In an interview with Voice of America News’ Cal Perry, former deputy CIA director Michael Morell gave a rare “intelligence guy” opinion on President Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism policy and said we need to “be all in with Saudi Arabia.”
He explained there are actually five wars going on in Syria.
“The two most important are, number one, a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and it’s a proxy war over long-term influence in the Middle East,” Morell said. “Iran wants it. Saudi Arabia doesn’t want Iran to have it. In that war, in my personal view—I’m stating a policy view here, which is unusual for an intelligence guy—but in my view, we should be all in with Saudi Arabia.”
He added, “The other interesting war that’s going on in Syria is between a secular leader, Assad, and ISIS and al-Qaida. Who should we support in that war? The secular leader, right? So we have two different wars pointing in two completely different directions. That’s why this is so complicated.”
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