A Spectre Of Bigger War In The Middle East

[Purveyor]

The United States and its coalition partners began air strikes on Islamic State organisation's (ISIS) positions inside Iraq and Syria. Though Pentagon claims to have inflicted severe damages to enemy forces and equipment, ISIS has successfully advanced close to the boarder city Korban. The Kurdish fighters have put up strong resistance but there are frequent calls for Turkish troops to move inside Syrian territory to thwart ISIS aggression. In the event Korban falls, a territory of 60 square kilometers would come under ISIS control and position them to Turkish border. Turkish President Erdogan has demanded "buffer zone" alongside Turkish border but inside Syrian territory enabling Kurdish fighters to operate against ISIS under protection of US-led coalition. There is also a growing realisation amongst the defence analysts that in the absence of ground troops the air strikes would not yield desired outcome. Pentagon is now reportedly reconsidering both setting up buffer zone and deploying ground troops. Should that happen, the US would be back to Mesopotamia in less than two years of its departure from the battlefield.

President Obama did not expect to lead another war even before he could terminate the two wars he inherited. His speech at the United Nations on September 24 has, therefore, been marked by anguish and disappointments. He dwelt on the major conflicts that have shattered the world in recent months and sought engagement of the international community to fight extremism. Obama found faults of Russia, Syria and evil forces for brining the world to the current precipice. He did not notice lapses on the part of the United States for letting the evils surface and causing mayhem in the Middle East. Obama began his speech with optimism highlighting that more people have been lifted from abject poverty, more people are now living with the governments they have elected and the world economy has turned around after the greatest financial crisis of our times. He reminded that membership of the United Nations has now tripled and existence of the UN itself marks a great achievement. But as he went on, his agony became profound. Obama posed two challenges to the delegates- "whether the nations here today will be able to renew the purpose of the UN's founding; and whether we will come together to reject the cancer of violent extremism."

This is understandable. Obama campaigned from anti-war platform and pledged to terminate wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only a few months ago, addressing the young cadets at the military academy in New York, Obama assured that they would not be deployed in the battlefields and stressed on multilateralism to confront the threats in the troubled spots. Obama fervently wanted his term in office to be marked by peace and negotiation instead of war and confrontation. He resisted the pressure of his political adversaries to get militarily involved in dislodging the Gaddafi and Assad regimes. Events, however, took a different turn and now Obama has to authorise air strikes on ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria. Military analysts believe it would take several years to defeat the ISIS. This implies an open-ended war with risks of losing lives and resources. Once casualties increase and protracted war begins to put strain on the economy, coalition partners might withdraw one after another. This had happened in wars against Korea, Vietnam and, more recently, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The war in Iraq was unjust, unlawful and orchestrated without any comprehensive plan. Millions of people at home and abroad opposed it; the UN disapproved the very premises of the war. Obama showed pragmatism in bringing the war to an end. But his advisers responsible for the "post withdrawal scenario" acted in haste without taking into account the sectarian rivalry looming over the horizon. Prime Minister Maliki brazenly pursued a sectarian policy almost in total exclusion of other communities to the extent that a Sunni Vice President fled to Saudi Arabia to escape execution. Parochialism lasted for eight years and the US administration, having its largest embassy in Baghdad, remained a silent observer. Sunni tribes, who played a significant role in expelling the militants out of Iraq, were cajoled by the government. The resurrection of ISIS is the corollary of short-sighted and parochial governance of Maliki.

The US did not seek approval of the UN to launch military offensives on ISIS positions. Instead, it built a larger coalition of countries, including the Arabs and the Gulf States. Following parliamentary endorsements, Turkey and Denmark have now joined the coalition. Meanwhile, the defectors have narrated horrific tales of ISIS brutality in the territory it controls. Obama told CBS correspondent that the international community underestimated the strength of ISIS but his critics have pointed out that CIA had highlighted the growing threat of the outfit. Now, there is only one trajectory available and that is a military response supplemented by political overtures.

Obama denounced Russia's annexation of Crimea and characterised it as a vision in which might makes right - that one nation's borders can be redrawn by another. Obama boasted, "America stands for something different. We believe that right makes might - that bigger nations should not be able to bully smaller ones; that people should be able to choose their own future". This brings Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the forefront. Israel for the past sixty five years has defied UN resolutions, dismissed fundamental rights of the Palestinians and denied them a home while United States extended unconditional support to Israel. Following the most recent conflict, Obama administration replenished Israel's stocks of ammunitions which have been used for killings over 2,000 Palestinians and ravaging their schools, hospitals and homes in Gaza. During the six years in office, Obama, on several occasions, raised hopes of the Palestinians. Obama pledged in 2009 that US would not grant legitimacy of Israeli settlements in occupied territory, that settlements are not helpful for peace building. He also said it is unfair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a country of his own. But whenever Palestinians tried to put up resistance against occupation, Obama reiterated his commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel. On this issue, Obama appeared long in rhetoric and short in action. Russian annexation of Crimea is as much wrong as much was US invasion of Iraq. US complicity in Israel's occupation of West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem is equally unacceptable as Russia's patronisation of secessionist movement in Ukraine is. Both US and Russia subscribe to the vision "might makes right" whenever it suits them.

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http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/10/12/60502

[quadrature]

1. how is Libya doing these days?

are there any other countries
that need to be destabilized?

[Skeowes28]

2. We are going back to iraq

I have a good friend in the army right now Obama will be send more troops into Iraq probably 10000 by the end of his term