This is not an argument against intervention. It is against American interventionists who, given their track record of recklessness, have forfeited the right to be taken seriously.
If intervention needs to happen in Iraq, let it be under the auspices of an authority that is disinterested and has the credibility and political will to do the job well.
There is nothing cynical or academic in observing that the US lacks the moral legitimacy to intervene in Iraq, just as it lacks the political will to do it effectively. The US had a decade to show Iraqis that it was serious about good governance and development, and it utterly failed. We haven't reflected on that experience as a society. We haven't even bothered to seriously prosecute Americans who committed crimes in Iraq.
The US owes Iraq many things, including reparations. But returning for another round is not one of them.
Jon - contemporary sectarianism in Iraqi society has a history, and yes, sadly, it is tied to the dynamics of the decade-long occupation. See the links in my essay for more information. I'm all for defending Kurdistan. I am just skeptical that this is something the US can actually do, and do without doing harm.
This is not an argument against intervention. It is against American interventionists who, given their track record of recklessness, have forfeited the right to be taken seriously.
If intervention needs to happen in Iraq, let it be under the auspices of an authority that is disinterested and has the credibility and political will to do the job well.
There is nothing cynical or academic in observing that the US lacks the moral legitimacy to intervene in Iraq, just as it lacks the political will to do it effectively. The US had a decade to show Iraqis that it was serious about good governance and development, and it utterly failed. We haven't reflected on that experience as a society. We haven't even bothered to seriously prosecute Americans who committed crimes in Iraq.
The US owes Iraq many things, including reparations. But returning for another round is not one of them.
Jon - contemporary sectarianism in Iraqi society has a history, and yes, sadly, it is tied to the dynamics of the decade-long occupation. See the links in my essay for more information. I'm all for defending Kurdistan. I am just skeptical that this is something the US can actually do, and do without doing harm.
The mission creep has already begun. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/world/middleeast/us-to-send-130-more-military-advisers-to-iraq.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news