ESR spotlight on Iraq

Recent articles on the war in Iraq that have run in Enter Stage Right

The Iranian penetration of Iraqi Kurdistan: The Kurds are one of the West's staunchest allies in the Middle East but Lazar Berman says Iranian overtures to the proud people may be changing that

Explaining the Islamic State phenomenon: Dr. Jacques Neriah explores the factors that led to the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham to becoming the largest and most capable terrorist group in the world

GOP presidential candidates tricked into flip-flop on Iraq War: Given the catastrophy occuring in Iraq it was safe to say that the GOP presidential candidates could all safely criticize Barack Obama on that issue...well, they could until recently, writes Rachel Alexander

Are we ready for the fall of Baghdad?: After spending some time in Vietnam recently Ron Holland believes there are parallels between what happened in 1975 and what's happening in Iraq today

Pipe dreams in combating ISIS: Daniel Longenecker argues that Barack Obama's use of air power in an attempt to degrade ISIS in Iraq overlooks recent history and has no long-term payoff

Islamic State's ultimate goal: Saudi Arabia's oil wells: ISIS aren't a bunch of religious zealots who got lucky. Claude Salhani argues that the terrorist group has a master plan and its an ambitious one as well

The war neither Obama, nor any other nation wants to fight: Barack Obama had tough words for ISIS last week but Alan Caruba says that the president has gutted the American military to the point where no real response can occur

Bombing ISIS is hardly enough: Barack Obama's pledge to dismember and destroy ISIS -- essentially through bombing of targets in Syria and Iraq -- won't amount to much, says Dr. Peter Morici

Rise of the Islamic State -- A retrospective: Mark Alexander argues that the world can thank the current occupant of the White House for the existence of ISIS and why it isn't going away any time soon

Meet Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The leader of ISIS and the new Caliph of the Islamic State: Visionary or madman? Whatever you may think of him David M. Huntwork says ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has a plan and he's putting it into place at an impressive clip

Genocide! The silence is deafening: Iraqi Christians, Yazidi and Muslims are being slaughtered and much of the world -- whether in the West or the East -- merely stand around and watch, writes Alan Caruba

Emboldened ISIS barbarically slaughtering Christians in Iraq as Obama golfs: ISIS is systematically destroying the Christian community of northern Iraq and it appears that Barack Obama doesn't care

Iraq: Blood and treasure for what?: With Iraq in chaos Mark Alexander speaks with a Marine Corps officer who served several tours in the country for his opinion on the situation

Iraq agonistes: The chaos in Iraq caused by ISIS' march and takeover of several cities is the result of a number of factors including Barack Obama's weakness, argues Alan Caruba

Don't forget to remember Democrats who lied about Iraq!: With Iraq once again threatening to collapse into sectarian and terrorist anarchy John W. Lillpop would like to take the opportunity to remind people what Democrats said over a decade ago about the necessity for war

Leaving Iraq: The war in Iraq is officially over -- for America at least. Alan Caruba says history would suggest that Iraq's story has plenty of sorrow yet to come

Republicans go to war over Iraq: Up until recently the Republican Party was largely united over Iraq but W. James Antle III says that consensus may be breaking down

Graduating into war: Steve Martinovich found Bill Murphy Jr.'s In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 a great bit of storytelling

Why they talked, and what they want: Why did the soldiers of In a Time of War talk to Bill Murphy Jr.? Because they have a simple request for their fellow Americans

The Bush legacy in Iraq: Whatever the American public may think of him, George W. Bush's ultimate legacy will be whatever happens in Iraq, write Thomas J. Craughwell and M. William Phelps

Moqtada al-Sadr's penchant for 'community organizing': Frank Salvato isn't convinced that Moqtada al-Sadr's recent announcement that his "army" is laying down its arms means he's found the path to peace

Bush's war policy: The top campaign non-issue?: Elan Journo wants to know why no one is discussing the fact that several goals on the War on Terror have yet to be accomplished

Was the Iraq War worth it?: Barack Obama has referred to Iraq as the "flawed and costly war" but Jeff Lukens says the price paid to date was necessary

Reported Bush lied 'study' not revealed as funded by George Soros: The Associated Press breathlessly reported recently that it has been proven that George W. Bush lied to get America into Iraq. Warner Todd Huston wants to know why who essentially paid for the study wasn't also reported

The Iraqi tar baby: Why has post-war Iraq failed? Alan Caruba says a confluence of factors contributed to the chaotic situation but that it was still the right thing to do

In defense of Blackwater and the modern day 'merc': David M. Huntwork argues that Blackwater and its peers perform invaluable services in nations like Iraq despite what its detractors have said

Who really supports our troops?: Alex Epstein argues that the people who really support America's soldiers are the ones who want to give them the right jobs to do

The death of a soldier...The life of a patriot: Frank Salvato is mourning the loss of Sgt. Eddie Jeffers who was killed last week in Iraq. They never met but Jeffers left an impression that will never be forgotten

We can't escape the specter of Vietnam: Carol Devine-Molin argues that George W. Bush was right to invoke the example of Vietnam during a recent speech about Iraq

The tipping point: What will Democrats do, asks Carol Devine-Molin, now that the New York Times has essentially admitted that the situation in Iraq is actually improving?

