Haggling, not acting

US Vice President Joe Biden is known for not always choosing his words carefully - and that's putting it nicely. It's a habit that often gets him into hot water, as was the case recently, when he complained about the United States' allies in the war against "Islamic State" (IS) in front of a group of American students. Basically, he said that Washington's main problem in confronting IS was its allies, among them, Turkey, which he described as a long-time supporter of the terrorists. That comment angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan so much that Biden had to offer him an apology.

But Biden was speaking the truth. He only backtracked because he didn't want to further strain already tense relations with Turkey. Washington still hopes that Turkey will change course and finally support the Kurds in their battle against the IS terrorists. But Ankara is hesitating. The Turkish government is putting pressure on US President Barack Obama: the US must again take up the fight against Syrian President Assad; then Turkey will engage in the war to stop IS.

Obama will not be blackmailed

Foreign policy in Ankara is a bit like shopping at a Turkish bazaar. Only that Obama doesn't like to barter, let alone be blackmailed. The result? Turkey is withholding its support for the Kurds in Kobani as they battle Islamic State fighters. It is even refusing to replenish their supplies, thus making itself partly to blame for a massacre in the border town.

For Ankara, Syrian President Assad is still the main enemy. The Americans, on the other hand, want to focus their efforts on the war against IS. In the end, both the terrorists and Assad may be able to continue their deadly ways.

If Kobani falls, Obama could face further adversity, not least from the Republicans. They criticized him four weeks ahead of the midterm elections for his unsuccessful foreign policy in the Middle East. It's hardly a surprise, since any opposition will try to create political capital out of the failure of the incumbent government. What is surprising is how the president's usual supporters are distancing themselves from him - including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. They have accused Obama of being indecisive, saying it was a mistake not to arm the moderate opposition forces in Syria earlier in the conflict. At the same time, they are assuming such moderate Syrians actually exist, and that's something Obama recently called into question during an interview.

Not another Vietnam

What proves to be the case in the end is not something that American voters will be able to answer; they are more concerned about the divisive nature of politics in Washington. US Politicians aren't even able to pull together when it comes to the war on terror.

Even if the Democrats suffer a setback in the upcoming elections, Obama is not likely to deviate from his past foreign policy course. He does not intend to send ground troops into Syria or Iraq. There is no way he wants to repeat the mistake made by former President Lyndon Johnson, who gradually allowed the US to be drawn into the Vietnam War - with fatal consequences.