Not the US president, but the most powerful men of the world calculated well. The US president merely works for them.
Arminius, I thought Nietzscheans were supposed to be grounded in military strategy and tactics, and not be driven by such common delusional drivel? Cultural ressentiment that drives you into the camp of the delusional polemics of the perpetually defeated is a unwise move for a survivalist, much less an overman. The 20th century saw the defeat of alot of ideologies, largely Prussian made… and they died off for good reasons. They are congeling together like a homogeneous blob, trying to work out a shared storyline and viewpoint in opposition. Problem is, they are merely stratifying on a personality basis in terms of compatibility, and when they thus merge… the “Other”, the American Empire or NWO or Illuminati begins to replace ideologically in such people anything real or concrete. You feel resentment at loosing a Germany, for whatever reason, you identify with. However, this is a particularly unhealthy way to go about this, and is more likely to promote the emergence of a paranoid mental illness by nit picking at symptoms best left alone. Let this Communism-Marxist-Anarchist-Fascist-Nietzschean blob die. There is a line between being a idealist and delusional,.and you passed it in joining in with guys like Lev.
Yes, its actually easier than I claim FC. ISIS/ISIL is stuck in a landlocked position, its border into Syria, Turkey, and increasingly Iraq shut off, Kurds shut off themselves, Kuwait staying the hell out of this conflict… even a very low tier strategist can figure out the direction ISIS is dependent upon for supplies. Jordan and the Anbar, and limited access in Saudi Arabia. It requires alot of bribing, smuggling, and shifting of supply lines… which dwindles hard currency and tradable supplies. What did Sparta do to Athens at Decelea? Same principle, except the Iraqi are mobile heavy mech forces, with perhaps limited target airstrikes called in by us personal (never the Iraqi telling us where to bomb, can quickly lead to warcrimes if we just trust them without our own forward observers on the ground verifying).
Maliki is having issues, which should pass, but even if they dont and he gets replaced, ISIS still cornered, just dug in slightly better. I doubt they will win the hearts and minds of the locals with such heavy handed policing. It will get harder to hold day by day.
I said easier, but no one seems cognizant this has to do with much larger pressures than the Iraq war, or even the Sunni-Shiite divide. Exact same scenario has been popping up last 40 years across the region, from the Caucuses to Central Asia, like a very predictable ripple effect. I can date it to the Ottoman Empire’s last desperate attempt to save the empire by invading central asia in the early 20th century, and build a canal into the Caspian… which none of you know about, and believe off topic, but the underlining elasticity and shifting borders of regional states, from Arabia to Russia and Iran, date exactly here. Communism and the cold war froze it, it’s finally adjusting. It will continue to do so for some time, the youngest here will be old when if finally stops. Bush and the Iraq wars were predictable sideeffects of the state most central, much like Prussia, reacting to pressure from all sides then trying to fill an unexpected void. Saddam blundered in his statecraft, and reaped what he sowed. Any student if statecraft and strategy within the last few thousand years looking at it would of seen that, and not pitied him. Keeping him around as if he could keep things under wraps was delusional, and suppirts needlessly a genocidal tyrant without a eye to the greater peace… Saddam was already losing control over both the Sunni and Shiite, prior to 9-11. In most scenarios I have pondered, Iraq would be in similar to worst straits. In many ways, they are better off now, given Iraq can call in international assets now, under Saddam they couldnt.
I wouldnt recommend suppirting the Sunni or Shiite. The goal isnt the domination of Iraq of one side or another, but reinforcing a federal authority that can bridge the divide between islamic sects. This war isnt that original, the area controlled by ISIS is the same territories Rome/Byzantines would regularly take from Persia, and vice versa… every few years. Its tiresome how predictable is.
They present reasoned arguments, but their arguments coevolved to reinforce each others hate for over a thousand years… no point entering into it, or making sense of it. I lived there over a year, on the faultline… guarded the Shiite pilgrimage, its a whole lot of jibberjobble. Dont reject the arguments, but go around them… the tribal leaders are emotional and want recognition, “power”, and money. That is all. The people back the tribes, and live and die miserably for it. They support it because its all they have on every level of being… not just materially. Like I said, they spent the last thousand years figuring out how to find reason to hate one another… its literally entrenched in the lay of the land and population centers now… permanent antagonism.
