Saturday, June 21, 2014

Redeployment?

About this idea of deploying troops again to Iraq and staying forever: can anyone think of a political outcome that would make this worthwhile? We have just finished helping to install a semblance of democracy there, but that democratically elected government has a largely Shiite identity and has marginalized many of Iraq’s Sunnis and former Baathists. Now a group of Sunni extremists has garnered some support from Iraq’s marginalized population and is coming back with a vengeance. We would like Sunnis and Shiites to live together peacefully, but is that realistic in the near future in Iraq? The struggle between these two groups is not about us. If we become militarily involved again, we will likely be seen as taking sides, and that will not soften the sectarian divides or promote any more democracy and peace than what we already have promoted . . . and look at what has happened to that.

Continue . . .