Swordsmyth
02-13-2020, 10:35 PM
At a NATO defense meeting in Brussels this week, the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced to reporters (http://www.jordantimes.com/news/region/nato-agrees-expand-training-mission-iraq): “Allied ministers had reaffirmed their support to Iraq and agreed in principle to enhance NATO's training mission.”
However, there appears to have been little to no consultation with Baghdad over the Western military alliance "enhancing" its mission inside the country (or less delicately stated, expanding appears to be the reality). Pressed on this point, Stoltenberg said (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-nato/nato-to-expand-iraq-training-mission-in-response-to-trump-idUSKBN2062LD):
“NATO is in Iraq on the invitation of the Iraqi Government, and we will only stay in Iraq as long as we are welcome. Because NATO fully respects Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/natoiraq.jpg
This does appear the crafting of an 'alternative' option for Baghdad: as opposed to the deeply unpopular beefy American presence of over 5,000 soldiers, the smaller Canadian-led mission of some 500 NATO troops which initiated their mission to train and advise Iraqis in 2018 could be a compromise alleviating the West's "security concerns" about either Iranian expansion or an ISIS resurgence.
The White House itself could then be given political breathing space to finally leave, given that in January President Trump called on the NATO alliance to “become more involved in the Middle East".
More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/opening-us-exit-nato-heeds-trumps-call-expand-iraq
However, there appears to have been little to no consultation with Baghdad over the Western military alliance "enhancing" its mission inside the country (or less delicately stated, expanding appears to be the reality). Pressed on this point, Stoltenberg said (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-nato/nato-to-expand-iraq-training-mission-in-response-to-trump-idUSKBN2062LD):
“NATO is in Iraq on the invitation of the Iraqi Government, and we will only stay in Iraq as long as we are welcome. Because NATO fully respects Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/natoiraq.jpg
This does appear the crafting of an 'alternative' option for Baghdad: as opposed to the deeply unpopular beefy American presence of over 5,000 soldiers, the smaller Canadian-led mission of some 500 NATO troops which initiated their mission to train and advise Iraqis in 2018 could be a compromise alleviating the West's "security concerns" about either Iranian expansion or an ISIS resurgence.
The White House itself could then be given political breathing space to finally leave, given that in January President Trump called on the NATO alliance to “become more involved in the Middle East".
More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/opening-us-exit-nato-heeds-trumps-call-expand-iraq