Israeli PM Netanyahu, Jordan’s King Abdullah II & Egyptian President el-Sisi face high stakes. Will they succeed?
Joel C. Rosenberg
Flash Traffic Blog
2/15/2015
Something curious is happening in the Middle East.
Amidst President Obama’s repeated moves to withdraw American military power and influence from the Middle East and “pivot” to Asia, three regional leaders in the epicenter are forming a quiet, unexpected but fiercely determined alliance.
Why? To protect their people against two existential threats, one posed by the Shia Radical Islamists of Iran, the other posed by the Sunni Radical Islamists of ISIS.
Who are they?
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu;
- Jordan’s King Abdullah II; and
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
They are meeting secretly. They are talking regularly by phone, as well as with other leaders in the region from Saudi Arabia to the Gulf. Their senior advisors are also in regular contact, coordinating moves to counter their most serious enemies. They are not waiting for Washington. Indeed, they often see the White House and State Department as less than helpful, and sometimes opposed to — or not truly understanding — their national and shared interests.
As 2014 began, I wrote a series of columns about why we should keep our eye on these three (for a sampling, see here, here, here, here, and here.) As 2015 begins, I hold to this analysis. These men are critically important players who are actively trying to shape the future of the Middle East for the better, and who are trying to work closely with the U.S. despite resistance from the White House…
The article continues at Flash Traffic Blog.
Related: Egypt quickly retaliates over beheadings of Christians; Obama schedules summit (video)
Much like the response by Jordan’s King Abdullah to his own pilot being burned to death by terrorists, Egypt hit Islamic State-affiliated jihadists in Libya after they published a video depicting a mass beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.
Meanwhile, President Obama is hosting a a summit on “violent extremism” — not necessarily Islamic terrorism…
…“These cowardly actions will not undermine our determination” said el-Sissi. “Egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals.”…
Update: Obama Admin. Spokeswoman Says U.S. Can’t Defeat Islamic State by ‘Killing Them’
The U.S. can’t defeat the Islamic State by “killing them,” State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Monday night.
“We’re killing a lot of them, and we’re going to keep killing more of them. So are the Egyptians, so are the Jordanians. They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war,” Harf said…
While Obama was enjoying another golf outing, the world reeled at another ISIS video showing 21 Christians being beheaded in Libya. You might think the leader of the free world would be up in arms, but nope, he’s busy, so the reins fall to whomever picks them up…
Christian U.S. Veteran Fighting Alongside Kurds to Defeat ISIS
…The U.S. veteran added that pro-America Syrian Kurds are getting absolutely no financial or military support…
