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Started By
Message
U.S. sending weapons directly to Kurdish forces, officials say
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:22 pm
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:22 pm
Washington Post
Everybody is rooting for the Kurds, but how many times have we seen "unintended consequences" in the Middle East. It seems like pretty much every time. I guess I'm OK with limited involvement - and saving the women and children....but....this really is a complete clustercuss.
It almost make you yearn for the good ole' days of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control the region...and that's exactly what it takes: a brutal dictator. That's the only thing that can hold it together.
quote:
The U.S. government has begun to funnel weapons directly to Kurdish forces fighting Islamist militants in northern Iraq, deepening U.S. involvement in a conflict that the Obama administration had long sought to avoid.
The arms pipeline, which one former U.S. military official described as a trickle, opened in recent days as the Kurds’ pesh merga fighters have struggled to stem advances by Islamic State forces that have swept across northern Iraq.
quote:
The U.S. government has previously sold billions of dollars of weapons to the government of Iraq. Many of those American-supplied arms ended up in the hands of Islamic State fighters as they routed Iraqi army units across the country last month.
American officials have tried to expedite the transfer of arms from the government in Baghdad to Kurdish fighters in the north, but that process has gone slowly, prompting Washington to open a direct pipeline to the Kurds. The CIA declined to comment.
quote:
A U.S. military official said the Pentagon and State Department were discussing other possible ways to deliver weapons to the Kurds via open channels, but that they would need special legal authorization. Normally U.S. arms sales are restricted to sovereign or central governments.
Everybody is rooting for the Kurds, but how many times have we seen "unintended consequences" in the Middle East. It seems like pretty much every time. I guess I'm OK with limited involvement - and saving the women and children....but....this really is a complete clustercuss.
It almost make you yearn for the good ole' days of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control the region...and that's exactly what it takes: a brutal dictator. That's the only thing that can hold it together.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:25 pm to a want
I support this. Kurds have a fairly consistent track record of just wanting to be left alone. They also have shown to be quite efficient militarily instead of the coward Iraqi army.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:27 pm to a want
At this point I think we might be arming just about everyone over there.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:28 pm to a want
quote:Why do people on this board continue to assume that these are "unintended consequences?"
Everybody is rooting for the Kurds, but how many times have we seen "unintended consequences" in the Middle East.
quote:
It seems like pretty much every time.
What's that definition of insanity again?
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:29 pm to a want
quote:
and that's exactly what it takes: a brutal dictator. That's the only thing that can hold it together.
I hate this line of thinking.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:31 pm to a want
Wonderful. So when ISIS, or whatever they want to be called, uses their existing US made/supplied weapons to overrun the Kurds, they will have more US made/supplied weapons to use.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:36 pm to AUin02
quote:
I hate this line of thinking.
Me too, but it seems to be true. They don't think in terms of "states" (western concept). They think in terms of tribes.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:42 pm to a want
quote:
It almost make you yearn for the good ole' days of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control the region...and that's exactly what it takes: a brutal dictator. That's the only thing that can hold it together.
I agree. And the U.S. needs to stay out of this with a few humanitarian exceptions. Essentially, this is a war between Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish factions. Any government installed by the U.S. won't bring peace. These factions fight over ideology and religion.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:45 pm to a want
quote:
Me too, but it seems to be true. They don't think in terms of "states" (western concept). They think in terms of tribes.
The tribal concept is what we have in our partisan politics.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:46 pm to Porky
The Kurds are good fighters and are well organized. Its a shame that they've had to deal with that jackass Maliki. I say arm them to the teeth and provide air cover so they can get the job done. They've already taken back two cities.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:47 pm to a want
quote:
They think in terms of tribes.
Bingo! The idea of being loyal to a centralized government in some far off captial is a foreign concept to folks in the Mideast. Most folks over there are more loyal to their religious tribe than their national government.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:48 pm to AUin02
He is correct though. Some nations do better under a brutal dictatorship.
The only way freedom and democracy can flourish is if a country's own people come together and fight for it themselves, and then fight to protect it.
Divided countries lead to tyranny everytime. It's why you must remove from office a leader who seeks to divide people in a country like the US.
The only way freedom and democracy can flourish is if a country's own people come together and fight for it themselves, and then fight to protect it.
Divided countries lead to tyranny everytime. It's why you must remove from office a leader who seeks to divide people in a country like the US.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:51 pm to Big12fan
quote:
The Kurds are good fighters and are well organized. Its a shame that they've had to deal with that jackass Maliki. I say arm them to the teeth and provide air cover so they can get the job done. They've already taken back two cities.
I guess we might as well since every other faction is armed to the hilt. The Kurds need their own state IMO. The others (Sunni and Shiite) probably need the same.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:53 pm to Porky
quote:Where's the profit in that?
And the U.S. needs to stay out of this with a few humanitarian exceptions.
quote:Essentially its a war nobody cared about until the owners of this country decided to profit from that area. And it's a war that eventually nobody will care about again once those profits are gained.
Essentially, this is a war between Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish factions.
And then Americans will be instructed to hate another group of suicidal sub-humans who just happen to be sitting on resources coveted by those with power.
It truly is disgusting and I wonder if this country will ever call them on it.
I suspect we won't. It certainly doesn't look good if the poliboard is any indication.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:55 pm to a want
quote:
"unintended consequences" in the Middle East.
kurds are the most secular of all the muslim groups. This is a good thing
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:55 pm to a want
quote:
It almost make you yearn for the good ole' days of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control the region...and that's exactly what it takes: a brutal dictator. That's the only thing that can hold it together.
It's funny the right sees this now, the left has been getting ridiculed for saying this for the past decade.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 1:56 pm to mostbesttigerfanever
the best case scenario (for western countries) would be for the kurds to run the whole damn area
***then they might get drunk with power, etc, etc
***then they might get drunk with power, etc, etc
Posted on 8/11/14 at 2:09 pm to Big12fan
quote:
The Kurds are good fighters and are well organized. Its a shame that they've had to deal with that jackass Maliki. I say arm them to the teeth and provide air cover so they can get the job done. They've already taken back two cities.
Agree with this.
Posted on 8/11/14 at 2:12 pm to TX Tiger
quote:
Where's the profit in that?
I hear ya. We tend to think about war in monetary terms. These factions are fighting over ideology/religion. They will use our weapons but we will never have much control in terms of stability the ME. They don't give a damn about democracy or "equality". Turkey and perhaps the Kurds probably come the closest.
I do support humanitarian efforts to protect innocent lives. ISIS is a ruthless bunch.
This post was edited on 8/11/14 at 2:36 pm
Posted on 8/11/14 at 2:44 pm to Porky
quote:Who cares?
These factions are fighting over ideology/religion.
Seriously, the fact that Americans give a second thought to maniacs fighting EACH OTHER!!!!! halfway around the globe is absolutely astounding.
It truly is frightening how easily the average dumbed-down narcissistic American is today. Those people scare me a bajillion times more than any Muslim.
quote:Who in their right mind thought they would? Oh, that's right, dumbed-down narcissistic Americans who actually believed we went over there for.....wait for it....Nation Building!!!
They don't give a damn about democracy or "equality".
It truly is disgusting how people of this country allow it to be manipulated and used solely for profit.
quote:A good start might be to stop creating, training and funding such groups.
I do support humanitarian efforts to protect innocent lives. ISIS is a ruthless bunch.
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