Persian Gulf & Middle East Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Middle East between Obama's do-little policy and the new Chinese Silk Road

By José Luis Masegosa Carrillo


A few weeks ago the liberal weekly The Economist carried against the minimalist policies of President Obama in the Middle East. Blamed the "do-little Obama's policy" of the Islamic State of progress in Syria and Iraq after leaving their fate to moderate Syrian rebels in 2013 and 2014. Worse, the coalition launched in the summer of 2014 to stem the jihadist tide has failed: the proof is the black flags waving in the Roman city of Palmyra (Syria) and in Ramadi, 100 kilometers from Baghdad.

The withdrawal of US troops has created a power vacuum that fuels violence and generates more disorder in the region. There is no strategy and everything worse if President Obama keeps on track. Middle East desperately needs a strong and active commitment of the United States. For The Economist, Washington not only has the power, also has tremendous interest worthy of protection in the region.

Two decades ago we would be facing an immaculate analysis. Is not the case today. On the one hand, the Middle East has lost some of its strategic value to the US security. In 1979, the year when President Jimmy Carter declared the Persian Gulf in the national interest, the United States imported 50% of its oil from that region and they wanted to contain the Soviets in Afghanistan. In 2015, the United States is moving towards self-sufficiency through energy revolution "fracking", the technique of hydraulic fracturing to extract hydrocarbons trapped in rocks. Energy independence allows alternatives to the interventionist policies of the past.

For another, US military power has not pacified Middle East. Carter's successors took a doctrine that the United States embarked on a series of wars and military interventions in the region (Gulf War, Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan) to protect the energy security of the United States and uselessly determine the course the events of the Greater Middle East. The Americans left Iraq in 2011 and Afghanistan will be withdrawn soon. But the war continues in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.

For the military historian Andrew Bacevih United States has failed because it has not understood that the center of gravity of the conflict in the Greater Middle East lies in the ability to influence and win over the civilian population rather than on the ability to kill opponents, something the United States does well. In this sense the American soft power rather be targeted if the bet diplomatic negotiations with Iran, which President Obama has used much of his political capital, ditch nuclear conflict. After the preliminary agreement reached on April 2, the probability of the definitive agreement is considerable although the parties will negotiate beyond the deadline of 30 June.

In internal key, military interventions congregate fewer adherents in the United States, a particularly relevant within two years of the presidential elections circumstances. According to Ian Bremmer, young voters (between 18 and 44 years) are identified mostly with less belligerent policies while over 60 still accept Washington to behave as a world superpower.


Who could take the place of the US in the region?
Middle East is vital to the economic development of China which supplies over 50% of oil imports. In addition, Chinese President Xi Jimping stabilize the region needs to advance its flagship project, the new Silk Road ("One belt and One Road"), an astronomical plan investments in transport infrastructure to better connect China with its suppliers of raw materials in the Middle East and Africa and the consumers of their products in Europe. Freight, between 20 and 40 days at present, will be reduced to 10 once the planned infrastructure built. There is a small problem. Maritime and land corridors of the New Silk Road crossing the Greater Middle East.

In a debate organized by ESADE last June 23 Dr. Wang Tao of Tsinghua University indicated that the Middle East is a breeding ground for cooperation between China and the United States. The stabilization of the region is a shared interest. In fact, the Chinese government is reviewing its policy of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states in view of the geopolitical risks facing increasing Chinese investment and its workers abroad, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, Dr. Tao does not exclude the strengthening of military cooperation with the US to combat the Islamic State.

However, the current situation on the ground dictates much of those expectations. Beijing seems comfortable with a situation in which the United States bears the cost and risk of military intervention in the hot areas of the world, including the Middle East. The official position is that Beijing rejects challenge the US hegemony in the region. Washington accuses China opportunism which benefits from American security without any compensation while reset to compete for military supremacy in Southeast Asia.


Therefore, military cooperation between the two powers to end DAESH seems unlikely in the short term. It is significant the absence of the Islamic State of long press release of the State Department of the United States on the results of the seventh round of the US Strategic Dialogue - China held this week in Washington. In the absence of strong international leadership to address the numerous problems facing the region, disorder, chaos and instability prevail in the Middle East in the coming months and years.

Link:


Back to bottling my Grenache

2,000 Russians Gone to Iraq, Syria Including to Join ISIL
Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Igor Barinov claims that about 2,000 Russians have left their country for Syria and Iraq, including to join the ranks of the radical ISIL organization.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – About 2,000 Russians have left their country for Syria and Iraq, including to join the ranks of the radical ISIL organization, Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Igor Barinov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.

"We have, according to various estimates, about 2,000 people who have already left for Syria, Iraq, ISIL" Barinov said on Thursday.

He added that the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs is cooperating with Russia’s special services on the creation of a unique system that could analyze internet website and mass media in order to detect extremist and terrorist propaganda and later block internet resources that include "dangerous content."

