[DAWN] UNLESS there is a dramatic improvement in the situation, of which there is little possibility, Iraq may go Syria's way -- or worse. Unlike Iraq, no Syrian territory is secession-prone. There is a small Kurdish minority, but it is not concentrated in a border region as it is in northern Iraq on the Turkish border. That's why, despite 33 months of fighting, which has resulted in 130,000 fatalities, Syria still exists. In Iraq, post-America democracy has failed to work, despite two general elections and a third around the corner. Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... , prime minister since 2006, wants a third term, but there is nothing to his credit, for he has failed to give his country what is every government's first duty -- peace. Friday gave another indication of Iraq's precarious situation when some 100 people were killed in festivities between security forces and Al Qaeda-linked faceless myrmidons in the Ramadi and Fallujah areas. Violence began on Monday after Mr Maliki ordered the security forces to break up camps set up by Sunni protesters, saying they had turned into Al Qaeda's headquarters. It is an indication of the myrmidons' strength that immediately after the government forces left, the jihadis moved in, attacked cop shoppes and were in control of the area, prompting the government to act again.
On the rise in the heart of the Middle East is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It is now operating in both countries, and along with Jabhat al-Nusra is the strongest military force in Syria. In Iraq, the Maliki government's centralised policies have provoked a reaction even from Shia-majority provinces. The provinces complain they are not given their share of oil revenues in violation of the constitution. Many provinces also envy the autonomy enjoyed by oil-rich Kurdistan and seek similar status. A solution needs a political approach, but Mr Maliki has yet to prove he can rise to the occasion. The result is Iraq's frightening slide into anarchy. Unfortunately, there are no personalities or organizations that could prevail upon all parties in Iraq and Syria to abjure violence and go for a political solution, for both the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are little better than debating forums.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
#1
You know, I went to high school with Ann Archy, and she use to say "life is what you make of it."
Iraq will make of itself what it wants and if the government can't make or take a stand well, they atleast they had a chance...
Posted by: Black Charlie ||
01/07/2014 1:53 Comments ||
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The Iraq war was a war of liberation. It was not an invasion, but a war started because Saddam Hussein welched on the 1991 ceasefire agreement over a period of 12 years, by repeatedly firing on US aircraft. For the love of all that's holy stop calling it an invasion. Our forces freed Iraq. What the Iraqis did afterwards was on them not us.
#1
The Iraq war was a test of theory "People naturally love Freedom & Democracy and will adopt them if we remove the tyrants keeping them in subjugation." Tests (cf. Iraq, and Libya, and "Palestinian Territories", and Syria) results indicate that the theory is not universally applicable.
Rep. Mel Watt was sworn in Monday afternoon as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). His nomination was originally blocked by a Republican filibuster because of concerns that Watts political involvement and close ties with the administration would be a detriment to the mission of the FHFA. When Senate Democrats changed the rules using the nuclear option, however, Watt was easily confirmed.
Weeks before he was sworn in, Watt emailed reporters the first surprising policy change he plans to make. Immediately after taking office, he intends to delay FHFA rate hikes until such time as I have had the opportunity to evaluate fully the rationale for the plan, according to the Journal. The rate hikes, which were announced last month, were intended to give private companies a better chance to compete in the housing market.
Watts actions to delay the rate hikes will slow down the return of private capital to the market and would further entrench the governments role in housing, Edward Pinto, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Caller.
The result will be an increase in risky lending and greater reliance on government guarantees, Pinto said. This is not good news for Americas homeowners, as home equity is the primary asset of most families.
Furthermore, Watt has shown a strong preference for government-driven policies that encourage homeownership at taxpayers risk.
Mel Watts confirmation as FHFA director poses great risk for the nations homeowners, said Pinto. Like the HUD secretaries before him, Mr. Watt has broad and nearly unfettered authority to impose risky lending standards on Fannie and Freddie pursuant to the congressionally-mandated affordable housing goals. All evidence indicates that Mr. Watt remains a strong supporter of these mandates notwithstanding general agreement that they were misguided.
