There are no words

Iran and Iraq

There is a new blog post entitled, “Every bit as stupid as World War I, if not more so.”

The first article here is actually from yesterday, but it’s been updated and worth a re-read. One part is especially weird: Donald Trump threatened Iraq with harsh sanctions and demanded repayment for the costs of an air base should the country indeed force U.S. troops out.[1] The U.S. military, nonetheless, may—or may not—be preparing to withdraw.[2]

Normally I wouldn’t care much about words from third parties, but a comment from an Israeli Defense Force general is interesting for his characterization of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani as part of a contest between Iran and the U.S. over control of Iraq.[3] Which is to say, pretty fucking bluntly, that Iraq is a colony, albeit with a yet-to-be-determined colonizer. Iraqis won’t appreciate that but there’s some real truth to it. This is a contest that’s been going on for a while.

“[Qassem] Soleimani hurt American interests and represented a significant danger to Americans in the region. We must look at the assassination as part of a fight between Iran and the United States over Iraq’s character. That is the story,” said IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi.[4]

Erin Cunningham, “Iran announces it is suspending its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal,” Washington Post, January 5, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/body-of-commander-slain-by-us-strike-arrives-in-iran-to-crowds-of-mourners/2020/01/05/4ca3281a-2f17-11ea-bffe-020c88b3f120_story.html

John Hudson et al., “Killing of Soleimani follows long push from Pompeo for aggressive action against Iran, but airstrike brings serious risks,” Washington Post, January 5, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/killing-of-soleimani-follows-long-push-from-pompeo-for-aggressive-action-against-iran-but-airstrike-brings-serious-risks/2020/01/05/092a8e00-2f7d-11ea-be79-83e793dbcaef_story.html

David Smith, “Suleimani killing: Donald Trump defends threat to target cultural sites in Iran,” Guardian, January 6, 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/06/suleimani-killing-donald-trump-defends-threat-to-hit-cultural-sites-in-iran

Times of Israel, “IDF general distances Israel from Soleimani killing in first public comment,” January 6, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-general-distances-israel-from-soleimani-killing-in-first-public-comment/

Times of Israel, “US military says it’ll ‘move out’ of Iraq, but defense secretary denies pullout,” January 6, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-tells-iraq-it-is-preparing-to-move-out-official-letter/


  1. [1]Erin Cunningham, “Iran announces it is suspending its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal,” Washington Post, January 5, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/body-of-commander-slain-by-us-strike-arrives-in-iran-to-crowds-of-mourners/2020/01/05/4ca3281a-2f17-11ea-bffe-020c88b3f120_story.html
  2. [2]Times of Israel, “US military says it’ll ‘move out’ of Iraq, but defense secretary denies pullout,” January 6, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-tells-iraq-it-is-preparing-to-move-out-official-letter/
  3. [3]Times of Israel, “IDF general distances Israel from Soleimani killing in first public comment,” January 6, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-general-distances-israel-from-soleimani-killing-in-first-public-comment/
  4. [4]Times of Israel, “IDF general distances Israel from Soleimani killing in first public comment,” January 6, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-general-distances-israel-from-soleimani-killing-in-first-public-comment/

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