Groundhog Day in Iraq? Nope, Worse
It’s a helluva question: “Tell me how this ends.” It was a good question in 2003 when then Major General David Petraeus asked it as the United States invaded Iraq, an ironic one in 2011 when the US...
View ArticleSour Grapes: Iran Wins the Iraq War, and I Scooped the NYT by Six Years on...
The New York Times is featuring a piece stating Iran is the big winner of the U.S.-Iraq wars, 1991-2017. So what does winning in Iraq look like, asks the Times? About like this: A Shia-dominated...
View ArticleThe Next Middle East War, Post-ISIS
Islamic State is in fatal decline. The Middle East will soon enter a new era, post-Islamic State, dominated by the Saudi-Iranian power struggle. The struggle will, as it has as it ran alongside the...
View ArticleWhat’s Next in Iraq?
The contours of Iraq post-Islamic State are becoming clearer. Did the strategy to defeat Islamic State succeed? Are the American wars in Iraq finally over? Who walks away the winner? Iraqi Prime...
View ArticleU.S. Bombing Own Weapons in Iraq
So about this time you’re asking yourself “How could the situation in Iraq become any more awful and absurd?” Here’s how: It looks like some of the stuff the U.S. is now blowing up in Iraq is some of...
View ArticleSeven Things to Watch in Iraq
As events tumble forward in Iraq, here are some things to keep an eye on: 1) “Inclusive” Government A cornerstone of solving Iraq, however defined, is the formation of an inclusive government, one that...
View ArticleAppointment of Shia Militiaman to Iraqi Cabinet
Congratulations to Iraqis & their elected representatives in the #Iraq parliament on selection of 7 new cabinet ministers @statedeptspox — U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) October 18, 2014 A...
View ArticleIraq’s Sunnis Won’t Fight ISIS for U.S.
Iraq’s Sunnis won’t fight ISIS for the U.S. says NIQASH, a non-profit media organization operating out of Berlin. Without Sunni support, America’s war in Iraq cannot succeed. Here’s why. Negotiations...
View ArticleWhy the U.S. Plan for Iraq is Doomed to Fail
If the United States was looking for the surest way to lose Iraq War 3.0, it might start by retraining the failed Iraqi Army to send — alongside ruthless Shi’ite militias — into Sunni-majority...
View ArticleU.S. Planning to Send 450 More Military Personnel to Iraq
When at first you don’t succeed, fail, fail again. And with that, we woke up Wednesday to see the Obama administration ready to announce a change of course in Iraq, one that is very much a back to the...
View ArticleFive (More) Things That Won’t Work in Iraq
In one form or another, the U.S. has been at war with Iraq since 1990, including a sort-of invasion in 1991 and a full-scale one in 2003. During that quarter-century, Washington imposed several changes...
View ArticleWhat’s the Real Story Behind Saudi Arabia’s Execution of Shia Cleric al-Nimr?
The execution of Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 46 convicted al-Qaeda members by the Saudis triggered a still-unfolding crisis between the Kingdom and Iran. Protesters in Tehran set fire to the Saudi...
View ArticleWhat’s In A Name? Iraqis Change Names to Avoid Being Targeted by Militias
So, yep, thanks for asking, this war is going well. Especially now, as we learn some Sunnis are far more afraid of Iraqi government-supported Shiite militias than they are of anyone from Islamic State....
View ArticleU.S. Supported Shia Militias in Iraq Lead Ethnic Cleansing
Oh, yes, and also civil war. Here’s a preview of what to expect in Iraq after ISIS is mostly run out of the country. Set the scene: the country formerly known as Iraq was basically an steaming pile of...
View ArticleCandidates, Here’s Your Iraq/Syria/Libya Mess to Fix
Candidates, one of you will be the fifth consecutive American president to make war inside Iraq. What will you face on day one of your administration? You learned with us recently of the death of a...
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