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On Tue, June 17, 2014 12:06, En Passant with John Passant via Marxism wrote: > > > http://enpassant.com.au/2014/06/17/why-is-iraq-being-torn-apart/ I read through the article posted on John Passant's website which was reprinted from the US Socialist Worker (ISO, I gather), and I found myself nodding in agreement at most points. Of course we're all trying to make sense of the recent events in Iraq which is widely attributed to ISIS, or at least to a coalition in which ISIS appears dominant. But then I ran across this remark in the article: "Saudi Arabia and Qatar backed the worst of these Sunni extremist forces, including ISIS." Now this statement is sharply disputed by Michael Karadjis in his very well researched and extensive article where he specifically puts to rest that assertion (and retracts his previous repetition of such ideas): http://mkaradjis.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/the-gulf-and-islamism-in-syria-myths-and-misconceptions/ Even without examining the voluminous documentation, it's hard to deny Michael's obvious point that these regimes wouldn't be trying to bring to power the Jihadist movements which are so committed to their own destruction. This error in the ISO article calls into question the veracity of its other factual material. And maybe the original source of funding to ISIS is a moot point now that they have seized half a billion dollars in cash and a billion dollars worth of military hardware. If the rise of the Jihadists in Syria was in fact a result of their superior resources (no other good explanation exists) then their latest acquisitions are yet another great boost to a force that is toxic both to the Syrian revolution and to Iraqis who were legitimately opposed to the Maliki regime. - Jeff ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
