On October 13th, pro-Western Kurdish fighters, while staving off ISIS in the village of Kobani, were attacked by none other than Turkey, a longstanding member of NATO. Maybe there is an informal alliance between Turkey and ISIS. The Turks have been purchasing oil hijacked by ISIS in recent months. Perhaps this explains why Turkey is playing both sides of the ISIS conflict, bombing Kurdish forces in Kobani, while providing aid to Kurdish refugees.
Simply stated, the two main regional powers surrounding the ISIS conflict, Turkey and Iran, stand to gain from a partial ISIS victory. If ISIS galvanizes territory in Syria and takes over parts of western Iraq, Turkey will profit by having a pro-Sunni neighbor selling hijacked oil at reduced prices. Iran will also benefit, attaining a weakened, compliant, pro-Shia government in neighboring eastern Iraq. In addition, it is likely that a pro-Assad Hezbollah stronghold in Syria will still remain.
If the U.S. is really interested in defeating ISIS, they should provide better ammunition for the Kurds. In all of the fragmentation the war on ISIS presents, a unified force like the Kurds are worth investing in. If the U.S. is going to spend valuable time and resources assuring regional boots on the ground, it should do so in a way that provides safeguards if outcomes are less than optimal. Perhaps the unification of Kurdish forces and the Syrian rebels provides assured stability.
One of the prime goals of ISIS is to exploit fragmented enemies. Groups lacking unity, like the rebel forces in Syria, are easy targets for ISIS. Placing faith squarely in the hands of Syrian rebels to serve as U.S. boots on the ground is a wild card. Currently, the U.S. is asking the rebels to fight a war on two fronts- first against Assad, second against ISIS. Where will Syrian fighters turn if they lose? The prime goal of Kurdish forces, however, is to contain and defeat ISIS.
After the ISIS conflict, the only possible friend pro-Western Syrian rebels will be able to turn to in the region will be the Kurds. It does not serve world interests for valuable portions of fuel and resources to fall into the hands of ISIS and Iran. It is also a regional benefit for secular Muslims to have a resource, trade-driven territory in which they can freely live and work. Arming the Kurds with better weaponry is a wise humanitarian choice that serves the global economy.