Considering this is a DOD memo, yes the admin is part of ‘the west’
When they mention countries supporting the opposition, they state Western Countries, The Gulf States and Turkey. So Western Countries factually implies US and EU. What is amazing though is they knew and hoped ISIS would control eastern Syria and carve out a new buffer Sunni state. They also noted the danger that this new state could expand and include areas of Western Iraq. Now we know why Obama sat on his hands as ISIS rolled into Iraq. They basically were reconstituting their Saddam Frankenstein with a new name.
True, but note that what was specifically left out of the article was the warning it contained of the “Dire consequences” should the situation unravel which prefaced the part that followed; which was the part about the “Ideal situation” this could produce for AQI that was highlighted in the article, without the “Dire consequences” preface.
Obama’s actions constitute more proof of his desire for this than this memo does.
This memo accurately predicts what actually wound up happening, but does not, by itself, seem to provide the solid proof we might like to have of the Obama administrations’ intent to make that happen.