{"id":5168,"date":"2014-06-17T20:46:39","date_gmt":"2014-06-17T15:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=5168"},"modified":"2014-06-17T20:46:39","modified_gmt":"2014-06-17T15:16:39","slug":"iraq-breaks-down-oil-surges-the-context-underlying-the-growing-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=5168","title":{"rendered":"Iraq Breaks Down, Oil Surges &#8211; The Context Underlying The Growing Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Tyler Durden<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5169\" alt=\"saddam hussein\" src=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein.jpg 225w, https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/saddam-hussein-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u0907\u0938 \u0932\u0947\u0916 \u0915\u094b \u092a\u095d \u0915\u0930 \u090f\u0915 \u092c\u093e\u0924 \u0938\u093e\u095e \u0939\u0948 \u0939\u0940 \u0907\u0930\u093e\u0915 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u092a\u093f\u0924\u093e \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u093e\u0930 \u0915\u093e \u092c\u0926\u0932\u093e \u0932\u0947\u0928\u093e \u0905\u092e\u0930\u0940\u0915\u093e \u0915\u094b \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u092e\u0939\u0901\u0917\u093e \u092a\u0921 \u00a0\u0917\u092f\u093e \u0914\u0930 \u0905\u092c \u0938\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935 \u0915\u094b \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0940 \u0915\u0940\u092e\u0924 \u091a\u0941\u0915\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u092a\u095c\u0947\u0917\u0940 .\u0938\u0926\u094d\u0926\u093e\u092e \u0928\u0947 \u0907\u0930\u093e\u0915 \u0915\u094b \u090f\u0915 \u0915\u095c\u0947 \u0936\u093e\u0938\u0928 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u092c\u0902\u0927\u093e \u0939\u0941\u0906 \u0925\u093e . \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e \u0915\u0940 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u091c\u093e\u0924\u0902\u0924\u094d\u0930 \u0915\u0940 \u091c\u093f\u0926 \u0909\u0928 \u0938\u0902\u0938\u094d\u0915\u0943\u0924\u093f\u092f\u094b\u0902 \u00a0\u092a\u0930 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0932\u093e\u0917\u0942 \u0939\u094b\u0924\u0940 \u091c\u093f\u0928 \u092a\u0930 \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e \u0905 \u0905\u0938\u0930 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u0948 .<\/p>\n<p>\u0905\u092c \u0915\u0948\u0938\u0947 \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935 \u0907\u0938 \u0938\u092e\u0938\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0938\u0947 \u0928\u093f\u0915\u0932\u0947\u0917\u093e \u092a\u0924\u093e \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 . \u0907\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093e\u092e\u0940 \u092e\u093e\u092a \u0921\u0902\u0921\u094b\u0902 \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u0926\u094d\u0926\u093e\u092e \u090f\u0915 \u0927\u0930\u094d\u092e \u0928\u093f\u0930\u094d\u092a\u0947\u0915\u094d\u0937 \u0936\u093e\u0938\u0915 \u0939\u0940 \u092e\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u091c\u093e\u092f\u0947\u0902\u0917\u0947 \u091c\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0939\u094b\u0902\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0936\u094d\u092e\u0940\u0930 \u092a\u0930 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u0915\u093e \u0938\u0926\u093e \u0938\u093e\u0925 \u0926\u093f\u092f\u093e \u00a0.\u0908\u0930\u093e\u0928 \u0907\u0938 \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0918\u0941\u0938 \u0915\u0930 \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u092c\u095c\u0940 \u0917\u0932\u0924\u0940 \u0915\u0930 \u0930\u0939\u093e \u0939\u0948 . \u0905\u0902\u0924\u0924\u0903 \u092f\u0939 \u0906\u0917 \u0938\u092c\u0915\u094b \u091c\u0932\u093e\u090f\u0917\u0940 .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_2425\"><a href=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BUSH-GW.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5170\" alt=\"BUSH GW\" src=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BUSH-GW-150x150.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BUSH-GW-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BUSH-GW-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BUSH-GW-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>The situation in Iraq is serious, and is probably going to get worse before\u00a0 it gets better. The potential for this recent action to morph into a regional\u00a0 conflict is very high. That that means that oil could go a lot higher, and if it\u00a0 does, we can expect the odds of a global economic recession and an attendant\u00a0 financial crisis to go up considerably from here.