Rebel commanders are seeking assurances from Washington that if they sign a peace deal with the Colombian government, the United States will not be an obstacle to implementing agreements reached at the table.
Intent on offering his condolences and meeting Abdullah's successor in person, Obama led an exceptionally high-powered delegation to Riyadh that included former secretaries of state, past presidential candidates and senior military commanders.
But attempts to shuffle police commanders and move morality police under the jurisdiction of his own interior ministry have been defeated by more powerful conservative forces in the establishment.
He had enabled the codes used by the Nazis to send messages to and from their commanders to be cracked.
"We can end up with different field commanders, who are fighting against everyone; not for a particular side but just for their own ends".
Commanders of pro-Kiev paramilitary units said on Wednesday morning that some pro-government forces were pulling out of Debaltseve, which has been under siege from Russia-backed separatists.
Commanders based in the north-east "should be investigated for potential responsibility for war crimes of murder, enforced disappearances and torture", it said.
Defence chiefs and military commanders made it clear in evidence to Chilcot (some of it published, some still secret) that they were extremely angry about how military interests were ignored for what they viewed as unacceptable political reasons.
The mayor has come under withering criticism for her unsteady handling of the crisis and has at times appeared at odds with her own police commanders.
One government television advert in the early 70s even compared local PIRA commanders to the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading children towards a disastrous end.
The secrecy of the British honours system, with its tradition of idiocy and colonialism, snobbery and taint, now requires much of each batch of knighthoods, commanders, and so forth, to be received with Sir Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris (OBE, MBE, CBE) or Fred Goodwin-induced caution.
