Emma Sky�s new book draws on her experience as a civilian volunteer aiding the reconstruction of Iraq and advising U.S. generals. It's a first-hand look at disastrous mistakes made by the Bush and Obama administrations that have transformed Iraq into a co
At one point, Sky recounts in the book, Donald Rumsfeld showed up for a military briefing in northern Iraq, and didn't know where neighbouring Iran was on the map.
She also stated the biggest fuckup was in 2010 when they backed Maliki when he wouldn't give up power, when Obama was running the show. Plenty of blame for everyone according to her.
That said, it is eminently possible that without the invasion of Iraq, the region would be in the same state anyways. These conflicts have been simmering since the Shia/Sunni schism and the gunpowder was laid in the divvying up of the region by European powers after WWI. Above all this is a Muslim civil war and we are just trying to put out the fire with gasoline.
If Saddam Hussein were still in power and Iraq hadn't been turned into a Somalia-like failed state, there would be no ISIS.
Yes. And invading Iraq was pure bullshit politics to get the population riled up and deflect from Saudi Arabia/911.
But, how long could Saddam stay in power? Dictatorships tend to go south all of a sudden. Of course in that case the US would not be wearing the mess, certainly not to the same degree.
Emma Sky: Why Iraq is the 'worst strategic failure since the foundation of the United States'
That's the worst? Really?
I can think of a few that trump this one.
* Allowing the Soviet Union to seize half of Europe after a war the USSR helped to start went poorly for the USSR.
* Not nuking North Vietnam when they violated the Paris Peace accords.
* Not nuking China when China entered the Korean War.
* Not asking for Canada as the price of the US entry into WW1.
* Not nuking North Vietnam when they violated the Paris Peace accords.
* Not nuking China when China entered the Korean War.
* Not asking for Canada as the price of the US entry into WW1.
These are all just crazy. And do you really imagine that Great Britain would just "give" the second largest country to another one, especially since America's contributions in waning years of WW1 was not so valuable?
If Saddam Hussein were still in power and Iraq hadn't been turned into a Somalia-like failed state, there would be no ISIS.
But, how long could Saddam stay in power? Dictatorships tend to go south all of a sudden. Of course in that case the US would not be wearing the mess, certainly not to the same degree.
Well there were no signs he was about to leave anytime soon and anyway it's not a foregone conclusion that ISIS would have come along had Saddam departed office at a different time under different circumstances
* Not asking for Canada as the price of the US entry into WW1.
These are all just crazy. And do you really imagine that Great Britain would just "give" the second largest country to another one, especially since America's contributions in waning years of WW1 was not so valuable?
There had been a proposal discussed by Britain to offer Canada to the US for $1bn during WW1 and the Asquith government rejected the idea but not before the US got wind of it. There are no authoritative documents on the idea but several anecdotal references from the period not to mention references in the media and popular culture over the past century. Meaning it was probably at least a matter of discussion but it never became an actual plan.
I'd guess that the idea was somewhat tenable in the early years of the war when US involvement was in question but when the US joined the fray for its own reasons the idea was no longer needed.
But as a strategic blunder on the part of the US I'd say this was bigger than Iraq simply for Canada's proximity to the USA.