According to Barinov, the Muslim community in Russia also plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of radical Islam.

"We are certainly ready to cooperate with them as much as necessary, including in what concerns preparation and retraining of religious workers who need to be able to withstand a fight against propagators of false belief for the minds and souls of young believers," Barinov said.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), is a radical Sunni group that operates mainly in Iraq and Syria where it has captured vast areas.

Affiliated ISIL groups operate in North Africa, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The militants, who recruit young fighters from across the globe using social media, are known for their grave human rights violations, such as mass killings and beheadings.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) estimates that about 1,700 Russians have been recruited by Islamic State.

On Wednesday, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said that citizens from more than 100 countries are currently fighting among the ranks of the ISIL and the terrorist organization has taken the upper hand in propaganda.

Read more:


Back to bottling my Grenache

The al Qaida-linked Nusra Front has abducted the leader of a US-backed rebel group in north Syria, opposition sources and a monitoring group said, in a blow to Washington's efforts to train and equip fighters to combat Islamic State.

A statement issued in the name of the group, "Division 30", accused the Nusra Front of abducting Nadim al-Hassan and a number of his companions in a rural area north of Aleppo. It urged Nusra to release them.

A Syrian activist and a second opposition source said most of the 54 fighters who have so far completed a US-led train and equip programmed in neighboring Turkey were from Division 30.

h


Back to bottling my Grenache

Egypt will receive eight F-16 Block 52 Vipers from the United States in the coming days following an uptick in diplomatic relations between the two nations.
...


Yesterday this 8 delivered, arrived in Egypt.
20 ordered, before 2013 embargo 8 delivered, now with this new 16 received, remains 4 for end of year.

But this AF have many old J-7, Mig-21, Mir III, 200 on 450 fighters.

LM have again to build a part of 36 F-16C/D bl 52 for Iraq, 12 delivered then again max 24, UAE 25 F-16E/F bl 60 and 12 F-16C/D bl 50 for Oman.
Build about one plane a month now - from a peak production rate of 30 planes a month in June 1987 !!!

NATO Decides to Provide Defense Assistance Package to Iraq
NATO and Iraqi experts will elaborate training programs to be held in Turkey and Jordan.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The North Atlantic Council agreed on Friday a defense capacity building package for Iraq to help strengthen the country's security and defense sector in light of the fight against terrorism, NATO said in a statement.

"The package includes measures of support in seven priority areas: advice on security sector reform; countering improvised explosive devices, explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining; civil military planning; cyber defense; military medicine and medical assistance; military training; and civil emergency planning," the statement said.

According to the document, "NATO and Iraqi experts will now work on the details of the training programs, which will be held in Turkey and Jordan."

The support package has been developed upon Iraq’s request and in "close consultation with the Iraqi authorities," and aims to complement the efforts of an international coalition to counter the Islamic State activities, according to the statement.

ISIL is a radical Sunni group that has captured large areas in Iraq and Syria, establishing a caliphate on the territories under their control.

The US-led 62-nation coalition began its airstrikes campaign against ISIL terrorists in Iraq in August 2014, and expanded the air campaign to Syria in September 2014.

Link:


Back to bottling my Grenache

First Iraqi-Piloted US F-16 Fighters Land in Iraq After Months of Delay
The first batch of US F-16 fighter jets piloted by Iraqis landed on Monday at Iraq’s Balad air base north of Baghdad, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said in an announcement on its website.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The announcement was confirmed on Twitter by US Ambassador Brett McGurk, for Iraq and Iran in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Near .

"After years of preparation & training in the U.S., Iraqi pilots today landed the 1st squadron of Iraqi F16s in Iraq," he tweeted.

The White House said Sunday there were 30 Iraqi Air Force pilots in the training pipeline.

Link:


The first fighter F-16IQ arrived at Balad base near Baghdad

Video of the Iraqi television with the arrival of the first 4 F-16IQ.



Back to bottling my Grenache

Pentagon Authorizes Air Support for US-Backed Forces in Syria
US

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

sanctioned the use of air-strikes to support military groups trained by the US armed forces, US media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States, doubting the legitimacy of the Syrian government, has been supporting moderate Syrian opposition through training and equipment programs. The new rules authorize attacks even on the Syrian government forces if they clash with the US-trained groups.

“President Barack Obama has authorized using air power to defend a new US backed fighting force in Syria if it is attacked by Syrian government forces or other groups,” the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials consider that this decision finalized the discussion about the role of US army in the Syrian conflict.

Last week, the US aviation had already conducted airstrikes to protect the New Syria Force, which is the US-trained group fighting in Syria, after it was attacked by al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate.

