Dr. Eowyn posted: "Arlington Cemetery The costs of the Iraq War -- the
U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, 2003-2011 -- to
America are steep. They include: 4,487 of our soldiers (not including
civilian contractors) were killed. 32,226 soldiers were w" Respond to
this post by replying above this line
New post on *Fellowship of the Minds*
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/eowyn2/> After thousands of U.S.
soldiers paid with their lives, Iraq again descends into
violence<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/23/after-thousands-of-u-s-soldiers-paid-with-their-lives-iraq-again-descends-into-violence/>
by
Dr. Eowyn <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/eowyn2/>
[image: Arlington
Cemetery]<http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/arlington-cemetery.jpg>
*Arlington Cemetery*
The costs of the Iraq War <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War> -- the
U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, 2003-2011 -- to
America are steep. They include:
- 4,487 of our soldiers (not including civilian contractors) were killed.
- 32,226 soldiers were wounded.
- More than $845 billion of taxpayers' money spent.
But now we are told that Iraq, once again, is spiraling into out-of-control
violence.
Pamela Dockins reports for Voice of America (via
GlobalSecurity.org<http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2013/iraq-130919-voa01.htm?_m=3n%2e002a%2e912%2ets0ao054y3%2eu0x>),
September 19, 2013, that Iraq is grappling with its worst violence in years
with *almost daily bombings and attacks undermining the country's fragile
framework and rivaling the dark days of civil unrest in 2007 and 2008.*
The violence has escalated steadily after U.S. troops largely pulled out of
the country at the end of 2011. Civilian deaths in Iraq have more than
doubled in the last year, according to statistics from the United Nations
Assistance Mission, from 2,000 in 2012 to 4,800 in 2013.
*Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki *appealed for help this week. In a
televised speech on Wednesday, he urged "citizens, politicians and
journalists" to support security forces as they try to chase down what he
called "the terrorists."
But analysts say much more than terrorism is at play. *The violence is
largely sectarian*, fueled by many complicating factors including a
political deadlock in Baghdad and a spillover of al-Qaida activity from the
conflict in Syria.
The Iraqi government has been stalled for months amid *a Sunni-Shi'ite
political and social divide. *Center for Strategic and International
Studies analyst *Anthony Cordesman *said Maliki may have contributed to the
unrest when he moved broadly to consolidate power in his Shi'ite-dominated
government, leaving Sunnis feeling disenfranchised.
Cordesman, who co-authored a September report on Iraq's violence, said the
unrest is also fueled by social discontent brought on by high unemployment,
little industry growth, and a poor distribution of oil revenue amid a
dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdish minority in the oil-rich north.
Besides internal strife, Iraq is facing a fallout from Syria's civil war.
Carnegie Middle East Center analyst *Paul Salem* said Iraq's Sunnis may
feel emboldened by the Sunni opposition in Syria: "If the Sunnis in Syria
make more headway there, the Sunnis in Iraq feel that that might empower
them to push back against Maliki and a sort of Shi'ite - dominated
government."
Salem said *al-Qaida militants* fuel unrest in both countries*: "Al-Qaida
takes advantage of discontent among the Sunni community [in Iraq] and it
can express the more radical discontent, the more militant discontent as in
Syria. The protests began as unarmed and rather civil. As the protests
turned into an armed conflict, al-Qaida certainly found a foothold."
**Note from Eowyn: These are the same al-Qaida jihadists that Obama is
arming in Syria.*
Iraqis in general say they fear a descent into chaos, which could lead to
further destabilization in an already volatile Middle East.
*~Eowyn*
*Dr. Eowyn <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/eowyn2/>* | September
23, 2013 at 10:44 am | Tags: Al
Qaeda<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=al-qaeda>,
Anthony Cordesman
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=anthony-cordesman>, Iraq
war <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=iraq-war>, Nouri
al-Maliki<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=nouri-al-maliki>,
Paul Salem <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=paul-salem>, Syria civil
war <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=syria-civil-war>, U.S. costs of
Iraq War <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=u-s-costs-of-iraq-war> |
Categories: Insanity <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=29635004>,
Islam<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=420>,
Middle East <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=3250>,
Military<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=33806753>,
Obama <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=376320>, Syria
war<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=54593773>,
Taxes <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=34919470> | URL:
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