Oh what a tangled web the Arab country, considered to be the Cradle of Civilization, has become! When George W. Bush’s squads launched “Shock and Awe” on the false premise that Iraq had stocks of weapons of mass destruction, Pandora’s Box was opened and out popped a gift with the message “With love to Iran,” a message obliterated by the concept of democracy and freedom.
Iraqis proudly showed off their purple fingers which to them signified a bright future, free of dictatorship, and what did they get—heightened sectarianism, mass displacement, terrorist attacks, death and destruction. Some 15,000 Iraqis were robbed of their lives in 2014, so, however which way the US cares to spin it, the neoconservative-driven Bush administration was the catalyst of this eleven-year-long ongoing Iraqi tragedy. For all the Western propaganda, prior to 2003, Iraqis of all ethnic and religious stripes lived together, socialized together, even prayed together—and inter-sectarian marriages were common. Furthermore, Saddam ran too much of a tight ship to permit terrorist infiltration.
Let’s quit fooling ourselves. Iraq and its Arab neighbors are certainly not better off following Saddam Hussein’s enforced exit. For all his many faults and security excesses, he was an Arab patriot who kept his country from splintering and under his watch Iraq was seen as a staunch Arab buffer against Iranian territorial ambitions within the region. Yes, he made very grave errors of judgment, such as Iraq’s invasion of a brotherly Arab state, Kuwait, and his alleged chemical attacks on pro-Iranian Iraqi Kurds. But it appears that one devil has been swapped for a whole host of them.
Iraq today is a mere shadow of its former mighty self. Its army has become the stuff of jokes since it ran in the face of a relatively small band of crazies that have since morphed into the self-ascribed Islamic State (Daesh) and now occupies a significant swathe of the country. Former Prime Minister Al-Maliki has been blamed for expunging the military of Sunni generals while his security apparatus discriminated against Sunni tribes. And it’s only right that he should accept his share of blame for alienating the Sunni population. However, the US broke it and has a moral duty to fix it.
Instead, President Obama ignored Al-Maliki’s appeals for assistance in combating Daesh for months and until now is withholding a consignment of Apache helicopters that Iraq has already paid for. Obama reluctantly dipped his toes in the water with airstrikes only when many thousands of Yezidis fleeing from IS fighters were trapped on a mountaintop without sustenance. The US-led coalition has, in truth, succeeded in weakening the IS’ capabilities, but is nowhere close to eradicating the threat, despite the fact that, according to the Pentagon, the US alone has flown 13,232 combat missions and dropped 3,891 munitions. The US president has all but ruled out inserting ground troops due to domestic public opinion as well as his fraught relationship with Congress, when as most military strategists would tell him the only way to cleanse Iraq of these terrorists is to put boots on the ground.
Iraq was tentatively thrust under the sway of the Iranian ayatollahs with a Shiite-dominated government encompassing prominent figures, including Al-Maliki, who spent years in exile enjoying Iranian hospitality. Iraq’s foreign policy has closely mirrored Iran’s since the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces. Iran also trains and funds Iraqi Shiite militias and is Iraq’s primary trading partner.
Now that Obama’s lack of gumption vis-à-vis Daesh has been exposed, Iran is set to be the beneficiary. It is expanding its influence over this Arab country daily. Iran has launched airstrikes in eastern Iraq and has deployed Iranian Revolutionary Guards in country, “advisers” said to be engaged in armed combat. Iraq has recently signed a defense pact with Iran, which includes the training, advising and assisting of Iraqi forces. “We assume Iran’s increased support for the Iraqi armed forces as a strategic necessity,” explained Khalid Al-Obeidi, Iraq’s Minister of Defense. Strange, when Iraq has a similar agreement with the US! This must surely imply that Washington isn’t up to the task.
The White House has expressed dismay over growing Iranian involvement in Iraq on the grounds that this undermines efforts to further Sunni-Shiite relations, but Obama has only himself to blame. His latest offering of less than 3,000 troops, supposedly there in an advisory capacity, is nothing more than a token force. On the other hand, Iran has announced it will do what it takes to rid its Arab neighbor of the IS menace that threatens Shiite holy sites throughout Iraq.