That permanent antagonism is what always has, and continues to feed both sides antagonism. You fix this faultline, you quiet down the whole of Islam in three generations.
Its a very simple situation. Simple solution, try to buck up and avoid Monoamine Neurotransmitter depletion, especially Serotonin, for the next half year. Doing this last time lead to a premature pullout of Iraq. However, its easy to fix. Failure to do so means your children and grandchildren are doom to repeat these wars, same as if Bush never reacted to Sept. 11th. This was always coming, its here now, we are in a very smart position to wedge in a fix, lets do it. If its not us, then it will just be someone elsr doing it later, after even more needless bloodshed.
The other major faultline in Islam is the Pakistani-Indian border. Its not all as cheeky as Sanjay claims life is there. The wahabbi movement began there, side effect of the Moghul and British Empire, Dara Shihok’s failed regime in particular. Thats a whole different headache, but tge world will have to eventually force a resolution on if there is to be a international descalation of violence in our century. The India Pakistan crisis ripples to Mongolua, Tajikistan, and even Uzbekustan and Turkey in balancing Russia and China.
Books to read:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab%C5%AB … %ABn%C4%AB
amazon.com/gp/aw/d/014045513 … ot_redir=1
amazon.com/gp/aw/d/069112054 … mp_s_a_1_1
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siyasatnama
I also strongly suggest Obama offer Putin air transportation for any troops, supplies, or currency he can offer to Iraq. He has limited currency reserves, and his Ukraine war is financially costly. Hes just trying to see how Obama reacts. Russia has little actual interest in Iraq, by default. Its going to hurt them bad later on in the late 21st century when Russia is forced to contract away from Sunni lands it now holds.
Quit engaging in this silliness people. Military Strategy has been a branch of philosophy for thousands of years, dont act completely ignorant, and dont let your stupid side show in debates.
hey look, i’m three steps ahead of the news this time:
cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video … q.cnn.html
pay attention to the anchor’s questions, especially at 2:38
Yes, FC, I’m iterating what’s in the news because that, history, and my interpretation of both are all I have to go on. I’m not a tactician.
Iraq has a very rich history. It’s the birthplace of the Sumerian people; the Alluvial Plain created by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is where some Biblical scholars believe the land of Eden was located; it’s one of the first ‘conquests’ of the Rashidun Caliphate, the first Caliphate of Islam, created by Abu Bakr after the death of Mohammed.
Closer in time, Iraq was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which sided with Germany in WWI. When Germany lost the Great War, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved, and the Sykes-Picot Accord split the areas into separate Nation States. While the League of Nations was Woodrow Wilson’s dream, he had nothing to do with the Mandates created by the Sykes-Picot Accord.
However, the British and French were desperate for oil. As I’ve said earlier, the British Navy needed oil to continue its superiority on the seas. However, oil in Texas (turn of the 20th century) rivaled that of the ME. The Achnacarry Agreement was signed in 1928 by the four leading world petroleum companies in an attempt to control oil prices. This and the discovery of oil in Persia/Iran led to the eventual 1953 coup that toppled Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq and put Mohammed Reva Pahlavi into power, as Shah.
So much for a brief history of the region. As can be seen, oil has been the reason behind the strife in the ME for a century.
But, while that explains US interest in the region, it doesn’t explain ISIS in Iraq. But, perhaps history can help, here, as well.
The Rashidun Caliphate was one of the largest empires in the region in history. It covered the entire Arabian peninsula, the Levant and land north and south of the Levant, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, (remember Shakespeare), Turkey, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan–just about every place where Islam has existed since the Caliphate.
Is this what ISIS wants–a return of the First Caliphate?
You have not read caefully enough.
Look again-
Iraq does not need any solution from outside. On the contrary, it may worsen the things.
The all that Iraq is required to be left alone, given some arms and ammunation and seal the Serian border.
with love,
sanjay
Contra-Nietzsche, do you think I am a Nietzschean? If so: why are you permanently suspecting that all people around you are Nietzscheans?
The US and the USSR - the former is the current USSR, the latter (perhaps) the current US - have no ideologies? 
What you are saying has much to do with ideology. Have you really never noticed that? Your scapegoat theory is a conspiracy, based on an ideology (= modern religion).
In addition: If one is catholic, then one does not automatically incarnate the truth. I know that very well because I am catholic. I think you have to learn that.