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_2424\">Before we dive into what&#8217;s actually happening over there right now, I need to\u00a0 begin with a longer and deeper historical context of the region, which is\u00a0 essential to understanding pretty much everything in the Middle East. The\u00a0 western press likes to report on things as if they suddenly occur for no\u00a0 discernible reason, context-free and unconnected to our actions and activities\u00a0 over there. But the story of the Middle East is a story of intense external\u00a0 meddling &#8212; especially by the US, recently.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3308\">Further, I happen to hold the view that when an entire population resorts to\u00a0 violence, it&#8217;s a sign that they feel they have no other options or\u00a0 opportunities.\u00a0 Whether it&#8217;s a financially-strapped fired US employee lashing\u00a0 out at their former bosses and co-workers, or an Arab youth raised in utter\u00a0 poverty deciding that military extremism makes sense, I see the same dynamic at\u00a0 play.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3327\">People, like animals, when cornered will take whatever path remains for them\u00a0 to escape. If left with no other paths besides violence, then violence is what\u00a0 you get.\u00a0 It&#8217;s not really all that hard to understand, and yet the US media goes\u00a0 out of its way to try and frame violent unrest as some form of inexplicable evil\u00a0 that magically appears for no good reason.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3328\">Well, there are plenty of reasons why violence exists in the Middle East is\u00a0 violent (and has for a very long time). And most of those have to do with\u00a0 resources, and their exceptionally scarcity in a desert environment.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3329\">Of course, the Middle East isn&#8217;t unique in this. For instance, the early\u00a0 European Viking raids and endless wars between the European kings during the\u00a0 middle ages were all essentially resource wars. To understand the reasons for\u00a0 war &#8212; both ancient and modern &#8212;\u00a0 you need to start with resources.<\/div>\n<div>So whenever I hear terms like &#8216;radical militants&#8217; or &#8216;Jihadists&#8217; or even\u00a0 &#8216;terrorists&#8217;, what I hear instead is &#8216;people with poor resources who believe\u00a0 they have no other options.&#8217;\u00a0 The unpleasant truth that threatens the dominant\u00a0 western narrative is that all humans, if they have access to sufficient\u00a0 resources and opportunities, are generally peaceful. By the time an entire\u00a0 population has been &#8216;radicalized&#8217;, the causal problems have been simmering for a\u00a0 long time and, as a result, will not be easily remedied.<\/div>\n<h2>Iraq Is Not Really A State<\/h2>\n<div>To start this story, we have to go back to the period just after WW I when\u00a0 Britain and France were divvying up the spoils of the region between\u00a0 themselves.<\/div>\n<div>Iraq did not exist prior to these two western powers taking out a map of the\u00a0 Middle east, a ruler and a pen, and summarily drawing straight lines that\u00a0 happened to rather inconsiderately cut across cultural, language and racial\u00a0 boundaries. The architects of this secret agreement were a Brit by the name of\u00a0 Sykes and a Frenchman by the name of Picot.<\/div>\n<div>Prior to this Franco-British interference, the area was called Mesopotamia\u00a0 and had long been ruled by a contentious but roughly-balanced mixture of tribes\u00a0 and kings.<\/div>\n<div>Here&#8217;s the old Mesopotamia in green as compared to the borders drawn by Sykes &amp; Picot:<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/media.peakprosperity.com\/images\/Mesopotamia.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mesopotamia#mediaviewer\/File:N-Mesopotamia_and_Syria_english.svg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<div>To understand the current conflict, you have to understand the history of the\u00a0 borders, how they were drawn, and the extent of western plundering and meddling\u00a0 &#8212; which began long before the Bush Iraq wars (I &amp; II) began.<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>The old partition of the Middle East is dead. I dread to think what\u00a0 will follow<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>June 13, 2014<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>The entire Middle East has been haunted by the Sykes-Picot agreement,\u00a0 <\/strong>which also allowed Britain to implement Foreign Secretary Arthur\u00a0 Balfour\u2019s 1917 promise to give British support to the creation of a Jewish\u00a0 \u201chomeland\u201d in Palestine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>The collapsing Ottoman Empire of 1918 was to be split into\u00a0 two<\/strong> on a north-east, south-west axis which would run roughly from near\u00a0 Kirkuk \u2013 today under Kurdish control \u2013 across from Mosul in northern Iraq and\u00a0 the Syrian desert and through what is now the West Bank to Gaza.