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Mostly Cloudy Dealing with devils
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Iraq was an invention of the Western powers. The reality is that it is a loose collection of distinct groups — Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds — who will never again live in peace under a single government. The Kurds have established an autonomous region already, and the current Sunni-Shiite civil war can only lead to what Biden suggested: a division of the country along sectarian lines. That’s the reality on the ground there, whether fumbling U.S. policymakers ever get their heads out of the sand long enough to realize it or not.
“Dealing With Devils” is exactly how I would describe the situation we are in now. The Obama administration has just been standing by when it should have been developing alliances. The U.S. may have to work with Russia and China to restore order. The question now is, when and how does the free world stand up to maniacal savages, butchers and killers?
And before taking action, the U.S. had better recognize that, in order to save itself, the government of Saudi Arabia has been funneling billions to the terrorist organizations.
So who is going to help the U.S. end this bloody spree in Iraq?
Well, for now it looks like we have an unlikely ally in Iran. Yes, the same Iran that has been our nemesis since 1979, after the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The help from Iran will most likely be of a political nature, not military. The goal would be to have Iran’s government pressure Iraq’s Shiite leaders to stop the killing and reach out to Sunnis in a nonsectarian, diplomatic way.
President Obama recently deployed an additional 275 military personnel in Iraq, but has decided against immediate airstrikes on Sunni extremists. Instead he wants to provide intelligence to the Iraqi military and address the political divisions. But Sunnis and Shiites have been killing each other for centuries now. There will never be peace; these groups will always be at war.
There is no need to put more of our soldiers or dollars in harm’s way. This may seem callous, but it’s time to admit our failures in Iraq and begin to focus more on issues at home.
“Dealing With Devils” is exactly how I would describe the situation we are in now. The Obama administration has just been standing by when it should have been developing alliances. The U.S. may have to work with Russia and China to restore order. The question now is, when and how does the free world stand up to maniacal savages, butchers and killers?
And before taking action, the U.S. had better recognize that, in order to save itself, the government of Saudi Arabia has been funneling billions to the terrorist organizations.
So who is going to help the U.S. end this bloody spree in Iraq?
Well, for now it looks like we have an unlikely ally in Iran. Yes, the same Iran that has been our nemesis since 1979, after the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The help from Iran will most likely be of a political nature, not military. The goal would be to have Iran’s government pressure Iraq’s Shiite leaders to stop the killing and reach out to Sunnis in a nonsectarian, diplomatic way.
President Obama recently deployed an additional 275 military personnel in Iraq, but has decided against immediate airstrikes on Sunni extremists. Instead he wants to provide intelligence to the Iraqi military and address the political divisions. But Sunnis and Shiites have been killing each other for centuries now. There will never be peace; these groups will always be at war.
There is no need to put more of our soldiers or dollars in harm’s way. This may seem callous, but it’s time to admit our failures in Iraq and begin to focus more on issues at home.
Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.
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