When a great power destroys itself
The war launched on September 11, 2001, was designed to inaugurate a new American century. It certainly did that, but not in the way America’s leaders expected.
Tag Archives: Iraq
What do we do now in Syria?
The world watches as Assad and Putin destroy Aleppo. Only a few years ago, western leaders hoped resistance organized from Aleppo …
Does Iraq still exist?
Has Iraq broken up? That might seem like one of those questions where the answer is self-evident, but perhaps not. If the country has broken up for good, why do we still refer to it as one country? Long after the process of breaking up began, we still refer to Iraq as a single state. Why is that?
Obama and Rouhani best friends forever
We’ve heard the word ‘legacy’ again as we learn of Washington’s recent agreement with Iran. What do you predict about Obama’s legacy? …
Iraq: the truth about what they did is plain to everyone
The leaders who started this war are responsible for serious incompetence. Of course they do not want to admit that. When a politician comes along who frankly and publicly points out the consequences of their malfeasance, those leaders will not respond in a friendly way. They will defend themselves, even if the truth about what they did is plain to everyone.
Setback in Ramadi
Whatever plans the Islamic State carries out, Iraq is partitioned. The Kurds will not relinquish their sizable enclave. Iraqi Shiites will fight hard for their large chunk of oil-rich territory. Who in the entire eastern territories would have real motivation to retake the western part of the country from the Islamic State?
Middle Eastern foreign policy: former leader without a clue
I read an article today about how United States foreign policy in the Middle East has become incoherent. Duh. It …
Universal doctrine of destruction
The news from Syria and Iraq gets worse and worse. As Washington cranked up its propaganda machine in 2002 and …
A spreading brawl and world war undo the United States
I’ve been thinking a fair amount lately about how we arrived at the current war in the Middle East, and …
Rhetoric of war
Here’s a quotation from the president’s speech on Wednesday, September 10, broadcast from the White House: Now let’s make two …
Our foreign policy: disingenuous impotence and dishonesty
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Today I authorized two operations in Iraq — targeted airstrikes to protect our American personnel, [and …
Memory holes everywhere
The latest warnings about Iraq are that leaders in Iraq must make political progress, or the country will plunge into …
The Jeffersonian 