Iraq: Out of the desert into Mosul (closed)

[AmericanPride]

This underscores much of the debate in SWJ circles. We have those who believe the reason is failed government, economics, etc. Root causes that we can somehow address, and then the world will be all rainbows and unicorns again.

I'm in this school of thought. But I also believe this:

sometimes it really does come down to killing those who are trying to kill you.

There are definitely problems beyond our capabilities (whether in type, scope, or scale) to solve. And frankly, violence is a legitimate tool of state policy, even within the measured and sometimes narrow parameters we have established for ourselves in the West. I do not look favorably upon the last Iraq war, but I think it's important from a strategy perspective to recognize that situations are dynamic and the status quo is always changing. It may not be politically appealing to re-commit to Iraq's internal security but that does not mean it has not become necessary given current conditions.

This is one of the legacies of the War on Terrorism, and it's not something that can be ignored.