I took a long time to decide where to start here, then decided to wait for #IraqProtests dust to settle - at least for a while - before I can write some takes on the post war, post ISIS Iraq without waiting for full view to form to be able to see the post #Soleimani operation fallout that came out of all of that and but not least what would Iraq and middle east look post COVID-19 pandemic and the latest oil prices fall in Q1 2020.
As I wrote in this Blog's description and regardless of all of the above listed issues and dynamic changes, if we step back and look from a western perspective, Iraq was always the far away hot zone that consumed a lot of broadcasting hours, thinktanks papers and most importantly; money billions of dollars and losses of lives in several digits, the unnecessary war that created a "black hole' for lives and resources and destabilized the already destabilized Middle East and got even worse later when Washington decided to abandon the "bad and costly project" and move on, or so Obama thought.
Then no matter what people reading the NY Times, Washington post, Twitter news feed and try to scrole fast and skip Iraq news updates, something always comes out of that and affect the nearby area and the global energy we saw during the rise of ISIS or the kill of Iranian Quds force commander in Baghdad airport and hit the world with another turmoil, its a hussle that would never end until all parties involved in post 1990 Iraq and post 2003 decisions making decide to resolve, the most important of those are Iraqis themselves.
As a matter of fact, what can be called here (Iraq area) - that includes both Iraqi Kurdistan region, its Simi-autonomous and Simi democratic appearance and southern Iraq - with all its colorful diversities, resources and challenges and its 'Iraqcracy - so called democracy looked incomprehensible to the observers with majority of takes and opinions of western, Arab, Russian and Iranian analysts (probably Chinese analysts as well) representing their own interest and background (military, economic, media affiliation) and their payroll owner and in best independent cases; their own whishes and personnel perspectives. Same story goes with local analysts and journalists who speak and write about Iraq in local, regional or international media outlets.
All of that sometimes makes the one want to publish an empty book about Iraq, one with blank pages that simply look like a 25 years best seller that is called "Everything Men Know About Women" and leave this blog as it was since May 2019; Empty.
As I wrote in this Blog's description and regardless of all of the above listed issues and dynamic changes, if we step back and look from a western perspective, Iraq was always the far away hot zone that consumed a lot of broadcasting hours, thinktanks papers and most importantly; money billions of dollars and losses of lives in several digits, the unnecessary war that created a "black hole' for lives and resources and destabilized the already destabilized Middle East and got even worse later when Washington decided to abandon the "bad and costly project" and move on, or so Obama thought.
Then no matter what people reading the NY Times, Washington post, Twitter news feed and try to scrole fast and skip Iraq news updates, something always comes out of that and affect the nearby area and the global energy we saw during the rise of ISIS or the kill of Iranian Quds force commander in Baghdad airport and hit the world with another turmoil, its a hussle that would never end until all parties involved in post 1990 Iraq and post 2003 decisions making decide to resolve, the most important of those are Iraqis themselves.
As a matter of fact, what can be called here (Iraq area) - that includes both Iraqi Kurdistan region, its Simi-autonomous and Simi democratic appearance and southern Iraq - with all its colorful diversities, resources and challenges and its 'Iraqcracy - so called democracy looked incomprehensible to the observers with majority of takes and opinions of western, Arab, Russian and Iranian analysts (probably Chinese analysts as well) representing their own interest and background (military, economic, media affiliation) and their payroll owner and in best independent cases; their own whishes and personnel perspectives. Same story goes with local analysts and journalists who speak and write about Iraq in local, regional or international media outlets.
All of that sometimes makes the one want to publish an empty book about Iraq, one with blank pages that simply look like a 25 years best seller that is called "Everything Men Know About Women" and leave this blog as it was since May 2019; Empty.
