Issues Under Fire: FUBAR: A Realistic Assessment of Iraq
One can only imagine the initial reactions of the first contingent of military advisors to arrive in Iraq. Undoubtedly staring into the faces of the hopelessly incompetent, trying to determine if what's left of the Iraqi military is worth the effort won't be easy. What the U.S. will have to work with if conditions warrant moving forward, has to be a shell of what was left in place after the last boots hit the bricks in 2011.
Since Nouri al-Maliki decided to take a hard line despite how poorly the ISF has performed thus far, he must have concluded (at the very least), he can hold Baghdad. Getting support from Syrian air strikes and reinforcements from seasoned Iranian fighters (much to Washington's chagrin), perhaps Maliki has deluded himself into believing he can weather the storm. Maybe he thinks anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's crazy crews is ready to kick some Sunni ass again. Perhaps he's counting on the U.S. stepping in eventually, if only to protect its own regional interest and assets.
Nouri al-Maliki is wrong. Nouri al-Maliki is dead wrong. Not voluntarily stepping down for the good of the greater Iraq is a cataclysmic and irreversible mistake. The sectarian storm clouds that's gathering in the Middle East will only grow. If he insist upon whipping the winds of war, by rejecting the emergency "National Salvation Government" proposal, that storm will sweep across the entire region, blowing past borders like the desert sands.
Bottom line: If Nouri al-Maliki can't be convinced that his current course of action will only lead to the needless deaths of thousands, the displacement of millions and the disintegration of nations, no military power on earth will be able to reconstruct the devastated region. No Podcast today. This "Issue" needs more thought before any more talk!
BTW, you haven't been left hanging as we got another cool episode of Philip Marlowe entitled Heat Wave.
Just click below!
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