Syria has been in a state of a civil war since 2011. Government forces have been fighting numerous extremist groups, including Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

Link:


Back to bottling my Grenache

Miragedriver said:

Pentagon Authorizes Air Support for US-Backed Forces in Syria

US

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

sanctioned the use of air-strikes to support military groups trained by the US armed forces, US media reported.

Click to expand...

As I said on the other thread...US developed rebel ground forces are inconsequential.

He may try and support them...but at this point, with less than 60 fighters, he is trying to keep them from annihilation.

Epic fail.

Air Support for the Turkish forces along the border now, and the Kurd forces in Iraq can really help them. Air strikes can also take down C&C and specific leaders when they are found, degrade depots and infrastructure, and destroy targets of opportunity.

But in the end it is going to take large numbers of troops, who are dedicated and committed to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq on the ground. Everyone who understood combat knew this from the beginning.

Kerry reactivates "strategic dialogue" with Egypt


US Secretary of State, John Kerry, revived this Sunday in Cairo "strategic" alliance with Egypt, pledging the support of his country's security and counter-terrorism.

Kerry's visit is the first leg of a tour of the Middle East and Asia.

The two countries, with tumultuous revolt Egyptian relations since 2011, reconciled in recent months, especially since the United States resumed military assistance in March 1300 million per year.


In the morning, Kerry co-chaired with his counterpart Sameh Shukri the "strategic dialogue", the latest of which dates back to 2009. He will also meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

In remarks broadcast on television at the beginning of the meeting with Choukri, Kerry said his country will assist Egypt economically and politically. "The American people are attached to the security and economic welfare of the Egyptian people. The friendship between our countries is not based on a perfect understanding but in making deep awareness of our common interests in the field of national security and anti-terrorism ".

Cairo and Washington are alarmed by the jihadist insurrection in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, bordering the Gaza Strip.

North Sinai is the bastion of the jihadist group Ansar Beit al Maqdes which was renamed 'Sinai Province' as a sign of loyalty to the 'Caliphate' proclaimed by the State Islamic Group (EI) in parts of Iraq and Syria.

The "dangerous security situation" in this area of Sinai in July caused the extension of the state of emergency decreed in October.

The attacks against the security forces have multiplied since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013. Hundreds of police and soldiers were killed in these attacks, according to security forces, claiming to have killed more than 1,000 jihadists Sinai. "We are very concerned about what is happening in Sinai," said a US diplomat. "The Egyptians are facing a very serious threat to EI affiliates and we have to help them."

On Friday, Washington announced the delivery to Egypt eight combat aircraft F-16, of the 12 promised in March.

The fight against the jihadists will be "an important part of the discussions" because "we are concerned," said an official at the State Department.

Apart from security issues, the United States will address the terrible repression of President Sisi against supporters of his predecessor, the Islamist Mursi, overthrown in 2013, imprisoned and sentenced to death regime.

Kerry arrived in Egypt accompanied by his deputy in charge of human rights at the State Department, Tom Malinowski. Both expressed their "concern" about "the issues of human rights," said the US diplomat.

In Cairo, the court again postponed its verdict Sunday in the retrial of three journalists from the Qatari Al-Jazeera TV, whose conviction in the first instance to prison terms of up to 10 years in prison up a barrage of international condemnation, including from Washington. Peter Greste Australian, Canadian and Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy Mohamed Baher are accused of having "spread false information" to support the movement banned Muslim Brotherhood Mursi.

At night Kerry will travel to Doha to meet on Monday with their counterparts in the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and try to allay the fears raised by the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program reached on 14 July in Vienna. And it is that the Sunni Gulf powers are wary of the regional ambitions of the Shiite Islamic republic Iran.

In Doha, Kerry also hold a tripartite meeting with his Russian and Saudi counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Adel al Jubeir respectively, to also address the wars in Syria and Yemen, according to US sources.


Back to bottling my Grenache

Putin assured Netanyahu that the nuclear agreement with Iran will help the stability to the Middle East

MOSCOW, (EUROPA PRESS) - Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that the agreement with Iran will ensure that Tehran does not make nuclear weapons and will contribute stability in the Middle East.

Given the concerns raised by Israeli Prime Minister on the nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran, Putin has expressed confidence that the agreement is a success and explained that "strengthen the regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and have a positive impact on the security and stability of the Middle East ".


The Russian president, who spoke with Netanyahu to discuss the current situation in the area, has also emphasized the need for all countries to join forces more effectively combat Islamic State. Furthermore, the two leaders have declared their intention to continue their relations and continue to cooperate with each other on different issues.


The Israeli government intends to pressure the US Congress not to approve the agreement reached between Iran and world powers in Vienna this month after a decade of negotiations. According to the pact, the United States, European Union and UN removed sanctions on Iran in exchange for its Executive decrease in the short term its nuclear program, which the West and Israel fear that was meant to create a nuclear bomb.




Back to bottling my Grenache