Obama Nails Coalition Against Islamic State

Barack Obama made it clear that he would only authorize airstrikes against Islamic State (IS)  in Syria if other allies in the region joined the mission.  The key among the Arab states was Saudi Arabia - without their involvement, the rest would hold back.  Getting the support of Saudi's King Abdullah is an interesting lesson in Diplomacy 101.  The Americans knew that Saudi Arabia opposed both Islamic State and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, but they also knew that King Abdullah was angry with Obama's decision not to bomb Assad's forces.

Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated a deal where American forces would strike against IS militants in Syria (not Assad's forces)  which satisfied half of Saudi's demands.  He also agreed to oust Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite with close ties to Iran, a traditional enemy of Saudi Arabia.  But what finally got King Abdullah's approval was American agreement to train Syrian rebels opposed to the Assad regime, in Saudi Arabia.  Up to this point, the ground war in Syria had dragged on for years but now with a guarantee of U.S. special forces training the rebels, Saudi Arabia believed Assad's troops could be forced to surrender.  Saudi leaders also hope they can eventually persuade the U.S. to bomb Assad's forces.

The deal also met President Obama's demands. He has resolutely opposed American "boots on the ground"  but he knows Air Power alone won't defeat Islamic State.  With King Abdullah's agreement to allow training camps in Saudi Arabia, Obama is betting on Syrian rebels becoming the ground troops he desperately needs to defeat IS.

With Saudi Arabia on board, 4 more Arab states - Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain - joined the coalition.  All but Qatar provided jet fighters to join the American airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria  A notable feature of this Arab coalition is the fact that all of these states are Sunni taking part in a campaign against a Sunni militant group - Islamic State.

Now the coalition is picking up more support:  France and Netherlands agreed to participate in airstrikes over Iraq (not Syria)  and the British Parliament is voting today whether or not to authorize airstrikes in both Syria and Iraq (currently they provide reconnaissance flights over Iraq).  Other Western countries, Australia, Germany and Italy, have agreed to offer weapons and training.

This war in the Middle East is just beginning.  It's complicated.  But it's a start.  As I reported in previous blogs, the war against Islamic  extremism will last for generations.  The entire world is involved.  There's no escape.  Stay tuned for more.