Here is a question for those that are not meek…..what will be the future of the Middle East? And of course those “people” on the Right will have all sorts of clever yet disgusting thoughts to spew….but this is a serious question that needs some thought.
Now I know I will get all kinds of comments ranging from the typical to the sublime….not one of them show any sort of thought….but they must say something….even if it is dead wrong.
When this bout of barbarism is done and make no mistake it will end…..the Middle East will be a different place….I think it will be nothing like what most Western envision when asked this question…..
While embedded with U.S. Special Operations Forces in 2007, I witnessed firsthand America’s incredible ability to apply technology to the battlefield. The digital map layered on Iraq’s topography was rich with satellite feeds, drone surveillance, heat maps of local violence, real-time situation reports from troops on the ground, and other forms of human and signals intelligence. With about two hours’ notice, special ops teams could strike anywhere in the country. During the so-called surge, the “op tempo” was relentless, and yet the coalition’s ability to hold Iraq together was fleeting at best. One cool and cloudy night, while walking around Balad Air Base northwest of Baghdad with a senior commander, I asked him point- blank, “Are all these gizmos necessary because you can’t speak Arabic?”
Political goals imposed on a complex cultural geography from halfway around the world stand little chance of surviving even a year. And the post-colonial map of the Middle East has lasted not even a century, and in many cases not even half that. Now it is time for the Arab world to build a new map for itself, to evolve from Sykes Picot towards a Pax Arabia.
Before that there should be some consideration in the possibility of the US disengaging from the region as soon as possible……let’s be honest…..foreign oil is NOT as important today as it was 20 years ago….so a disengagement would not hurt this country at all….with the exception of the M-IC that is making billions off of war and destruction.
Our disengagement could be bring a speedy end to this conflict cycle that we have created…..
The Orlando and San Bernardino shootings have led important personalities to make several suggestions, both workable and unworkable. These range from banning the entry of Muslim immigrants into the United States to tighter gun control. However, hardly anyone seems to have asked the fundamental question: why have some radicalized inhabitants of broader Middle Eastern origin developed such hatred for Americans that they are willing not only to inflict tremendous suffering on innocent civilians, but also to lay down their own lives in the process?
The answer lies in the history and extent of American involvement in the broader Middle East ranging from Turkey to Pakistan, what has been called the “arc of crisis”. The United States was often involved on the wrong side of the internal and regional conflicts in this region, supporting authoritarian regimes to maintain control over restive populations. More important, the extent of its involvement—especially in the post–Cold War era—has far exceeded its economic and strategic interests in the region.
Source: It’s Time for America to Disengage From the Middle East | The National Interest Blog
Next week I will return to posting on my research on terrorism…I have been helping a my friend by teaching a bloc in his course…..sorry for the delay but I have been working my skinny butt off….
I don’t agree with the Map…
Neither do I….this was a draft I had in reserve and the map is an older one…sorry about that…
The way the ME is breaking down these days there is a possibility of something similar…..the ISIS thing is becoming less and less….
But who created ISIS and for what? In 2015 ISIS was controlling half of Syria and Iraq…Saudi Arabia private funds help them and even Turkey in the past: US allies, US is certainly aware of all that as all is under surveillance today
Thanx to the US ISIS had a foothold and expanded from there….so when the story says the US created ISIS it is at least partially true….Saudis have blood all over their hands in many countries in the region….
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
TY and hope you have a great weekend….chuq
It is time for the U.S. to disengage from many of the more than 130 places around the world where we have troops stationed. We cannot afford to spread ourselves as thin as we have allowed ourselves to do.
I cannot disagree….
“…Now I know I will get all kinds of comments ranging from the typical to the sublime….not one of them show any sort of thought….but they must say something….even if it is dead wrong….” (Don’t you think this might be a little too ‘dismissive’ of what some other people might think?)
No more so than when others do the same….tit for tat
My thinking is that ISIS and like minded groups long term goals is dependent upon U.S. involvement in the middle east. (My opinion)The ISIS that exists today had its beginnings in 2000, Abu Musab Al-Suri / Mustafa Setmariam Nasar was originally a member of “Black Brotherhood.”In 1992, he became aligned with Abu Qatada, a Palestinian cleric who was the editor for the magazine, Al-Ansar. These two intellectuals could be described the think tank for Jihadi extreme groups like ISIS. Osama Bin Laden started following his teachings around 1996.The American occupation created a major opportunity for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who followed a Palestinian sheikh, Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi, who transformed Zarqawi from a jihadi foot soldier into a leader who rivaled Bin Laden. Another major player is Fouad Hussein who met up with Zarqawi and Maqdisi in 1996 (at Suwaqah prison) Around this time, Saif al-Adl insights of al-Qaeda were also influential.
(After 2003)The American occupation created a major opportunity for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who followed a Palestinian sheikh, Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi, who transformed Zarqawi from a jihadi foot soldier into a leader who rivaled Bin Laden.
Suri and friends were the ones for creating tactics to undermine some of the despotic regimes in the middle east and for promoting attacks on the West. Around this timeframe frame 2000- 2004, he was defining Al Qaeda not as an organization into itself. The main goal was to encourage other groups around the world to join the jihadi movement. His plan was to codify doctrines, so that Muslims youth could discover the cause and begin their own spontaneous religious war. In 2004, he published on the Internet, “Call for Worldwide Islamic Resistance, 1600 pages long.
He proposed that jihad would be characterized by terrorism created by individuals or small autonomous groups (what he called “leaderless resistance”), which would wear down the enemy–opening up an outright struggle for territory. He argued that without confrontation in the field and seizing control of land, they couldn’t establish a state, which is a major strategic step of the resistance. His ideas are the intellectual underpinnings for the rise of ISIS.
There are five regions, according to Suri where jihadis were to focus their resources on, with the number one target being Iraq. His thoughts were that the American occupation of Iraq, almost single-handedly rescued the jihadi movement.
In 2005 Hussein produced the outline of al-Qaeda’s 20 year master- plan. which alleged that dragging Iran into conflict with the U.S. was a key to begin their strategy. He wrote that he expected the Americans to go after Iran’s number one ally in the region, Syria. He describes how the removal of the Assad regime will allow the country to be infiltrated by Al-Qaeda.
Yes, we need to keep our footprints out of the middle east. Getting rid of ISIS territory will cause harm, but it will not end the ideology which has taken hold. The more our presence is felt, the more we assist the cause of jihadists.
The defeat of ISIS will cause a terrorist diaspora…I will cover this a little later….thanx for your thoughts on this….chuq
The group of Suri and friends were in Afghanistan before they moved to Iraq. When Iraq had a US military presence, they relocated to Pakistan. The U.S. did do damage in Afghanistan and Iraq, but a lot of these like minded militants just relocated to wait out the U.S. presence.
I agree