Obama claimed in a December statement that Watt would be the right regulator to make sure the kind of crisis we just went through never happens again. But Watt had a significant role in causing the last financial crisis.
#5
If 4000 years of the history of human behavior is any means of measurement, democracy is a rare and unique form of organization. The natural historical state of human governance is the basic hierarchical arrangement of power and castes. Democracy requires rare and unique circumstances to take hold and flourish. You are witnessing up front what happens in the long run as its institutions are eroded by groups and individuals pursuit of power right here. The phrase 'white privilege' is just another way of promoting anti-democratic agendas. Why would any rational person expect democracy to magically appear among those who have no record of cultural institutions that provide a basis upon which to build?
#7
We invaded the country to destroy weapons of mass destruction. We stayed to nation build. And we failed at both. I disagree. We accomplished both goals while we were there. We did destroy WMDs. Saddam was brought to justice as were his lunatic sons. We set up a process for elections and a democratic government. It is not our fault if the Iraqis did not follow through on the goal of nation-building after we left. Had we stayed, we might have been able to create a strategic wedge between Iran and the rest of the Muslim world. However, we never brought about the kind of destruction of Iraq that resulted in Germany's and Japan's capitulation and surrender after 4 years. Maybe we erred.
#8
The phrase 'white privilege' is just another way of promoting anti-democratic agendas. Why would any rational person expect democracy to magically appear among those who have no record of cultural institutions that provide a basis upon which to build?
The comments reminded me of some recent devotionals that point out why Operation Iraqi Freedom didn't endure: (excerpts)
Moses reiterated the well-known refrain, Let my people go! & it is the reoccurring phrase in the Exodus story and applied to freedom movements throughout history. However, people often miss what immediately follows that phrase: so that they may worship me.
Why? Because freedom is meaningless without purpose. In fact, freedom can be dangerous without direction.
The point of the Exodus was not to set the children of Israel free. The goal was that they would be free so that they could serve God ..The final plague prior to the Exodus is the death of every firstborn from Pharaohs son to the slaves son to the firstborn of every animal. However, there is a glaring question that we need to address. In ancient times, the Pharaoh was always a firstborn. The question is why didnt he die in the plague?
Hadnt Pharaoh sinned enough to deserve death? Later on, we read that Pharaoh and his army followed the Israelites into the sea and then the sea came crashing down on them, killing everyone except for one person. Pharaoh was left standing. Alone, he took in the massive destruction that he had brought upon his land. Why was he allowed to live? ..According to Jewish tradition, this Pharaoh later became king of Nineveh. Remember Nineveh? Thats the city of wicked people that the prophet Jonah was commanded to warn of imminent destruction. When Jonah came to Nineveh and warned the city that if they didnt repent, they would be destroyed, the king immediately commanded everyone in the city to fast and repent. The Sages credit this quick and full response to the fact that this king had already witnessed the hand of Gods destruction because this king was either Pharaoh or his direct descendant. He had learned his lesson the hard way, and he was not about to make the same mistake ..This extra information about Pharaoh explains to us why God kept him alive. Ultimately, God does not desire death or suffering. God wants us to live and learn. For Pharaoh, that was best accomplished by keeping him alive so that he could appreciate his mistakes.Eventually, he repented and brought about the repentance of the entire city of Nineveh. When we are going through challenges and trials in life, it is so important to realize that God takes no pleasure in our suffering. The point of everything we experience the good, the bad, the painful, and the pleasurable is so we will learn and change for the better.
Ninevah is the modern Mosul in Iraq .I'd say there are still many who "don't know their left-hand from the right" there and haven't learned a thing over the millennia even as painful it has been. They'd behead Jonah after they cut his tongue out today and even Paul was prevented by the Holy Spirit from entering the region, so I won't hold my breath.
