as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency in June 2011. Pictured from left, Obama announces that he will nominate current CIA Director Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense, Gen. David Petraeus as the next director of the CIA, Gen. John Allen as commander for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Ryan Crocker as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in April 2011.Petraeus, left, salutes his replacement as leader of the Afghanistan war, Gen. John Allen, right, and Gen. James Mattis during a change of command ceremony in Kabul, July 2011.Petraeus retired from the military after 37 years of service before taking his new role with the CIA in August 2011. Pictured he speaks at an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute and Retirement Ceremony in his honor at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia.Petraeus takes the oath of office as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency from Vice President Joe Biden as Petraeus' wife Holly looks on in September 2011 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.David Petraeus apologizes before Senate committee for 'serious mistake'"Across the Middle East today, the old order is collapsing," said Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the committee. "This regional disintegration has only been made worse by a failure of U.S. strategy and leadership to shape events in this vital part of the world for the better."Petraeus said he also supported the "establishment of enclaves in Syria protected by coalition airpower," where a moderate Sunni force could be supported and trained and where the Syrian opposition would be able to better organize in the face of a continued buildup by Russian forces inside Syria and continued Iranian support for the al-Assad regime."Russia's recent military escalation in Syria is a further reminder that when the U.S. does not take the initiative, others will fill the vacuum, often in ways that are harmful to our interest," Petraeus said.Russian moves in Syria are designed to bolster and hold on to their naval base and airstrip along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, and shore up the al-Assad regime in order to preserve Russian influence in the Middle East, Petraeus said."I think that what Vladimir Putin would like to do is resurrect the Russian empire," he said. In Iraq, where Iraqi security forces have been unable to turn back gains by ISIS in major population centers like Ramadi and Mosul, Petraeus said the U.S. should "explore" the possible use of U.S. forces serving as forward air controllers to work with selected Iraqi units to help coordinate and call in coalition airstrikes from the ground, something the administration and senior Pentagon officials have thus far ruled out.With respect to the recent nuclear accord with Iran, Petraeus said the United States should "make clear" to Iran that it will never allow the production of highly enriched uranium or other weapons-grade nuclear material in Iran even after most of the restrictions covered by the deal are relaxed over time.Pope Francis lands in U.S. for historic visit A brief history of popes and presidents Chinese jet performs 'unsafe' maneuver near U.S. plane, Pentagon says



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