General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWe're a year into the unofficial war against Isis with nothing to show for it
by Trevor Timm
This Saturday marks one full year since the US military began its still-undeclared war against Islamic State that the government officials openly acknowledge will last indefinitely. What do we have to show for it? So far, billions of dollars have been spent, thousands of bombs have been dropped, hundreds of civilians have been killed and Isis is no weaker than it was last August, when the airstrikes began.
But dont take it from me thats the conclusion of the US intelligence community itself. As the Associated Press reported a few days ago, the consensus view of the US intelligence agencies is that Isis is just as powerful as it was a year ago, and they can replace fighters faster than they are getting killed.
Like it does for every stagnant and endless war, this inconvenient fact will likely will only lead others to call for more killing, rather than an introspection on why continuing to bomb the same region for decades does not actually work. Perhaps were not firing missiles at a high enough rate, theyll say, perhaps we need a full-scale ground invasion, or perhaps we need to kill more civilians to really damage the enemy (yes, this is an actual argument war mongers have been making).
Speaking of civilian deaths, theyve barely gotten mention in the media over the past twelve months, likely because the US military has, somewhat incredibly, only admitted to two civilians casualties in an entire year of airstrikes spanning multiple countries. A new report by journalists and researchers in the region argues that the real number is probably around 500 civilians. Good luck getting the US military to come close to acknowledging that, though. Despite credible reports about civilian casualties almost immediately after the war started, it took the US nearly six months to admit there were any at all. And its tougher than ever for members of the media to travel into these war zones, and even when they head over with military officials, they are tightly restricted.
For now, there are already plans to launch more drone strikes in Libya, increased air power in Syria and who knows what is in store for Iraq. What the next year will bring as US presidential candidates vie for who can be tougher against Isis is anyones guess.
more
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/08/unofficial-war-isis-nothing-to-show-for
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)have done so without our intervention.
With two countries and all the money they have, we would be looking at a regional fundamentalist superpower who are eager to engage in unprovoked wars of aggression to expand their territory and influence.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)stevenleser
(32,886 posts)n2doc
(47,953 posts)Meanwhile, your necocon argument that they would have become a 'superpower " is ludicrous. I suppose they would have amassed nuclear weapons and an air force and navy had we not bombed a bunch of rubble outer there these past 12 months. They would not have taken over all of Iraq or Syria, as all they have done is take over areas of similar Sunni belief, not Kurd or Shiite. Your scare mongering is so oughts.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)our intervention and concrete evidence that says so.
The change from ISIS gaining territory and being on the offensive to a situation where there is a stalemate is a definite change.
romanic
(2,841 posts)such as the rise of power from Kurds in that area.
But of course we have Turkey mucking things up with that. :/
randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]
GreatGazoo
(3,937 posts)ISIS is helping us overthrow Assad, in part by creating an excuse for us to bomb the shit out of Syria. They are stabalizing Iraq and providing a buffer with Iran.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-state-sponsors-of-isis-saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey-why-are-they-no-subjected-to-sanctions/5403310
The Guardian piece reads like watching a baseball game and wondering why they aren't scoring more touchdowns.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)The right hand fights ISIS while the left hand supports ISIS.
And everybody wants to talk about Iran destabilizing the region.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)And for all his complaints about civilian deaths, the media has done even less reporting on civilians killed by Assad, IS, and everyone else (unless they were western civilians, of course)
Octafish
(55,745 posts)KA-CHING: The Company Getting Rich Off the ISIS War
For the Middle East, the growth of the self-proclaimed Islamic State has been a catastrophe.
For one American firm, its been a gold mine.
by Kate Brannen
08.02.15
The war against ISIS isnt going so great, with the self-appointed terror group standing up to a year of U.S. airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
But that hasnt kept defense contractors from doing rather well amidst the fighting. Lockheed Martin has received orders for thousands of more Hellfire missiles. AM General is busy supplying Iraq with 160 American-built Humvee vehicles, while General Dynamics is selling the country millions of dollars worth of tank ammunition.
SOS International, a family-owned business whose corporate headquarters are in New York City, is one of the biggest players on the ground in Iraq, employing the most Americans in the country after the U.S. Embassy. On the companys board of advisors: former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitzconsidered to be one of the architects of the invasion of Iraqand Paul Butler, a former special assistant to Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld.
The company, which goes by SOSi, says on its website that the contracts its been awarded for work in Iraq in 2015 have a total value of more than $400 million. They include a $40 million contract to provide everything from meals to perimeter security to emergency fire and medical services at Iraqs Besmaya Compound, one of the sites where U.S. troops are training Iraqi soldiers. The Army awarded SOSi a separate $100 million contract in late June for similar services at Camp Taji. The Pentagon expects that contract to last through June 2018.
A year after U.S. airstrikes began targeting the so-called Islamic State in Iraq, there are 3,500 U.S. troops deployed there, training and advising Iraqi troops. But a number that is not discussed is the growing number of contractors required to support these operations. According to the U.S. military, there are 6,300 contractors working in Iraq today, supporting U.S. operations. Separately, the State Department is seeking janitorial services, drivers, linguists, and security contractors to work at its Iraqi facilities.
While these numbers pale in comparison to the more than 163,000 working in Iraq at the peak of the Iraq War, they are steadily growing. And with the fight against ISIS expected to take several years, it also represents a growing opportunity for defense, security, and logistics contractors, especially as work in Afghanistan begins to dry up.
It allows us to maintain the façade of no boots on the ground while at the same time growing our footprint, said Laura Dickinson, a law professor at George Washington University whose recent work has focused on regulating private military contractors.
CONTINUED...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/02/the-company-getting-rich-off-of-the-isis-war.html
Ol' OP: Funny how that works
As one who's been interested in this guy's comblicking companions in and out of government, including the cough Pentagon and cough cough cough CIA Wall Street Swiss banks cough Wendy Gramm of a combover War Party cough cough cough AKA BFEE, I hope they do. The traitors and warmongers who lied America into war may yet be held to account and face Justice.