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Mosul was initially given to the French \u2013 its oil surrendered by the\u00a0 British in return for what would become a French buffer zone<\/strong> between\u00a0 Britain and the Russian Caucasus, Baghdad and Basra being safe in British hands\u00a0 below the French lines.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>But growing British commercial desires for oil took over from\u00a0 imperial agreements. <\/strong>Mosul was configured into the British zone inside\u00a0 the new state of Iraq (previously Mesopotamia), <strong>its oil supplies safely\u00a0 in the hands of London. <\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/middle-east\/robert-fisk-the-old-partition-of-the-middle-east-is-dead-i-dread-to-think-what-will-follow-9536467.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>It bears mentioning that the area the French and British allotted to\u00a0 themselves was already fully-populated by the people who lived there. However\u00a0 the area was already determined to be rich in oil and other commodities, and\u00a0 both colonial powers were well-practiced at the art of dividing and conquering\u00a0 local people in order to take their resources.<\/div>\n<div>For the people of Mesopotamia, western resource plundering has only\u00a0 accelerated since the arbitrary lines that comprise the &#8216;state&#8217; of Iraq were\u00a0 drawn.<\/div>\n<div>Of course, it&#8217;s quite likely that Iraq&#8217;s border were specifically drawn to\u00a0 cut across ethnic boundaries and thereby assure a failed state, because Britain\u00a0 had learned through history that failed states were the easiest to control. This\u00a0 was their preferred MO in India and numerous other colonies, and by 1916 it was\u00a0 a more or less perfected tool of statecraft.<\/div>\n<div>But whether it was ineptitude or malign intent, the fact remains that Iraq\u00a0 was never a logical geographical entity; and its natural state would be to split\u00a0 into three autonomous regions: Kurds to the north, Sunnis to the west and\u00a0 Shiites to the south.<\/div>\n<div>As a quick reminder, the differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims stems\u00a0 from a split made shortly after the prophet Muhammad died in 632:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Sunni<\/strong> and <strong>Shia Islam<\/strong> are the two\u00a0 major denominations of Islam. The demographic breakdown between the two\u00a0 denominations is difficult to assess and varies by source, but a good\u00a0 approximation is that approximately 87-89% of the world&#8217;s Muslims are Sunni and\u00a0 approximately 11-12% are Shia, with most Shias belonging to\u00a0 the Twelver tradition and the rest divided between several other groups.<\/div>\n<div>Sunnis are a majority in most Muslim communities: in Southeast\u00a0 Asia, China, South Asia, Africa, and most of the Arab world<strong>. Shia make\u00a0 up the majority of the citizen population in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain, <\/strong>as\u00a0 well as being a politically significant minority in Lebanon. Azerbaijan is\u00a0 predominantly Shia, however practicing adherents are much lower. Pakistan has\u00a0 the largest Sunni and second-largest Shia Muslim (Twelver) population in the\u00a0 world.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr, the father of Muhammad&#8217;s wife Aisha,\u00a0 was Muhammad&#8217;s rightful successor<\/strong> and that the method of choosing or\u00a0 electing leaders (<em>Shura<\/em>) endorsed by the Quran is the consensus of\u00a0 the <em>Ummah <\/em>(the Muslim community).<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Shias believe that Muhammad divinely ordained his cousin and\u00a0 son-in-law Ali<\/strong> (the father of his grandsons Hasan ibn Ali and Hussein\u00a0 ibn Ali) in accordance with the command of God to be the next caliph, making Ali\u00a0 and his direct descendants Muhammad&#8217;s successors. Ali was married to Fatimah,\u00a0 Muhammad&#8217;s daughter from his wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shia%E2%80%93Sunni_relations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source &#8211; wiki<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>The reason it&#8217;s important to know the differences between the two main forms\u00a0 of Islam involved is because the balance of power is split across the Middle\u00a0 East is based on which form dominates a given area.<\/div>\n<div>Saudi Arabia is almost entirely Sunni and has been supporting the rebels in\u00a0 Syria and, by extension, in the rebels now in Iraq as well. Iran, on the other\u00a0 hand, is Shiite, as is most of Baghdad and southern Iraq.