FYI. Attached is a print version of the following online article in the Journal News. Nancy Tsou
http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/06/23/view-nancy-tsou-us-iraq-intervention/11282497/
View: No military solution in Iraq
Nancy Tsou 5:50 p.m. EDT June 23, 2014
The current crisis is the bitter fruit born from the U.S. illegal war and occupation of Iraq, as was warned by many anti-war people. U.S. military intervention can only exacerbate the suffering.
Back in 2003, there was no al-Qaida in Iraq, contrary to President George W. Bush’s claim at that time. After the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, we now find that ISIS, a more extreme offshoot group from al-Qaida, is advancing toward Baghdad threatening to overthrow the al-Maliki government.
In response, President Obama has dispatched an aircraft carrier and warships to standby in the Persian Gulf. In addition, he has sent 275 soldiers to safeguard the embassy and ordered 300 Special Forces as “military advisers” to Iraq. If these forces are in danger, will Obama then send in more troops? We should be very worried, since that was exactly how the Vietnam War began — by sending “military advisers” to wage a limited war, which only escalated into a quagmire and eventual defeat.
The current Iraq crisis is the bitter fruit born from the U.S. illegal war and occupation of Iraq, as was warned by many anti-war people. The then U.S. occupation authority dissolved the Iraqi military and Iraqi government. Installed was the Shiite government of Nouri al-Maliki, which discriminates against the Sunnis and Kurds of Iraq. This corrupt, repressive and violent al-Maliki government has become fertile ground for breeding ISIS and fanning the fury of Sunni and Kurdish populations.
U.S. military intervention can only exacerbate the suffering of the Iraqi people who are caught up in the fight. The Obama administration needs to work hard with neighboring Arab countries to find a political solution and turn Iraq from a broken sectarian state back into a unified nation.
