![\"A](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/credit-AP.jpg\")
<\/a>A rad\u00adi\u00adcal Islamist group called ISIS<\/span> made major advances this week in Iraq. Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma is review\u00ading his options. Is the best bet to let Sun\u00adni and Shi\u00adite rad\u00adi\u00adcals fight it out? [Cred\u00adit: AP<\/span>]<\/p><\/div>\u201cWe\u2019re leav\u00ading behind a sov\u00ader\u00adeign, sta\u00adble and self-reliant Iraq, with a rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment that was elect\u00aded by its peo\u00adple.\u201d \u2013<\/em> Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma<\/a>, Decem\u00adber 15, 2011\n The Pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adt\u2019s illu\u00adsion that we accom\u00adplished our mis\u00adsion in Iraq evap\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded this past week, when Sun\u00adni mil\u00adi\u00adtants call\u00ading them\u00adselves the Islam\u00adic State of Iraq and Syr\u00adia (ISIS<\/span>) and fly\u00ading the black flag of Islamism over\u00adran Mosul and Tikrit. The embat\u00adtled Iraqi gov\u00adern\u00adment still holds Bagh\u00addad, but its sov\u00ader\u00adeign\u00adty, sta\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty and self-reliance have been exposed for the arti\u00adfice they long have been.<\/p>\n The truth is that things began to unrav\u00adel<\/a> in Iraq two and a half years ago, when we declared vic\u00adto\u00adry and with\u00addrew our troops. \u201cThis is the start of the Iraqi civ\u00adil war that was so obvi\u00adous\u00adly going to break out after we washed our hands of it,\u201d Ken\u00adneth M. Pol\u00adlack<\/a> of the Brook\u00adings Insti\u00adtu\u00adtion told the Wash\u00ading\u00adton Post.<\/p>\n Yet this lat\u00adest in a series of for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy fail\u00adures may actu\u00adal\u00adly work to our advan\u00adtage. Hav\u00ading Sun\u00adni and Shi\u00adite mil\u00adi\u00adtants and the Iran\u00adian Army cross\u00ading swords in Iraq may not be the worst thing from the per\u00adspec\u00adtive of US<\/span> interests.<\/p>\n The alter\u00adna\u00adtive is for the US<\/span> to inter\u00advene mil\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adly in a mean\u00ading\u00adful way. That won\u2019t hap\u00adpen under this Pres\u00adi\u00addent. His actions so far have fol\u00adlowed the tra\u00adjec\u00adto\u00adry of his response to recent events in Syr\u00adia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n Step One: Express sur\u00adprise and plant sto\u00adries sug\u00adgest\u00ading that the \u201cintel\u00adli\u00adgence com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty\u201d failed to see trou\u00adble coming.<\/p>\n Step Two: Declare that all options are on the table.<\/p>\n Step Three: Sug\u00adgest that he is lean\u00ading toward mil\u00adi\u00adtary inter\u00adven\u00adtion (or \u201c<\/span>short-term mil\u00adi\u00adtary things,\u201d<\/a> as he quaint\u00adly sug\u00adgest\u00aded a few days back).<\/p>\n Step Four: Equivocate.<\/p>\n Step Five: Blame oth\u00aders for the dete\u00adri\u00ado\u00adrat\u00ading situation.<\/p>\n Step Six: What\u00adev\u00ader the out\u00adcome, declare a for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy tri\u00adumph because \u201cwe nev\u00ader fired a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n We seem to have arrived at step five with the Pres\u00adi\u00addent con\u00addi\u00adtion\u00ading mil\u00adi\u00adtary assis\u00adtance on Iraqi Pres\u00adi\u00addent Nouri al-Mali\u00adki under\u00adtak\u00ading polit\u00adi\u00adcal reform<\/a>. So if the US<\/span> doesn\u2019t come to Maliki\u2019s aid in arrest\u00ading Iraq\u2019s slide into the abyss, it won\u2019t be Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma\u2019s fault. The blame will lie with Mali\u00adki because he failed to form a gov\u00adern\u00adment suf\u00adfi\u00adcient\u00adly inclu\u00adsive to appease the Sun\u00adnis and Kurds.<\/p>\n The President\u2019s lat\u00adest posi\u00adtion is irres\u00adolute and seems a bit weasel\u00adly, but inac\u00adtion in the face of bru\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty and aggres\u00adsion has been the hall\u00admark of what he likes to call the Year of Action<\/a>.<\/p>\n In this case his options for action aren\u2019t all that good. Even Repub\u00adli\u00adcans shrink back from deploy\u00ading US<\/span> troops there. They pre\u00adfer Libya-style airstrikes. They envi\u00adsion hit\u00adting \u2013 from high in the sky \u2014 \u201ccolumns\u201d of ISIS<\/span> mil\u00adi\u00adtants \u201cadvanc\u00ading\u201d on Bagh\u00addad. But wars like this can\u2019t be won on the cheap. With\u00adout reli\u00adable intel\u00adli\u00adgence from the ground<\/a>,<\/span> airstrikes and drone attacks risk killing civil\u00adians, stir\u00adring more anti-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan antipa\u00adthy and spread\u00ading pop\u00adu\u00adlar sup\u00adport for ISIS<\/span>.