Commentary: Alan Jamieson
Faith and Sword author Alan Jamieson incisively argues in his November 14th Globe and Mail editorial that the U. S. military's "surge" strategy in Iraq is not working as well as the recent drop in casualties may suggest. In "Timeout for the Grim Reaper?", Jamieson contends that the various religious and political factions in Iraq are still very much alive and well, and rather than being defeated, they may be only pausing before resuming their fight against the American occupying forces:
One of the declared aims of the "surge" strategy was to end the communal violence between Sunni and Shia Arabs in Iraq. To some extent, this aim has been achieved, but much of this reduction in violence has come about because Sunnis have now been driven out of Shia areas and vice versa. Thousands of people from these two branches of Islam have been displaced, both within Iraq and as refugees in neighbouring countries.Another aim of the "surge" strategy was to do serious damage to the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Iraq. Here, there has certainly been some success. Sunni tribesmen have been weaned away from the insurgency and, armed by the Americans, used to hunt down al-Qaeda militants.
But this success has come at a price. The Shia-dominated government in Baghdad is deeply suspicious of these new Sunni forces. They fear such groups may be used against Iraqi Shiites, particularly if the U.S. goes to war with Iran. Hence, the Baghdad government has tried to prevent such forces joining the Shia-controlled Iraqi army and police.
One of the most important reasons for reinforcing U.S. forces in Iraq was to fulfill a promise that American administrators, commanders and diplomats have endlessly repeated since the invasion of Iraq in 2003: to disarm and disband the various militias in the country. In this aim, the Americans have once again failed completely. Indeed, by arming the Sunnis to fight al-Qaeda, they have even created new tribal militias. . . .
So, while supporters of the U.S. "surge" strategy can claim some success in reducing communal violence and disrupting al-Qaeda operations in Iraq, the aim of disarming and disbanding Iraq's militias has failed. The Kurdish, Sunni and Shia militias remain numerous and well-armed, ready and waiting to return to violence if it suits their purposes.
Read the full Globe and Mail editorial by Alan Jamieson
Learn more about Faith and Sword: A Short History of the Christian-Muslim Conflict