The U.S. has been at war with Iraq for twenty-four years. [View all]

[JackRiddler]

In one form or another, since August 1990!

And the U.S. government bears primary responsibility for the situation that has now arisen, in a multitude of ways:

by letting U.S. foreign policy be run by military contractors, arms dealers, big corporate interests and bloodthirsty geopoliticians claiming "realpolitik,"

by destroying the Iraqi nation in an unprovoked and imperialist war of aggression at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives,

by promoting the bloody civil wars and ethnic cleansing in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq,

by not cleaning house of the war criminals of 2003, but "looking forward,"

by the long alliance with the Gulf states, a coterie of repressive monarchical dictatorships that most recently have created and armed the "Islamic State" and crushed the "Arab Spring," as they have waged war historically on all democratic notions,

by arming and at times backing (and also betraying) nearly all of the various sides shooting at each other, such that claims of a CIA hand in the origins of IS and al-Qaeda itself are all too credible,

by always in a crunch preferring "our bastards" no matter how extremist to independent secular movements.

In the absence of a full acknowledgement of that history, and of measures to assure it does not continue (by uprooting the U.S.-based parts of the machinery that drove the history), it's an absurdity to think a new military intervention, without historical consciousness and with transparently bullshit motives ("protecting American personnel," please) is going to yield a chaos superior to that which has followed any of the other interventions.

As a first step, when an administration announces an end to the alliances and arms deals with the Gulf states backing IS and an intent to see peace in the region on the basis of current borders, it might be taken seriously. That even this is "utopian" is another indicator of our predicament.

Instead "we" are off to bomb our new enemy, while continuing to supply arms and support for the states that arm and finance it.

Who has the courage to lead and take on the risks of self-examination? Ain't evident in the present or in any prospective administration. All of them live politically from historical denial and self-praising bullshit, ever since Reagan proved this is a formula for success in American politics.

6 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Get bent.
	2 (33%)
	Whatever.
	0 (0%)
	Sort of.
	0 (0%)
	Yes, but.
	1 (17%)
	Heartless killer!!!
	1 (17%)
	Huh?
	1 (17%)
	Putin-lovin' Obama-hatin' Paul-followin' commie!
	0 (0%)
	USA! USA! USA!
	1 (17%)
	All well and good, chap, you need to understand how interests make strange bedfellows, pip pip.
	0 (0%)
	Long as I'm making money.
	0 (0%)
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