<\/p>\n The argu\u00adment is that these airstrikes could suc\u00adceed if they were con\u00adduct\u00aded in sup\u00adport of ground troops field\u00aded by \u2026 whom exact\u00adly? The Iraqi army is melt\u00ading away in the face of the ISIS<\/span> offen\u00adsive. They are report\u00aded\u00adly being replaced by bit\u00adter\u00adly anti-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Shi\u00adite mili\u00adti\u00ada\u00admen<\/a> and, poten\u00adtial\u00adly, the Iran\u00adian army. Do we want to pro\u00advide air sup\u00adport for those groups?<\/p>\n Iran has to this point been the biggest ben\u00ade\u00adfi\u00adcia\u00adry of America\u2019s dimin\u00adish\u00ading influ\u00adence in the Mid\u00addle East. The Ira\u00adni\u00adans have bol\u00adstered their sway in the region by, among oth\u00ader things, stir\u00adring reli\u00adgious divi\u00adsions<\/a> among their Arab neigh\u00adbors. That strat\u00ade\u00adgy now appears to be back\u00adfir\u00ading, as Sun\u00adnis threat\u00aden the Shi\u00adite gov\u00adern\u00adment in Iraq. Iran is reap\u00ading what it sowed.<\/p>\n Mali\u00adki is their guy. He spurned the Sun\u00adnis, feed\u00ading sec\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan griev\u00adances, much to the delight of Iran\u2019s gov\u00adern\u00adment. Iran also cheered his deci\u00adsion not to allow the US<\/span> to leave behind a small con\u00adtin\u00adgent of forces that might have helped pre\u00advent the ISIS<\/span> insur\u00adgency. It\u2019s true that our Pres\u00adi\u00addent lacked the nego\u00adti\u00adat\u00ading skills<\/a> that would have result\u00aded in a need\u00aded resid\u00adual pres\u00adence, but the fact remains that Mali\u00adki and the Ira\u00adni\u00adans got their way. Now they want us back. While our return might serve their imme\u00addi\u00adate needs, it\u2019s not clear how it would advance our own interests.<\/p>\n Some have argued that Iran and Shi\u00adite mil\u00adi\u00adtants are the less\u00ader evil com\u00adpared with the Sun\u00adni fanat\u00adics of ISIS<\/span>. They are indeed a bad motor\u00adcy\u00adcle gang, so mani\u00ada\u00adcal that even al Qae\u00adda broke ties with them<\/a>. When the Ira\u00adni\u00adans and promi\u00adnent Shi\u00adite cler\u00adics<\/a> call you a ter\u00adror\u00adist, you have earned the title. Their esti\u00admat\u00aded $500 mil\u00adlion<\/a> in gold bul\u00adlion and cur\u00adren\u00adcy reserves sur\u00adpass\u00ades the resources of the Tal\u00adiban, Hamas and Hezbol\u00adlah. If ISIS<\/span> con\u00adsol\u00adi\u00addates con\u00adtrol over a swath of land strad\u00addling Iraq and Syr\u00adia, per\u00adhaps they will incu\u00adbate ter\u00adror\u00adists that will com\u00admit atroc\u00adi\u00adties of the sort that made al Qae\u00adda infa\u00admous. The argu\u00adment is that if we don\u2019t crush ISIS<\/span> in Iraq, we will have to deal with them at home.<\/p>\n But a rag\u00ading sec\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan war in Iraq and Syr\u00adia may be the best way to keep ISIS<\/span> at bay. That war has begun with\u00adout our insti\u00adga\u00adtion or involve\u00adment, though it is the prog\u00ade\u00adny of the Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion\u2019s ser\u00adi\u00adal for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy fail\u00adures. The unpleas\u00adant truth is that the Pres\u00adi\u00addent has made such a hash of things that his options for putting them right are few and unlike\u00adly to succeed.<\/p>\n Stand\u00ading aside as rad\u00adi\u00adcal Islamists kill oth\u00ader rad\u00adi\u00adcal Islamists wouldn\u2019t be pret\u00adty. One shud\u00adders at the thought of blood\u00adshed to come. But if the fight\u00ading weak\u00adens Iran and occu\u00adpies ISIS<\/span>, it may serve our inter\u00adests bet\u00adter than some half-heart\u00aded intervention.<\/p>\n It may not be a bril\u00adliant for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy suc\u00adcess, but in the cir\u00adcum\u00adstances it will do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201c<\/span>We\u2019re leav\u00ading behind a sov\u00ader\u00adeign, sta\u00adble and self-reliant Iraq, with a rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment that was elect\u00aded by its peo\u00adple.\u201d \u2013 Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma, Decem\u00adber 15, 2011 The Pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adt\u2019s illu\u00adsion that we accom\u00adplished our mis\u00adsion in Iraq evap\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded this past week, when Sun\u00adni mil\u00adi\u00adtants \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading