It will take a lot more than U.S. military involvement. The solution can never me achieved solely or largely by military means; if it could Iraq and Afghanistan would long have been at peace.
Unfortunately this is never going to happen. Countries like Saudi and other Gulf Sunni states will continue to meddle in Iraq and Syria as it weakens Iran and is part of the long standing Cold War or schism between the Shiites and Sunnis. As for Turkey changing its policy with the Kurds; this is a country which still denies it was responsible for the death of countless Armenians. The West and regional countries might also object to a new Turkish policy over the Kurds as this might open up a pandora's box and create more problems.
The chickens have come home to roost: decades of Western interference in the region, including the creation of artificial borders [in which the locals off course were not consulted] and the propping up of leaders who were never elected; and decades of flawed decisions and policies by the West and the Arabs have led to the mess that is now the Middle East. The U.S. keeps saying that Maliki has to do more [which is fine] but what about the role Saudi Arabia and others play? Has the U.S. publicly chastised Saudi Arabia?
The biggest irony and hyprocisy for me is that certain countries were hoping for certain groups to overthrow Assad but are hoping that these same groups don't create trouble elsewhere. We keep hearing of Assad not being elected and not respecting human rights but then that also applies to most countries in the region; some who are off course best chums with the West. To think that only a few years ago Assad was a guest at Bastille Day - alongside a beaming Sakorzy and Mubarak [he was a
mate and
ally then] - and his country was a 'rendition' destination for terrorists, militants and extremists.
Iraq Crisis: If history and oil teach us anything, it's that the collapse of Iraq shouldn't come as surprise - Comment - Voices - The Independent
CrossTalk: Iraqi Freedom 2.0 - YouTube
