What If I Can't Support Either Side/ISIS vs. Iran?

I think that this is a question that many people have asking themselves as well and been looking for an answer. The experts on the Middle East predicted this years ago when they said that the invasion of Iraq destabilized the region. They also said that there will never be peace in the Middle East because they are mostly an uneducated country and fighting a Holy war is all they know.

Several of these experts have written books on the subject. One that I recommend is by Peter Galbrath, "The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End."

Galbrath writes that by attempting to bring it to democracy and transform the Middle East, Iraq has reverted to its three constitute components: pro-western Kurdistan, Iran dominated Shite theocracy in the South, and a chaotic Sunni rear region held together by force. In his book Galbraith says that any further action taken by America in an attempt to pressure a united nation is guaranteed to fail.

According, to one of my more knowledgeable contacts on the subject, the Sunnis, ( the more liberal branch of Islam) ruled Iraq for 13 centuries are now more radicalized. Sunnis , who use to be more western, have now become more militant to keep the conservatives Shiites from domination and suppression. The Sunnis trained to fight the dictator of Syria have now diverted to get rid of the dictator abusing Sunnis in Iraq. He believes that they also mis-read our hatred of Iran as a factor where we would support Sunnis, forgetting the USA has no stomach for sectarian battle, something that the Middle East loves.

The reality is that we have too much at stake to ignore a partnership with Iran. Nouri al-Maliki is not a puppet of the Iranian government, but he is becoming desperate for outside help and is willing to use whatever resource is available at his disposal. He requested Obama for airstrikes in the region, yet asked for intel operatives to be kicked off after the 2011 withdrawal, creating gaps of needed info as to where all the camp training grounds and bases are (Washington Post/NYT/CNN).

We are not entirely certain what ISIS plans for the US. Kerry was asked in interview whether ISIS had the capability of carrying out 9-11 styled attacks and his response was that ISIS is an 'existential threat' to Iraq and is a danger to "Europe, to America and to other people." (Couric interview)

Basically, we are between a rock and a hard place. If we just do nothing, ISIS will take over Syria and the southern part of Iraq. If we try to intervene, soldiers will again be coming home in wooden boxes. If we try to negotiate something with Iran regarding Iraq, they may try to use it to force concessions from us about their nuclear program.

The best thing we could do is close all our bases in Muslim lands and let them go at it. Then, when things finally settle down, there would be no American "satans" to rail against any more. It would pull the teeth of those who have been using as propaganda the insistence that we are really there to end the Muslim world.

Where is it written that you have to take sides? The US, Britain, and the rest of the "coalition of the willing" went into Iraq, and tried to impose democracy onto a country that has never had anything like democracy. It's a country that was bodged together with newspaper and spit and was expected to be able to hold together.

The Bushies were DELUSIONAL when they thought they could democratize that area. The only thing that was keeping Iraq together was Saddam Hussein. When he was liquidated, one had to know that the door was open to a newer, even worse, lunatic to take control.

The US should NOT get involved - no matter who it helps, the US will end up making enemies.

I think that is why the president doesn't want to interfere, except for the the advisors the president of Iraq asked for.

Too many factions in a war that has been going on for a 1000 years.

Shiites, Kurds, Sunnis, Hamas, Hezbollah...they all crazy.

You present a false choice - the choice that the Obama admin has created for you. I choose option C. Sanctions against both and an opening for negotiations with U.S. as mediator. That's what any other world power would do, but of course we're no longer "exceptional"

Regardless of whichever side wins, they will come for us. That is the issue that we must be planning for. I say let them kill each other all off and once they are close to done. Go in and finish the job.

This is why we should adopt Ron Paul's idea of non-interventionism. Then none of this would be at issue.