Residents of Syria’s Idlib province examine building damaged in air strikes on September 24. The United States and its Arab allies have opened a new front in the battle against Islamic State militants. (Ammar Abdullah/Reuters)
Even If We Defeat The Islamic State, We’ll Still Lose The Bigger War -- Andrew J. Bacevich, Washington Post
As America’s efforts to “degrade and ultimately destroy” Islamic State militants extend into Syria, Iraq War III has seamlessly morphed into Greater Middle East Battlefield XIV. That is, Syria has become at least the 14th country in the Islamic world that U.S. forces have invaded or occupied or bombed, and in which American soldiers have killed or been killed. And that’s just since 1980.
Let’s tick them off: Iran (1980, 1987-1988), Libya (1981, 1986, 1989, 2011), Lebanon (1983), Kuwait (1991), Iraq (1991-2011, 2014-), Somalia (1992-1993, 2007-), Bosnia (1995), Saudi Arabia (1991, 1996), Afghanistan (1998, 2001-), Sudan (1998), Kosovo (1999), Yemen (2000, 2002-), Pakistan (2004-) and now Syria. Whew.
With our 14th front barely opened, the Pentagon foresees a campaign likely to last for years. Yet even at this early date, this much already seems clear: Even if we win, we lose. Defeating the Islamic State would only commit the United States more deeply to a decades-old enterprise that has proved costly and counterproductive.
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My Comment: Time for a new strategy.
3 comments:
MILITARY POWER CAN NOT DEFEAT ISIS OR ANY OTHER ORGANISATION.HEAR THE DEMAND OF THE GROUPS.ESPECIALLY ISRAEL OCCUPATION IS THE ROOT CASUE FOR ALL.TALIBAN ARE FIGHTING AGAINST THE OCCUPATION.LETS MAKE DIALOUGE WITH THEM. WE MUST HEAR THEIR SAYINGS.IF THEY ARE ACTING AGAINST THEIR PEOPLE ,THE PEOPLE OF THEIR OWN WILL TEACH LESSONS TO THE M.ALL THE DISPUTE ARE RELATION TO MONEY ,OIL,LAND ONLY.ISLAM NOT THE ISSUE. ISSUSES ARE OCCUPATION,OIL,BUSINES INTTREST ONLY.
Muslism should give back Egypt, the Mahgreb, Iraq, Persia. Khurasan, Syria Turkey and every other land they invaded.
They should apologize profusely as they do so.
And Germany and Japan are still occupied.
Yes, U.S. involvement was stupid. We should have just let Israel and Syria slug it out.
The U.S. went into Lebanon and Somalia under U.N. auspices, but let's call that aggression.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_Force_in_Lebanon
Ditto Somalia. The U.S. went in under U.S. auspices. The next time there is a famine let the people starve because if we try to stop starvation we will be blamed.
Better lock up the news reporters showing pictures of kids with distended bellies in Somalia. Throw them intro a cell next to Sally Struthers!
There is a reason why the popular and photogenic George Clooney could not get anyone to care about starving kids with distended bellies & flies crawling around their eyes in Darfhur. Simply showing these picture had caused wallets to open and NGOs to deploy from 1960 through 1992.
But after Somalia where the Habr Gidr clan had stolen food aid form the UN and NGOs to use it as leverage to force other tribes and clans to recognize it suzerainity and the America got the blame, we have had enough!
Eff IT!
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