The steady and relentless march of ISIS fighters toward Baghdad is proof that Barack Obama's policy of "no boots on the ground" has fallen apart and he is left with few options. Indeed one can say that Barack Obams has been reduced to a mere on looker as Iran seizes the opportunity to bring about a semblance of stability in a region which has been utterly devastated by the ill advised US  intervention. The  fact is that the Government of al Malaki has been waging a covert war against the Sunnis and the US was well aware of the dangers posed by this aggressive pursuit of sectarian and identity objectives, but characteristically chose to look away. When the iSIS was being formed and its troops made battle ready, USA started the game of destabilizing the Government of Syria for no apparent reason except to score  a few brownie points in the Western media sweepstakes. The anti Assad forces turned out to be a brutal set of Islamic fundamentalists who make the Boko Haram of Nigeria appear both restrained and civilized. The farces loyal to al Assad have been able to beat back the challenge, though the damage done by John Kerry and Joe Biden's rather extravagant condemnation of Syria is still to be repaired.

The fact that Syria provided a haven for the refugees who fled Iraq after the US invasion and its consequent explosion of sectarian violence is now forgotten and Syria has now become a country onm the move. The last few weeks have seen upwards of a million refugees move into Lebanon and other countries. USA made the situation difficult for stability in the region by providing military training and hardware to anti al Assad rebels. Joe Biden even went to the extent of blaming Syria for using chemical weapons when it now appears certain that the rebels had used chemical weapons in their battle for Damascus. The UNHCR expects the situation to get far worse as Syria and Iraq slide into war.

In Ukraine US policy has been counterproductive. The overthrow of the legitimate Government and the installation of a far right politician has made the political climate far worse in Ukraine. While Russia has kept up its promise of withdrawing her troops from the border with eastern Ukraine,the regime of Petro Poroshenko has started using heavy artillery against the rebels and if the bloodshed become intolerable Russia will be forced to intervene. Instead of urging caution and restraint the European Union and USA are actively pursuing the policy of military subjugation and this policy will most certainly fail. So we have yet another unstable frontier opened in Eurasia.

The world is passing through difficult times and only a thoughtful less adventuresome US administration will bring about stability and peace.