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mcooka

Iraq divisions undermine battle against IS - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35492067

iraq war crossfire politics suni

shared by mcooka on 24 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • More than in any other country, Iraq's future is intimately bound up with the fate of self-styled Islamic State (IS).
  • Territory that was lost in a day or two is taking many months to claw painfully back.
  • But even if initially successful, such an ambitious project, indeed, any further moves to oust IS, could go badly wrong if the foundations are not sound
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • The IS fighters were able to lodge so easily in the Sunni Arab heartlands because the people there had been largely alienated by the sectarian policies and practices of the Shia Arab-dominated Baghdad government under Nouri al-Maliki, who was finally prised out of the prime minister's office in August 2014.
  • gislation to empower the Sunnis by devolving security and financial responsibilities to the provinces has not happened.
  • Nor have measures to reverse the persecution of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, or the random arrests, detentions, and to assuage other Sunni grievances.
  • he US, who have about 3,500 military personnel training and advising Iraqi government forces on the ground, also seems to be aware that military muscle is not enough.
  • If that process continues and the militants are defeated, the way Iraq fits together - if it does - will be decided by who pushes them out, and how the resulting vacuum is filled.
  • osul is an almost wholly Sunni city with a population of about two million.
  • Some residents may still see IS - about 85% of whose fighters in Iraq are believed to be Iraqi - as their protectors against an Iranian-backed, Shia-dominated Baghdad government.
  • When the Iraqi army collapsed like a house of cards in the face of the IS eruption in June 2014, it was a motley array of hastily-assembled Shia irregulars, loosely banded into the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) that prevented the militants reaching Baghda
  • Ramadi gave a boost to the embattled Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.He has scant support even from his own Shia Daawa party, and is seen across the board by Sunni, Shia and Kurdish politicians as weak, hesitant, lacking in leadership and unable to stand up to the militias.But there was a down-side to the Ramadi victory too: heavy destruction, and the displacement of the entire population.
  • Nor can the formula that finally and slowly worked in Ramadi simply be applied at Mosul. It took government forces with coalition backing seven months to regain Ramadi. Mosul is 10 times bigger.
  • He omitted to mention coalition air support, which would also clearly be crucial to the campaign.Some Iraqi analysts believe outside ground forces would also be needed. US military leaders, while reticent, clearly want to up the pace and have not ruled out more boots on the ground. In the absence of serious moves towards national reconciliation, one senior government figure also saw a campaign to retake Mosul as a vital way of forging national unity.
  • mcooka on 24 Feb 16
     
    This article is about the Iraq divisions which undermine the Iraqi purpose of war. This is a result of an unstable foundation to build plans off of. They are trying to find foundation because they do not want to fall back into an IS state five years down the line. 
mjumaia

Saudi Arabia's Shia and Riyadh's other war - 'The language of hatred is getting worse' - 0 views

www.ibtimes.co.uk/e-hatred-getting-worse-1495364

Saudi revolution politics war shia

shared by mjumaia on 21 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • mjumaia on 21 Apr 15
     
    This article talks about the Saudi part of Arab Spring when the Shia took to the streets in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, to protest decades of discrimination and religious and political repression, beginning an uprising that was met with a violent crackdown, a wave of arrests and cases of police firing on unarmed protesters.
tdford333

Yemen bombed: 'Crisis could deepen to all-out Sunni-Shia religious war, real aim is to ... - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

yemen crisis

shared by tdford333 on 03 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • Yemen bombed: 'Crisis could deepen to all-out Sunni-Shia religious war, real aim is to stop Iran'
  • tdford333 on 03 Apr 15
     
    Despite more Saudi bombings, Houthis fighters remain unwavering. The crisis could lead to an all out religious war between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
mjumaia

Saudi Arabia's Shia press for rights - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/7959531.stm

politics revolution Saudi Shia Sunna

shared by mjumaia on 21 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • mjumaia on 21 Apr 15
     
    Saudi Shias face unfair discrimination and they speak up for their rights and freedom
micklethwait

Life, Death, and War in Post-2003 Iraq | Warscapes - 0 views

www.warscapes.com/...e-death-and-war-post-2003-iraq

life death war iraq Sinan Antoon Corpse Washer

shared by micklethwait on 30 May 14 - No Cached
  • Antoon is also keen to complicate conventional notions of life in Baghdad after 2003. Many foreign narratives of post-war Iraq emphasize ethnic and sectarian divisions as essential groups of categorization by the Iraqi people. By following Jawad’s story, which begins long before the invasion, we can see that Antoon addresses sectarianism, but in ways that counter common sectarian narratives. One example is that of Jawad’s work. In a jarring scene, two Sunni men come into Jawad’s business. Jawad is a Shia and generally washes other Shia men. Death rituals differ slightly between sects. The two men present Jawad with a burned corpse of a Shia man who had been killed in a car bomb. For days his body sat outside the wreckage, so the men decided to collect the corpse for washing. “God bless you. There are still good people in this world,” is all that Jawad replies. This emotional sense of togetherness, despite the admission that the car bomb was an act of sectarian violence, shows that in chaotic times such lines are not as clear as they are made out to be.
    • micklethwait
      micklethwait on 30 May 14
       
      Interesting passage on perspective taking and the legacies of conflict.
malbasr

Sunnis and Shias: Islam's ancient schism - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-16047709

egypt ISIS war politics syria iraq

shared by malbasr on 08 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • malbasr on 08 Nov 14
     
    What are the differences between Sunnis and Shias?Muslims are split into two main branches, the Sunnis and Shias. The split originates in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslim community. The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis - estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
tdford333

