Editor, The Times
I believe Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Those who advocate the return of the United States to the cauldron of Iraq seem to be stuck in that ‘idiot mindset.’ It didn’t work last time. Let’s do it again.
The original reason for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in Gulf War II was nonexistent weapons of mass destruction and ties to the awful events of 9/11. The destruction of the twin towers et al now seems so flimsy a reason that one wonders how could we be so stupid and gullible.
Sometimes it seems like the same folks – Fox, fair and balanced including Fox Far North (Sun Media) are the ones including that gang from Canada’s national magazine (Macleans) who are calling Barack Obama down for not rushing back into Iraq.
Ever since being created by the Sykes-Picot agreement after World War I, Iraq has made no sense. It is a country created by the imperialist ambitions of Britain and France. To heck with the natural boundaries separating Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis – let’s lump them all in one, securing the oilfields, etc.
Perhaps Gulf War II wasn’t all about oil, but most of the misbegotten venture that followed was. Iraq’s oil fields and facilities were privatized and auctioned off to the highest bidder. That would make them secure.
Just how secure?
Well, ISIS has just overrun one oil refinery. The Kurds have moved into Kirkuk.
In a curious, rather bloody way, things in that region might just be sorting themselves out. The Kurds appear to be on the verge of finally getting their own country. Betrayed by the British, Russians, Americans and all the surrounding states – Turkey, Iraq, Iran, you name it – the Kurds, now with a decent good army, a reasonably good government and economy, just might make it. Scares the hell out of the surrounding countries but so what?
In a crazy guilt world where, although no one wants to admit it, the Syrian armed forces are becoming our de facto allies, for the US of A to get involved would be most likely the height of folly.
In closing here’s a quote from Dexter Filkins, June 23, The New Yorker: “In Iran the choices are almost all bad and the potential for American influence is ___. The divine conquest of Mosul by groups of Islamic extremists is a bitter consequence of the American invasion. For now there seems to be very little we can do about it.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.
P.S. Let’s remember that during the George Bush ‘ship of fools’ off-to-Iraq one man pushed the idea of Canada becoming part of the Coalition of the Willing.
Stephen Harper. He is in charge now.