<\/div>\n<div>The awkward part of this story is that if the US does get involved to help\u00a0 Baghdad out militarily, it would mean fighting on the same side as Iran (and\u00a0 against the forces the Saudi Arabia supports):<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Iran sends troops into Iraq to aid fight against Isis\u00a0 militants<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>June 14, 2014<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Iran has sent 2,000 advance troops to Iraq in the past 48 hours\u00a0 <\/strong>to help tackle a jihadist insurgency, a senior Iraqi official has told\u00a0 the Guardian.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The confirmation comes as the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said Iran\u00a0 was ready to support Iraq from the mortal threat fast spreading through the\u00a0 country, while <strong>the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, called on\u00a0 citizens to take up arms in their country&#8217;s defence<\/strong>.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Addressing the country on Saturday, Maliki said rebels from the Islamic State\u00a0 of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) had given &#8220;an incentive to the army and to Iraqis\u00a0 to act bravely&#8221;. His call to arms came after reports surfaced that hundreds of\u00a0 young men were flocking to volunteer centres across Baghdad to join the fight\u00a0 against Isis.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In Iran, Rouhani raised the prospect of Teheran cooperating with its old\u00a0 enemy Washington to defeat the Sunni insurgent group \u2013 which is attempting to\u00a0 ignite a sectarian war beyond Iraq&#8217;s borders.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/14\/iran-iraq-isis-fight-militants-nouri-maliki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>No wonder Washington is hemming and hawing!\u00a0 There&#8217;s no way for Obama to send\u00a0 support to Baghdad without undercutting a lot of carefully laid anti-Iranian\u00a0 propaganda.\u00a0 What, we&#8217;re going to be fighting on the same side now as our\u00a0 longtime &#8220;Death to America!&#8221; adversary?\u00a0 Politically this is a real pickle.<\/div>\n<div>But such an unnatural alliance may be happening:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>US sends aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf as Obama considers air\u00a0 strikes in Iraq<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>June 14, 2014<\/div>\n<div><strong>The US is sending an aircraft carrier and two guided missile ships\u00a0 into the Persian Gulf, <\/strong>bolstering sea and airpower before a possible US\u00a0 strike on the jihadist army in Iraq in the coming days.<\/div>\n<div>Defense secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the USS George HW Bush into the Gulf on\u00a0 Saturday, a day <strong>after President Barack Obama indicated he would soon\u00a0 decide on air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant\u00a0 (Isis),<\/strong> whose seizure of Sunni Iraqi cities has violently upended the\u00a0 region.<\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/14\/aircraft-carrier-iraq-isis-strike-persian-gulf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>A bit ironic to be sending the USS George Bush, but there you have it.\u00a0 Once\u00a0 again, the US is poised to deliver more military solutions to what are, at\u00a0 heart, political problems.<\/div>\n<div>As I&#8217;ve posted before, I think that sending your biggest ships into the the\u00a0 Persian Gulf bathtub is an outdated tactic that will not last long if\/when\u00a0 modern anti-ship missiles are brought into that theater, such as the very\u00a0 impressive Yakhont-800 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile:<\/div>\n<div><a title=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4AW1XHUcAsQ\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4AW1XHUcAsQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4AW1XHUcAsQ<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div>The truly awkward part for US foreign policy here is that Iran could likely\u00a0 come out of this with even more influence over Baghdad &#8212; possibly even enjoying\u00a0 a permanent &#8216;protector&#8217; role until or unless some other entity wants to step up\u00a0 to the plate and commit to the job.<\/div>\n<div>Mission Accomplished?\u00a0 That&#8217;s going to go down as one of the most premature\u00a0 declarations of all time. More like <em>Missing Accomplishment,<\/em> if you ask\u00a0 me.<\/div>\n<h2>A Lightning-Fast Advance<\/h2>\n<div>The situation in Iraq developed fast and continues to move quickly.<\/div>\n<div>Allegedly, nobody saw the rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and the\u00a0 Levant (Isis) coming. &#8220;There was no warning&#8221;.