In fairness, the Arab world doesn’t deserve to be let off the hook either. Iran and its Shiite proxies now control four Arab capitals—Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and Sanaa. Amid the mess the US purposefully or unwittingly created, the Iranians are the only ones laughing.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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Benefiting from the US’s weakness
Posted on January 8, 2015 by Linda S. Heard
Oh what a tangled web the Arab country, considered to be the Cradle of Civilization, has become! When George W. Bush’s squads launched “Shock and Awe” on the false premise that Iraq had stocks of weapons of mass destruction, Pandora’s Box was opened and out popped a gift with the message “With love to Iran,” a message obliterated by the concept of democracy and freedom.
Iraqis proudly showed off their purple fingers which to them signified a bright future, free of dictatorship, and what did they get—heightened sectarianism, mass displacement, terrorist attacks, death and destruction. Some 15,000 Iraqis were robbed of their lives in 2014, so, however which way the US cares to spin it, the neoconservative-driven Bush administration was the catalyst of this eleven-year-long ongoing Iraqi tragedy. For all the Western propaganda, prior to 2003, Iraqis of all ethnic and religious stripes lived together, socialized together, even prayed together—and inter-sectarian marriages were common. Furthermore, Saddam ran too much of a tight ship to permit terrorist infiltration.
Let’s quit fooling ourselves. Iraq and its Arab neighbors are certainly not better off following Saddam Hussein’s enforced exit. For all his many faults and security excesses, he was an Arab patriot who kept his country from splintering and under his watch Iraq was seen as a staunch Arab buffer against Iranian territorial ambitions within the region. Yes, he made very grave errors of judgment, such as Iraq’s invasion of a brotherly Arab state, Kuwait, and his alleged chemical attacks on pro-Iranian Iraqi Kurds. But it appears that one devil has been swapped for a whole host of them.
Iraq today is a mere shadow of its former mighty self. Its army has become the stuff of jokes since it ran in the face of a relatively small band of crazies that have since morphed into the self-ascribed Islamic State (Daesh) and now occupies a significant swathe of the country. Former Prime Minister Al-Maliki has been blamed for expunging the military of Sunni generals while his security apparatus discriminated against Sunni tribes. And it’s only right that he should accept his share of blame for alienating the Sunni population. However, the US broke it and has a moral duty to fix it.
Instead, President Obama ignored Al-Maliki’s appeals for assistance in combating Daesh for months and until now is withholding a consignment of Apache helicopters that Iraq has already paid for. Obama reluctantly dipped his toes in the water with airstrikes only when many thousands of Yezidis fleeing from IS fighters were trapped on a mountaintop without sustenance. The US-led coalition has, in truth, succeeded in weakening the IS’ capabilities, but is nowhere close to eradicating the threat, despite the fact that, according to the Pentagon, the US alone has flown 13,232 combat missions and dropped 3,891 munitions. The US president has all but ruled out inserting ground troops due to domestic public opinion as well as his fraught relationship with Congress, when as most military strategists would tell him the only way to cleanse Iraq of these terrorists is to put boots on the ground.
Iraq was tentatively thrust under the sway of the Iranian ayatollahs with a Shiite-dominated government encompassing prominent figures, including Al-Maliki, who spent years in exile enjoying Iranian hospitality. Iraq’s foreign policy has closely mirrored Iran’s since the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces. Iran also trains and funds Iraqi Shiite militias and is Iraq’s primary trading partner.
Now that Obama’s lack of gumption vis-à-vis Daesh has been exposed, Iran is set to be the beneficiary. It is expanding its influence over this Arab country daily. Iran has launched airstrikes in eastern Iraq and has deployed Iranian Revolutionary Guards in country, “advisers” said to be engaged in armed combat. Iraq has recently signed a defense pact with Iran, which includes the training, advising and assisting of Iraqi forces. “We assume Iran’s increased support for the Iraqi armed forces as a strategic necessity,” explained Khalid Al-Obeidi, Iraq’s Minister of Defense. Strange, when Iraq has a similar agreement with the US! This must surely imply that Washington isn’t up to the task.
The White House has expressed dismay over growing Iranian involvement in Iraq on the grounds that this undermines efforts to further Sunni-Shiite relations, but Obama has only himself to blame. His latest offering of less than 3,000 troops, supposedly there in an advisory capacity, is nothing more than a token force. On the other hand, Iran has announced it will do what it takes to rid its Arab neighbor of the IS menace that threatens Shiite holy sites throughout Iraq.
In fairness, the Arab world doesn’t deserve to be let off the hook either. Iran and its Shiite proxies now control four Arab capitals—Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and Sanaa. Amid the mess the US purposefully or unwittingly created, the Iranians are the only ones laughing.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.