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War in Iraq
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| Yes | 78% | 96 votes | Total: 123 votes | |
| No | 22% | 27 votes |
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Add to FavoritesAccording to many sources, the evidence of Iran's meddling in the war in Iraq has been building for several years now. One of the most damning claims is that Iran is a major supplier of the most deadly type of IED, the explosively formed penetrator weapon (EFP), which has been wreaking havoc on American forces. The feeling is that given the sophistication of this device, it is highly unlikely that they are being manufactured anywhere inside Iraq.
US intelligence sources believe that these EFPs are being supplied to Iraq's Shia militia groups from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This group is also expected to be training some of the fighters for the militia groups inside Iran. US officials claim that the Pentagon will soon present details on evidence reportedly linking the deadly EFPs to Iranian agents in Iraq.
It would be a difficult proposition indeed to collect indisputable evidence the Iranian regime is directly supplying the insurgents in Iraq.
The disintegration of Iraq will leave Iran the dominant power in that troubled area of the world where Iraq had, before the US invasion, been a balancing factor. It further makes sense that the Iranians, as the only Shiite-led government in the world, are fully in support of the Shia in the sectarian bloodbath in Iraq. Perhaps, sadly, American troops are not the target here but just caught in the middle between the Shia and Sunni. In a more sinister vein, Iraq has increasingly taken a confrontational approach to the west since the election of President Ahmadinejad. Although this has left them isolated from the US and its allies, it has sparked much unity and support among Arabs in the region. This confrontation serves to ratchet up already high tensions between the US and Iran. Today Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that "I think that we're not going to stand by and let people bring sophisticated IEDs into the country that can disable Abrams tanks."
The interesting and terrifying part of this story will be if the US's new search for a "smoking gun" is successful and yields solid evidence tying Ahmadinejad's regime to the arming and training of Iraqi insurgents. Have our President and our American intelligence services won back the confidence of the American public after their obvious failings in the run up to the invasion of Iraq? If so, will there be a national outcry for a retaliatory strike against Iran if they are found to be complicit? It appears that with the US military stretched thin and public support for continued fighting in Iraq eroding daily, our military response options are extremely limited.
Learn more about this author, Don Howard.
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No
Iran is not arming the insurgents any more than America or the Arab Gulf states. In fact, the reality is that the insurgents are getting arms from all of the parties mentioned. It is a civil war and the insurgents obtain weapons and resources from any available source. The fact is that America has lost incredible quantities of arms in Iraq, without explanation. In some cases, America has either looked the other way or actually consciously given arms to factions, at least to some of the Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites.
Before you reject that notion, remember that America had to cooperate with the new Shiite-dominated government and it has been dominated by powerful Shiite groups. The US has armed the new Iraqi government and it works hand in glove with Shiite factions. Similarly, the US had to do something to curtail al Qaeda influence in Al Anbar Province and arming local Sunnis was seen as the only immediate option available. Meanwhile, the Kurds have been supplied by America since before the toppling of Saddam.
So, is Iran arming insurgents? Not as much as America has been doing, but inevitably some Iranian armaments have reached Iraq. However, that does not mean that the government of Iran is directly involved. Iran is a large country with many factions and groups within it. Iraqi Shiites have long been seeking support from people in Iran.
Similarly, Iraqi Sunnis have long been courting relationships with the Saudis and other Gulf Arabs. At a minimum, al Qaeda in Iraq has been receiving support from Sunnis outside the country. The same is known to be true for other Sunni tribalists.
The facts are that the fingerprints of many nationalities and factions are found on insurgents' weapons.
Playing "the blame game" really helps nobody. Iraq has been in a state of civil war for several years now. The "tit for tat" violence is virtually non-stop. Pointing the finger at one neighboring country to the exclusion of the others is playing favorites. It solves nothing. Even if not a single additional Iranian bullet arrived in Iraq it would make little difference. The sources of the insurgent's armaments are diverse and flexible. America needs a strong dose of reality and we need to stop the ideological gamesmanship. It won't stop the war. It can't be won militarily.
America is part of the problem say most Iraqis. We are not part of the solution, unless we start accepting Iraq for what it is, a collection of sectarian tribalists. Unfortunately, America is not capable of mediating among Islamic sects. Our best bet is to pull all neighbors and interested parties into diplomacy under a tight deadline. We can't expect Iranian cooperation as long as we are saber rattling and blaming them for what we created ourselves.
Learn more about this author, Robert C. Sage.
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