Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Iraq's Civil War Could Last For Years


Why Iraq War III Is Headed Into A Long, Bloody Stalemate -- Robert Beckhusen, War Is Boring

This war could persist for years

When a small force of around 800 fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria overran the city of Mosul last week, the worst-case scenario for the Iraqi government appeared to be coming true.

Half the country is now in the hands of extremists too extreme for even Al Qaida. What would happen to Baghdad? Would it fall? But the nature of sectarian war means that stalemate is the most likely option.

It didn’t appear this way mid-last week. On June 10, two Iraqi divisions of around 30,000 soldiers evaporated in the face of a lightning advance by more experienced and well-armed ISIS forces. Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit also fell to ISIS and its Sunni militia allies.

Read more ....

My Comment: Conflict has always been the state of affairs for this part of the Middle East .... so this sectarian fight is (from a historical perspective) nothing new. But this conflict is particularly brutal because the sectarian lines are now clearly defined, and outside forces are becoming actively involved. But because no one has a clear military advantage .... Robert Beckhusen is probably right that a stalemate will be the end result .... and one that will last for years..

3 comments:

James said...

"Beckhusen is probably right that a stalemate will be the end result".
I don't think so on this one.

GOODSTUFF said...

stalemate? not here to flame

my thoughts: Iraq will be carved up in short order. Maybe thats why Obama is stalling

example: Kurdish leaders view the sudden collapse of the Iraqi state across the north of with barely concealed glee, regarding this as a unique opportunity to strengthen their own hand.

Oil-Rich Kurdistan Capitalizes On Iraqi Chaos

http://goodstuffsworld.blogspot.com/2014/06/oil-rich-kurdistan-capitalizes-on-iraqi.html

Unknown said...

War is boring. We could be exploring the universe.

War is boring. I played more than enough Civ. They have computers that pass the Truing test now. the AI of Civ is boring.

Like monkeys they count. When they have enough they threaten or attack you.

We might as well be molecules slightly more complicated but no more alive.

WTF is religion or humnanist philosophy for? If it is solely for justification it is a waste.