It is not historically true what you are saying. And I didn’t say that X or Y rules, but merely that the US president has NEVER been ruling. That is a difference, maybe not for you, but it IS a difference.
If the US president were not a functionary - a slave -, he would not be paid, but he IS paid! That is not a x or y theory, but that what the mainstream itself is saying.
YOUR president has nothing to say, and that fact makes you angry. I would also prefer a strong president, but he does not exist. You will perhaps experience that YOUR presidents have always been being functionaries.
ISIS has now taken several towns along the Syrian-Iraq border, along with openings in the berm that supposedly separates the two nations. In the meantime, Israel has bombed Syria in retaliation for the death of a teenaged Arab Israeli boy, allegedly caused by a Syrian attack.
And ISIS is publishing an slick in several languages; basically, it’s a recruiting magazine, geared not only for recruiting, but also for ‘getting its message out to the world.’ (Please see al Jazeera America and British newpapers.)
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has known about ISIS for some time, according to some news reports, but has turned a blind eye to its activities.
David Cameron is warning the UK against ISIS attacks in England and doesn’t want Muslims returning from Syria and Iraq to be let back into the country.
Jihadists are apparently coming from all over the world to be trained by ISIS and then to return ‘home’ to await the signal for jihad.
Is this all serious or is it nothing more than serious saber-rattling?
Is it ‘local’ or should the WW be concerned? After all, there are Nuclear countries ‘over there’–known (Pakistan), suspected (Iran), and possibly covert (Israel). Even a limited nuclear war would effect all of us, wouldn’t it?
I don’t mean to be a fear monger at all. I think, however, that we should all be aware of all possibilities, even the highly improbable ones. 
Liz,
The problem with Iraq right now is that the government neither has much power and even less on will. Those, who have the power and will are not in the government.
And, i said before in this thread, the Iraq crisis is the tussle to control the oil resources hinding behind religion.
The ISIS represents Sunni rich minority and Shias are gathered under a cleric, named Mehndi. This group under Mehndi has men, means and the necessary will too. He is ready to take on ISIS and shown his strength too but waiting for negociation from Maliki, who is unwiling so far. Though, yesterday Maliki said that he is ready to form some type of Consesous Government.
As soon as that happens, Shia fighters will join the government forces and Sunni militants will have to back of. The proof of this is that so far, Kurds singlehandedly have not allowed ISIS to enter their teritory.
It is a Shia-Sunni struggle and the majority Shia will win it at last, with the help of Kurds. It is merely a matter of time and that would be good for both Iraq and the world too.
And, there is no such new threat from ISIS to the world, which does not exist already.
By the way, the Judge, that announced death sentence to Saddam, was killed yesterday by ISIS, to take the revange.
with love,
sanjay
Liz,
The problem with Iraq right now is that the government neither has much power and even less on will. Those, who have the power and will are not in the government.
And, i said before in this thread, the Iraq crisis is the tussle to control the oil resources hinding behind religion.
The ISIS represents Sunni rich minority and Shias are gathered under a cleric, named Mehndi. This group under Mehndi has men, means and the necessary will too. He is ready to take on ISIS and shown his strength too but waiting for negociation from Maliki, who is unwiling so far. Though, yesterday Maliki said that he is ready to form some type of Consesous Government.
As soon as that happens, Shia fighters will join the government forces and Sunni militants will have to back of. The proof of this is that so far, Kurds singlehandedly have not allowed ISIS to enter their teritory.
It is a Shia-Sunni struggle and the majority Shia will win it at last, with the help of Kurds. It is merely a matter of time and that would be good for both Iraq and the world too.
And, there is no such new threat from ISIS to the world, which does not exist already. I do not think that it is going to make any difference, except in Iraq.
By the way, the Judge, that announced death sentence to Saddam, was killed yesterday by ISIS, to take the revange.
with love,
sanjay
Maliki again backed off as he dismissed the idea of collective leadership and calls other politicians (only) for help.
This is not going to help neither Maliki nor Iraq.
Iraqi military lacks both of means and intention and cannot fight ISIS on their own and will have to take help from Kurds and Shias.