Beauchamp mirrors Glass: New Republic, same old story: Daniel Clark charges that The New Republic's fraudulent stories about abusive American soldiers in Iraq is the result of allowing liars to be reporters instead of sources

Iraq: Reid's political opportunism is showing: Frank Salvato writes that Harry Reid's performance during a press conference last week says everything you need to know about Democrats and Iraq

The left's politicization of the Iraq surge: The political left is saying anything it can about the troop surge in Iraq except one thing, writes Carol Devine-Molin, that it is working

Mistakes were made: There is nothing wrong with making mistakes -- such as invading Iraq -- as long as you're prepared to admit your error, writes Alan Caruba

Iraqi plebiscite: Great progress has been made in Iraq but Americans say that Iraqis don't want them there. Bruce Walker has an easy way to answer this question: Ask the Iraqis themselves

Fight the enemy in Iraq or here?: Alan Caruba says the wishes of Iraqis are irrelevant. He believes that the United States should withdraw from Iraq immediately

The way ahead in Iraq: It's a tough slog in Iraq but Jeff Lukens argues that the war hasn't been lost and the only thing to do is keep soldiering on

It's official: Iraq is al-Qaida's central front: Congressional Democrats may not be aware of it but Iraq is crucial to winning the war against terrorism, argues Carol Devine-Molin

Democrat's war policy: they win; we lose: Henry Lamb charges that Democratic war policy simply means that America doesn't have the stomach to win wars anymore

Now liberals want a rubber stamp?: J.J. Jackson says the Democrat attempt to determine how the war in Iraq will be fought is standard operating procedure for the left

Iraq: Is it a war or a battle?: The question isn't whether the United States will leave Iraq, but when. Alan Caruba has come to the conclusion that it is time to bring the boys back home now

Desperately seeking defeat: Carol Devine-Molin wasn't very impressed by Sen. Harry Reid and the Democratic attacks over the war in Iraq

Legislating a terrorist victory in Iraq: Frank Salvato isn't very impressed with Chuck Hagel and his support for a withdrawal from Iraq

Iraqi police and stabilizing Iraq: Jim Kouri reports that Iraqi police and military are doing a tremendous job in helping to stabilize Iraq and restore order

Iraq: We ain't losing: Politicians may lie but numbers don't. Bob Parks says the number of enemy deaths in Iraq prove that the American-led coalition is experiencing tremendous success

With their heads in the sand: This past weekend's anti-war protests in Washington, D.C. ignore reality, argues Henry Lamb, and may doom America to once again lose a war it could have won

Back by popular demand! It slices! It dices!: J.J. Jackson doesn't think much of Rep. John Murtha's proposal to handcuff George W. Bush when it comes to the war in Iraq

When opinion polls attack: Contrary to what the media tells you, writes Frank Salvato, a majority of the American public supports the war in Iraq and remain committed to victory

Islamo-fascists and the political far-left, perfect together: Carol Devine-Molin argues that Dick Cheney wasn't off the mark when he stated that the Democrats were validating al-Qaida's strategy

Picking your battles: Critics of the war in Iraq argue that American soldiers serving there could be doing so elsewhere. Nathan Tabor responds that they can't be everywhere just because those critics feel guilty

Stop fighting!  We're trying to get to paradise!: The recent anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. featured a very interesting list of participants, writes J.J. Jackson

Cooling off the war fever: America's soldiers are still doing some heavy lifting in Iraq but some people are already planning their next war. Alan Caruba would like those people to take their foot off the accelerator

War guilt: If America does go to war, writes Daniel M. Ryan, he will once again be faced with the prospect of seeing men and women younger than he go off and fight

Supporting the troop surge is about national security: Robert E. Meyer counts himself as a supporter of George W. Bush's troop surge for Iraq and he doesn't understand those who don't

Senate idiocy: Carol Devine-Molin can't understand why Sen. Sam Brownback and other Republicans have come out swinging against George W. Bush's planned troop surge for Iraq

Deadly dirty politics: J.B. Williams isn't surprised that Democrats decided to play games with George W. Bush's announcement of a troop surge for Iraq