#9
According to the book the J curve there is a point when the GDP is high enough that Democracy is almost guaranteed. Taiwan, Korea, Chile and a few others followed this pattern because at some point the country develops enough people who are wealthy enough to want a say in politics.
Before that point its seriously hit & miss. I believe it can be done but I also doubt if it is worth spending blood and tax money like that.
#10
...it's called a 'middle class'. Which by merit and ability develop via routes in the culture to gain a corollary of power with old world type castes. If you notice, that just the very group the current power manipulators have set out to destroy in America.
#1
Sorry Bill, but you have lived too long in California... you can't seem to bring yourself to say Democrats, instead it is the Progressives, don't hide tell it like it is Democrats... as for the rest of this soliloquy...
Posted by: Black Charlie ||
01/07/2014 1:47 Comments ||
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#2
Progressives=neo-Marxists
redistribution, collectivism, overpowering central government with massive intrusive central planning
#3
You can't seem to bring yourself to say Democrats, instead it is the Progressives, don't hide tell it like it is Democrats
Not all Democrats are progressives. If one is trying to win over those Democrats, it usually makes sense not to demonize them. Ron Reagan figured that out.
Then again, strategy and far-sightedness do seem to be in short supply here (though the lame graphics have not as of late.)
#4
Don't believe that crap about there being 1 Democrat party and 2 Republican parties.
There are, at least, three legit groups who vote Democrat.
1. The Democrat, who believes that social net programs are a net benefit but also knows the bills have to be paid in order for those benefits to have funding.
2. The Liberal, who believes that social net programs are a net benefit, and they need to be in place now and the costs will be tallied later. Sort of a charge of the light brigade.
3. The Progressive, who believes we are all of one hive and like insects should have a caste system with thinkers and doers, with morality defined by at the moment human thinking.
That does not take into consideration the preservationist, the little big man, the voting dead, the peer pressured, the strong arm pressured, and the plantation tyrants.
Just saying as someone who knows plenty of people who vote democrat; same destination different routes. Many of them have the problem of playing stud when the game is draw, lump voting along party lines is an insect's game. Vote party line sure, but to do so based on knowledge.
The real concern is the half of the population who does not vote at all. Somebody needs to take a horse on a rowboat across the Delaware River in this weather just to show a small penny of the cost of our freedom, and people can't find 1 hour every four years to choose their boss, whether apathy or disgust, both need to be brought into the fold. Its like watching a football game where only five players from each team are playing.
4. The Democrat who comes from a long line of voting Democrat and just never considered voting for the other party because they are 'yucky' even if honest would find they agree with the other party more often than not.
5. The Democrat who is a union worker and knows the Dems will protect his pension and exempt him from obamacare and somehow the country will survive.
#6
As a young man I was dating a young lady out of a US big city (who modeled for Hyatt Regency ads at that time) when we decided to visit my parents in Texas. They treated like she was one of the girls in the family.
She had never been fishing but when she dropped her first hook into the private pond with a minnow that I had to bait for her she caught her first fish before I could lean over an grab my pole to fish too. She was catching fish so fast I ordered her to bait her own hook so I could have fun fishing too, and she gladly did so. She was having a fun.
The next day we went shooting for the first time in her life and my father taught her how to shoot a rifle, shot gun and hand gun. I did not know how that affected her. She was raised hate guns.
On the way back out of Texas back to the big city I asked her how she liked shooting. She started bawling like a baby. Said she never had anyone take time to teach her so much the way my father taught her things down in Texas. Meant more to her than the fishing or the shooting. It was the people and their love for freedom to do all things and their willingness to share their love of life with her with out abandon.
A man once said about the word "Texan", its a word that is hard to describe to other people.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/07/2014 16:16 Comments ||
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#8
Yep Red, she was a keeper. The hook was set, I had myself a big catch, but I didn't reel her in. I was young, too full of piss and vinegar to make the right decisions about relationships. She had a scholarship and so I let her get away a few weeks later when she headed off to another year of college. Regretted that for several years.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Nouri al-Maliki