The sooner, the better.
with love,
sanjay
ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340 … 26,00.html
Don’t get too excited about statements by the government about unity governments or its select inverse, its always a poor litmus test for the actual state of their policy. The reason why is the chief concern is fear and preparation against a coup juxtapositioned against the government stratifying risks in its assessment of what is reliable and dependable beneath its leadership. It can go via the historical ideal that underlines its perception of itself in terms of group feeling, such as back all Shia, or more pragmatic coalition of the movers and shakers of what appears to be the most advantageous mixture, playing some groups off one another in favoring unlikely loyalists in a chemical-political like cocktail.
Right now, he appears to be leaning to the second, while proclaiming the first so he has a defence screen of free (literally free, hes not paying them, and they sorta kinda respond to him) Shiite militias between Baghdad and ISIL. However, he appears rather cognizant going full Shia will just as likely ruin him. Hes likely looking to play the US and Iran off one another for a while, but both are smart enough to know this. Likewise, he is going to overlook a occasional push by Syria, Jordan, and even Turkey.
At best, ISIS has the equivalent of only one US infantry division in Iraq… 10,000 guys. Thats about enough to hold a province, if the were mechanized and had a dedicated helicopter fleet to hold. They dont practically have it… just guys running about on trucks, only one reliable battalion worth of fighters in that brigade… everytime a sniper hits a experienced soldier, it must drive an ISIS commander insane, as you really cant replace him, short of a massive surge of volunteer replacements from experienced armies, jncluding the former Iraqi Army.
ISIL really, really will need to trump its recruitment drive much, much higher to merely maintain its grip on what it has, its facing attrition.
And obviously, ISIL has access to kurdish territory, just not military. They likely have guys buying food and medical in Kurdistan… as well as a rear for injured fighters. I dont much mind this, as Its very easy to get intel on. Honestly… if you were an ISIL commander, had most trade increasingly strangled… and needed foodstuffs and medications… only place you could turn to would be the kurds… sending supply officers to pretend to be grocers, and getting fleeced because everyone will quickly figure out who your guys are really buying for.
ISIL has some really poor agriculture land, and scaring half the population off isnt going to make it any easier to farm and harvest.
I suspect ISIL is trying to buy fuel and parts from Jordan, under the table. Dont be surprised if in a month there is a sting operation by the government there nailing some officer for funneling s
Military supplies for cash.
ISIL really doesnt have much in terms of options right now. I would snap, dying of a heart attack if it honestly tries to invade Baghdad right now. Wouldnt make it very far in, and if it tried to just take a few neighborhoods and stay, would very quickly get shredded in a few weeks by snipers, mortars, and air support.
And no Arminus, you cannot be both a Catholic and a Nietzschean. And no, I dont care to hear the clever explanation as to how you can be… I’ve heard too many sideways Nietzschean pitches design to erode the independence and persistence of a persons point of view. As a Cynic, I know the early Stoic view on Slave-Master morality, and know the importance they put on influence. Nietzsche took heavily from them. Yet Im still a Cynic, not a Stoic… because I know their game. Nietzscheans are more honest about playing the game, but potentially far more insidious. They lack the spark of philosophy, and only seek to Ape it for short sighted immediate pleasure. Im not interested in such fools. Such idiots go extinct. However, your free to play this game on Sauwelios or Satyr or Impious or Cezar. Each try it themselves. Convert one another.
Catholicism can take alot. Even the occasional Atheist like George Satayana or Wittgenstein (Via Leo Tolstoy and his “Gospels in Brief”, which is a reaction to Nietzsche)… but we never will never knowingly tolerate a Nietzschean Anti Christ. We didnt become the largest, dominant religion on the planet because we are stupid and easy to take advantage of, we did because we promote exceptionally smart thinkers and keep our eyes fixed on threats in the long term. We had thousands of years to figure this sort of stuff out. A sly polemic by Arminius is unlikely to have us rolling over to be used and abused by you. Our checks and balances are pretty extensive, you wont get very far with this approach. But who knows, maybe the Lutherans have lacked their standards and you can pull a fast one on a few of them.
cnn.com/2014/06/25/world/mea … e-t&page=1
Shows how hard it is for ISIL to recruit.
As time goes on, and ISIL loses more and more territory, you’ll likely find these kinds of schemes are all that survive, but it will be more difficult this time. A similar occurrence happened with “The Lords Liberation Army”, it quickly built then lost territory, and now relies exclusively on kidnapped brainwashed children, using terrorism and money laundering as its sole economic incentive to continue. Happened a few other places as well. I really hope they are tracking bank accounts for reparations down the road.
