Watching Iraq Disintegrate

Iraq Disintegrating As Insurgents Advance; Kurds Seize Kirkuk -- Washington Post

IRBIL, Iraq — Iraq was on the brink of disintegration Thursday as al-Qaeda-inspired fighters swept through northern Iraq toward Baghdad and Kurdish soldiers seized the city of Kirkuk without a fight.

Lawmakers gathered at the Iraqi parliament to discuss the declaration of a state of emergency, a day after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki assured Iraqis that the insurgents’ gains were temporary and would soon be reversed by the Iraqi army.

But after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured fresh territory and set its sights on Baghdad, Iraq seemed to be fast slipping out of government control.

In Washington, President Obama expressed concern about the situation and said Iraq is “going to need more help from us” and from the international community. He said his administration was trying to determine the most effective type of assistance.

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My Comment: With the exception of some men and weapons from Iran .... and maybe some military supplies from the U.S. .... the Iraqi government and it's people are going to fight this fight alone. Will the Iraqi government succeed? .... considering what has happened in the past week .... I am not optimistic. We are at the brink of seeing Iraq breaking into three parts .... one that is Kurdish, one that is Shiite, and the other being the world's first radical Islamic state dedicated to Jihad and ruled by ISIS.

Update: From a geopolitical perspective these two news reports are very revealing on what is happening on the ground in Iraq .... Americans being evacuated from Iraqi air base (AP) .... and .... Iran Deploys Forces to Fight al Qaeda-Inspired Militants in Iraq (Wall Street Journal)