[May 20, 2015] This past weekend ISIS fighters just captured the strategic city of Ramadi, Iraq. Are there any lessons for senior leaders we can learn from this? Yes, but many of our senior politicians that control policy simply don’t understand or cannot apply what those lessons are to ensure success and this was, sadly, perfectly predictable. The reason is that the battle for Iraq transcends Iraq and ISIS terrorism.
There is no U.S. or international strategy on Iraq – despite denials from the White House. What this means is that any lesson coming from the battles in Iraq cannot be put into the proper context, the prioritization of Iraqi and coalition military resources will be muddled, political actions will be ad hoc, and effective solutions will be more difficult to achieve. This is why we are reading about so many lessons from Iraq and because no one can agree about Iraq’s future … and, nothing is being done to apply them. In effect, we have improvised tactical solutions that may – or may not – work in the short-term but the longer term future of Iraq and the entire Middle East remains a deep mystery.
The “sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq” that was to be the crowning achievement of U.S. President Obama’s foreign policy in 2014 is now in doubt only a few months later.1 The single most important lesson from all wars, including World War I, World War II, and Korea was that they require a long-term commitment of political, economic, and military resources after the destructive battles are over. This lesson is historical and largely undeniable. In December 2011, President Obama withdrew all U.S. troops.2 Since then ISIS has grown largely unopposed.
ISIS has shown considerable creativity to avoid U.S. airstrikes. In taking Ramadi they attacked during a sandstorm and made it impossible for coalition aircraft to distinguish friend from foe until after the storm was over; consolidating their gains.3 They also are effective and extremely adept at using social media to recruit new talent and spread the message of Islam. As we say in the military, “the enemy has a vote.” ISIS is learning and growing.
While America and the world is undecided about the current war in Iraq – and in Syria – both Sunni and Shia versions of Islam continue to spread extremism. Without a strategy to stop extremism we make allies of Shia militias in Iraq that are influenced by Iran; a state sponsor of terrorism. All the while, aligning ourselves with some Sunni nations gives us an appearance of inconsistency and a false face to all Muslims.
What is our priority in the Middle East? Peace or the destruction of ISIS or something else? Frankly, if you ask senior military leaders today whether they believe to be the U.S. political (or grand) strategy in Iraq or Syria, they will be unable to tell you. That in itself speaks volumes.
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See also: Military Advances in Iraq [March 13, 2015] at https://www.theleadermaker.com/military-advances-in-iraq/