To better understand the chaos that is overwhelming our NATO allies, and the dramatic surge in radical Islamic terrorism around the world, we need a timeline that illustrates how President Barack Obama has embroiled the United States of America in what I am calling “Cold War II.”

August 2012: President Barack Obama declared that the world had drawn a red line that Syria would cross if it continued to use chemical weapons against the insurgents declaring civil war against the regime of Syrian strong-man Bashar Assad.

September of 2013: Obama threatened air strikes against Syria because proof had been found that Syrian forces were indeed utilizing chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war. Obama came this close to declaring war on Syria and its use of chemical weapons. But President Obama capitulated and pulled back on his threat as Russian President Vladimir Putin came to the American president’s rescue and informed the world that Russia would work with Syrian President Bashar Assad in eliminating the Syrian chemical weapon threat, strengthening the Syrian-Russian diplomatic alliance.

February 2014: The pro-Putin President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych is ousted in a brief civil war and Putin retaliates by invading the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine to shore up Russia’s position in the world. Obama institutes sanctions against Russia in retaliation.

July 17, 2014: Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine shoot down an Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Air Boeing 777 killing all 298 passengers aboard because it was in Russian airspace.

Oct. 31, 2015: A Russian Metrojet Airbus with 224 Russian tourists aboard exploded in Egyptian airspace, killing everyone. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took responsibility for the attack. Putin angrily announced retaliation and began bombing ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria. But many of the targets Russia bombs are actually anti-Assad, pro-USA armed forces, and not ISIS strongholds.

Nov. 11, 2015: Speaking on Veterans Day, Obama announced to the world that the evil forces of ISIS had been “contained” by the U.S. military in Syria and Iraq.

Nov. 13, 2015: Radical Islamic terrorists simultaneously attack crowded locations in Paris on a Friday night with a barrage of bullets and bombs, killing 130 innocent victims. In the days that followed, French President Francois Hollande requested assistance from both the U.S. and Russia in fighting ISIS on the ground and in the air. Obama warns Hollande not to rely on Russia for security.

Nov. 23, 2015: While I am writing this timeline, the Turkish Army shoots down a Russian military jet that had violated NATO airspace controlled by Turkey. Putin vows retaliation!

It appears that for the foreseeable future, there will be no resolve between the ego of Obama and the pride of Putin. Obama continues to view the Republican Party as his biggest enemy and his legislative priorities are gun control and climate change. Mr. President, ending Cold War II through leadership and diplomacy, and really “containing” the ISIS threat needs to be moved to the top of your priority list.

 

A native of Niles, Jack Strayer moved back home in 2009 after living and working in Washington DC since 1976. Strayer has served as a congressional staffer, state legislative press secretary, federal registered lobbyist and Vice President of the National Center for Policy Analysis. He is a nationally recognized expert on federal health policy reform and led the fight for the enactment of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).