Champions of Middle East Security

"This donation by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is another bold demonstration of his ongoing commitment to combating terrorism around the world."
Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Saudi ambassador to the U.S.

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    Iraqi President Fouad Massoum, right, talks with Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Saud al Faisal, center, and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari, right, as they arrive for a group photo at the French Foreign ministry in Paris Monday, prior to a meeting on the Islamic State group. Diplomats from around the world are in Paris pressing for a coherent global strategy to combat extremists from the Islamic State group. ASSOCIATED PRESS

"[The U.S.] does not co-operate militarily or otherwise with Iran. Whatever they do is collateral and on their own."
"We're not co-ordinating with Iran, but as I said, we're open to have conversation at some point in time if there's a way to find something constructive."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

"This isn't just a matter of getting people to issue a news release or make some other kind of public commitment to do something."
"We want to make sure that their commitment matches what's actually needed and that we're not duplicating efforts, and that the country that is in the best position to fulfil a specific need is the one that actually follows through and fills that need."
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest

Speaking earnestly, the White House's press secretary spoke to the issue that Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while all condemning ISIL's atrocities and for the threat they present to regional and international stability, have not managed somehow to address the real issue of what they propose to materially offer in any substantial way that might support the pledges of countries far, far from the Middle East in a matter that impacts these regional powers directly.

Condemning ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State as "barbaric", taking a descriptive from the Western lexicon of repugnance of actions and activities practised by many of these countries themselves as a form of legal state punishment, they're learned the art well of talking the talk. As for the manner in which they walk, it is beyond careful, on the eggshells of sectarian Middle East dysfunction. But there it is; 40 countries in total have committed to the 'coalition of the uncertain'.

Saudi Arabia, which famously enough has created the atmosphere of Islamo-fascism through the proliferation of madrassas teaching their Wahhabist fundamentalism, the most basic tenet of which is jihad, along with that of their most detested enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its brand of terrorist proxies, has agreed to something that NATO ally Turkey, has not: the use of its geography for two training camps for "moderate" rebels fighting the Syrian regime.

In the thought-regimes of 'big-deal', that's quite the concession, to allow a foreign power and its allies to use the landspace of a country whose stability is threatened by fanatics gone amok in protection of the very countries loathe to lend a hand to protect their own futures. Oh, and of course Saudi Arabia's $500-million in humanitarian aid to Iraq (a member-Arab country, but of the unfortunate Shiite persuasion) and another $100-million to the UN's Counter-Terrorism Centre.

That level of generosity is quite amazing, considering that it is meant to benefit the country's own bailiwick, and the amount being so generously given represents a literal drop-in-the-money-bucket to the oil-rich Kingdom. Charity to promote and compile data to counter terrorism, from a country known to educate and support jihadists around the world. On the other hand Canada, Denmark, France, Australia, the Czech Republic and (Muslim-majority) Albania are supplying weapons, ammunition, support aircraft and military advisers to Iraq.

It is, of course, of no comfort to Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-majority countries in the Middle East that Shiite Aryan Iran has dispatched its troops and elite Republican Guard corps to fight alongside Iraqi forces. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei revealed that Iran had categorically refused an offer from Mr. Kerry to co-operate with the United States in the fight against ISIS.

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