<\/div>\n<div>I find that doubtful given all the tools of State right now, but whether\u00a0 warnings were ignored or not, ISIS has moved incredibly fast seizing one city\u00a0 after another as they&#8217;ve spread southards:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Islamist Insurgents Advance Toward Baghdad<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>Jun 11, 2014<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Islamist militants swept out of northern Iraq Wednesday to seize\u00a0 their second city in two days, threatening Baghdad<\/strong> and pushing the\u00a0 country&#8217;s besieged government to signal it would allow U.S. airstrikes to beat\u00a0 back the advance.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>An alarmed Iraqi government also asked the U.S. to accelerate delivery of\u00a0 pledged military support, particularly Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters and\u00a0 surveillance equipment, to help push back fighters from the Islamic State of\u00a0 Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda offshoot known as ISIS. The U.S. said it has been\u00a0 expediting shipments of military hardware to the Iraqis all year.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his country faces a &#8220;mortal\u00a0 threat&#8221; from the ISIS insurgents.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Officials declined to say whether the U.S. would consider conducting\u00a0 airstrikes with drones or manned aircraft.<\/strong> The Obama administration is\u00a0 considering a number of options, according to a senior U.S. official who added\u00a0 that no decisions have been made.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bernadette Meehan, a White House National Security Council spokeswoman, said\u00a0 the current focus of discussions with Iraq &#8220;is to build the capacity of the\u00a0 Iraqis to successfully confront and deal with the threat posed by [ISIS].&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>ISIS overran Tikrit, the birthplace of former dictator Saddam\u00a0 Hussein, on Wednesday after capturing Iraq&#8217;s second-largest city, Mosul, a day\u00a0 earlier.<\/strong> The takeover of the city of 250,000 about 85 miles north of\u00a0 Baghdad was confirmed by Ali Al Hamdani, a senior official in Salah Al Din\u00a0 province, where the city is located. The insurgents freed hundreds of prisoners\u00a0 from the city&#8217;s jails.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>By Wednesday evening, there were reports of fighting between Iraqi\u00a0 security forces and Islamists on the outskirts of Samarra<\/strong>, a city\u00a0 further south and less than 80 miles north of the capital.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/media.peakprosperity.com\/images\/Iraq-sectarian-map.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/articles\/iraqi-leaders-urged-to-unite-to-push-insurgents-out-of-mosul-1402488724?mod=trending_now_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Regional officials said they were worried that significant stocks of\u00a0 weapons ISIS fighters stole from military bases in northern Iraq could be\u00a0 transported across borders and used in conflicts and terror attacks\u00a0 elsewhere.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>U.S. counterterrorism officials said on Tuesday that the attacks show the\u00a0 degree to which <strong>Islamist militants have established a revolving door\u00a0 between Iraq and Syria, with fighters flowing easily between the two countries\u00a0 and fueling conflict in both<\/strong>.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/articles\/iraqi-leaders-urged-to-unite-to-push-insurgents-out-of-mosul-1402488724?mod=trending_now_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>Somehow, ISIS rebels numbering in the hundreds, or perhaps low thousands,\u00a0 have managed to rout two full Iraqi brigades numbering some 30,000 troops from\u00a0 their positions and send them fleeing. That tells you everything you need to\u00a0 know about the <em>esprit de corps<\/em> of the Iraqi &#8216;army.&#8217; It&#8217;s not an\u00a0 effective fighting force at the moment.<\/div>\n<h2>Awkward Alliances<\/h2>\n<div>Now we get to the <em>second<\/em> awkward part of this story for the US.\u00a0 Along with Saudi Arabia, the US has been supplying weapons and training to the\u00a0 Syrian rebels many of whom are now heading south towards Baghdad.<\/div>\n<div>To fight them would essentially mean fighting our own weapons and\u00a0 training.<\/div>\n<div>I&#8217;m really impressed with the ability of the US news industry, such as in\u00a0 the article above, in keeping out the extremely obvious connection between the\u00a0 hard line Syrian rebels we are supporting and the ISIS rebels now heading\u00a0 south.