Thursday, July 24, 2014

The Prosecution of Christians In Parts Of Iraq Controlled by ISIS

This NYT editorial is critical of the Maliki government in Iraq.  ISSI, which is an offshoot of Al Guada, has been persecuting Christians and has given them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, or to leave the part of Iraq that it controls.  The editorial suggests that Parliament remove Maliki and replace him with a leader that can unite the country, and strengthen the military which has been unable to prevent the advance by ISIS.  Iraq had such a leader before he was removed after the invasion of Iraq by the US.  His methods of controlling the various factions in Iraq were brutal.  It is doubtful that a new leader in Iraq can defeat ISIS and unite the country in the process.  The editorial board of the NYT is engaged in wishful thinking.  Iraq is not ready for a George Washington to unite the country and create a democracy. 

The elder George Bush was encouraged to depose Iraq's dictator after our first war with Iraq.  He was advised against opening a hornet's nest in Iraq, and he decided against those who supported regime change in Iraq.  He also advised his son against making the mistake that he avoided.  We have been living with the mistake made by the junior Bush for eight years.  Al Quada which was not a force in Iraq has become more powerful in Iraq and elsewhere in the Mideast.  We have been left with a broken and dangerous situation in Iraq and in the Mideast as a result one of the worst foreign policy decisions in our history.  I am reminded that George Bush's popularity soared after the invasion of Iraq.  Putin's popularity in Russia has also risen dramatically after his interventions in Ukraine.  It is not surprising that leaders take advantage of military power when the public responds as it does to a display of national power.


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