Obama On The Brink: War Or Peace?
Wednesday, 18 June 2014 12:55
Once again, we are poised on the brink of a war that could violate international law. President Barack Obama faces a critical decision: will he meaningfully pursue a peaceful solution - even collaborating with Israel's archenemy Iran - or will he succumb to pressure from the hawks responsible for destabilizing Iraq during the misnamed "Operation Iraqi Freedom?"
The Crisis in Iraq and "Operation Iraqi Freedom"
After two horrific wars that killed millions of people, the countries of the world adopted the United Nations Charter "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." Although the Charter is part of US law, President Obama is poised to violate it if he mounts a military attack on Iraq.
All hell has broken loose in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its Sunni allies have taken control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city; they control most of the western and northern sections of Iraq, and they're headed for Baghdad. Nearly 500 civilians have been killed and more than 1,600 have been wounded. Close to 53,000 people have been displaced from Anbar Province. The bloodshed is directly attributable to the illegal and ill-advised 2003 US-led invasion of - and regime change in - Iraq.
ISIS, a Syrian group, is a successor to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which did not even exist before "Operation Iraqi Freedom" destabilized Iraq and much of the Middle East, attracting extremist groups. The US-led war wreaked devastation on Iraq, killing tens of thousands of Iraqis and leaving untold numbers maimed. The war and punishing sanctions destroyed Iraq's infrastructure, leaving the country in shambles.
Saddam Hussein, who was deposed and later executed by US-supported forces, was a secular Sunni Muslim. Although a tyrant (like many of the dictators the United States has supported), he held Iraq together, preventing it from devolving into sectarian chaos.
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http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/24452-obama-on-the-brink-war-or-peace
lostincalifornia
(3,639 posts)WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama expressed skepticism about launching airstrikes on terrorist targets in Iraq during an meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday.
According to an aide with knowledge of the meeting, the president cautioned that targeted airstrikes would be difficult to quickly execute against the Islamic State in Iraq, or ISIS, and the Levant, or ISIL, the Sunni militant group that has terrorized much of western Iraq. To ensure that an attack would work, Obama told attendees, the U.S. needs stronger intelligence concerning the whereabouts of ISIL members.
Obama also had concerns that airstrikes would cause civilian causalities and may fail to change political problems in Iraq that are in large part undermining the country's stability.
The president, the aide said, didn't rule out airstrikes indefinitely. Instead, he portrayed them as not an imminent option, according to the aide.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/18/obama-airstrikes-iraq_n_5509865.html