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matthew says this is important

I chose this article because I felt that it gave a better view of the conflict happening in Iraq. The article shows how divided the Iraqi factions are, as well as shining a light on what the goals and motivations of the groups are. I feel that it is important for us as a class to look into what drives ISIS and I think this article is a good starting point.

Similar to what Dr. Bradley said, I wonder if the militias that were funded by Iran are simply mercenaries or are actually loyal to the country. Is it possible that this is Iran's attempt to grab land for a weak Iraq?

I was shocked and at the same time not so surprised to find out about the many separate factions and flags flying throughout Iran and Iraq in this multifaceted crisis. The quests for power that these militant groups are involved in has called many "volunteers" to the forefront of the militant groups political and religious ambitions. I'm curious to know about the situations in the areas of the many "volunteers". Are they in areas that have already been compromised, thus they don't mind going to sacrifice their life on a daily basis fighting, or they are so devoted to their religion that they really won't stand to see their sacred Shiite shrine bombed by Sunni factions? As Dr. Bradley questioned, where are all these weapons coming from? How many militant groups are as "sensible" as the Peace Brigade?

Map of Iraq, including province names

March 19 marks the 10th anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. But the U.S. conflict with Iraq began long before that. Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, and American forces were fighting Iraqis continuously for the 13 years that followed in order to enforce UN-mandated no-fly zones, punish Saddam Hussein for attempting to assassinate former President George H. This timeline lays out (literally) all of the United States' involvement in Iraq. Again, it's very important to have a thorough understanding of the history of a country before analyzing the present as you can see patterns and determine motivations based on past occurrences and trends.

As the article mentions, the Kurds are considered the largest ethnic group without a homeland. For the Kurds to finally get their own country would be momentous for them, but many external forces are opposing the vote for secession. Considering the fragility of the Middle East right now, I am very intrigued by this vote in Iraq and what the repercussions could be. 

What seems to be long awaited independence for the Kurds from Iraq after Saddam Hussein's atrocities is in trouble because of external worries. Many countries fear a split in Iraq could result in a civil war. In addition, the independent Kurdish state is 20 billion dollars in debt. However, a referendum similar to Brexit will be held soon. The result will not be recognized by the capital Baghdad.

I wonder what the discussion of the rise of other oil states has been like in the context of negotiations for the creation of an independent Kurdish state with Kurkuk's oil resources. Especially with the large number of other new governments formed that grew to power with stakes in the oil industry but ended with large amounts of corruption and class divide, I'm curious to know how the Kurds that have been involved in negotiations plan to avoid these pitfalls.

Stories from people who are religious minorities on the edge of extinction in Iraq.

Islamic State stands with al-Qaeda as one of the most dangerous jihadist groups, after its gains in Syria and Iraq. Under its former name Islamic State in Iraq, the Levant was formed in April 2013, growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).This article is another synopsis of the rise of ISIS and the role they play in Syria and Iraq today

Disagrees with Samuel P. Huntington's thesis

I began my study of the ISIS conflict by reading an article about the Mosul Dam and how it was a crucial breaking point in the ISIS-Iraq conflict. The forces of ISIS previously spoke of blowing up the Mosul Dam when obtaining control, thus affecting Iraq from Mosul all the way down to Baghdad. Militant forces had been engaging in firefights with armed vehicles in villages surrounding the Mosul Dam and managed to gain control. The Kurdish military and Iraqi Forces, were not doing an adequate job fighting back from the eyes of the US, placing American representatives in the area in jeopardy. Obama ordered airstrikes and within two days of continuous air raids, the Sunni' fighters were subdued enough for the Kurdish and Iraqi forces to move in and retake the Mosul Dam. While Obama says this is not a sign that America is completely joining in so Iraqi and Syrian governments can return to a lack-luster, chaotic governing system, the heavy military presence on foreign soil does seem a bit concerning. Yet, what are the other options in defending fellow Americans? Perhaps the British don't have a large number of representatives in the area, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, made sure he informed his country that they would not be joining in the conflict to any extent. With ISIS militant forces inhabiting various other areas, danger seems to be looming in Iraq and Syria. I'm curious to see if any other foreign nations join into the conflict or let the forces stay enmeshed in conflict.

I liked this article a lot because it paints the slippery slope that the United States will face if they become even more involved with the ISIS situation. Currently, the only USA involvement has been airstrikes/ airs raids as the article states. Will Obama continue to approve of the air strikes or will the situation escalate to a point where boots on the ground are required?

This article states that the region of Baghdad in Iraq has suffered frequent attacks involving car bombings, suicide bombings, shootings, and kidnappings that specifically target members of the Shiite community. Though no group or assailant has claimed responsibility for the attacks, it is highly suspected that they were perpetrated by the Islamic State as "a response to the progress of Iraqi security forces". It is also suspected that the Islamic State hope to accumulate Sunni followers by targeting regions with Shiite-led government. With the threat of ISIS looming overhead (in addition to internal gangs and extremist groups, such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq), the Iraqi Interior Ministry has vowed to "have more discipline on the streets". Additionally, in response to the on-going violence, it has been reported that the US, France, and Britain are conducting 6 airstrikes in Iraq on Monday.

The political stalemate is coming to a close in Iraq as al-Maliki was selected by the Shiite alliance to be the Prime Minister. Now the government must split up jobs within the broad based unity governmetn. Allawi lost because of the sectarian dynamics in Iraq.

The rapid advance across Syria and Iraq by militant fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014 threw the region into chaos. The jihadist group, which has fighters from across the world, announced the establishment of a "caliphate" - an Islamic state - stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq. This source illustrates the battles currently in Syria with detailed graphics. Additionally, it provides breakdowns of airstrikes and countries' military action within Syria. There is also a map that compares the location of oil and the location of IS controlled territory.

About a soldier who returns from Iraq and deals with some of his traumatic experiences by learning Arabic to better understand the culture.

Having spent last week trying to persuade other countries to support the U.S.-led military assault on the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, President Obama used an interview with Steve Kroft, of CBS News' "60 Minutes," to give Americans an update. In general, his tone was upbeat. The article discusses the U.S. military action being taken in Iraq, and discusses the question of the how effective the strategy may be. It says that the strategy seems to be more about causing problem for ISIS and seeing the outcome. The complexity of the situation makes the result especially difficult to predict.

The Iraqi military announced Sunday that it had agreed to share intelligence about the Islamic State with Russia, the Syrian government and Iran, an agreement that caught the Obama administration off guard. The Iraqi military said in a statement that the new agreement was necessary because thousands of volunteers who have joined the Islamic State have come from Russia.