TRYING TO MAKE THE UNWORKABLE WORK?

Reports today (February 17, 2015) are that polls are showing something like 47% of Americans polled are in favor of boots on the ground in Iraq.*

It has been proposed that the Sunni countries develop a force and get rid of ISIL requiring "boots on the ground."  Respected Richard Haass, president of the Council of Foreign Relations, has been one prominent person to call for such a force.**  Does anyone really believe that the White House wouldn't like such a move?  It is such a great idea that one wonders why the Sunni nations aren't already developing such a force?  One should take into account that even Haass says such a force is a long shot.  Can there be something in the Sunni psyche that we Westerners don't understand?

We need to recall that Turkey has provided a highway for radicals to join ISIL.  There are Saudi's that are said to have provided ISIL with some funds.

Well, for one thing, I wouldn't be surprised if the leaders of the Sunni nation's are sitting around saying to each other, "Cool it, eventually the U.S. won't be able to resist providing cannon fodder (boots on the ground) and mop up ISIL."  I don't know whether Obama will be able to last out his remaining two years with out invading Iraq again with combat troops.

I've heard it said that the Iraq army is really a loose confederation of Shiite militias.  You have to wonder if the Shiites in Iraq are trainable into an army?  After all we already spent 8 yrs before training them and at the first test a whole army did cut and run.  I think a problem is corruption.  I've heard that the leaders of that army were bribed to disappear and that some even joined ISIL  In a country where corruption is so endemic (so I hear), it may be that any government forces are weak even to the point of defending themselves.

This morning I also heard on Morning Joe that the Sunni tribal leaders will not work to overthrow ISIL if Iran is involved, and they seem to be involved in such Iraq forces (militias) that are effective.

Are we trying to make something work that is not workable?  The only way to hold Iraq together seems to be through a brutal dictatorship, a conclusion "we" do not like.  So it seems like it is past time to let Iraq divided into three countries: Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdistan.

* http://www.ibtimes.com/obama-approval-rating-isis-slides-ground-troops-favored-more-americans-poll-1818610
** http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f5ff39a-2c39-11e4-8eda-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3S1dGTZS2 (A second option would be to create a pan-Arab expeditionary force, one with units from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and possibly Egypt. )

WHO WILL SUPPLY BOOTS ON THE GROUND?

What a lot of people don't do is review what has happened in Libya.  When we supplied air cover for the the mob there, we had all the ducks in a row.  Everyone was lined up, including the Arab League.  Well the mob won with our help, and we now see that a mob doesn't necessarily result in a going government.  Libya is a mess and as nearly as I can tell the Muslim religious right is gaining ground there.

But ISIS is more complicated than Libya.  We want to get rid of ISIS and so does Iran and presumably dictator Assad of Syria.  Sounds good doesn't it, except we are not really friendly with Iran because we think they want to get THE BOMB.  We also have said that Assad must go.  We must proceed without appearing to support either Iran and Assad.

As for Iraq, we have given air support to the Kurds who have long appeared friendly to us and are willing to fight (and we have also given air support to them before.).  I am less certain about the Shiites, but some of their forces do seem to respond if we supply the air cover.  I assume that a lot of the Sunnis in Iraq are getting fed up with the brutality of ISIS, but their resistance may be half heated unless there is an Iraq government that will share power with them.  We did give some air support for Iraq forces in Anbar Province, a Sunni province.

On Morning Joe this morning, Joe Scarborough indicated that the Arab League seems to have come on board with regards to ISIS.  Obama has also gotten quite a few other countries lined up so I guess he feels he can now proceed.  I had thought that Assad in Syria had seriously depleted the Free Syrian Army that I guess we can support; however, I heard one report of recent Free Syrian Army victories over ISIS.  These poor guys are having to fight on two fronts, but Obama indicates they are the ally of choice to supply the boots on the ground in Syria.  Perhaps if we help arm them and give them air cover they can do better and increase in size but others need to help in both Iraq and Syria.