Friends And Allies
Well, there's delusional, wishful thinking. "Mr. Prime Minister, as we end this war, and as Iraq faces its future, the Iraqi people must know that you will not stand alone. You have a strong and enduring partner in the United States of America." President Barack Obama, emoting on the enduring reliability and friendship of the United States for the people and the administration of Iraq.
It's certainly true that the United States of America invested much in its ill-fated and provisionally rash decision to invade Iraq and remove its tyrant, Saddam Hussein. Who wasn't, actually, much of a threat to the United States. If anything, he was quite content to work with the United States. Which he did up until the point that he decided to re-arrange the map of the Middle East.
Saddam Hussein shared a religious affinity and adherence with Syria, they were both Baathist. But Islamic sects are truly Byzantine; Hussein was Sunni and the al-Assad family were Alawite, an offshoot of Shia. Where Saddam subjugated and humiliated the Shia population of Iraq, the al-Assad family subjugated the Sunni population of Syria.
Yet now, when the United States asserts that Bashar al-Assad whose troops have been brutally putting down a nation-wide insurrection, must go because he has lost the trust of his people and lost any respect he had in the international community, now facing international demands that he depart, while the UN declares him an criminal oppressor, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki demurs.
The United States and its allies, while occupying Iraq after the initial invasion, and attempting to quell the atrocities of the sectarian violence that had been unleashed with the removal of Saddam Hussein, accused and fulminated against Syria for its deliberate open borders that permitted the entry into Iraq of violently fanatic Islamists who fought against the foreign troops, killing both Americans and Iraqis.
Iran, across the border from Iraq on the other side, encouraged the Shia population to rise against the Sunnis. And the militant Iraqi Shia leader, Moqtada Sadr whose forces plagued American troops remains closely aligned to the Iranian leadership. The U.S. lost almost 4,500 of its troops in Iraq. There were 170,000 American soldiers stationed in the country at one time, on 505 bases.
It cost the U.S. Treasury close to a trillion dollars to wage its war in Iraq. A cost which undoubtedly horribly exacerbated the current financial downturn to bring the United States close to economic collapse and which extended itself internationally in a global economic crisis which is slowly being turned around.
It doesn't seem likely that with its final departure, having been unable to secure an agreement to have some troops remain to have a say on Iraq's security, trade and commerce, that a strong relationship will be maintained between Iraq and the United States. "Iraq, today, has a lot of wealth and it needs experience and expertise, and American and foreign expertise, to help it exploit its own wealth", assured Prime Minister al-Maliki.
But he stated this, diplomatically, while on a trip to Washington. While at the same time, he stated diplomatically, that Syria had the right to pursue democratic freedoms just as Iraqis had, and he had no "right" to demand another leader's removal. Despite the fact that the United States made an immense investment of $1-billion in building its largest embassy in Iraq, staffed by no fewer than 17,000 U.S. staff, it faces insurmountable problems.
The influence of Iran on majority-ruled Shiite Iraq will be indisputable in short order. The entire geography of the Middle East is unsettled and becoming more flammable as time moves on. The balance of Islamic sects with Sunni contesting Shia and vice versa only adds to the ferment of oppressed populations demanding their corrupt and tyrannical governments heed their discontent.
The traditional allies of the West and particularly the United States appear to be slipping, just as the U.S. itself found it difficult, under this administration, to remain constant to its former allies. The wan performance of President Barack Obama attempting to bring Prime Minister al-Maliki closer to the values of the United States and inspire him to pledge allegiance to a common goal, fell flat.
It's certainly true that the United States of America invested much in its ill-fated and provisionally rash decision to invade Iraq and remove its tyrant, Saddam Hussein. Who wasn't, actually, much of a threat to the United States. If anything, he was quite content to work with the United States. Which he did up until the point that he decided to re-arrange the map of the Middle East.
Saddam Hussein shared a religious affinity and adherence with Syria, they were both Baathist. But Islamic sects are truly Byzantine; Hussein was Sunni and the al-Assad family were Alawite, an offshoot of Shia. Where Saddam subjugated and humiliated the Shia population of Iraq, the al-Assad family subjugated the Sunni population of Syria.
Yet now, when the United States asserts that Bashar al-Assad whose troops have been brutally putting down a nation-wide insurrection, must go because he has lost the trust of his people and lost any respect he had in the international community, now facing international demands that he depart, while the UN declares him an criminal oppressor, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki demurs.
The United States and its allies, while occupying Iraq after the initial invasion, and attempting to quell the atrocities of the sectarian violence that had been unleashed with the removal of Saddam Hussein, accused and fulminated against Syria for its deliberate open borders that permitted the entry into Iraq of violently fanatic Islamists who fought against the foreign troops, killing both Americans and Iraqis.
Iran, across the border from Iraq on the other side, encouraged the Shia population to rise against the Sunnis. And the militant Iraqi Shia leader, Moqtada Sadr whose forces plagued American troops remains closely aligned to the Iranian leadership. The U.S. lost almost 4,500 of its troops in Iraq. There were 170,000 American soldiers stationed in the country at one time, on 505 bases.
It cost the U.S. Treasury close to a trillion dollars to wage its war in Iraq. A cost which undoubtedly horribly exacerbated the current financial downturn to bring the United States close to economic collapse and which extended itself internationally in a global economic crisis which is slowly being turned around.
It doesn't seem likely that with its final departure, having been unable to secure an agreement to have some troops remain to have a say on Iraq's security, trade and commerce, that a strong relationship will be maintained between Iraq and the United States. "Iraq, today, has a lot of wealth and it needs experience and expertise, and American and foreign expertise, to help it exploit its own wealth", assured Prime Minister al-Maliki.
But he stated this, diplomatically, while on a trip to Washington. While at the same time, he stated diplomatically, that Syria had the right to pursue democratic freedoms just as Iraqis had, and he had no "right" to demand another leader's removal. Despite the fact that the United States made an immense investment of $1-billion in building its largest embassy in Iraq, staffed by no fewer than 17,000 U.S. staff, it faces insurmountable problems.
The influence of Iran on majority-ruled Shiite Iraq will be indisputable in short order. The entire geography of the Middle East is unsettled and becoming more flammable as time moves on. The balance of Islamic sects with Sunni contesting Shia and vice versa only adds to the ferment of oppressed populations demanding their corrupt and tyrannical governments heed their discontent.
The traditional allies of the West and particularly the United States appear to be slipping, just as the U.S. itself found it difficult, under this administration, to remain constant to its former allies. The wan performance of President Barack Obama attempting to bring Prime Minister al-Maliki closer to the values of the United States and inspire him to pledge allegiance to a common goal, fell flat.
Labels: Conflict, Crisis Politics, Middle East, United States
posted by Pieface | 8:28 PM
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