Author: k.callinan

The more I read about the Middle East the more astonished I become at how incredibly shortsighted our foreign policy is in the region. President Obama admitted in April that his worst mistake as president was failing to plan for “the day after” in Libya. I mean, we’re only ousting a strongman dictator that has run the place for 40 years. Why would we need to have a plan for the country once said dictator is dead?

I think that is why we see a reluctance by Obama to intervene in Syria. Right now, our sole mission is the target and defeat of ISIL. Which had me thinking, what will we do after ISIL is defeated? They will be defeated. They have lost more than half their territory in Iraq since last year and it is only a matter of time before they start seeing significant losses in Syria. But do we expect wiping ISIL off the face of the earth will kill the extremist ideology that they adhere to?

This report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies had me wondering about “the day after” and is well worth the read:

https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/160823_Defeating_ISIS_IraqSyriaLibyaYemen.pdf

Ahead of today’s “Who Makes Policy?” class discussion I just wanted to quickly post about primary season. The book does a good job of providing us with detailed information about the nominating process and what candidates must do to secure their party’s nomination. John Oliver did an outstanding job at taking an in depth look at primary season and pointed out some of the serious flaws in our system. Give it a watch before class if you have a chance:

For those of you who don’t know, John Oliver is a comedian and former correspondent on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” who now hosts his own show on HBO called “Last Week Tonight.” Oliver takes long looks at specific issues and does a fantastic job a making complex issues accessible and easy to understand. If you are not so politically inclined, you will love Oliver for his humor and his ability to communicate these difficult issues effectively.

You should absolutely be following Richard Nixon (@dick_nixon) and Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) on twitter. The Nixon account is run by Justin Sherin, a New York playwright, who has spent hours and hours immersed in tapes, books, and videos of the late president. He offers a historical perspective on current events and inserts vintage Nixon humor and brilliance into every tweet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/07/29/if-richard-nixon-were-alive-today-this-is-how-he-would-tweet/

Bomani Jones is a sports talk radio host, ESPN TV personality, and journalist. He is my favorite follow on twitter and presents insightful views on sports, race, economics, politics, and current events.

The Hill, Roll Call, and POLITICO all offer specialized newsletters sent to your inbox daily. They send concise summaries of all the news and happenings on a number of issues and are helpful to stay current on the issues that we “own” this semester.

Be on the lookout for a major battle against ISIL in Iraq starting in October. Mosul has been under ISIL control since June 2014 and now US backed Iraqi forces are inching near the major city. “The military offensive, months in the planning, is now tentatively scheduled to begin sometime in early October, with a final battle for Mosul coming at the end of that month.” The battle will be waged by a band of fighters comprised of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, the Peshmerga (Kurdish warriors) and Iraqi Security Forces. All of these groups are receiving support from the United States to the chagrin of our Iraqi and Turkish allies. Long story short, these three groups do not like each other and have all been accused of human rights abuses. But they are all against ISIL and that’s good enough for Washington. It goes without saying, but it will be interesting to see if this makeshift political alliance will be successful and how the groups will get along after the battle.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/23/middleeast/iraq-nineveh-mosul-scene/

New York Times Magazine posted “Fractured Lands” to their website a few weeks ago. This extensive piece takes a look at the region and the underlying causes of the conflicts that we see today in countries like Syria and Iraq. The piece, at over 40,000 words, is massive (full disclosure: I’ve been reading it since it was posted and have read about half of it) but necessary if we want to begin to understand the conflicts that are concerning heads of state all over the world.

I just wanted to draw everyone’s attention to it because I think it’s critical to analyzing the region and I’d be interested to see what you all think of it. It’s important to keep in mind a few questions while reading. Mainly, what influence can the American military have in solving these conflicts? Obama has been notoriously “hands off” in his approach to Syrian conflict. What role, if any, should the United States play in solving foreign conflicts? Does the war in Syria threaten our national security so severely that we must act militarily to solve it?

For what it’s worth, my own analysis is that the time has come for us to intervene. Granted hindsight is 20/20, but I’m guessing that Obama is regretting not intervening in 2013 when there was evidence that the monster Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people (1,500 people have died in Syrian chemical attacks since the war began five years ago).

I know America cannot solve the worlds problems. I know that it is not wise to intervene in foreign conflicts without a political solution in place (and in the Middle East, where tribalism reigns supreme, that is extraordinarily difficult). Secretary of State John Kerry has been working tirelessly with the Russians to reach some sort of agreement that would allow with a “path forward” for peace. I just honestly think the time has come where American force is needed to end this conflict once and for all. The death toll is reaching 500,000, a migrant crisis is crippling the European Union, and ISIL (despite having some major recent setbacks on the battlefield) is a force we need to take seriously. Enough is enough.