Aircraft carrier could support Iraq operations: Hollande
French jets carried out their first air strike against Islamic State militants in Iraq Friday, successfully destroying their target, President Francois Holla... France #39;s Charles de Gaulle...
By: Marjorie Hamilton
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Aircraft carrier could support Iraq operations: Hollande - Video
The current American war in Iraq is a struggle in search of a goal. It began in August as a humanitarian intervention, morphed into a campaign to protect Americans in-country, became a plan to defend the Kurds, followed by a full-on crusade to defeat the new Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, aka ISIL), and then... well, something in Syria to be determined at a later date.
At the moment, Iraq War 3.0 simply drones on, part bombing campaign, part mission to train the collapsed army the U.S. military created for Iraq War 2.0, all amid a miasma of incoherent mainstream media coverage. American troops are tiptoeing closer to combat (assuming you don't count defensive operations, getting mortared, and flying ground attack helicopters as combat), even as they act like archaeologists of Americas warring past, exploring the ruins of abandoned U.S. bases. Meanwhile, Shia militias are using the conflict for the ethnic cleansing of Sunnis and Iran has become an ever-more significant player in Iraq's affairs. Key issues of the previous American occupation of the country -- corruption, representative government, oil revenue-sharing -- remain largely unresolved. The Kurds still keep winning against the militants of IS in the city of Kobani on the Turkish border without having won.
In the meantime, Washingtons rallying cry now seems to be: Wait for the spring offensive! In translation that means: wait for the Iraqi army to get enough newly American-trained and -armed troops into action to make a move on Mosul. That city is, of course, the countrys second largest and still ruled by the new caliphate proclaimed by Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. All in all, not exactly inspiring stuff.
You can't have victory if you have no idea where the finish line is. But there is one bright side to the situation. If you can't create Victory in Iraq for future VI Day parades, you can at least make a profit from the disintegrating situation there.
Team America's Arms Sales Force
In the midst of the December holiday news-dumping zone, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) quietly notified Congress of several pending arms deals for Iraq. DSCA is the Pentagon office responsible for coordinating arms agreements between American defense contractors and foreign buyers.
Before those thousands of not-boots-on-the-ground troops started hemorrhaging back into Iraq late last year, DSCA personnel made up a significant portion of all U.S. military personnel still there. Its staff members are, in fact, common in U.S. embassies in general. This shouldnt be surprising, since the sales of weaponry and other kinds of war equipment are big business for a range of American companies, and the U.S. government is more than happy to assist. In fact, there is even a handbook to guide foreign governments through the buying process.
The DSCA operates under a mission statement which says the "U.S. may sell defense articles and services to foreign countries and international organizations when the President formally finds that to do so will strengthen the security of the U.S. and promote world peace." While the Pentagon carries out the heavy lifting, actual recommendations on which countries can buy U.S. gear are made by the secretary of state, and then rubber-stamped by Congress.
As for countries that can't afford U.S. weaponry, Washington has the Foreign Military Finance program up its sleeve. This opens the way for the U.S. government to pay for weapons for other countries -- only to promote world peace, of course -- using your tax dollars, which are then recycled into the hands of military-industrial-complex corporations.
LIU JIN via Getty Images M1 TANK
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America is Open for Business in Iraq
In this Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 photo, Shiite faithful pilgrims pray at the holy shrine of Imam Ali in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Since Sunni militants of the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq, the country's most prominent Shiite cleric has fundamentally altered his spiritual role and has plunged straight into politics, weighing in to the government on policy and on fighting the extremists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)(The Associated Press)
In this Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 photo, people shop at a jewelry shop in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Since Sunni militants of the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq, the country's most prominent Shiite cleric has fundamentally altered his spiritual role and has plunged straight into politics, weighing in to the government on policy and on fighting the extremists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)(The Associated Press)
In this Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 photo, Iranian pilgrims pray at the holy shrine of Imam Ali shrine in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq. The shift by the Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani underlines the key role played by religion in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and takes the troubled country down a potentially dangerous path, given its deep sectarian and ethnic tensions. His role may fall well short of Iranian-style theocracy where the top cleric has the final word on everything, but Iraq's government clearly feels it must listen to him. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)(The Associated Press)
In this Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 photo, Shiite volunteers guard at Wadi al-Salam, or "Valley of Peace," cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Since Sunni militants of the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq, the country's most prominent Shiite cleric has fundamentally altered his spiritual role and has plunged straight into politics, weighing in to the government on policy and on fighting the extremists. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)(The Associated Press)
In this Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 photo, Iraqi police stand guard as Shiite Iranian pilgrims visit the holy shrine of Imam Ali in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq. The shift by the Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani underlines the key role played by religion in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and takes the troubled country down a potentially dangerous path, given its deep sectarian and ethnic tensions. His role may fall well short of Iranian-style theocracy where the top cleric has the final word on everything, but Iraq's government clearly feels it must listen to him. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)(The Associated Press)
NAJAF, Iraq Since Sunni militants of the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq, the country's most prominent Shiite cleric has fundamentally altered his spiritual role and has plunged straight into politics, weighing in on government policy and the fight against the extremists.
The shift by the Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani underlines the key role played by religion in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and takes the troubled country down a potentially dangerous path, given its deep sectarian and ethnic tensions. His role falls well short of Iranian-style theocracy, in which the top cleric has the final word on everything, but Iraq's government clearly feels it must listen to him.
Al-Sistani saw it as a necessity to step in with his moral authority given the failures of politicians and the collapse of the military when the Islamic State group overran much of the north and west last summer, an aide said.
"It is his legitimate right, but he did not seek to exercise it. It was forced upon him," the aide in the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. "People wait from one Friday to the next to hear what Sayed al-Sistani has to say."
But Alireza Nader, senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, said that even if it is seen as necessary, "heavy intervention by the clergy means that Iraq's government is not going to be secular any time soon, although not theocratic either. But perhaps something in between."
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Iraq's fight against IS draws its top Shiite cleric into key political role
Iraqi officials are voicing displeasure with the efforts of the Obama administration and its coalition allies to help stem the tide of the Islamic State group.
U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen was told in a closed-door meeting with Parliament Speaker Selim al-Jabouri that the level of support Iraqi security forces are receiving is insufficient to the task at hand. Gen. Allen was in Baghdad to meet with numerous officials from Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadis government.
Until now our feeling is that the international support is not convincing, Mr. Jabouri toldReuters on Wednesday. We might see participation here or there, but it is not enough for the tough situation we are passing through.
SEE ALSO: U.S. sending Iraq 10K rifles within weeks for Islamic State fight
Mr. Abadis office offered tempered criticism after a meeting with the general, saying in a statement that the U.S. coalition should increase the tempo of the effective airstrikes on Islamic State positions, Reuters reported.
The U.S. currently has over 2,000 military personnel in Iraq training security forces for confrontation with the Islamic State group. That number is expected to grow to 3,000 based on orders announced Nov. 7 by President Obama.
U.S. airstrikes in Iraq against the Sunni radical terrorist organization have been ongoing since early August. Defense News reported on Jan. 6 that those strikes have cost $1.2 billion.
SEE ALSO: Pentagon sending 250 MRAPs to Iraq at no charge for Islamic State fight
Gen. Allen chose not to respond to the Iraqi complaints regarding U.S. support.
Our global coalition to counter (Islamic State) grows stronger as does our collective commitment to the people of Iraq and the country of Iraq, the general told reporters in Baghdad, Reuters reported.
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Iraq complains: Obama coalition not doing enough to stop Islamic State
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Jordan VS Iraq Live Stream AFC Asian Cup. 12 January 2015 at 9:00.utc - Video