Emphasis, as always, added.
Emphasis Added: The Foreign Policy Week in Pieces (3/22)
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Iraq
Way Worse Than a Dumb War: Iraq Ten Years Later
US troops left behind a devastated, tortured Iraq. Our real obligation, to the people of Iraq and the region and the rest of the world, is to transform our government and our country so that these resource-driven wars, shaped by lies and fought for power and for empire, whether in Iran or somewhere else, can never be waged again.
The Dreams and Dilemmas of Iraqi Kurdistan
Today, Iraqi and Syrian Kurds enjoy unprecedented autonomy from Baghdad and Damascus, and the prospects of an independent Kurdish state are real. Despite the Kurds’ gains, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), led by President Massoud Barzani, finds its semi-autonomous state in northern Iraq at several geopolitical fault lines. Barzani must tread carefully in this volatile region to safeguard the Iraqi Kurds’ interests while pursuing independence from central Iraq.
The Case Against War: Ten Years Later
Ten years ago, I wrote a series of articles for the Foreign Policy in Focus website in which I put forth a series of arguments against the Bush administration’s push for a U.S. invasion of Iraq prior to the fateful congressional vote authorizing the illegal, unnecessary, and ultimately disastrous war.
Who Will Govern Syrian Kurdistan?
Although the prospects for an independent state in Syrian Kurdistan remain dim, unprecedented Kurdish autonomy will likely result from the conflict. The implications extend beyond Syria’s borders as various governments and non-state actors have strong, and often conflicting, interests in the political fate of Syria’s Kurds and the territorial integrity of the Syrian state.
Damaged Historical Sites and Stolen Antiquities Fray Syria’s Links to the Origins of Civilization
As with Iraq, Syria’s link to its past as the cradle of civilization is threatened.
AQ in Iraq Has a Funny (Ha, Ha) Way of Observing Ramadan
Al Qaeda in Iraq mounted its deadliest attacks of the year.
What’s Worse Than PTSD?
PTSD and moral injury are the first steps to healing from war.
What Vets Are Not Talking About When They’re Not Talking About Their War Experiences
Veterans struggle to come to terms with the possible immorality of their actions in war.
Carnage in the Streets of Iraq
In the most violent day in Iraq since the United States pulled out its remaining troops last December, a series of well-thought-out and coordinated terrorist strikes across the country killed approximately 80 Iraqis last Wednesday. As is usually the case in Iraq, members of the Shia community constituted most of the casualties, with some of the most powerfully built bombs detonated in neighborhoods jammed packed with Shia worshipers making their way to northern Baghdad on a religious commemoration ceremony.