Re: Iraqi forces losing 'will to fight' against ISIS
The Bush era (2006) NIE concluded by consensus amongst the nations intelligence services, that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was a direct cause of a sudden increase in global terrorism, and made America less safe! No, Bush gets no credit whatsoever. And Obama certainly has done worse since then in the ME.
To use a metaphor, African Killer Bees have been migrating northward from South America for decades.
If left alone they would continue their migration until they are stopped by colder temperatures (one hopes they don't evolve warm winter yellow jackets!).
But any time any living thing gets near their hive they swarm and attack.
Why?
It's their nature. It's what they do.
Now as for the increase in terrorism.
All Muslims are Jihadists. They are commanded by Islamic doctrine to perform jihad in one of the four forms of it. Three being non violent. The other, Jihad by the Sword. But all Jihad is ultimately to help bring about the Prophet's command to all Muslims to help achieve mastery of mankind.
And so Jihadists are continually doing their individual Jihad in their own way in all four forms and in words and deeds large and small. Every day, 24/7 around the world.
They are commanded by Islamic doctrine to perform their acts of jihad in order to conquer the world for Allah and that is what they do.
But whenever Infidels, or Kafirs (any non Muslim is a Kafir) land troops on Islamic lands, no matter that in the case of Desert Storm (in 1990-91) US and Coalition troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia as guests of the sovereign government (the Royal Saudi family), it was an offense to Islam and so the devout Jihadis around the world rose up to try to expel not only the Kafirs but also to expel the Royal family.
That is what devoted Muslims do.
Do we bow to Islamic law?
Do we ignore the Saudi government in favor of religious zealots who want us to convert, become conquered and captives or dead ANYWAY?
It's a complicated matter if you are trying to keep the peace and protect your allies and vital interests.
I will conclude this post with a teaser.
FBI interrogator George Piro said in a CBS 60 Minutes interview that Saddam Hussein confessed to him, after many months of chats and time spent together after he was captured from the spider hole, that he had intentionally bluffed about having WMD's to keep the dreaded Iranians from re-invading Iraq after their bloody war which took more than a million lives combined over ten years of fighting.
And Saddam was more than bluffing about his willingness to destroy Israel if he could. (He'd launched dozens of SCUD missiles into Israel during Desert Storm.)
What was Israel to do when they truly did not know if a WMD 'Sword of Damocles' was hanging over their necks which could wipe them off the map?
What they would do is what they have ALWAYS done when threatened by their hostile neighbors. They eliminate that threat proactively.
But you know how hated Israel is by Muslims.
So what would the Muslim world have done if Israel had launched hundreds of air strikes searching for WMDS and bombing command and control centers without any outward provocation from Iraq to justify their air strikes and/or ground invasion?
That is for another post.
Sorry to ramble.
TD