Iraqi soldiers prominent among refugees
Facing the possibility of years of fighting and the fact of poor leadership, Iraqi military personnel are fleeing their country and heading for Europe. This of course will weaken Iraq in its fight with ISIL.
Chinese military expresses concern over troops cuts
As expected here, the PLA is objecting to the 300,000 troop cuts put forth by Beijing. The army has sizable support in the Chinese state and in the public as well. Will the military elites go to the public for support?
Russia places 28 fighter jets in Syria
Twenty-eight SU-24s and SU25s are now positioned at the burgeoning Russian airfield at Latakia. Look for them to begin an air campaign against ISIL and al Nusrah Front. This will allow Putin to present himself as fighting global terrorism alongside the US and other western powers. Let’s see if he later targets less radical rebel groups that the US supports or at least accepts as on its side roughly speaking.
US looking for options in Syria
Its program to train its own force in tatters, the US is looking to support existing Kurdish and Arab units. Unfortunately, the Kurdish units are allied with the Turkish PKK which is fighting an ally, Turkey. The Arab units are aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. There may be agreement during wartime, but what about afterwards?