Where is ISIS?
Leave a commentJuly 24, 2014 by JImbo
String OF Victories by ISIS; Iraq issues Ultimatum to the United States
Remember way way way way back when about two weeks ago when we were worried about ISIS (ie “Super Al Qaeda”) was going to take over the Middle East and bring about World War III?
I know you have to remember all the way past the World Cup, the airliner shot down in the Ukraine, the Hobby Lobby thing, etc. I know two weeks is a long time but FOCUS!
It wasn’t on here (it was on my Facebook page) but I predicted that Iraq was going to turn into a 3-way split by Sunni, Shi’a and Kurds. They’d stay relatively where they are and just keep killing one another as long as it suited the interests of their neighbors/big allies.
Interestingly, support to ISIS has increased. Officially we have NO idea where that’s coming from. Unofficially… for years now the “Anti-Syrian Rebels” (of which basically ISIS is what’s left after it gobbled the rest up) has been supplied by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. They are the big Sunni countries in the region.
Meanwhile, Iraq basically flipped us the finger the other day and said “Well if you won’t help us, we’ll find someone who will!” Immediately, SU-25 attack aircraft began pouring in from Iran and Russia. Iran… the major Shi’a power in the region.
Russia for it’s part is still playing the same game. They are allies of the Syrian and Iraqi governments.. both of which oppose ISIS… which itself supports Islamic terrorists in Russia. It’s a chance to make some money selling surplus weapons and get other people to fight terrorists for you. Win-win for the Russians.
That just leaves the Kurds. Interesingly, the Turks have made quite a few pleasant noises about ending the intermittent “Civil War” going on with the Kurds. Israel of all countries has supported the Kurds (officially) with kind words and speeches. Unofficially? Well, who knows for sure. They do seem to be getting weapons and money from somewhere. The Kurds don’t have a hell of a lot of friends in the area. Although the United States does have bases in Turkey nearby…
It remains to be seen what will happen in the future. So far it’s all going according to plan. Looks like Iraq is going to become a “Cold War” situation for powers in the region who don’t want to go to war themselves. Much like we did with the Communists in Korea and Vietnam, outside groups are going to keep pumping arms and money into Iraq to keep the factions fighting.
After all, I’ve been there. Of all the Arab countries, they had the BEST shot of making a modern, pro-Western country there. They had an educated workforce, enough of a court system (relatively by local standards) and were on their way towards representative government.
Who in the area wants a strong Iraq? Far better to make it a battle zone to vent frustrations and blow off some steam. Just ask the Vietnamese how much fun that was.
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