This old fella has seen it all. Here we are again, more Western intrusion.
This old Iraqi man was just a wee child when the British were in Baghdad, he’s seen several wars, including the war with Iran, and now he’s under a US coalition occupation of his country. (Old Baghdad, 2003).
Today US troops are still in Iraq, and they’re in several other surrounding countries, yet in smaller numbers than their total occupation of 2003 onwards. And today, they’re still being attacked and killed…something seriously is going wrong with US foreign policy!
Small is still vulnerable no matter your sophistication in weapons and intelligence. I know just how vulnerable, having spent 20yrs working as a small SF grouping behind the lines in countries around the world.
The old man in the photo above, were he still to be alive today would just be rolling his eyes at the knowledge of yet another US base being attacked by Iranian backed “terrorists” in the Region.
Place yourself in the thick of it and expect to get away with it, is nothing short of ignorance from those in charge.
Add to the facts of what is happening today in the Region.
After decades of political backing, and military funding by the US, UK and others, Israel was given a severe bloody nose on 7th October 2023 with the horrendous attacks on the Israeli/Gaza border by Hamas.
In response, Israel even by being prewarned of the Hamas attack, delayed their immediate reaction force to the area of the attack, and the immediate help required to those Israelis and others who were taken by vehicle and on foot as hostages back into the Gaza Strip, however, their deliberate planned response was to go into Gaza after hitting the city and other areas within the Strip with just about everything they had. Approximately 2.2 million innocent Palestinians paying the price for 7th October attacks, including to date over 10.000 dead children, not including those not accounted for rotting away under the rubble.
It goes without saying, that to anyone with a bit of Greater Middle Eastern knowledge, that the response from Regional actors to anyone supporting Israel, and located in the Region would be bloody…and in my view hasn’t even began to get going yet.
So, just like the Israelis, the US and their allies are responding militarily to any attacks on their Regional assets.
This only has one direction…a greater escalation.
Inside Gaza, no matter what war crimes the Israelis may be accused of committing (given the innocent civilian death toll of men, women and children, not counting the wounded, and those contracting disease through dirty water and unsanitary conditions in winter), they will not defeat Hamas. They will only embolden it, given the youth watching their families get slaughtered day on day. Consider also, that the heads of Hamas aren’t even inside the Gaza Strip. They are Lording it inside Qatar, living luxuriously and safely compared to those Palestinians who they supposedly represent.
So, the very same can be said for those being targeted militarily by the US and their small coalition. Those families, close friends and tribal supporters will only become emboldened by the attacks…it’s solving nothing…it’s only adding more foot soldiers to their Jihad!
Friends one day, enemies the next!
Once upon a time we were very friendly with Iran and not so friendly with Saudi Arabia…then it changed…will it some day in the future change again? The two main rival proxies of the Greater Middle East. Over the decades, we’ve trained them all militarily, economically and diplomatically, and I’m sure maybe just not hard enough in the latter.
Train and supply these foreign countries militarily will undoubtedly make lots of $$$$$, but it adds in the long run to instability that can and has many times come back to bite.
Meanwhile China (who for years have gone around the world reaping the benefits) have engaged diplomatically without firing a shot in anger…yet as I’ve said many times over the years have made a killing so to speak.
The heads of the US and their Allies, at the earliest opportunity, need to sit together and go through all of the “what if” scenarios in all realism, instead of $$$$$$ signs floating in their minds, and get working hard on the solutions…otherwise more and more US soldiers along with Western civilians aligned to the USA will die for failed and inept foreign policies.
Bob Shepherd 