My “favorite” example of this would be a year or two back in.India, when the Maoists used 100 school girls to stop and ambush a train! Thats one opening to a James Bond movie you’ll never see, him running through a train then the woods beating the living daylights out of armed girls, fighting on a train roof, then plunging into a river far below… just imagine the dark comedy potential. Anyway… thats what these groups do once they loose the ability to hold territory and attract male recruits, only the nietzschean cabal is left, and they are left kidnapping children as its easier to control and brainwash them. Rare for a group to reverse this cycle of decline. More and more violent.
I’ll have to figure out a formula for satellites or drones to predict where such juvenile brainwashing militant camps would be set up, and how to scan for them via infared and ultraviolet frequencies. Infrared for bodyheat, ultraviolet for drug and explosive trails. It be a while before I got a hypothetical set of parameters to do this, it only just occurred to me the need for it. Would cut the half life down for such groups.
news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/7 … 624_v3.gif
Iraq has retaken the central ISIS corridor into Baghdad at Tikrit, as via the map. It will take a while to secure and refortify for light infantry to hold. Im guessing they will move east to secure their rear, meeting up with Iran and Kurds, making ISIS very awkward in the area in terms of resupply. Expect light guerrilla and terrorist attacks with a kill ratio of ten to fifty on average here … its always going to be on a backburner given the mindset ‘we can handle them later’.
They likely have enough to begin the cordon east as well. I doubt anything large in falluja, mostly because its much easier to contain it from without than from within. They might storm a few quarters however to make a show of force.
It would be idiotic to go STRAIGHT for Mosul. Can they do it? Yeah, but look at the map to register the reasons why. Alot of the fighters will just melt east, then south back towards Falluja if they stay in Iraq at all. Unless Iraq is willing to follow them into Syria, they better send a very clear signal there is no escape.
I also suspect, if not already underway, a compulsory push just south of Iskandariya to secure the power plants. While the entire area was taken by ISIS, I doubt they necessarily took the plants themselves, given the lights are still on in most of Iraq. However, taking it opens them up to attack from Sunni Iskandariya a stone throw away, and nearby Falluja. This can be done with light infantry and a artillery unit, and some mech on standby. If they dont, Tikrit will of been for nothing, as Iraq will begin to suffer blackouts in the middle of summer, and literally everyone will be out to kill the government because the air conditioner is no longer working.
The powerplant coincidentally has the bridge to the center of the Anbar region, reinforcing the obvious route forward in flanking east.
Or they can putt putt up to Mosul, and loose power to half the country, and then chase ISIS piecemeal into Syria.
By controlling both sides of the Euphrates, they can advance simultaneously up it, with airpower in overwatch. ISIS cannot, they gotta choose a side to be effective.
However, if they prematurely push up the Tigris first, they are unlikely going to convince the kurds to join up, or let them enter Kirkuk. Euphrates has a Shia population to base themselves with, Tigris less and less. One is a bloody force multiplier (euphrates), whereas the Tigris offers early wins and a more dragged out, nearly inconclusive campaign later in the west.
Very bad idea to loose those powerplants. Better reinforce them ASAP.
CN, I appreciate your tactical contributions and prognoses. That goes way beyond what I was thinking when I started this thread. I’m afraid I’m concerned with a different aspect–the possibility of US involvement and whether or not this is a sectarian war. It’s kind of like the Croatian War for Independence from Yugoslavia–at least I can draw some parallels.
The US spent millions training and arming the Iraqi Shia before the withdrawal of American troops. They all melted into the desert at the beginning of the ISIS/ISIL invasion. Why?
Armed Predator drones have now been sent to fly over Baghdad, ostensibly to keep the 300 US ‘advisers’ safe when they ‘help’ the Iraqi government defend the city. I read that Maliki’s party wants to oust him. I’ve also read that the government rounded up Shiite civilians, gave them a day’s training and weapons, and told them to go out and kill Sunnis. How much more sectarian can you get, for goodness sake?
Other, ancillary, things I’ve read. The Iraq war which we started cost the US tax-payers in excess of $3B, all of which was credit spending. Also, I read today that Goldman Sachs is the primary player in oil commodities on the stock market. Within days after ISIS invaded Iraq, gas prices at the pump went up. I’d like to give sources, but I’ve been reading so much–both conservative and liberal–recently, that I’d have to dig for them.
