Posted on Jul 16, 2014
SFC Intelligence Analyst   Atl
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Iraqi Kurds have now decided to boycott any further cabinet meetings and are calling for PM Maliki to step down. Egypt is calling for a Israeli-Hamas cease fire. ISIS is still largely un-checked in NW Iraq/NE Syria. How much worse is it all going to get before it is over? What should the US do if anything at all? Military commitment? More "advisors"?
Posted in these groups: Multinational force iraq emblem  mnf i   1 5 IraqIsis logo ISISFlag of israel svg Israel
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LTC Paul Labrador
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i think the Kurds feel they're better off without the rest of the country....
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SFC Intelligence Analyst   Atl
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Sir, they feel that way, because they are better off.
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LTC Paul Labrador
LTC Paul Labrador
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True....You're not going to see the Kurds try too hard to hold Iraq together....
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SSG Aircraft Mechanic
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I blame Paul Bremer and his cronies. If they hadn't gone against everyone else and dismantled the Iraqi military and police forces, we probably wouldn't be looking at this situation right now.
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SFC Intelligence Analyst   Atl
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I do believe that the situation would be different in Iraq. However, the rest of the Levant and Egypt would still likely be in the turmoil that they are. And the Israeli-Hamas fight isn't going to stop anytime soon.
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SSG Aircraft Mechanic
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The Israel/Hamas thing has always been going on and probably always will be unless they manage to completely incinerate all traces of each other.

I could have my timeline wrong, but everything in Egypt and Syria happened AFTER we left Iraq, didn't it? Our immediate presence was removed, so whoever is behind it all saw an opportunity to stir things up. I don't think that it's just a band of terrorists parading around and inciting discord. I think that there's a larger force behind it, be it Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia.. who knows?

All I know is it'd make a nice glass factory.
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SFC Intelligence Analyst   Atl
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The Arab Spring by some accounts began about 1 year prior to our final withdrawal from Iraq to include the transition in Egypt. However, the Lebanon and Syria violence really kind of started as we were leaving.
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SFC Douglas Eshenbaugh
SFC Douglas Eshenbaugh
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4th Stryker Bde, 2ID was the last major unit to pull out of Iraq 19 August 2010 leaving 50,000 troops remaining in country in an advisory roll. Officially the last troops left Iraq 18 Dec 2011

The first protests of the Arab Spring started in Tunisia on 18 December 2010. Egypt's Arab Spring started on 25 Jan 2011 (I was stationed in the Sinai at the time). Syria started about 45 days later on 11 Mar 2011.

All these facts are pulled straight from the Wikipedia page for both the Arab Spring and Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq pages.

So how does our involvement or movement out of Iraq (Persian gulf) create an awakening in Tunisia? (Central North Africa) and why is this movement or involvement not listed in any of the top ten reason why the Arab Spring happened? I'm not a geopolitical expert so I just don't see it.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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We don't have exactly a winning record in dealing with the Middle East, Our overthrow of the PM of Iran in 53 lead to our current problems there. Our Closest Ally attacked one of our ships the USS Liberty and we captured one of their Spies in our Military Intelligence Community Jonathan Pollard. No matter what we do it is a No Win Situation. Break out the Popcorn and Weenies and watch the Show. All the damn borders were written by the Brits after WWI when the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany and Austira.
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel And don't forget, Bin Laden was our alley when he was fighting the Russians just 30 years ago.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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Spot on as always Major. Your Allies today will burn your ass tomorrow.
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PO2 Angela Easterling-Maust
PO2 Angela Easterling-Maust
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War makes strange bedfellows...
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