The war, therefore, if we judge it by the standards of previous wars, is merely an imposture. It is like the battles between certain ruminant animals whose horns are set at such an angle that they are incapable of hurting one another. But though it is unreal it is not meaningless. It eats up the surplus of consumable goods, and it helps to preserve the special mental atmosphere that a hierarchical society needs. War, it will be seen, is now a purely internal affair. In the past, the ruling groups of all countries, although they might recognize their common interest and therefore limit the destructiveness of war, did fight against one another, and the victor always plundered the vanquished. In our own day they are not fighting against one another at all. The war is waged by each ruling group against its own subjects, and the object of the war is not to make or prevent conquests of territory, but to keep the structure of society intact. The very word ‘war’, therefore, has become misleading. It would probably be accurate to say that by becoming continuous war has ceased to exist. The peculiar pressure that it exerted on human beings between the Neolithic Age and the early twentieth century has disappeared and been replaced by something quite different. The effect would be much the same if the three super-states, instead of fighting one another, should agree to live in perpetual peace, each inviolate within its own boundaries.For in that case each would still be a self-contained universe, freed for ever from the sobering influence of external danger. A peace that was truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war. This — although the vast majority of Party members understand it only in a shallower sense — is the inner meaning of the Party slogan: WAR IS PEACE.
– George Orwell, 1984
By Michael Krieger: While the incompetence and idiocy of U.S. foreign policy remains on clear display across the globe, nowhere is it more embarrassingly evident than within Iraq.
Ironically, nowhere is it playing out more tragically within Iraq itself than in the birthplace of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, Tikrit.
Naturally, there is another explanation for the insanity of it all besides incompetence. That is the 1984 explanation from the quote at the top, which is that endless war represents a deliberate strategy of the oligarchy in order to to crack down on dissent at home and keep enemies divided abroad.
As I outlined in the post, The Forgotten War – Understanding the Incredible Debacle Left Behind by NATO in Libya, there are only two logical conclusions that can be reached about American foreign policy leadership in the 21st century.
1) American leadership is ruthlessly pursuing immoral wars all over the world with the intent of creating outside enemies to focus public anger on, as a conscious diversion away from the criminality happening domestically. As an added bonus, the intelligence-military-industrial complex makes an incredible sum of money. The end result: serfs are distracted with inane nationalistic fervor, while the “elites” earn billions.Either way, the status quo is in no position to be leading anything or anyone.
2) American leadership is completely and totally inept; being easily manipulated into overseas conflicts by ruthless corporate interests and cunning foreign “rebels” in order to advance their own selfish interests, which are in conflict with the interests of the general public.
With that in mind, read the following from the Wall Street Journal:
WASHINGTON—The U.S. has started providing Iraq with aerial intelligence in the stalled battle to oust Islamic State from Tikrit, drawing the American military into closer coordination with Iranian-backed militias spearheading the offensive.Iraqi offensive, or Iranian offensive? Does the U.S. government even know?
Military officials said they aren’t working directly with Iran. But the intelligence will be used to help some 20,000 Iranian-backed Shiite militia fighters who make up the bulk of the force that has been struggling for weeks to retake the strategic city.
The real-time aerial video surveillance sets the stage for the U.S. military to play a deeper role in the fight for Tikrit—if Iraq reduces its reliance on Iranian support.
“Right now, the Shiite militias are out there independently doing their thing—and failing,” said one U.S. defense official. “They’ve been failing for weeks now, and I think the Iraqi government is finally realizing that Iranian assistance is not going to get it done in Tikrit.”
The new aerial intelligence, which the U.S. started supplying to the Iraqi military in the past few days, could provide critical aid to reinvigorate the stalled Iraqi offensive.
The Iraqi military surprised the U.S. government by launching the fight for Tikrit earlier this month. Rather than relying on U.S. air support, as it has in other parts of Iraq, the Baghdad government sought help from Iran.Best of luck with that. We can’t even prevent $500 million of weapons falling into the hands of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian commander, has played a very public role and was photographed meeting Shiite militia forces fighting for Tikrit. Mr. Soleimani heads the overseas unit of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is known as the Quds Force. Revolutionary Guard members provided Iraqi forces with artillery and rocket support in the fight, U.S. officials said.
The U.S.-led fight against Islamic State is complicated by Iran’s own effort to force the radical Sunni fighters out of Iraq. Some U.S. lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration for pursuing a policy in the Middle East that they see as aiding Iran, a longtime American adversary currently in controversial talks with U.S. and other world powers over its nuclear program.
Haidar Al-Wardi, a spokesman for the Iranian-backed Badr Corps, one of the largest Shiite militias fighting alongside the Iraqi army, said the operation to recapture Tikrit was on hold until thousands of Sunni militia fighters can be incorporated into the campaign.
Before the U.S. military plays an even deeper role in the Tikrit offensive, U.S. officials would expect a public request from Iraqi leaders for help. But U.S. officials want to ensure that Iran doesn’t play a central role in the fight ahead. U.S. officials want to be certain that the Iraqi military provides strong oversight of the Shiite militias.
”At the end of the day, it’s not assisting Iran, it’s assisting Iraq,” the official said. “Tikrit is in Iraq, not Iran.”Yep, and Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
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