MUSLIM WORLD - ISIL Megalomaniac Leader Mirrors the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge

This is dangerous, very dangerous to the U.S. and the world.  You can bet-the-farm that they will not stop with just Iraq.

Their leader is definitely a megalomaniac, who has declared he wants the Muslim World to follow his leadership.

"Beyond Iraq, what’s next for the Islamic State?" PBS NewsHour 8/10/2014

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HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For more about this we are joined once again tonight from Washington by Douglas Ollivant.  He is a Senior and National Securities Studies Fellow at the New America Foundation and a partner at Mantid International.

So this might be a semantic question, we’ve referred to them as militants, as fighters, as jihadists, but considering some of the brutality that we are hearing reports of essentially burying people alive in mass graves and indiscriminately shooting them, it seems that these people are different.

DOUGLAS OLLIVANT:  They are different.  They are Islamist terrorists, they are Islamic fighters, but there is this core brutality to them, (that reminds us of Khmer Rouge like extermination), their tactics, their terror, the destruction of cultural heritage, the rape, the slave markets we hear, the burying alive.

We haven’t heard any stories of crucifixions in Iraq but certainly we’ve seen it in Syria by this group.  The Islamic State of Iraq in Syria, or ISIL or the Islamic State, whatever you prefer to call them, they are something very different than what we’ve seen before.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  And they’ve been very clear about exactly who they want to target and even the geographic area of what they want, I mean, this is the caliphate and empire that they want to resurrect.

DOUGLAS OLLIVANT:  Right, well they declared the Islamic State a few weeks ago so now evidently they think they rule all Muslim areas from the west end of East Africa and Spain all the way to Indonesia.

But even before that they were the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and when you look at a map of the Levant, they’re very clear; they want Jordan, they want Lebanon, they want Israel, the northern part of Saudi Arabia, the southern part of Turkey.  They’re very clear about their war aims.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  And you know the French foreign minister had a quote that was in the press release he said “We’re not fighting a terrorist organization we’re fighting a terrorist state.”  So does that change how the international community responds to this?

DOUGLAS OLLIVANT:  I think it absolutely has to, that’s absolutely right.  This is no longer a terrorist safe haven within a state, it’s a de facto state that is a terrorist safe haven.

And again, given the brutality of this group and their clear, long-term aims, we do need to take this seriously.  Now right now they’re focused on what they call the near enemy–the Maliki and the Assad regimes but this turn up to the Kurds in the northeast demonstrates that that’s not all they’re focused on.

Today it was Kurdistan, if I were Jordan or Lebanon, I’d be very concerned.

IRAQ - Shia vs Sunni Conflict, Spillover on Neighbors

The results of two U.S. Administrations getting it wrong.

"What Iraq’s violent sectarian split means for its neighbors" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2014

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GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Late this evening in Baghdad, Reuters reports that Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni political leaders, including the prime minister, made a joint call for national unity.

Tonight, we take a closer look at what the Iraq crisis and its sectarian divisions mean for an already volatile region.

I’m joined by Hisham Melhem, Washington bureau chief of Al-Arabiya News channel, and Mary-Jane Deeb, chief of the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress.  But the views she expresses here are her own.

What is the dangerous, Hisham, that the Sunni-Shiite split, which we have become so familiar with now, is going to spread beyond the borders of Iraq throughout the entire region?

HISHAM MELHEM, Al Arabiya News:  What we see now in terms of Shia-Sunni rivalry is unprecedented in the history of Islam.

This is the first time we see bloodletting on a continuum front from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon.  And if you add to it occasional flare-ups in Bahrain and Yemen, you will get an idea.

This has never happened in modern history, or even any time throughout the history of Islam.  That’s why it’s extremely dangerous.  When you add to that the fact that you have major Arab countries that are literally unraveling along sectarian ethnic lines, fault lines, Syria and Iraq, you add to that refugee problems in two brittle countries, Lebanon and Jordan, you add to that dearth of leadership in the region, you add to that dearth of leadership in Europe, which makes American leadership extremely important, unfortunately, American leadership also was absent in the last two years.

MIDDLE EAST - Iran and Hezbollah Deal Threatens Region

"Hezbollah upgrades missile threat to Israel" PBS Newshour 1/5/2014

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HARI SREENIVASAN (Newshour):  With all the talk the past many months about a possible military conflict between Israel and Iran, a new source of conflict might be emerging.  The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah, is getting more advanced weaponry that could be far more precise in their attacks.  Charles Levinson was one of the authors of the piece and joins us now.  So, there has been this arms race under the guise of the Syrian war that has been happening in the neighborhood.  Who is getting what kind of weapons?

