When the history of the decline of American influence in the Middle East comes to be written, US President Barack Obama’s testy exchange with Vladimir Putin, his Russian opposite number, at this week’s UN General Assembly in New York may turn out to be the key turning point.
Ever since his appointment as president in 2009, Mr Obama has sought to redefine Washington’s relationship with the Arab world, starting with his keynote speech in Cairo in June 2009, when he called for “a new beginning” in relations between the West and Muslim governments.
And in many respects Mr Obama has achieved his goal, with the ground-breaking deal he signed with Iran in the summer over its nuclear programme transforming Washington’s relations with the region. The only problem for Mr Obama is that, by investing so much of his political capital in his agreement with the ayatollahs, he has neglected to address many of the region’s other critical issues.
This is particularly true so far as his handling of the threat posed by Islamic State (Isil) is concerned. Having initially supported the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime when anti-government protests erupted more than four years ago, Mr Obama has been far less keen to involve himself in the conflict after Isil fanatics emerged as the most effective opposition group. His decision to authorise US-led air strikes against Isil last year was taken with the utmost reluctance, and only after Isil militants began massacring captured Yazidis in neighbouring Iraq.
With the American president unwilling to provide effective leadership in dealing with the Syrian crisis, the vacuum has now been filled by Mr Putin, whose surprise military intervention in support of Mr Assad last week, when Russian tanks, warplanes and marines were deployed to shore up the beleaguered Syrian leader, was no doubt timed with this week’s UN summit in mind. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Tuesday, September 29, 2015
My comment:
Wait until Iran sidelines the US and turns to Russia for succour and support. Methinks we are about to witness the total demise of American influence in the ME. And for this, the Americans can thank their 'leader', Barack Hussein Obama.
It has been Obama's wish all along to make Iran more powerful than Saudi Arabia. This, I believe, stems from his father. His father was a Shi'ite Muslim, and it was one of his father's dreams, I believe, to make Shi'ite Islam, i.e. Iran, dominant in the ME, and to limit Saudi Arabia's influence. (Remember: Dreams from My Father)
The problem for Obama is this: He seems to be well on track to make Iran strong and Saudi Arabia weak. But what he didn't factor in was that Iran would cut America down to size by turning its back on America (the Great Satan), and turn instead to Russia, Bashar Al-Assad's ally and friend. He also happens to be Iran's friend.
Obama is, and always has been, way out of his depth in international politics. The big players on the world stage are making a complete fool out of him. – © Mark
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