Watching all of the retired Generals on cable news reminding me of 50 years of American military futility. They haven’t a clue and fail to understand beyond what they can use to embarrass the Obama administration because of their own political prejudices. Some are still going on about Al Qaeda, some are bringing up the Bush withdrawal from Iraq and blaming it on Obama. They blame the hapless Malachi on Obama, forgetting who was standing next to Bush when he had those shoes thrown at him. They also conveniently forgot the total lack of resistance put up by the Iraqi Army (it used to be mainly a social/political organization whose destruction still hasn’t been repaired) in two wars. Did they think Iraqi soldiers would be willing to die for Kurds anymore than they would be for Saddam? People who know me know that I loudly opposed both Gulf Wars and the occupation of Afghanistan so I don’t take military operations against anyone lightly. But its important to note just what the war aims of the Islamic State are. The Caliphate, based in Baghdad, was the system of government of the Sunni world which, in the century since the death of the prophet, had conquered Asia as far The Philippines on the Pacific. They also penetrated Western Europe as far north as Tours, France before being turned back. The Ottomans pushed deeply into Central Europe before being driven back at the Gates of Vienna, and by a Holy League fleet lead by Don Juan, bastard son of theEmperor Charles V (1571). The Caliphate itself fell to the Ilkan Mongols in 1260. What reestablishing the Caliphate would mean is not just dominion over the Islamic world, but to resume the momentum of spreading Islam to the whole world. You must not forget turning the world Islamic, a jihad against the United States specifically, was one of the goals of Al Qaeda, and ISIS split off from them because they believed they weren’t militant enough or ruthless enough for the task. Right now they’re on a roll and haven’t been stopped. They can only grow in strength as jihadists are attracted to their victories. Stopping them now will be difficult. Stopping them tomorrow will be more difficult. Stopping them once they gain a foothold in Europe will be messy bringing open warfare to Western Europe for the first time since the end of WW2. And, as they are strictly speaking, iconoclasts, imagine terrorists blowing up museums and churches. Digest that one for a while.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 22:39:42 +0000
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