Perhaps it's time for plan B in Iraq and Syria?

[Uncle Joe]

First the latest news.

From a thread by Bosonic in the Latest Breaking News Forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014831628

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/22/isis-take-border-crossings-iraq-syria-jordan

Isis captures more Iraqi towns and border crossings

Jihadist fighters in Iraq seized three border crossings into Syria and Jordan and four nearby towns over the weekend, giving the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) control over much of the country's western frontier and directly threatening the country's main power supply.

Isis can now add large swaths of the Iraqi border to a 300km stretch of land it already controls along the Euphrates river, from Mosul in the north to Saddam Hussein's home town, Tikrit, which now gives the group a launching pad for potential attacks on strategic sites, including the lifeblood of Iraq's electricity generation, the Haditha dam. The gains also bring the crisis in Iraq to the doorstep of Jordan, a key ally of the United States.

(snip)

Plan B.

There is much more on the link.

http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/column/fareed-zakaria-plan-b-in-middle-east-should-be-enclave/article_780e9e44-65b2-57e8-af0a-c8dcb3e1e432.html


The old order was probably unsustainable. It rested on extreme suppression, which was producing extreme opposition movements, and on superpower patronage, which couldn’t last over time. The countries with significant sectarian divides and in which minority groups ruled — Iraq and Syria — became the most vulnerable.

Let’s be clear. The Iraq War was the crucial trigger and the American occupation needlessly exacerbated sectarian identities rather than building national ones. But once the old order broke, Iraq’s Shiites, who had been suppressed for decades, in some cases brutally, were not likely to sign up to share power easily with their former tormentors.

(snip)

Plan B should be an enclave strategy. The U.S. should recognize that Iraq is turning into a country of enclaves and work to ensure that these regions stay as stable, terror-free and open as is possible. The Kurdish enclave — bolstered by having captured the vital city of Kirkuk — is already a success story. The Shiite region of the south can be stable.

It will be possible to work with countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan to influence the Sunni groups in the middle of the country, purging terrorists and empowering moderate Sunnis. A comparable strategy in Syria would allow groups like the Kurds and Sunnis to protect their own areas, safe from Bashar al-Assad’s brutality, but recognize that they will not be able to topple the regime.

(snip)

America can’t stop a tidal trend. What it can do is try to limit the fallout, bolster stable countries and zones, support those who believe in reconciliation, and protect itself and its friends.