Why Obama Is Considering an Attack on Iraq

Two and a half years after the withdrawal of American troops, the U.S. president must consider the return of its troops to combat the crisis in Baghdad. The Pentagon is thinking of sending unmanned drones or normal war planes.

“There will be some short term immediate things that need to be done militarily and our national security team is looking at all the options, but this should also be a wake-up call for the Iraqi government.” Barack Obama made the announcement that hurtled the United States back in time to Bush’s war on terror 10 years ago. The military occupation of Iraq was difficult and costly, both in economic terms and in human lives. The fact remains that the offensive undertaken by the militiamen of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has even taken the American administration by surprise. Due to jihadist advances, dozens of Americans, both civilians and contractors, were recently evacuated from the Balad Iraqi air base, one of the country’s main training centers, 80 kilometers north of Baghdad. While the United States considers the evacuation of its very own embassy in the Iraqi capital, the Wall Street Journal reveals that in recent months, Washington and Baghdad used drones to monitor the activities of al-Qaida.

It was a seemingly resolute Obama that responded to journalists’ questions about Iraq at the White House’s Oval House on June 12.

“We do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria, for that matter,” Obama stated. However, sources in the administration describe a much more difficult and uncertain situation. In recent months Obama has done everything he can to stay out of sectarian clashes between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. The administration is directed by this exact course of action, reiterated by the president some weeks ago during his speech on foreign policy at West Point, pointing to a “strong America,” but an America that avoids direct involvement in international crises. The worsening political situation in Iraqi makes more radical decisions necessary.

Two and a half years after the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, Obama must consider their return to fight on Iraqi soil. The Pentagon is considering the possibility of air strikes on ISIL outposts, which could be conducted with unmanned drones or by normal war planes. The Iraqi government, led by Nouri al-Maliki, has over the course of many months asked Obama to lead air strikes against jihadist outposts north and west of Baghdad, but the administration did not wish to fulfill this request, preferring instead to supply Iraq with missiles, fighter jets and tanks.

An article appearing in the Wall Street Journal, which was written using information provided by anonymous sources working for the government in Washington, revealed that since last year the United States is secretly using fewer drones in Iraq to gather information on the insurgents. The drones were used in data collection operations, not in actual military action. So far the U.S. administration had maintained a rather detached attitude in regard to the Iraqi crisis. On the one hand, there is the memory of the economic and human loss suffered by the U.S. as a result of the Iraqi occupation — 4,400 U.S. soldiers died in the conflict. On the other hand, there is the more general problem of the region’s unstable geopolitical situation.

Recently, Iran invited its paramilitary force, Pasdaran, to help Maliki’s Shiite government. Any decision made by Washington about its military position would put Obama in the unusual situation of fighting alongside Tehran in the defense of Baghdad’s Shiite government.

This is a government which has done everything to displease Washington in recent times, giving the American military a valid reason to step in. The persecution campaign led by Nouri al-Maliki against the Sunni Iraqi population has in fact, according to the Obama administration, revived sectarian tensions and has accelerated the conflict. “Prime Minister Maliki’s mismanagement of Iraqi politics is contributing to the recent surge of violence,” stated Bob Corker, a Republican senator who is among the most active in shaping U.S. foreign policy.

Iraq’s recent problems have led to the United States putting aside any reservations it may have had about Maliki and its intention to replace him, a fact which the government was not adamant to keep concealed. It is precisely the Republicans that are now insisting that the United States play a more important role in the conflict. “Obama is sleeping,” declared Republican John Boehner, Speaker of the House.

John McCain echoed his fellow party member’s sentiments. “There is no policy. And there is no strategy,” he stated. The Democrats seem to be more cautious, but the majority of Washington’s politicians consider that a limited military intervention in Iraq is now necessary.

“It might be the only way we can give some support so they can regroup, so the Iraqi Army can get itself together,” explained Joe Manchin III.*

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.