<\/div>\n<div>After all, it&#8217;s not like the news is hidden, or only located on the fringe of\u00a0 the blogosphere. It&#8217;s been widely reported for over a year that the US has been\u00a0 providing high level training and weapons to the Syrian rebels. Note that this\u00a0 next article from the Washington Post is over 9 months old:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>CIA begins weapons delivery to Syrian rebels<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>Sept 11, 2013<\/div>\n<div>The CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of\u00a0 delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration,\u00a0 according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures. The shipments began streaming\u00a0 into the country over the past two weeks, along with separate deliveries by the\u00a0 State Department of vehicles and other gear \u2014 a flow of material that marks a\u00a0 major escalation of the U.S. role in Syria\u2019s civil war.<\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/cia-begins-weapons-delivery-to-syrian-rebels\/2013\/09\/11\/9fcf2ed8-1b0c-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>Even more recently, it&#8217;s been reported that the US has provided high tech\u00a0 anti-tank and anti aircraft weapons systems and training. This is\u00a0 state-of-the-art warcraft for ground troops:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House &#8216;stepped up\u00a0 assistance&#8217;<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>June 12, 2014<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>WASHINGTON \u2014 White House officials refused to comment Friday on a Los Angeles\u00a0 Times report that CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have been\u00a0 <strong>secretly training Syrian rebels with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons\u00a0 since late last year<\/strong>, saying only that the U.S. had increased its\u00a0 assistance to the rebellion.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>The covert U.S. training at bases in Jordan and Turkey began months\u00a0 before President Obama approved plans to begin directly arming the opposition to\u00a0 Syrian President Bashar Assad<\/strong>, <strong>according to U.S. officials and\u00a0 rebel commanders.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>\u201cWe have stepped up our assistance, but I cannot inventory for you\u00a0 all the elements of that assistance,\u201d<\/strong> White House Press Secretary Jay\u00a0 Carney said. <strong>\u201cWe have provided and will continue to provide substantial\u00a0 assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as the Supreme Military\u00a0 Council.\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/2013\/jun\/21\/world\/la-fg-wn-cia-syria-20130621\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>And PBS recently weighed in with a documentary on the matter, describing\u00a0 training in Qatar which disturbingly sounds a lot like instruction in how to\u00a0 commit war crimes:<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>May 26, 2014<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>WASHINGTON \u2014 With reports indicating that forces loyal to Syrian President\u00a0 Bashar Assad are gaining ground in that country\u2019s brutal civil war, moderate\u00a0 Syrian rebels have told a visiting journalist that the United States is\u00a0 arranging their training in Qatar.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>In a documentary to be aired Tuesday night, the rebels describe their\u00a0 clandestine journey from the Syrian battlefield to meet with their American\u00a0 handlers in Turkey and then travel on to Qatar<\/strong>, where they say they\u00a0 received training in the use of sophisticated weapons and fighting techniques,\u00a0 including, <strong>one rebel said, \u201chow to finish off soldiers still alive after\u00a0 an ambush.\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>The interviews are the latest evidence that after more than three years of\u00a0 warfare, <strong>the United States has stepped up the provision of lethal aid to\u00a0 the rebels<\/strong>. In recent months, at least five rebel units have posted\u00a0 videos showing their members firing U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles at Syrian\u00a0 positions.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>The weapons are believed to have come from Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, but\u00a0 experts on international arms transfers have told McClatchy that they\u00a0 <strong>could not have been given to the rebels without the approval of the\u00a0 Obama administration.