Militants of an Islamic radical group "Islamic State of Iraq and Levant" continue to march across Iraq. Last week, they took control of the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq, and later captured the city of Mosul, the administrative center of the province.
On Thursday, on the border between Iraq and Syria rebels managed to capture a center for the production of chemical weapons, which was used during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Today, militants stormed the town of Muqdad, located 80 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.
Iraqi authorities have asked the U.S. to strike the militants, but President Barack Obama declared that he can only send 300 military advisers to Iraq.
The reaction of Barack Obama to the situation in Syria demonstrates that the U.S. are not willing to meet their responsibilities towards allies and to follow their own military doctrine.
Holger Stark from the German newspaper Spiegel wrote an article in which he analyses the foundation of Obama's foreign policy concept which was announced in September 2013. As part of the concept, U.S. outlined several cases in which it could render military support to its allies in the Middle East. The cases include a situation in which allies or partners of Americans face an external threat; their energy resources are in danger and terrorist groups threaten their security.
Spiegel comes to the conclusion that all three elements are present in Iraq but nevertheless the U.S. refuse to intervene. In conclusion, Spiegel writes that events in Iraq are marking the end of Obama's military doctrine.
