Clearly, European and American equities are in play in the Middle East. The Iraq crisis is highly interactive with developments in the region.
Yet there has been little real discussion of how the US and Europe can address the crisis and to ensure that their equities are protected, until remedial action simply becomes too difficult.
In piece posted by Hames Stavridis on the Atlantic Council website today, the challenge is well identified and analyzed.
We will provide highlights here and encourage readers to go to the full posting:
Simply “ruling out” NATO operations in both Syria and Iraq is not in the best interest of the alliance.
This region of the world is spinning rapidly out of control, with dangerous implications for both Europe and the United States.
The alliance has enormous capability, but does it have the political will to lean into this dangerous situation?
Done in a measured and sensible way — with a focus on the Turkish border — would make sense.
NATO needs a quick shot of strong Turkish coffee to get its energy level up and make some decisions about engagement — because what’s emerging now is a clear and present danger along the southern flank of the alliance.
He underscores the centrality of European action as well:
The case for European engagement alongside the United States is quite clear, given the distinct dangers to Europe posed by the rise of a jihadist state. . . .