Nothing is as it seems! And the failure is all yours David, inasmuch as more compelling evocation on you part, here from the very bowels of OLO, would have resulted in several different outcomes!

Shame on you David for failing to be more eloquent in your powers of persuasion! If you'd but made a more compelling argument, President Putin and his man in Washington, would have no choice but to (yes my Lord and Master) obey your myriad multiple must do's!
May the fourth be with you Jedi!
Alan B.

Alan B.

You bring a lot of inappropriate hatred of the author, mate.

Is is a gut anti-Semitic reaction of you zealots?

Hi David

A problem for the US, UK and France is that a Security Council YES vote to a Russian style Boots on the Ground in Iraq is quietly unacceptable to Iraq. US, UK and French forces have bitter experience of the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias turning on "infidel" Western boots on the ground in Iraq.

Furthermore of the five Permanent Members ("P5") of the Security Council CHINA has a habit of vetoing Western "boots on the ground" in Iraq and also Syria.

Already Iranian Special Forces and multi-national Shiite militias have pesuaded the almost exclusive Shiite manned Iraqi Army that once they have slaughtered the Sunnis+IS in Mosul the Iraqi Army+militias should turn against Western forces and the Kurds.

So Mossad paramilities are participating in the West's wider strategy of limited Special Forces training/equipping Iraqi Special Forces while calling in artillery/airstrikes in the bloody invasion against the Sunnis+IS in Mosul.

What does it matter, this is the continuum of a war that has
been underway for 1400 years and the Middle East under the banner of
Islam is at war with everyone.

To my mind an attack anywhere in the ME is justified if it serves to
defeat Islamists of whatever variety.
Moslems cannot escape responsibility as it is their religion and
governments for which they are responsible.

We should just saw off the Middle East and let them fight it out.
We have put enough effort into pulling their chestnuts out of the fire.
From now on just hammer down any centre that puts any other part of
the world at risk. Give up rushing in to do humanitarian deeds.
Let them stew in their own juice.

Hi Bazz

The current and future OIL value of the Middle East means it will stay an un-cut-offable flashpoint.

US shale oil/gas won't last forever (in economicly extractable quantities) then Middle East oil prices and production will again rise.

Also a nuclear armed Iran will be countered by a nuclear armed Saudi Arabia. Both new nuclear armed countries will bother Israel (already nuclear weapon established).

Terrorism, mainly coming from the Middle East, is also a reality leading to endless Western/Russian intervention.

Richard III is it ?
Yes, I have to agree with you, but perhaps what we need to do is
say to OPEC, you buy the ships we will buy the oil at the dock in our
ports. We do not want anything else to do with you.
They will agree as they have no choice.