CHARLES LEVINSON, Wall Street Journal:  Right.  So, when Assad starts losing control in Syria in 2012, Iran and Syria want Hezbollah to lend its expertise to the fight.  Hezbollah was reluctant because of its own domestic political considerations inside Lebanon.  To sweeten the deal, Iran basically offered Hezbollah to upgrade its weapons arsenal from having tens of thousands – about a hundred thousand unguided, dumb bombs and rockets and missiles to having smart, guided missiles that can hit precise targets inside Israel.  So, the weapons transfers that we are looking at so far are the SA-17.  It is an anti-aircraft, sort of highly mobile, advanced anti-aircraft missile that would really threaten Israel’s dominance in the skies above Lebanon, especially its helicopters.  You are talking about the Fato-110, which is very precise within a… I cannot remember the exact… but within a few dozen/few hundred meters let’s say.  A surface-to-surface missile that can reach basically all of Israel, and the same thing called the surface-to-ship/anti-ship missile, which can basically take out any Israeli (or U.S.) ship patrolling the Mediterranean off the coast of Lebanon.

IRAQ - As 'Democracy' Sinks Further Into the Mud

REMINDER:  Iraq has never historically been, and is not now, democratic.  This is a nation where the people place tribal/ethnic loyalties above national loyalty.

"Qaeda-Aligned Militants Threaten Key Iraqi Cities" by YASIR GHAZI and TIM ARANGO, New York Times 1/3/2014

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Radical Sunni militants aligned with Al Qaeda fought for control of Falluja and Ramadi on Friday, escalating a battle over the two cities that have increasingly become centers of Sunni extremism since American forces withdrew from the country at the end of 2011.

Over the past several days, the Iraqi government has rushed troop reinforcements to the areas in the western province of Anbar, where the militants, dressed in black and waving the flag of Al Qaeda, have commandeered mosque loudspeakers to call for supporters to join their struggle.  On Thursday, they set fire to police stations, freed prisoners from jail and occupied mosques.

The fighting picked up again on Friday after what appeared to be a morning lull.

In Falluja, traffic police officers returned to work and municipal workers cleaned the streets and fixed electricity lines.  Messages broadcast from mosque loudspeakers asked merchants to reopen their shops because residents had begun running out of food after days of fighting.

Later in the day, the calm was shattered.  Local imams had decided to hold Friday prayers in a public park, rather than in areas closer to the fighting, and as services were concluding large numbers of masked militants affiliated with Al Qaeda appeared and took the stage.  Waving a black flag, one fighter shouted to the crowd: “We declare Falluja as an Islamic state and we call on you to be on our side.”

“We are here to defend you from the army of Maliki and the Iranian Safavids,” the fighter continued.  “We welcome the return of all workers, even the local police, but they have to be under our state and our rule.”

Also on Friday, gunmen blew up several government buildings in Falluja, including the police headquarters, the local council and the office of the mayor, according to a security official.

As fighting spread, the militants recaptured that had been liberated by security forces and their tribal allies.  Fighting was also said to have picked up again in Ramadi, and one official said four soldiers had been killed.

SYRIA - Qusayr Falls to Hezbollah-Backed Assad Forces and Lebanon Spillover

RELEVANT POST:  "OPINION - U.S. Fiddles While Syria Burns"

"Assad Regime Claims Victory in Battle for Key Syrian Town of Qusayr" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 6/5/2013

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  We turn to Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad claimed a major strategic victory today in recapturing the town of Qusayr from rebels.

We have a report narrated by Neil Connery of Independent Television News.

NEIL CONNERY, Independent Television News:  Syrian army tanks roll into the heart of Qusayr, this key town which both sides have fought over now firmly in the grip of President Assad's forces.

State television making the most of this victory against the rebels -- the regime's view that whoever controls Qusayr controls the center of Syria.  The fierce battle here has seen fighters from the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah cross into Syria and fight alongside the regime's forces, their intervention proving too much for the rebels.

"We have nearly 1,000 wounded people here," this man says, "but the outside world has forgotten us."

The Syrian regime is hailing this as a vital strategic victory.  Qusayr dominates an important cross-border supply route in and out of Lebanon.  But Qusayr is also the key to controlling the central area of Syria around Homs and the corridor which links Damascus to President Assad's Alawite heartland around the northern coastal city of Latakia.

I managed to travel to Qusayr last year and saw Syrian tanks and troops during a brief lull in the fighting.  But even then, people feared President Assad's forces would take revenge on the town for supporting the rebels.

MAN:  Maybe two or three weeks, not more.  And he will come back to shouting and shelling.

NEIL CONNERY:  They did come back, and, today, Qusayr is once again under the control of Syrian forces.

