Maybe even arming them? there s no question that the sunni tribal organizations need to be able to defend their communities against isis. they have to have a better opportunity to actually engage isis. they have to be better trained and better equipped. however, you really need to do this with the cooperation of the iraqi government. the success of iraq depends on a central government that has the confidence of all of the different ethnic communities. so if you start to work around the central government in the long run that s going to cause a real problem in stability in iraq. yes, we do need the sunnis engaged in the fight against isis but we also need to do it and work through the iraqi government. here s the rub i need you to help me understand. a big reason we have isis is because of the bathists, the sunnis disenfranchised or felt that way under the reconstituted government with maliki after the
Lock and key, he was seen as believe it or not, a man who could be trusted. the americans seem to see him as someone who could keep the prison quiet. there are 24 caps within the sunni side of camp bucca, he was allowed open access to all of them. he wasn t considered from everything we know now, a high level detainee, and he was allowed to lead to prayers, he was allowed to give religious lessons. the future leader of isis was giving other inmates lessons on islam. those inmates were jihadists or former bathists, henchmen of saddam, or simply common criminals. it most assuredly was a jihadist university. unquestionably.
You ve heard so much and seen so much about isis, it s easy to get anxious. it s trying to scare you and confuse you. just recently the group took credit for a planned attack in garland, texas. but so far, it appears that two perpetrators were simply inspired by isis and not actually part of it. let me offer a few tentative thoughts about the group. isis is clearly about religion, about its version of radical islam. but it is also about power. there s increasing evidence that the military backbone of isis is made up not by a group of islamic zealots, but high ranking officers from saddam hussein s army, bathists, who at least ostensibly are secular. isis has thrived because of a
Isl islam. those inmates were jihadists or former bathists, henchmen of saddam, or simply common criminals. it most assuredly was a jihadist university. unquestionably. put them all together in the baking heat of southern iraq, without baghdadi, a man who dreamed of a new kind of terror, it was a recipe for isis. they were meeting, they were playing soccer together, they were strategizing together. one thing is clear, al baghdadi went through a transformation at camp bucca. matthew was an average person. he was just a sunni foot soldier when he was arrested by the americans. but by the time al baghdadi left, he was someone else. all we know is that baghdadi became an entirely different creature, in terms of
You ve heard so much and seen so much about isis, it s easy to get anxious, it s trying to scare you and confuse you. just recently the group took credit for a planned attack in garland, texas. but so far, it apepears that tw perpetrators were inspired by isis not actually a part of it. let me offer a few tentative thoughts about the group. isis is clearly about religion, about its version of radical islam. but it is also about power. there s increasing evidence that the military backbone of isis is made up not by a group of islamic zealots, but high ranking officers from saddam hussein s army, bathists, who at least oasensibly secular isis hs thrived because of a local cause, the group has gained territory, cash and recruits,