Saudi-Funded War In Iraq Threatens To Spread

The Saudi deployment of 30,000 troops to its border with Iraq, earlier this week, is not what it seems, given the Saudi role in creating terrorism, including its role in the 9/11 attacks on the United States, in the first place. The German news agency Deutsche Welle put some much needed attention on the Saudi backing of ISIS, yesterday, with an interview with Michael Lueder, a German journalist and Arabist based in Berlin who characterized the Saudi relationship with ISIS as “ambivalent.”

“Saudi Arabia has an ambivalent strategy when it comes to ISIS. The Saudi government itself does not directly support ISIS,” he said. “But wealthy Saudi businessmen, in particular, are sending ISIS militants money. How much is unknown. And from what we have been able to determine, Arabs in other Gulf states are doing so as well. Those who support ISIS see it as a bulwark against the Shi’ites and the Shi’ite-led government in Iran.”

He said that while the Saudi government is “very concerned” about the violence spread by ISIS militants in Iraq, they don’t act. “Saudi Arabia could theoretically prevent the flow of money toward ISIS, but it does not do so — probably out of concern that such a move could lead to internal political turmoil,” he said. “The government, therefore, sees ISIS as a danger, but there are rich Saudis who see in ISIS a spiritual ally against the Shi’ites.”

The war continues in both Iraq and Syria and could even suck in Israel. According to news reports, Iraqi forces are attempting to recapture Tikrit from ISIS. The Wall Street Journal reported last night, that Iraqi forces were struggling to take the village of Awja, Saddam’s birthplace, a few miles outside Tikrit, whereas a few hours later, Reuters reported that they had succeeded. Iraqi security forces also say that they control the road from Tikrit south to Samarra, a distance of about 30 miles.

In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is resisting pressure to step down in favor of a national unity govermnent. “I will never waive the nomination for the premier post since my coalition is the biggest bloc and has the right to have the premier post, and it not the right of any other side to place such conditions,” he said in a speech yesterday. He is moving, however, to shake up the leadership of the security forces. According to a report in Britain’s Independent, Maliki fired the heads of both the army ground forces and the federal police, though no replacements had yet been named.

To the west in Syria, ISIS claims to have taken control of Syria’s largest oil field, called al-Omar, without a fight. In Syria, ISIS seems to be now supplanting al Nusra as the main opposition group fighting the rule of Bashar al-Assad in the eastern parts of Syria. Not only was it al Nusra that gave up the al-Omar oil field to ISIS but, according to Reuters, al Nusra also surrendered two towns near the Iraqi border to ISIS after tribal leaders in the area pledged their allegiance to ISIS, thereby further solidifying ISIS’ control of the border region.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz told Reuters, yesterday, that Israel is ready to help Jordan—including by sending troops—fight off any incursion by ISIS, though he hastened to add that he didn’t think that would be necessary. “If, God forbid, there is a need, if such a request comes, if there is an emergency situation, then of course Israel will extend all help required,” he said. “Israel will not allow groups like ISIS to take over Jordan.” [cjo]

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

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