Ex-White House spokesman Robert Weiner: "Given media reporting on classified '28 pages' with alleged Saudi officials' 9-11 involvement, it's time for Arab nations including the Saudis to step up anti-Isis fight on ongoing basis, not make threats to U.S. about blame"

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert Weiner, former spokesman for the Clinton White House and the House Government Operations Committee, and policy analyst Elizabeth Burke are challenging the Arab part of the "coalition" for more involvement to keep U.S. support in the war against ISIS.

Weiner and Burke argue in an article in OPEDNEWS, one of the nation's most respected progressive news sources, that in order to defeat ISIS, the Arab nations' coalition must be stronger, or the U.S. will take a back seat. 

The article was written before recent leaks about the classified "twenty eight pages" that former Senator Bob Graham, former Intelligence Committee Chair and member of the 9-11 Commission, said on CNN require "the truth" to be told to the American people about Saudi involvement in 9-11.  Many media are now reporting that the classified materials document alleged meetings by some Saudi government officials before 9-11 with the 9-11 hijackers.

Weiner stated today, "If these meetings happened, and given our knowledge that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, the American people have a right to demand strong Saudi ongoing combatant roles and financial leadership against ISIS, or we should let them fight alone. This is even more so in view of their threat to sell American assets if we 'blame' them for 9-11. It's time for Arab nations including the Saudis to step up ongoing troops and funds against ISIS to show their position is not conflicted on radical extremism, not make threats about the truth coming out about 9-11 blame." CNN and many media this week reported the Saudis' U.S. assets-sale threat if we "blame" them.

As President Obama travels now to the Saudi Kingdom April 21 for an Arab leaders' summit, "Let them know America's free speech prevails," Weiner asserted about potentially releasing the classified 28 pages.

The article, ranked H3 (3^rd leading oped in the nation), is entitled, "Fighting ISIS: Arabs Need More Involvement to Keep U.S. Support."

The authors wrote, "On March 17, Secretary of State John Kerry called the ISIS atrocities 'genocide.'  On April 13, President Obama went to the CIA headquarters and asserted 'progress' against ISIS, saying they've had a 'bad few months' of lost territory and forces. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest recently announced 'the latest assessment of the number of fighters' for ISIL in Iraq and in Syria as 'about 25,000,' down from a high of 31,000. We assume all this means the administration has been carefully and accurately counting each ISIS soldier to have such precise numbers, and they are accounting for recent ISIS actions."

They continued, "While all the presidential candidates have been formulating new plans on how to attack ISIS, especially with the latest horrific mass bombing murders in Brussels and the shootings in San Bernardino, we have already engaged in war. The U.S. is spending overall about $9 million a day on the military effort against ISIS, including about $5 million a day spent on airstrikes. Our allies in Europe combined have contributed less than half the amount."

They argued, "The $500 million plan to train 5,000 Syrian opposition fighters has fallen flat. The Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Lloyd Austin, admitted to the Senate on September 16^th, 2015 that the sum total of people the U.S. have trained that remain in the fight were 'four or five.'"

The authors said that the issue is bipartisan. "Ohio Governor Kasich was right to call for Arab allied help and assert on March 21 and repeat several times since, 'We cannot go it alone.'  He is not alone in asking for Arab help—from liberals John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton to Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, all have said that must be the core of our strategy. Yet as the U.S. drops expensive bombs, Middle East 'allies' have done little to help. Ed Payne and Salma Abdelaziz reported on CNN, 'The Arab allies fighting against ISIS have refused to say how many airstrikes they have carried out. Pentagon statements reveal that half the Arab countries in the coalition have carried out no bombing in Iraq and Syria at all.'"

Weiner and Burke explained, "It is difficult to believe the Middle East will defeat ISIS on their own, but it is even more of a myth to believe that we can train Middle Eastern countries' soldiers to fight ISIS. They are too distracted fighting one another because of the destructive history for centuries between the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites. In addition, Turkey says the Kurds are themselves terrorists in that nation. How can we rely on either the Turkish government or the Kurds within it to defeat ISIS if Turkey is killing them, our allies, inside its own borders?"

They stated, "Among leading presidential candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supports 'a no-fly-zone.' Senator Sanders urges 'nations in the Middle East step up their military efforts.' Donald Trump 'would bomb the s--- out of 'em.' Ted Cruz 'will carpet bomb them into oblivion.' Marco Rubio, like Hillary Clinton, 'would declare no-fly zones to ground Assad's air force.' In other words, none of the candidates, or the Administration, has a clue if the countries of the region refuse to take the lead."

The authors said, "However, while the U.S. is dumping bombs on Syria and Iraq, Arabs are dropping bombs…but mostly not on ISIS. Saudi Arabia is fighting Iran in Yemen. Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the London School of Economics, told CNN, 'You're talking about a major 24/7 war. The two countries with the most capacity in terms of air power are flying fighter jets over the skies of Yemen.'"

They wrote, "Even if we can persuade some regional Arab partners to weigh in, the question of Arab countries' loyalties remains. U.S. presidents courteously bow and then hand over military resources to the Saudis even though 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia."

They continued, "The Administration claims a coalition of 62 allies against ISIS. However, in addition to weak allies in the Middle East, we have equally weak European and Western allies. Our neighbor and close friend Canada just became the latest to announce it will withdraw fighter jets from Syria and Iraq because of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 'commitments I've made around ending the combat mission.' Britain is providing minimal military support because of memories of accusations of former Prime Minister Tony Blair as a puppet of President Bush concerning flawed Iraq WMD intelligence."

They stated, "We should continue air strikes and special operations, but eventually Middle Eastern countries themselves must understand that victory against ISIS barbarism is necessary. This cannot be achieved just through sharing computer science, government intelligence, and global technology expertise, but by planes, troops, weapons, dollars, and attacks from regional allies themselves."

The authors said, "With memories of Iraq still raw and fresh, U.S. policy makers do not want to send massive troops back to the region. Yet because we have taken combat control with air strikes, drones, and special ops, our allies will consider us as leaders in the effort and take advantage of our commitment while putting no skin of their own in the game."

Weiner and Burke concluded, "Many believe that the main reason we entered Iraq was to arrange access to Iraq's oil, which is not happening. The Middle East has the ammunition and resources to take charge. Now they need to direct them at ISIS. If they see they have no other choice, and they act, then we can support them. In fighting ISIS, U.S. efforts and dollars should match Arab self-interest."

Link to published article: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Fighting-ISIS-Arabs-Need-by-Robert-Weiner-Arab_Iran_Iraq_Isil-160415-839.html

Other published op-eds by Robert Weiner: http://www.weinerpublic.com/opeds.html

Contact: Bob Weiner 202-306-1200 [email protected]

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates

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