MESOP : A SUMMARY OF RELEVANT STATEMENTS / NEW IRAQI PM

Analysis  : “Now as Mr. Maliki reaches a moment of truth, either stepping down or trying to preserve power, Mr. Obama and the American government are trying to maneuver the Iraqi leader one last time in hopes of replacing him with a more reliable figure who can pull that fractious country together and work more collaboratively with Washington,” writes Peter Baker for the New York Times.

“What will the president do if we no longer have Maliki to kick around? That will be the moment of truth. Will we stick to a minimalist containment strategy designed to prevent ISIS from taking Erbil and murdering the Yazidis? Or will we implement a much more ambitious strategy to enable the defeat of ISIS? I believe the U.S. must opt for the latter option,” writes CFR’s Max Boot for Commentary.

“Washington cannot ignore Isis, a growing global threat that could pose greater risks to America than al-Qaida did in its heyday. But if Obama really wants to pass the fight against Isis on to local forces, he will have to bolster— not just tacitly support— the Kurdish peshmerga,” writes Cale Salih for the Guardian.