Trumpled (Alternative Leading)

[mateinone]

@MIO

The current Middle East conflicts are primarily all about who controls oil and gas supplies and the respective pipelines, with Russia, Syria and Iran in conflict with the USA, UK and Euro big oil interests. It's also key to the US policy of surrounding and containing the power of Russia (and indirectly China), one of the world's leading oil and gas producers, in order to maintain its own global primacy.

Hillary is the candidate of choice of the major US global energy, financial and military interests as successor to Obama. Trump is not.

I don't entirely agree Cookie, the old.. "who controls the oil" argument has flaws, but the oil is no doubt at all a big component. But the battle to retake Mosul is nothing to do with oil other than the fact it is one of the sources of income of ISIS. It is a huge city and Russia plays no part there. Whilst wiping out ISIS is important to ensure that it doesn't control basically the Middle East and in turn a large portion of oil, there are far bigger reasons to take Mosul and have ISIS lose the last major stronghold in Iraq. The less presence the group has, the more fallible it is proven to be, the less ability they have to attract followers in the west drawn to believe they are going to a better life in the caliphate. There will always be radicals, but it is important to start to take power away from this group.


The battle in Syria is an entirely different beast. Yes Putin and Assad are in each others pockets and there will be a 'hands on oil' component which is why Russia is in there, but there is much more to it than just that. Putin needs to world to understand that the side they take will not back down, will not wewill not do it the 'weak' US and European way. Syria is just a proving ground for all the chest thumping they are doing across northern Europe and  have been doing in Ukraine/Crimea and now with the recent shift towards Nuclear chest thumping, such as the deployments in Kalingrad as well as the recent suspension of the nuclear treaty dealing with weapons grade plutonium as well as claims to be able to defeat the most advanced defense systems in the world and hit any target city. Putin is using Syria for far more than oil and it is why it is insane to imagine a US president prepared to be appeased by 'nice words' from the Kremlin. To imagine that everyone plays by the same rules is idiotic of Trump.

So yes I agree oil plays a part, but I think the bigger issue is about Russia exerting itself and not being held back to ideals of other countries. It is important that it is not seen as a small country playing by other people's rules. They are an equal world power and as such will exert that. This view is hugely popular within Russia, which has throughout all of history responded to strong leaders.