Tuesday 17 June 2014

What to do with Iraq?

I've been asked to provide a post or commentary on what is happening in Iraq [one snarky arsehole complained that I cared more about 3 Jews, than I do about half a million Christians & the rest of the Iraqi population -utter bollocks!- because I have been praying & fasting  earnestly for both situations, since Saturday, going through the Psalms ]. Whilst I want to steer this blog toward matters more spiritual, than political, I agree it an important event which needs an airing.

So here goes....

OK, so after thinking this through overnight,as I see things -

1. The Sunni and Shia hate each others guts and are going through a bloody civil war across the middle east, worse possibly than anything Europe ever saw during the height of the Reformation wars.

2. One camp is being led by Iran, the other Saudi Arabia.

3. The Christians of the region are caught between these two fires and are suffering terribly as a result.

4.Both sides are united in loathing for Israel and wanting to wipe her off the map.

5. No-one knows what to do about any of this.

So what does the west do? Is doing what Obama/Kerry & some GOP Senators are now saying- Carl can correct here, but I believe Lindsay Graham has said this as well- that there is a need to cooperate with Iran over the situation in Iraq. Isn't the danger there that the country will either fall under Iranian control or that the country will be divided along ethnic lines... which would upset NATO partner Turkey (re Kurds)...

What a bloody shambolic mess. What to do?

Having thought some more, we have several options -

1. Retake Iraq by force, occupy it and govern it as in the old mandate days, because we are responsible for this mess, after overthrowing Saddam.

2. Do nothing and possibly let Iran control Iraq as a puppet state.

3. Do nothing, watch the region go up in flames and quote Kissinger 'It is a pity they can't both loose' & deal with whoever comes up on top.

3. Co-operate with Iran and formally split Iraq into various states along ethnic and tribal lines

4. Do the same with Syria.

5. As part of 3 and 4, create a new Christian state for the regions Christians

6. Send in a gunboat   Nimitz Class Super Carrier battle group, with the Brits in toe and bomb and few tents to make it look like we are doing something.


None of these are good options or satisfactory, depending on where you are sitting. I haven't come to a conclusion about any of these options. It is clear some of them simply won't be considered by western policy makers, but that doesn't in itself make them invalid. Are there any others? What do readers think?

Also- we must NOT forget to submit this situation to G-d in our prayers.

4 comments:

  1. I dunno about all of this , it makes my head spin. What are the Americans doing talking to Iran of all countries? Haven't they heard of the fable of the frog and the scorpion?

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  2. "the fable of the frog and the scorpion"



    Good point there. I believe they see things differently - the enemy of my enemy is my friend,would be the counter.

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  3. There are humanitarian groups for intervening, but that always seems to backfire on the west. If the Arab and Muslim world is so unified and pompously talks about this, then perhaps it is they who need to send in a peacekeeping force and deal with the humanitarian side. I'm not holding my breath.

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  4. Sadly true, all they can do with blame the west and Israel (quite what Israel has got to do with this, fuck knows, but that's the way they see things). Meanwhile their own people get hacked to death.

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