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/pages\/frontline\/foreign-affairs-defense\/syria-arming-the-rebels\/syrian-rebels-describe-u-s-backed-training-in-qatar\/#disqus_thread\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>At Risk: MUCH Higher Oil Prices<\/h2>\n<div>The summary here is that the &#8216;rebels&#8217; the US is supporting in Syria are part\u00a0 of the very same group that is now headed towards Baghdad.\u00a0 They are all Sunni\u00a0 hard liners and they will not rest until they have created a new Sunni state for\u00a0 themselves.<\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s really that simple.<\/div>\n<div>What&#8217;s not simple is understanding what the US&#8217; motivations are here in\u00a0 wanting to topple so many regimes in the Middle East and North Africa.\u00a0 Is it to\u00a0 appease our Saudi allies who also support Sunni causes across the region?\u00a0 Is it\u00a0 to create an entire region of failed states because that serves some larger\u00a0 master plan?<\/div>\n<div>Most importantly, did the US really think that we could <em>both<\/em> arm the\u00a0 Sunni rebels <em>and<\/em> support the brutal Shiite hard liner al-Maliki (the\u00a0 current president of Iraq) in Baghdad as he consolidated Shiite power at the\u00a0 expense of the Sunnis?\u00a0 Why arm and support both sides, unless the goal was a\u00a0 bloody and protracted stalemate?<\/div>\n<div>At any rate, US foreign policy is again in tatters and if it seems like\u00a0 there&#8217;s no solid plan here, perhaps that&#8217;s because there isn&#8217;t one.\u00a0 It&#8217;s either\u00a0 a really complex and genius plan or intense bumbling and stumbling.\u00a0 Sometimes\u00a0 it&#8217;s hard to tell these things apart.<\/div>\n<div>There was practically no chance of Iraq holding together after the US\u00a0 destroyed the country and then left it without any functioning state apparatus\u00a0 strong enough to withstand 14 centuries&#8217; worth of carefully-nurtured resentments\u00a0 in a harsh land with little going for it beyond the oil that will someday be\u00a0 gone.<\/div>\n<div>At any rate, we&#8217;ll just have to keep watching as all this develops. In the\u00a0 meantime, the biggest risk here is that this becomes a wider regional war.\u00a0 One\u00a0 that begins by enveloping all of Iraq and which cuts off that countries oil\u00a0 exports for a while.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3338\">In <a href=\"http:\/\/www.peakprosperity.com\/insider\/85803\/oil-risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" shape=\"rect\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Part 2: Oil At Risk<\/span><\/a>, we lay out the very real and growing risk\u00a0 that a coming decrease in Iraq oil exports created by the current turmoil will\u00a0 result in an oil price spike that could approach $150 per barrel (or even worse\u00a0 under certain situations). Such a development would almost certainly plunge the\u00a0 global economy back in to Recession and financial crisis. We address the\u00a0 defensive steps concerned individuals should take now in advance of such a\u00a0 highly undesirable turn of events.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3260\">__._,_.___<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"yiv4870080850fromDMARC\">\n<hr \/>\n<hr id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3337\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<table id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3335\" cellspacing=\"4\">\n<tbody id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3334\">\n<tr id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3333\">\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3332\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div id=\"yiv4870080850ygrp-grfd\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1403016409685_3331\" title=\"Show message history\">Show message history<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"yiv4870080850ygrp-sponsor\"><\/div>\n<div>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/geo.yahoo.com\/serv?s=97359714\/grpId=1021589\/grpspId=1705083764\/msgId=87301\/stime=1403016065\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/> <br clear=\"none\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/y.analytics.yahoo.com\/fpc.pl?ywarid=515FB27823A7407E&amp;a=10001310322279&amp;js=no&amp;resp=img\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tyler Durden \u0907\u0938 \u0932\u0947\u0916 \u0915\u094b \u092a\u095d \u0915\u0930 \u090f\u0915 \u092c\u093e\u0924 \u0938\u093e\u095e \u0939\u0948 \u0939\u0940 \u0907\u0930\u093e\u0915 \u092e\u0948\u0902&#8230; <a class=\"meta-more\" href=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=5168\">more <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-2","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5171,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5168\/revisions\/5171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}