With Iraqi PM Mustafa Kadhemi set to visit the US this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is demanding that Iraq dismantle all Shi’ite militias in the country, calling them a threat to national sovereignty and promising US support on doing this.
The US has long had a problem with the Shi’ite militias, even though in recent wars, like the ISIS War, they were on the same side. This is because the militias are friendly with Iran, and the US sees them as a potential enemy in a future Iran war.
This has been a hassle for Kadhemi since he took power, as he’s seen as a US ally but also needs to try to avoid outright fights with the militia. This has left a tenuous balance, and one the US wants to tip to the scales over.
Kadhemi is just trying to hold things together for the next election, hoping the next elected person has the political capital to revise the Iraqi status quo. As the US keeps pushing for action, the risk grows that Kadhemi could lose his position before he can get that done.
This may be by design, as Iraq’s protesters want a new system where the country asserts more autonomy and isn’t constantly in bed with the US, Iran, or both. That’s been a pretty good system for the US, however, and they seem to want to preclude that.
These militias which is a part of iraqs national defence is regularly attacking US bases in order to remind them that Iraq has voted these unwanted genocidal parasites out of the country. Deliberately causing only material damage and minor injuries for now but the occupiers should prepare themselves for a lot of “brain injuries” if they choose to ignore the message.
Sure — just tell 70% if population to be gone! They defended themselves by having units NOT under the control of foreign generals and foreign intelligence. This is why they succeeded. Iraq will continue to have this alternative armed forces, fully linked to regulars, but not party to coordination with occupying power. This is the reason it cannot be disbanded, just in case somebody tries again to create mysterious militias that just spring up out of nowhere, and tries to divvy up the country on Shia/Sunni-Kurdish parts. Biden idea once —now Trump trying to implement. Pathetic.
Sunni groups don’t undermine sovereignty?
The two balance against each other, reactions really. The US crushed the Sunnis (Saddam’s guys, remember him?) with the help of these same Shiites. The Sunnis were the rebels against what the US was doing, but now they are okay?
The US did at one point try to disarm the Shiites. It was a disaster. Remember Ayatollah Sistani and Muqtada al-Sadr? What the US could not do at the height of the occupation we now think our puppet proxy can do on its own?
This is absurd. Is Pompeo this incompetent, or is he playing somebody for a fool, or both?
I’d say both.
The first armed terror group that needs to go is the US military. The hypocrisy is staggering.
If we didn’t have hypocrisy and terrorism, we wouldn’t have a foreign policy at all.
Get off my lawn…now official US foreign policy. Lawn now includes space !
Pompeo is dreaming as usual…! Keep dreaming until your unemployment date at the end of this year as that is the only thing that keeps your ego at check…!
While BLM and Antifa in the US continue to get millions in donations they are using to purchase weapons for more destruction and bloodshed. Maybe its time to start caring about what is going on in America for a change.
Ok, where can I donate to antifa ?
Oh right, another scared rightwing brain. What are the odds?
It’s not that the US police kill 100x more than in UK, it’s not that guns result into about 40.000 deaths either.
So if your against anti-fascism, which is what Antifa stands for, does that mean you are pro-fascism? Sounds like it to me. Got any proof for the fact that Antifa is getting donations and using them to purchase weapons? Bet you don’t.
obvious—BLM is corporate capitalism—yes they sell a credit card….100$ million, CIA/ford foundation, more than 15$ million US corporations and 33$ million Soros: in an interview in BILD 2014, Soros stated that blacks were the easiest to manipulate. Even Chomsky recognizes that these children with bad matters are reactionary—devoid of any political/social content…it is interesting that in all other nations the left wing advocates for gun freedom, the right wing opposes it—except in the USA where liberal fascist protest against freedom….antifia is as reactionary and fascist as one can be—they possess no policies or any radical programs….they could not distinguish marxism from Homer Simpson
I do not recall that fake radicalism has ever been funded by corporations previously
Why don’t we call on the US to dismantle their armed groups? The world would be a much safer place if they did.
Iraq is disarming terrorisism—their militias frequently attack amerikan troops