Reassuring the American public from the Oval Office last night, President Barack Obama offered nothing new in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, something he refers to as ISIL, though more commonly ISIS. Urging Muslims to crack down on extremism, Obama insisted his counter-terrorism strategy was working, despite recent attacks Paris and San Bernardino. Trying to make a distinction between foreign orchestrated attacks like Paris or a self-radicalized attack in San Bernardino, Barack hoped to reassure U.S. citizens that they’re in less danger from terrorism than ordinary gun violence. Linking the two was a clever strategy but it doesn’t address what, if anything, can be done to reduce the risk of Islamic terrorism. Admitting that the San Fernando attack was terrorism, Obama offered no real plan to deal with foreign terrorist threats now washing up on U.S. soil.
Asking the American public to accept some 10,000 Syrian refugees Nov. 17 while in the Philippines, Obama said Congress was afraid of “widows and orphans,” telling Capitol Hill Republicans their rhetoric about Mideast refugees helped ISIS recruiting. With the Dec. 2 massacre in San Bernardino, it showed most Americans that no one’s safe from terrorism, despite Barack’s reassurance. Obama insisted in his Dec. 6 Oval Office speech that putting boots-on-the-ground in Iraq and Syria played into ISIS’s hands. Barack mentioned nothing about Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejecting the idea of foreign forces on Iraqi soil. Al-Abadi threatened to take Turkey to the U.N. Security Council for stationing 300 training troops near the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, captured June 10, 2014. Obama didn’t mention that al-Abadi made the same threat against the U.S. for considering ground troops.
Obama insisted in his nationwide address that its up to Arab states to confront ISIS on the ground in Iraq and Syria. Al-Abadi’s idle threat against Turkey amounts to nothing since, after spending some $2 trillion and losing 4,491 U.S. troops, Iraq is a failed state. It’s military collapsed from Sunni infiltration, something encouraged by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Both insist Iraq would have succeed if only former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and al-Abadi would have added more Sunnis to its largely Shiite military and government. Al-Abadi’s insistence that Turkey get out of Iraq enters strongly into Obama’s decision to avoid ground troops. Since neither Turkey nor the Kurd’s Peshmerga forces can rid Iraq or Syria of ISIS, it’s clear that there’s something else going on with Iraq and Turkey. Al-Abadi admitted that Turkey makes cash from ISIS’s oil sales.
When Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet Nov. 24, Ankara blamed the incident on Russia encroaching into Turkey’s airspace. Russian President Vladimir Putin shot back Dec. 1 that Turkey was buying ISIS oil at about $10 to $15 a barrel, some 70% less than the spot price of around $40. Turkey shot down the Russian fighter jet after Moscow destroyed ISIS oil tankers Nov. 23 en route North to Turkey. Obama knows Putin’s ISIS oil buys allegations against Turkey. Barack also knows that al-Abadi insists that Turkey, and all foreign powers, get their troops out of Iraq. Al-Abadi knows that without Western military help in Iraq, ISIS will continue expanding territory, eventually sacking Baghdad. Al-Abadi’s warning to Turkey suggests there’s more at play in Baghdad’s relationship to ISIS. Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan ignored al-Abadi’s threat to protest in the Security Council.
Losing much of his army dealing with ISIS in the last two years, al-Abadi pretends that his military could defend Baghdad. White House officials insist ISIS’s expansion to battlefield success against the beleaguered Iraqi military, not a covert Baghdad’s covert deal to cede Northern Iraqi oil to ISIS. With Iraq’s military badly degraded, there’s only one reason ISIS doesn’t conquer Baghad: Al-Abidi ceded Iraq’s Northern oil fields to ISIS. Obama’s said he wouldn’t let ISIS seduce the U.S. into a ground war in Iraq or Syria. Obama mentioned about the very real possibility that Iraq and Turkey have covert deals with ISIS. Baghdad gets to save its sovereignty for the now, while Turkey gets to make a fortune buying cheap ISIS oil. When Putin accused Ankara of buying cheap ISIS oil Dec 1, Erdogan didn’t deny it, only saying Moscow had no proof to back up its claims.
Obama’s Oval Office Speech was replete with platitudes and bereft of details, especially about the relationship among Iraq, Turkey and ISIS. When al-Abadi threatened to lodge a complaint against Turkey in the Security Council, Turkey yawned. “We expect them to remain,” said Turkish officials. Turkey has some 300 soldiers in Iraq’s Bashiqa oil region, 30 kilometers North of Mosul. While Obama makes excuses for the current U.S. involvement in Iraq and Syria, it’s time to put two-and-two together. With Iraq as failed state, ISIS knows that it could march on Baghdad anytime. Instead of triggering a U.S. ground war, al-Abadi make a deal with ISIS to cede its Northern oil fields. Salivating for obscene profits, Turkey, through Erdogan’s son Bilal,.buys ISIS oil at grossly discounted prices, exposing Turkey’s military interest in Iraq. Putin blew Erdogan’s cover but Obama continues to give him cover.
