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The ignominy of Blair and Bush is now complete

Blair and bushAfter US blood and treasure expended in Iraq – 9 years of war, hundreds of billions of dollars, and 4,500 American dead – what is to stop ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) from overrunning the whole of Iraq? Iraq has 250,000 frontline troops, 270 aircraft including drones, 130 helicopters, and 400 tanks. Yet a mere 7,000 lightly armed ISIS fighters have caused the whole State to implode in a matter of days. But it is not only the fantasy of a viable Iraq which has suddenly collapsed like a pack of cards, it has triggered a tremor that is shaking the whole Middle East region and beyond that the geopolitics of US power.

It demonstrates, as never before, that the US capacity to act as the global policeman, though still by far the most dominant military force in the world, is clearly waning. The US objectives in the invasion of Iraq were to gain control of the Iraqi oilfields as well as to obtain a secure bridgehead in the Middle East in a region which controlled 60% of global oil exports. Neither has been achieved, though the second has become less important with the exploitation of oil and gas fracking in the US itself.

The rapid ISIS advance across the north of Iraq has now brutally exposed the downside of this ill-begotten US intervention in the Middle East. Iraq has been permanently destabilised between Shia and Sunni sectarianism with a relentless demand for Kurdish separatism and independence in the north. The Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, insisted that all US troops leave in 2011, but is now so weak – he cannot even raise the quota in parliament to impose martial law – that he has been forced to beg for US aid to prevent the whole administration collapsing. Yet he himself is the major source of his country’s problems because of the way he has alienated both the Sunni minority and the Kurds.

That has ruthlessly exposed US impotence. Obama is examining all military options except ‘US boots on the ground’. But the ISIS insurgency cannot be stopped by drones, air strikes or pouring arms into the Iraqi military which has shown itself pitifully weak and incompetent. Obama campaigned for the presidency on ending the US involvement in Iraq and, despite the bellicose noises from his opponent McCain, the American people are in no mood for yet another war in the Middle East. Only Blair, warmonger as ever, and his proxy McTernan, is demanding that US and UK forces should return to Iraq ‘to rescue democracy’, as though the Maliki government is not a symbol of everything that is wrong with so-called ‘strong man’ despotism. The truth is that ignominy of Blair and Bush is now complete.

4 Comments

  1. Robert says:

    Not a lot one can say but agree.

    If you look at the world today Pakistan, Egypt, Libya Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan,some of the other African countries are on the verge.

    Some of the EU may well explode as cuts hit the poor and the rich seem to be getting richer.

    And then I see the face of the war monger Blair on TV, the little man make me puke.

  2. swatantra says:

    Erase Israel from the map and peace will come to the ME. It all goes back to the Balfour Declaration and the decision to kick Palestinians out of their homes to make room for European Jews. In 1948 the palestinians were displaced to Jordan and Lebanon; now even more refugees flooding in from Syria Libya and Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. The ME is a basket case.
    Yes, now we have to confront Isis Al Shabab and Bokam Haram and all the other savage fanatics in a final showdown and eradicate them.
    And we the United Nations/Regional Powers have to stand up and force Reform on the feudal Islamic World.

  3. John reid says:

    Erase Israel from the Map..
    We will wipe the Jews of the face of Poland, A hitler,

    No comparison, just positing out the statement, so it’s not god wins law.

  4. Mark1957 says:

    Israel is just one of many bones of contention in the Middle east. while I would agree that the forced removal of Palestinians was an unjust and monstrous act that is still causing repercussions, there are very many other reasons for the conflicts there.

    It is the same with western intervention right up to to today, it has never been helpful, but to say that it is the cause of the warring is silly over-simplification.

    This is not al about fighting Israel or the west. If it were why are almost 90% of targets Muslim? And almost none of those allies of the west?

    This is about factional in-fighting for power and territory within a morass of militias who are being manipulated by local warlords, neighbouring countries and shadowy international organisations.

    While it is obvious that westerns powers are part of those manipulating the warring factions, it is clear that neither they nor their past actions are the driving forces behind the turmoil.

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