Finally, I’m concerned about possible Israeli involvement because, if ISIS wants to reestablish a Sunni caliphate in the ME, how is that different from Polish/Russian Jewish WWII refugees wanting to reestablish a homeland in a small area of what had been home to the Jewish tribes in ancient Palestine?
I’m so surprised that the US public cares so very little. I’d bet that most of us don’t care enough to take the time to even read about what’s going on let alone trying to understand it. It seems to me, given our very real reliance on ME oil, that anything that happens in the ME should be of major interest in the US. But it doesn’t seem to be, if the thread is any indication.
Enjoy,
Liz
Americans are sick to death of the fighting in Iraq. It’s an embarrassment to the nation, and we’d rather it just go away.
No, “Contra-Nietzsche” (Contra-Diction). You have absolutely no idea!
No, you are NOT three things. You are merely ONE thing: a frustrated warrior, i.e. a loser!
This frustrated warrior (loser) is not a “Contra-Nietzsche”, but a Contra-Diction. “Contra-Nietzsche” is a 67%-Nietzschean. So his true name is more (67%) Contra-Diction than “Contra-Nietzsche”.
You are also and especially frustrated because YOUR “nation” has no success. Stop looking for scapegoats, Contra-Diction!
Please quitt again, Contra-Diction!
=D>
ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/485/media/ … 624map.gif
Updated map
Also Arminius, work on your trolling style, its not very effective against The Troll Emperor of Doom.
I can’t really think of a good forum troll to emulate. SIATD and Gobbo used to annoy me the most, so I figure emulate them. Their old posts are still around. If you PM Mr. Reasonable, and say you want to troll me, he might be able to figure out a good mix for you.
Kinda sad now I think of it… 99% of trolling on this site is aimed at moderators, next to none individuals. Not to say its unknown and people hate one another… just no real trolls. Satyr wasnt even really a troll, he just presented his ideas antagonistically… hence why I always supported him posting here, even if I dont particularly care for him persay.
Magsj actually qualifies as a troll… if you become like her, it would definitely piss me off in time.
Yeah…
Oh… also study up on rhetoric too, I have a strong background classically. I got banned for a few months here for using Epideictic Oratory… apparently the infidels claiming to be moderators claimed it was ad hominid, which shows their ignorance…
Oh… you were getting excited too… umm, there was a user based out of Cleveland, Ohio who used to post gifs of people doing random, off topic stuff all over… I applauded him for it, but he responded back with more, more, and more… eventually it did get to me a bit. Might be a useful route… Mr. Reasonable can give you the links hookup, he knows everything about trolling.
Just try not to suck at it. Your new at it, so you’ll have some growing pains. Just look and see what the other greats are doing.
I welcome your endeavor to Shame me, a Cynic… a philosophy known for seeking out and overcoming shame. Its right up there with Nietzsche trying to proclaim the god of resurrection dead… full of hoots and irony.
I got naked pics of me too if you need them to mock me.
Let me guess ‘‘terrorism is caused by resistance to terrorism’’?
UPF,
Bush was not the only coulprit of that. He was merely representing the general US minset; Big Daddy syndrome.
Until the starting of the 21st century, the general feeling in the US administration and to some extent in the masses also, was that they can do anything and also get away with it. But, when economic crisis and 9/11 happened, they realized that they are almost the same as anyone else.
And, that was the only reason of the defeat of the republicans. The ego and superiority complex of the voters took a serious beating.
with love,
sanjay
Terrorism is caused by a lot of things. In some cases, resistance to terrorism can certainly fan the flames of terrorism that already exists, but that’s not really what i was getting at. ISIS blew into Iraq and took over without any difficulty because there was a power vacuum in the wake of the US occupation, which at this point even adamant Republicans have to admit was a bad idea. Since it was Bush and his administration that instigated and executed said occupation, we can thus thank them for the power vacuum, which was foreseen in advance by many critics of the planned invasion. Upon extension, we can then thank Bush and his team for the takeover of Iraq by militant Islamist zealots, which was ALSO readily predictable given that’s precisely what happened in Afghanistan in the wake of the Soviet invasion there.
It’s both amusing and sad that the course of the war in Iraq went almost exactly as the opponents of the war predicted it would.