"In Tripoli, Deadly Sectarian Violence Fanned by Syrian Conflict" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 6/5/2013

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SUMMARY:  In the past five weeks, three dozen people have been killed in Tripoli in the worst sectarian fighting Lebanon has seen in nearly a quarter-century.  Margaret Warner reports from Tripoli on the deadly sectarian violence flaring between Sunni and Alawite fighters, and the influx of Syrian refugees into the city.

EGYPT - Pre-Election Protest Violence

Not looking good for Egypt.

"Egyptian Army Steps In After Violent Overnight Clashes at Presidential Palace" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 12/6/2012

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): And to Egypt. Within the last 24 hours, the country has seen the worst violence since President Mohammed Morsi was elected in June.

Seven people were killed and more than 600 hurt during overnight clashes in Cairo outside the presidential palace.

We have a report from Jonathan Rugman of Independent Television News.

JONATHAN RUGMAN: Last year, they ousted a dictator. Last night, they turned against one another, religious and secular Egyptians fighting outside the palace of their first freely elected president, after riot police gave up keeping the two warring sides apart.

Seven people were killed and hundreds were injured. Both sides were armed with clubs, but eyewitnesses said the first gunfire came from President Morsi's supporters. The president's opponents let off fireworks. But they say they won't back down until the president gives up sweeping new powers or resigns.

This morning, the army moved in, not to mount a military coup, but to defend a president they would once have jailed for his political views. The commander of these troops said these tanks were just to keep rival factions apart.

But if Mr. Morsi can trigger a political crisis in less than six months, then his presidency may prove short-lived.

Last month, he was the hero of the hour, brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza. Since then, he's granted himself unlimited power and rushed through a draft constitution branded by liberals and Christians as a betrayal of Egypt's transition to democracy.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood had 70 years in Egypt's political wilderness to prepare for government. His supporters point out that his religiously-worded constitution will easily pass in a referendum set for later this month.

MAN (through translator): Why are they always afraid of the ballot box? Whenever there is an election or a referendum, they're afraid of the ballot box. It is because they know the people are not on their side.

JONATHAN RUGMAN: Tahrir Square was far from full today. Egypt's had its revolution, and that, for many, will suffice. Yet the president's opponents say another may now be required.

WOMAN (through translator): We didn't have a revolution just to return to the era of Mubarak and worse.

MAN (through translator): Mohammed Morsi has divided the nation. We want him to fall, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, because they are traitors.

JONATHAN RUGMAN: Last night, Muslim Brotherhood offices were set on fire outside Cairo. And crowds are gathering again outside his palace.

"Reaction from Egypt's President On Clashes Pro- and Anti-Morsi Protesters" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 12/6/2012

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SUMMARY: Heightened debate and protests over the draft of Egypt's constitution have led to deeper divides and violence between supporters and opponents of President Morsi. Margaret Warner speaks with Atlantic Council's Michele Dunne for more on the clashes, the factions, and Morsi's response to his opposition.

IRAQ - The Spillover From Syrian Civil War

"Syrian War’s Spillover Threatens a Fragile Iraq" by TIM ARANGO, New York Times 9/24/2012

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The civil war in Syria is testing Iraq’s fragile society and fledgling democracy, worsening sectarian tensions, pushing Iraq closer to Iran and highlighting security shortcomings just nine months after American forces ended their long and costly occupation here.

Fearing that Iraq’s insurgents will unite with extremists in Syria to wage a two-front battle for Sunni dominance, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki recently ordered guards at the western border to block adult men, even husbands and fathers with families in tow, from crossing into Iraq along with thousands of refugees seeking to escape the grinding war next door.

Farther north, Iraqi officials have another concern, also related to the fighting across the border. Turkish warplanes have stepped up attacks on the mountain hide-outs of Kurdish insurgents galvanized by the war in Syria, underscoring Iraq’s inability to control its own airspace.

The hardening of the antagonists’ positions in Syria — reverberating across Iraq — was made clear Monday at the United Nations when the new special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, gave a bleak appraisal of the conflict to the Security Council and said he saw no prospect for a breakthrough anytime soon.

The Syrian war’s spillover has called attention to uncomfortable realities for American officials: despite nearly nine years of military engagement, an effort that continues today with a $19 billion weapons sales program, Iraq’s security is uncertain and its alliance with the theocratic government in Tehran is growing. Iraq’s Shiite-dominated leadership is so worried about a victory by Sunni radicals in Syria that it has moved closer to Iran, which shares a similar interest in supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

There is already some indication that Sunni insurgents in Iraq have tried to coordinate with Syrian fighters to set off a regional sectarian war, Iraqi tribal leaders said.

“Fighters from Anbar went there to support their sect, the Sunnis,” said Sheik Hamid al-Hayes, a tribal leader in Anbar Province, in western Iraq, who once led a group of former insurgents who switched sides and joined the Americans in fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq.