U.S. Military Can’t Fix Iraq

[LilOlLady]

U.S. Military Can’t Fix Iraq

The reality is that violence and asymmetric warfare will remain a symptom of the new Iraq for the foreseeable future. This isn’t due to an alleged shortage of military capabilities, but rather a reflection of what Iraq essentially is: an unreconciled, broken state, plagued by deep ethno-sectarian cleavages, weak institutions and a political system prone to relapse toward an authoritarian order.
The Obama administration has placed counterterrorism at the forefront of its foreign policy toward the Middle East. Unfortunately, far too much emphasis has been placed on hard power as the primary prescription to combat terrorism in the region. Indeed, it was the U.S. invasion and occupation that unleashed the problem of Sunni and Shiite militancy in Iraq. Thus, any U.S. approach against terrorism that is defined by military power ends up misdiagnosing the problem: insurgencies and terrorism are not causally derived from an absence of security; they are rather manifested from deep social, political and economic ills.
U.S. Military Can't Fix Iraq - NYTimes.com


Obama did not create ISIS by withdrawal of US troops. Our invasion and outing Saddam who was a dictator and he only had the capability to stabilize the area. We killed more innocent people by the invasion then Saddam. We cannot fix a problem that have existed for 6,000 years in the middle east and Obama saved US lives that not one more man or woman should lose their lives for a hopeless cause. Any politician who say we can fix the middle east is only pandering for votes and if he is that stupid he has no place in the running of this country's businesses.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I agree that we can't fix Iraq or any other ME country's problems that have been going on for centuries.

But our involvement, beginning long before Obama or either Bush, never should have happened in the first place. Way back when (20's, 40's, 50's?) we first started poking around in their business, they didn't hate us. Not until we took sides by joining hands with Israel, did they focus on US. And over the years & our increasing involvement has escalated & expanded to include the whole region. Now they hate our guts with a burning passion & are able to come after us. Not just the US, but other countries as well.
Russia & China(?) warned Bush to stay out of it in more recent years, but he didn't listen & only escalated our own problems with 'opening that door' for them to combat us & the outside world from their borders. Now we are stuck with having to deal with them on our own doorsteps. No Obama didn't create ISIS, Taliban, or other factions of terrorism. They've been brewing for many years, but it's how ANY President has or will handle these problems we are facing, that can & will effect our futures.

 

[Militants]

Iraq and Kurdistan guerilla Army fixed it vs Islamic State(IS) this year.

 

[waltky]

Iraqi protestors breech the Green Zone...

Iraqi protesters pour into Green Zone, storm parliament
Apr 30,`16 -- Anti-government protesters tore down walls and poured into the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday, where they stormed parliament in a major escalation of a political crisis that has simmered for months.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holding demonstrations and sit-ins for months to demand an overhaul of Iraq's corrupt and ineffective political system, but Saturday was the first time they broke into the Green Zone, home to most government ministries and foreign embassies. Iraqi security forces fired tear gas at one entrance of the zone but appeared to be largely standing down as protesters marched through the area, chanting and waving Iraqi flags. Hundreds were still pouring into the Green Zone as night fell.

Iraq has been mired in a political crisis for months, hindering the government's ability to combat the Islamic State group -- which still controls much of the country's north and west -- or address a financial crisis largely caused by the plunge in global oil prices. Al-Sadr and his supporters want to reform the political system put in place following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, in which entrenched political blocs representing the country's Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds rely on patronage, resulting in widespread corruption and poor public services. The major blocs have until now stymied the reform efforts of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has sought to address the protesters' demands.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government​

Earlier Saturday, al-Sadr repeated accusations that Iraqi politicians are responsible for blocking political reforms. He did not call for an escalation in the protests, but shortly after his remarks, his supporters began scaling the compound's walls. A group of young men then pulled down a section of concrete blast walls to cheers from the crowd of thousands gathered in the streets outside. The Green Zone has long been the focus of al-Sadr's allegations that the government is detached from the people. The compound is off-limits to the vast majority of Iraqis, as security procedures require multiple checks and specific documentation to enter.

Shortly after the breach, cellphone videos uploaded to social media showed dozens of young men running through the halls of parliament, chanting slogans in support of al-Sadr and calling for the government to disband. "We are all with you (al-Sadr)," one group of men yelled as they entered the building's main chamber. Other videos showed a group of young men slapping an Iraqi lawmaker as he attempted to flee the crowd, and protesters mobbing another lawmaker's motorcade inside the Green Zone. The footage appeared authentic and corresponded with AP reporting.

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IS claims responsibility for Baghdad bombing that killed 21
Apr 30,`16 -- The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton truck bombing.

The attack targeted Shiite civilians shopping in an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Nahrawan, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The IS statement and initial reports from local officials at the scene claimed the bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine. "It was not a road for people walking toward Kadhimiyah," said Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and Baghdad Operations Command. The attack's casualty figures were confirmed by police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are expected to travel on foot to the shrine of 8th-century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim over the coming days to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Security in the capital has been tightened in anticipation of the crowds; additional checkpoints have been set up and roads have been closed. The Islamic State group regularly carries out attacks targeting Iraq's Shiite majority, including attacks on Shiite pilgrims and civilians in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods. IS views Shiites as apostates deserving of death.

Shiite pilgrims march toward the Imam Mousa al-Kadhim shrine to commemorate the anniversary of the Imam's death in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 29, 2016. The anniversary of the 8th-century Imam's death draws tens of thousands of Shiites from all walks to converge on his golden-domed shrine in northern Baghdad. The pilgrims typically march to the shrine while hundreds of tents are erected to offer them free food, drinks and services​

Mann said the attack in Baghdad was carried out by IS in response to recent territorial losses in Iraq. "The only strategic weapon left for them are (suicide bombers)," Mann said. While IS still controls large swaths of Iraq's west and north, the group has suffered a series of territorial losses over the past year. Most recently IS fighters were pushed out of the western town of Hit.

In the face of those losses, analysts and Iraqi security officials say the extremist group is increasingly turning to insurgent-style attacks in Baghdad and other areas far from the frontline fighting. More than 40 civilians have been killed in high-profile bombings in Baghdad over the past month. On March 25th an IS-claimed suicide bombing attack on a stadium killed 29 and wounded 60. Saturday's attack also comes amid a political crisis in Iraq as the country's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is under increasing public pressure after repeated failed attempts at political reform to combat corruption and waste.

News from The Associated Press