Contrary to what I think I should probably think - I don't agree that there should be no bombing/air campaign at all in the fight against Da'esh ever by anyone. I disagree with Cameron's crude strategy of UK airstrikes and heavy bombing of Raqqa. What I do agree with is the following 1. Political intervention (in particular pressuring Turkey to reconsider its increasingly blatant support for ISIS) 2. A complete reassessment of our arms trade with Saudi & Israel 3. The left doing several things that broadly come under the rubric of 'defending the greyzone' including, supporting Corbyn and attacking the media and messages it is portraying. The Sun and Daily Mail have by any standards been vile. The Caliph the conductor and we the conducted and finally 4. Being very mindful indeed with the use of the Prevent program. Administered in any other way could be counterproductive and there are reports that this is so.
I strongly disagree with the drive for militarization over the next decade, billions planned for new aircraft and trident renewal. A pillar of neoliberalism that has inevitably created this situation. This money could pay for a million climate jobs several times over, amongst other things. But I do agree with one thing. Despite playing a major role in birthing ISIS in to this world, they, ISIS, should be stopped. If the left acknowledges this, a strategy is lacking in much of the discourse, and the above mentioned strategies are only mitigation.
I strongly disagree with the drive for militarization over the next decade, billions planned for new aircraft and trident renewal. A pillar of neoliberalism that has inevitably created this situation. This money could pay for a million climate jobs several times over, amongst other things. But I do agree with one thing. Despite playing a major role in birthing ISIS in to this world, they, ISIS, should be stopped. If the left acknowledges this, a strategy is lacking in much of the discourse, and the above mentioned strategies are only mitigation.
200,000 Yazidi leaving home, 50,000 go to mount Sinjar
Up to 5000 ethnically unique unarmed sufi-esque Yazidi were slaughtered by ISIS. An unknown number of Yazidi women are now Jihadi slaves. The slaughter was predominantly of the male population, children included. Many orphaned children were left confused, hungry and alone. 200,000 Yazidi fled. Some 50,000 hid-out on mount Sinjar.
The Yazidi were rescued by a coalition of Kurds from Syria, Turkey & Iraq. Initially the Peshmerga (Iraq Kurdish forces) retreated. Leaving the Yazidi exposed. There is a tendency to inflate contributions from different forces in the available propaganda. It appears consistent in reports that the PKK and YPG/J (Turkish & Syrian Kurdish units) responded quickly and stopped Da'esh advancing but were unable to repel them. The Peshmerga who are quite different in many ways from the Syrian and Turkish Kurds with no ideological link to the incarcerated Ocalan, and are politically on the right, do appear to have made a difference later on. They are a well resourced fighting force.
What is clear is that US air strikes had a very significant impact. I have found no reports that US airstrikes caused the death of any civilians in this campaign. In any case the remaining Yazidi were saved and air strikes were unequivocally vital to the liberation of the Yazidi. US air strikes were again vital in the battle for Kobani.
I cannot then make a case that I wish this rescue did not happen and therefore cannot make a case that argues against bombing in its entirety. However I don't get to chose and those that do have the power to chose, I do not trust with such selectivity, which in practice leaves the option of joining the campaign that argues against all bombing. Which is just politics, but not entirely honest.
The Yazidi were rescued by a coalition of Kurds from Syria, Turkey & Iraq. Initially the Peshmerga (Iraq Kurdish forces) retreated. Leaving the Yazidi exposed. There is a tendency to inflate contributions from different forces in the available propaganda. It appears consistent in reports that the PKK and YPG/J (Turkish & Syrian Kurdish units) responded quickly and stopped Da'esh advancing but were unable to repel them. The Peshmerga who are quite different in many ways from the Syrian and Turkish Kurds with no ideological link to the incarcerated Ocalan, and are politically on the right, do appear to have made a difference later on. They are a well resourced fighting force.
What is clear is that US air strikes had a very significant impact. I have found no reports that US airstrikes caused the death of any civilians in this campaign. In any case the remaining Yazidi were saved and air strikes were unequivocally vital to the liberation of the Yazidi. US air strikes were again vital in the battle for Kobani.
I cannot then make a case that I wish this rescue did not happen and therefore cannot make a case that argues against bombing in its entirety. However I don't get to chose and those that do have the power to chose, I do not trust with such selectivity, which in practice leaves the option of joining the campaign that argues against all bombing. Which is just politics, but not entirely honest.
YPJ soldier offers support to Yazidi women
Bombing Raqqa 'cutting off the snakes head' as Cameron suggests, I completely disagree with. There is no way this heavy bombing campaign can occur without significant civilian casualties. No doubt reports to this end will start flooding in as Russian & US jets increasingly target the city. Cutting off the snakes head in this way will be more akin to cutting off the Hydra's head. ISIS, Al qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham will undoubtedly live on and become even more potent in the middle east leading to more terror elsewhere.
What should be next is an advance of Kurdish forces to cut of ISIS supply lines across the Turkish border. Specifically this means repelling them from occupied Jarabulus, the only border crossing they have left. Jihadi recruits, a lucrative oil trade and other resources depend on this. The YPG have been clear that they want to advance on Jarabulus. This would expand the territory of Kurdish Syria and potentially join with Azaz. That is to say all Rojavan cantons would then be Geographically linked. Rojava is relatively safe now. Da'esh are resorting mainly to car bombs as they can not penetrate the Kurdish forces in any other way. The Kurds are winning and the Rojava project is the most inspiring political project in the world today. Direct democracy and assemblies, potentially stateless, egalitarian and ecological, rooted in Bookchin.
Turkey however will not allow the Kurds to advance on Jarabulus. If this were to happen the new Kurdish Syrian territory would cover the entire Turkish-Syrian border. Erdogen's AKP would rather continue their faustian pact with ISIS and attack the Kurds if they advanced. Hence the next step as I see it is political. Erdogen's party were re-elected earlier this month and it is in their DNA to repress the Kurds. Politics is the next step. Deal with Turkey in negotiations but no need for the UK to bomb Raqqa, because frankly, that's just stupid.
What should be next is an advance of Kurdish forces to cut of ISIS supply lines across the Turkish border. Specifically this means repelling them from occupied Jarabulus, the only border crossing they have left. Jihadi recruits, a lucrative oil trade and other resources depend on this. The YPG have been clear that they want to advance on Jarabulus. This would expand the territory of Kurdish Syria and potentially join with Azaz. That is to say all Rojavan cantons would then be Geographically linked. Rojava is relatively safe now. Da'esh are resorting mainly to car bombs as they can not penetrate the Kurdish forces in any other way. The Kurds are winning and the Rojava project is the most inspiring political project in the world today. Direct democracy and assemblies, potentially stateless, egalitarian and ecological, rooted in Bookchin.
Turkey however will not allow the Kurds to advance on Jarabulus. If this were to happen the new Kurdish Syrian territory would cover the entire Turkish-Syrian border. Erdogen's AKP would rather continue their faustian pact with ISIS and attack the Kurds if they advanced. Hence the next step as I see it is political. Erdogen's party were re-elected earlier this month and it is in their DNA to repress the Kurds. Politics is the next step. Deal with Turkey in negotiations but no need for the UK to bomb Raqqa, because frankly, that's just stupid.
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