It honestly never really occurred to me that the west could be part of the solution to this.

There are actually a lot of further disengagements the US could complete that would arguably help - like stop supporting the corrupt Maliki regime.

If its an external humanitarian force that is needed - let the countries in the region sort it out - legitimised by a UN resolution. Africans have been doing the same for years, and its a hell of a lot messier there.

My first reaction to this was that it is an opportunity for the Iraqis to take ownership of their new democracy.

But I am all for the west helping out with air strikes.

The other middle eastern countries don't want a proper Islamic state any more than the Iraqi government does, but if it comes to a fight between dictators that Muslims like Gandalf whine are western puppets, and Islamic extremists, the extremists may end up winning, or at the very least causing a lot of trouble for a long period of time. The best possible outcome we can hope for is Iraq taking back democracy. The worst is a middle eastern quagmire that tears Muslims between traditional Muhammedism and modern dictators. it would be like Israel vs Palestine on steroids.

Setanta wrote on Aug 8^th, 2014 at 10:08pm:


Or the Iraqi army wasn't prepared to die protecting Sunni dominated cities. 

Iraq as a nation is buggered.  Saddam kept it together with terror, America broke it prematurely and the fragments will have to reach some sort of agreement. 

Mix in Syria and maybe in 50 years it will be sorted. 

Datalife wrote on Aug 8^th, 2014 at 10:33pm:


No OR about it. The army is not a national army, they are not competent, they run and won't defend their country or people. If religious differences are the reason, it just makes it all the more despicable. What ISIS is doing deserves no support or recognition.

Bobby. wrote on Aug 8^th, 2014 at 11:52pm:


Now there is no chance a single American boot will set foot here.
America has achieved energy independence.
They have friends in Saudi Arabia who like to buy their military trinkets.
They have friends in Israel who own half of Wall Street.
But Muslim on Muslim killing sprees in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, and I will guarantee soon in Yemen and Algeria and Afghanistan.
This is the dream scenario.
This is how Campbell Newman would feel if told the helps angels and the banditos were shooting it out in a car park
This is the garbage men taking out the garbage,
This is vengeance for 9/11
This is time for popcorn and watching the American plans come to fruition
The Arab spring was awfully smacking brief
The Muslims have no one to blame but themselves
Given so much advantage by those trillions of oil dollars and still a sweaty, over emotional, woman hating, angry donkey riding rabble
Much hand wringing can be expected but I will give odds that there will never be ground troops from the west that know how to fight
Maybe those guys in the white tanks with the blue helmets want to go in
If the Isis can wipe out the UN as well, the dream scenario is complete

The Iraqis were probably better off under Saddam.

How many Iraqis have died since the US led invasion of Iraq which was due apparently to Saddam having WMDs?

It's occasionally worthwhile trawling through the rubbish on here, one sometimes unearths a gem:

...let the countries in the region sort it out - legitimised by a UN resolution. Africans have been doing the same for years, and its a hell of a lot messier there

It won the Afghan war in about 3 minutes. It is not intended to beat ISIS by itself, merely to help out those already fighting ISIS.

Would you prefer we abandon Iraq's new democracy to the Islamists? Maybe send in ground troops again?