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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Building a coalition against ISIS might develop a Middle East defense alliance without Russia

President Obama rallies our nation against evil ISIS (or ISIL) with a coalition that should extend beyond integration and destruction of the non-Islamic and non-state barbaric group.

"Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists." President Obama, September 10, 2014 speech to the nation.

Noticeably absent in the coalition that's building with US leadership against ISIS is any mention of Russia as an ally among the nations coalescing against the barbaric intentions of ISIS.

It's entirely possible the outcome of the eventual decimation of ISIS could be a Middle East defense alliance. Maintaining a strong anti-terrorism Middle East alliance is as important today as the North Atlantic, or NATO, alliance was, post World War II.

Putin's leadership of Russia has isolated the nation from both the NATO and any potential Middle East defense alliance. 

Russia's omission from both alliances is an unmistakable message. If this Middle East defense alliance holds beyond the denigration and destruction of ISIS/ISIL, the result will be a marginalization of Russia as a world power and a complete rebuke of the ruble as the Russian currency.

As a result, President Obama creates an unlikely legacy. He was elected president to end war, but his administration has been faced with continuous war.

Although the US has experienced difficult political acrimony during Obama's presidency, his eight years of leadership will be remembered for building a strong Middle East defense alliance and for preventing Cold War II by isolating Russia from the world's power nations.

God willing.  President Barack Obama's speech posted here:

Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additionalauthorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. 

Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.


Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counter terrorism capabilities top revent ISIL attacks.Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.

Fourth, we will continue providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.This is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we stand with people who fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.


My Administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger. Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. 

And any time we take military action, there are risks involved especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.

This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.

And it is consistent with the approach I outlined
earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order.My fellow Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week marks 6 years since oureconomy suffered its worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks; through the pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth. Our technology companies and universities are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. 


Energy independence is closer than it’s been in
decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. 


Despite all the divisions and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American people every single day and that makes me more
confident than ever about our country’s future.

Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples’ right to determine their own destiny. It is America
our scientists, our doctors, our know-how that can help contain and
cure the outbreak of Ebola.

It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria’s
declared chemical weapons so they cannot pose a threat to the Syrian people or the world again. And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, tolerance, and a more hopeful future. America, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. 


But as Americans,we welcome our responsibility to lead. 

From Europe to Asia from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values that have guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the Middle East, and service-members who support our partners on the ground.

When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here’s what one of them said. “We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people.”

That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety
our own security depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation,and uphold the values that we stand for
timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth. 


May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America.

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