Obama-Iraq

[Peach]

His approval rating will be below February in Fairbanks:

Obama says Iraq going to need more help - CNN.com

 

[Mr. H.]

It will improve his ratings. Just wait...

 

[Zander]

Obama is not strong enough to fix this. He will bungle it. He can't be trusted to negotiate either (bergdahl proves that!). So we'd be best served staying out of it. Iraq needs to stand on their own feet.

We should train and arm the Kurds. Then help them form a new nation after the inevitable fall of Iraq.

 

[Peach]

Obama is not strong enough to fix this. He will bungle it. He can't be trusted to negotiate either (bergdahl proves that!). So we'd be best served staying out of it. Iraq needs to stand on their own feet.

We should train and arm the Kurds. Then help them form a new nation after the inevitable fall of Iraq.

I disagree with some of your post, believe arming the Kurds might be.....illegal, but best.....Kurds have shown a strong cultural identity, for many bring a Kurd means more than Muslim/Christian. Tough call.

 

[waltky]

ISIS gonna drive up gas prices at the pump...

Iraq Tensions Will Cost You at the Gas Pump
June 20, 2014 — Higher gas prices will prevail at the pump with the threat of military actions in Iraq rising since even the threat of a disruption in the supply of crude oil sends the market into a frenzy, industry experts said.

The political turmoil in Iraq affected international oil prices immediately, which rose by 5% when news first came out about the increased insurgent activity, said Rob Desai, an energy analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis.

Wholesale gasoline prices rose also by 5% since the U.S. still imports a significant amount of oil, he said. "I think heightened prices reflect the risks properly, although I would expect oil prices to increase even more if we begin to see an impact on Iraqi oil production," Desai said. "In the past, war and military action has had an impact on oil production, so I think this is a very possible scenario."

Prices at gas pumps across the country are currently averaging $3.67 a gallon, according to Gasbuddy.com. The lowest price is in South Carolina where gasoline prices are $3.38 a gallon and ranges from $3.49 a gallon in Texas to $3.88 in New York. The highest gas is in Hawaii at $4.34.

Iraq remains a significant player since it produced 3.1 million barrels per day in 2013 or 3.5% of global production. Iraq is OPEC's second largest crude producer, the world's third largest exporter of oil and has the fifth largest crude reserves in the world. Russia and Saudi Arabia are the world's largest producers, and they each produce 10 million barrels a day.

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See also:

Obama says 'small number' of military advisers going to Iraq
Thu June 19, 2014 ~ Conservative hawks says Obama didn't go far enough; President Obama outlines steps to bolster Iraq against ISIS fighters; CNN military analyst: "It is boots on the ground"; U.S. forces will advise Iraq's military, collect intelligence

Seeking a middle ground between calls for tough military action and none at all, President Barack Obama said Thursday he was sending up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to help the embattled government hold off a lightning advance from the north by Sunni militants. Obama told White House reporters the goal was to prevent a civil war in Iraq that could destabilize the region, and also prevent creation of a terrorist safe haven in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria from which U.S. enemies could plan and launch attacks against American interests.

New Iraqi army recruits gather in Najaf on Wednesday, June 18, following a call for Iraqis to take up arms against Islamic militant fighters. Vast swaths of northern Iraq, including the cities of Mosul and Tal Afar, have fallen as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, advances toward Baghdad. The ISIS militants want to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in the region, stretching from Iraq into northern Syria.

At the same time, Obama sought to allay fears of a military escalation that could relaunch the eight-year war he halted by withdrawing U.S. troops in 2011. "We have had advisers in Iraq through our embassy and we are prepared to send a small number of additional American military advisers -- up to 300 -- to assess how we can best train, advise and support Iraqi security forces going forward," the President said. "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well," he added.

Obama also said his strategy meant that "going forward, we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it."

Possible airstrikes