Gruesome pictures of mass executions in Iraq have once again shaken the conscience of the world, and are a reminder that when this part of an energy-rich world sneezes, it makes the world catch a cold. What we are witness to today is the “reshaping of Iraq.” The U.S. cannot escape culpability for the current mess, a culmination of its intervention in 2003 under the pretext of looking for weapons of mass destruction.
The turbulence in Iraq has ramifications — from a massive influx of those who flee the strife-torn areas, to the safety of foreign nationals like hundreds of Indian nurses and construction workers, and then a steep rise in crude oil and oil-related products. One hopes that the people of Iraq, be they Shiites, Sunnis or Kurds, realise how much they have in common from a theological perspective. They must realise their common humanity and settle their problems peacefully.
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G. David Milton
The U.S. must take the blame for the deepening crisis in Iraq. It’s the unjustified aggression against Iraq that has left the Iraqi Army emasculated and administration in a shambles. ISIS is reported to be far more dangerous and fanatical than al-Qaeda and is clearly taking advantage of the disarray in Iraq. The world is in for the long haul on this front unless the crisis is resolved soon.
A.N. Lakshmanan,
Bangalore