Iraq Explained -- ISIS, Syria and War

Iraq's current state of sectarian violence

LINK TO ARTICLE : CLICK HERE

ARE WE FIGHTING A COSMIC WAR?

In his book 'How to Win a Cosmic War' the author Reza Aslan argues against a 'war on terror' for a reason that seems a little unorthodox to say the least. He says that it means fighting jihadists on their own ground rather than the West choosing the battlefield in its own time and its own way. Reza Aslan is an associate professor at the University of California. Aslan believes we are fighting what he terms as a cosmic war, and that we need to reassess the way in which the West addresses its approach to fundamental Islamic terrorism.

Listen to the interviews below with the author - one with Tony Jones (video)and the other with Mark Colvin of the ABC PM broadcast (podcast & Transcript)- and decide: 
1. to what extent you agree with Reza Aslan's conceptualization of a 'cosmic war' ; and 
2. whether this should have informed the West's approach to a 'war on terror' after 9/11, and currently against the 'Islamist' motives of ISIS/

PODCAST FROM ABC PM PROGRAM MAY 18, 2010: CLICK HERE
TRANSCRIPT OF THE SAME INTERVIEW: CLICK HERE

Historical Change or Continuity?

A NARRATIVE:
A northern force amasses huge power and support. It takes over the northern regions with little to no real military resistance. This northern force has a different ideology, a different world view, from the majority of the people in the country. The world watches on as people are given little opportunity to resist this northern pressure. As the northern force occupies new territory, it conducts propaganda campaigns to convince those it now controls that their world view is best - the only way! 

The northern force begins to threaten the security of the capital in the south. The government in the south was helped to take power in the past and has been supported by the most powerful country in the world. The Prime Minister of the government in the south represents the minority ethno-religious group/sect, which has caused sectarian violence and social disharmony for years. Other groups in the country, including this northern force, are resisting the government in the south and say that it does not represent the people as a whole, in other words, it has no legitimacy. Now, the most powerful nation in the world is asking the government in the south to listen to the people. However, the Prime Minister of the government in the south does not want to relinquish power, despite constant social pressure from within the country and the international community. The country is in the grips of a domestic crisis, and it could be argued that it has been caused in part by the past interference of the most powerful country in the world.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? compare this to the story of South Vietnam under the governance of the Diem regime and the road to war in the years after 1956. 

However, the question now becomes, 'will President Obama learn from the past and take the US into another drawn-out war, as LBJ did during the Vietnam War?' (Historical Continuity) Or, 'Will President Obama learn from the past and find a non-military solution - not sending in US soldiers to fight a drawn-out war? If so, what might this look like?

Watch the clip below and give your ideas in response to the above questions in the comment section below :)

HISTORICAL CHANGE: Iraq... Is the US finally learning from its mistakes in Vietnam?

Writing in 1999, former US Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara claimed that the hope of American victory in Vietnam had been 'an illusion - a dangerous illusion if acted upon in future US conflicts' (McNamara 1999, p.318). As sectarian violence heats up in Iraq and they move towards, what some are terming, an inevitable civil war, is the US going to learn from its mistakes in Vietnam as it moves forward in the decision making over whether to engage in the conflict? Some might argue that if they do not intervene, all that was done in the past was for nothing as terrorist networks gain more control within Iraq. Others would argue that it was never the business of the US in 2003, and it is surely not now, even though much of the sectarian violence can be attributed to the the earlier Iraq War.

But what do you think? Read the following news accounts and make your own judgement:

The Newyorker: Obama to Iraq: Your Problem Now

USA Today: US Moving Aircraft Carrier Closer to Iraq

BBC: Tony Blair: 'We didn't cause Iraq crisis'

Cyprus Mail: Iraq cleric issues Shia call to arms

HISTORICAL CONTINUITY, INTERESTS & ARGUMENTS: Do we adhere to the ethics of war any better than in the past?

The Arab-Israeli conflict is a modern phenomenon, which has its roots in the end of the 19th century. The conflict became an major international issue with the birth of the Israel state in 1948. The Arab-Israeli conflict has resulted in at least 5 major wars and a number of major conflicts. It has also been the source of two major Palestinian intifadas (uprisings).

Here is a map of where the conflict continues today - Gaza!

As we analyse the Vietnam War, we will be called on to make decisions about the ethics of war, or whether they exist at all. One thing for certain is that the question over ethical or just warfare is not relegated to events of the past. Today the Arab-Israeli conflict continues as Palestinians in Gaza continue to feel oppressed by the continued expansion of the Israeli state (especially in the West Bank). Israel claims that the governing body in Gaza, Hamas, are terrorists that use civilians as human shields to fight for their independence against the expansion of Israel... and today in 2014 the conflict still continues - over 50 years since the birth of the Israel state in 1948.

View the following clip where a commentator/observer of the recent Israeli bombing of a United Nations (UN) school in Gaza gives his STANDPOINT/PERSPECTIVE. The school in Gaza was understood by both sides of the conflict to be a UN safe haven for internally displaced Palestinians. The argument from the Israelis is that these schools, despite being UN safe havens in Gaza, have been found to house hidden terrorist rockets belonging to Hamas. The question then beckons, however, over the Israeli MOTIVE. It is well summed up by the BBC reporter below stating, 'even if there had been rockets hidden in this school, is this a justification for a direct hit? What you would be accusing [the Israelis] of ... is the direct targeting of a school where there are 3300 people."

The UN Secretary General has stated that over 1000 people have been killed in the conflict, mostly women and children. Now listen to commentators from both sides of the conflict and draw your own conclusions on the ethical grounds on which Israel is waging war in Gaza. Both sides are accusing each other of committing war crimes. Can you conclude that one side has a stronger argument? Or, considering past study of historical events and considering these contemporary episodes, is there such a thing as a 'war crime' in events such as these where chaos prevails and rational actors seemingly do irrational things? Post your comments and thoughts below.

SOURCES: Paid editors on Wikipedia - Should we be worried?

From 'the Conversation' online

As historians, the information you access is vital to recording an accurate depiction of past events. Therefore, if one of the world's most accessed sources of information - Wikipedia - starts to pay its editors, does this open the consumer to inaccurate accounts of the past and present information due to the interests of those financially supporting its editors? Read the article here and form your own opinions: CLICK HERE