Saudi Arabia and Yemen: The test for a new monarch | The Economist - 0 views

www.economist.com/...-will-find-it-hard-end-it-test

yemen crisis

shared by tdford333 on 03 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • The test for a new monarc
  • tdford333 on 03 Apr 15
     
    Despite more Saudi bombings, Houthis fighters remain unwavering. The crisis could lead to an all out religious war between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
csherro2

Syria: The story of the conflict - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-26116868

syria arab spring revolution War politics

shared by csherro2 on 09 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • It has acquired sectarian overtones, pitching the country's Sunni majority against the president's Shia Alawite sect,
  • The rise of the jihadist groups, including Islamic State, has added a further dimension.
  • both sides of the conflict have committed war crimes - including murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearances.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • A UN commission of inquiry,
  • Western powers,
  • said it could only have been carried out by Syria's government.
  • regime and its ally Russia blamed rebels.
  • More than 3 million people have fled Syria since the start of the conflict,
  • A further 6.5 million people, 50% of them children, are believed to be internally displaced within Syria,
  • the total numbe
  • half the country's population.
  • rebel groups are also deeply divided
  • most prominent is the moderate National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
  • Iran and Russia have propped up the Alawite-led government of President Assad and gradually increased their support,
  • support of Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement.
  • The Sunni-dominated oppositio
  • Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab states along with the US, UK and France.
  • rise of radical Islamist militia in rebel ranks and the arrival of Sunni jihadists from across the world has led to a marked cooling of international and regional backing.
  • alarsso on 09 Mar 15
     
    This article delves into the issues of war crimes, chemical weapons, humanitarian issues, and the rise if islamist groups interventions
  • hkerby2 on 31 Mar 15
     
    This website offers eight steps to understanding the Syrian conflict. The sections include: uprising turns violent, descent into civil war, war crimes, chemical weapons, humanitarian crisis, Syrian refugees in the region, rebels and the rise of the jihadists, peace efforts, & proxy war
  • csherro2 on 29 Mar 16
     
    More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State.
irede123

Analysis: West, Regional Allies Paint Hezbollah as Major Threat while It Fighting ISIS ... - 0 views

en.abna24.com/...story.html

hezbollah west Israel

shared by irede123 on 08 May 16 - No Cached
  • irede123 on 08 May 16
     
    "Lebanese Hezbollah is fighting the ISIS terrorist group, but the West and Saudi Arabia apparently consider Hezbollah, not the ISIS, to be the major menace to their geopolitical interests."
mjumaia

In Saudi Arabia, Shiite Muslims Challenge Ban On Protests - 0 views

www.npr.org/...lims-challenge-ban-on-protests

Shia Islam Saudi Arab Spring ban revolution Protest

shared by mjumaia on 28 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • mjumaia on 28 Apr 15
     
    When Arab Spring protests broke out in Saudi Arabia in 2011, the government reacted quickly, pumping $130 billion into the economy and cracking down on dissent. While this approach has worked in some cities, the Shiite Muslims in the Eastern Province continued to demonstrate.
wmulnea

Oil and Terror: ISIS and Middle East Economies - 0 views

www.investopedia.com/...-and-middle-east-economies.asp

shared by wmulnea on 02 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • ISIS's economic cost is significant not just for Iraq but also other Middle Eastern countries.
  • Iraq has the fifth largest oil reserves in the world and third highest in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and Iran.
  • Part of ISIS's rise in Iraq can be attributed to sectarian politics.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • part of their dissatisfaction came from the distribution of oil revenues. 
  • The mismanagement of oil revenues is also manifest in Iraq's poor infrastructure
  • Though currently the Iraqi government has reserves and surplus funds, mounting expenditures and falling oil prices has economists to project that Iraq will run a deficit next year.
  • it is running a self-sustaining economy, making it the world's richest terror group.
  • Thankfully, 6 of 8 Iraq’s major oil fields lie in the Shia South, which is unlikely to come under ISIS control.
  • It sells crude at a steep discount, at a rate of USD $30 per barrel
  • Turkey runs a huge trade surplus with Iraq, which is likely to slow down dramatically due to lower demand from Iraq.
  • Jordan and Lebanon, which have both absorbed a large number of refugees.
  • Iran’s position seems to be the trickiest of all in that its interests align with those of the US in its fight against ISIS
  • Falling oil prices have definitely curtailed Iran’s ability to intervene without serious consequences for its economy. Iran needs oil prices well above USD $100 for it to balance its budget,
  • Any cooperation between Iran and the US over ISIS could lead to a gradual withdrawal of sanctions, which would allow Iran to sell its oil on the open market and generate revenue. The flip side is that Iran’s oil would surely depress oil prices further.
  • Saudi's allegiances have become muddled.
  • it finds its interests are aligned with those of Iran, a traditional foe, both of which are against ISIS.
  • Russia needs oil prices near USD $100 to balance its budget and Iran needs high oil prices to support its nuclear program.
  • Regionally, ISIS will disrupt and degrade the economy of several states, and that in turn may lead to further political chaos -- which is precisely ISIS's goal.
malshamm

Saudi in Iraq - 0 views

Iraq summons over Shia militia comment

shared by malshamm on 10 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • malshamm on 10 Feb 16
     
    saudi ambassador in iraq after 25 years of break. now the 2 countries have diplomatic relation.
irede123

Iraqi Shiite militias say US troops 'forces of occupation,' demand withdrawal - RT News - 0 views

www.rt.com/...336434-iraq-shia-militia-us

ISIS troops occupation

shared by irede123 on 29 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • irede123 on 29 Mar 16
     
    The Hezbollah movement in Iraq said the new deployment of US marines is a plot to help IS terrorists. The shiite group added that if these troops are not withdrawn, Hezbollah will treat them as IS forces
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