President Bush's speech: The global impact of Iran and Iraq: George W. Bush's speech last speech was a decent start but David J. Jonsson believes that the United States need a long-term and cohesive strategy to achieve its goals...a strategy that has yet to be enunciated

President Bush is the man with the plan: Carol Devine-Molin has nothing but praise for George W. Bush's new military plan for Iraq

Time to leave Iraq: It's the essay we never thought we'd run. Alan Caruba argues that the United States can't police Iraq any longer and must leave the nation as soon as possible

Possible troop surge triggers lots of questions: Reports that the Bush Administration is considering boosting troop levels in Iraq has prompted Carol Devine-Molin to ask a number of pertinent questions

Modern warfare in the age of "suicidal guerillas" and "insurgents": The tactics being used by the Iraqi insurgency is spreading across the Middle East and Justin Paré believes there is little -- at the moment -- we can do to fight it effectively

What the Iraqi survey group's report missed: Frank Salvato carefully went through the work produced by the Iraq Study Group and notes that there were quite a few things that they overlooked

What real war looks like: Elan Journo says that of all the recommendations that the Iraq Study Group made there was one big one missing: Defeating the enemy

Iran, Iraq and Syria are thoroughly enmeshed: Carol Devine-Molin can't quite understand why the Iraq Study Group would argue that Syria and Iran need to be brought on board in seeking an end to the problems in Iraq

Did U.S. elections signal end to democracy in Iraq?: Iraq is not Vietnam, nor has it ever been, but Jeff Lukens posits that perhaps history in the form of American politics is repeating itself

Iraq: What went wrong: John Bender argues that the war and its aftermath were planned poorly and nothing we can do in the short- or long-term will fix things

Democracy 0, Extremists 1: Negotiating with the extremists in Iran and Syria, says Slater Bakhtavar, will effectively end efforts to create a modern and democratic Iraq

Are we setting the stage for the Islamic Killing Fields?: Frank Salvato wonders if weak support for America's efforts in Iraq in Washington, D.C. will lead to a mass murder the likes of which hasn't been since 1970s Cambodia

A noble, necessary and winnable war: We're sad that we have to even publish this essay but here we are. Samuel Blumenfeld argues that America must maintain a stiff upper lip and continue on with its efforts in Iraq

America's "Play Station" generation will not endure: Christopher Adamo isn't so sure that the United States has the will to endure in Iraq. America has cut and run before, he argues, but this time the consequences could be fatal for the nation

Iraq, WMDs and Big Media: Sen. Hillary Clinton's recent (and latest) disavowal of her original support for the war against Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime has gotten Carol Devine-Molin's goat

Designating the battlefields is essential: The left wants an American pull-out from Iraq and many on the right -- with an eye to November -- just want to stop talking about the war. Frank Salvato believes that both sides are wrong

Amid the bombs, flowers bloom in Iraq: The story of Hamade Hadeal shows that America's media isn't terribly interested in telling all sides of the story in Iraq, writes Vincent Fiore

Democrats must stop waffling: Thomas E. Brewton is tired of Democratic calls for withdrawal from Iraq without a clear plan on what they intend on doing afterwards

Kay-O'd on WMD: The chief inspector takes a dive: David Kay was once a talk-talking weapons inspector dedicated to finding Iraq's WMDs. Today, writes Daniel Clark, he's doing the exact opposite

Iraq's WMDs: The Russian connection: No one seems interested in reporting it but the puzzle over Iraq's missing WMDs is finally being solved. Rod D. Martin reports on the latest discoveries investigators have made

Planting the seeds of freedom: Victory in Iraq is one step in ending the war against terrorism, argues Henry Lamb, and America must continue to fight for the cause of freedom in that nation

Who's listening?: Lisa Fabrizio believes that the Democrats will do anything to make sure the American people don't hear the good news coming out of Iraq, news that even Abu Musab al Zarqawi admitted was true

Senate Intelligence Committee members: Weapons of mass destruction exist in Iraq: The media ignored it but a Senate committee reported last week that weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, reports Jim Kouri

America -- Land of the free, Home of the brave: Rep. John Murtha may be a war hero but his statements indicate that he seems more interested in losing in Iraq than winning, argues Charles Bloomer

What to do with Watada: How should Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the U.S. officer who refuses to serve in Iraq, be punished? Bruce Walker says one way or another, Watada would be sent to Iraq along with his men

Zarqawi…ragdoll: As hard to believe as it is, writes Frank Salvato, some people aren't celebrating the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a major victory in the war against terrorism

What if the Tet Offensive had been reported as an American victory?: The Vietnam War -- and the conflict in Iraq -- might have turned out differently if the mainstream media hadn't been so intent on reporting every event as a defeat, argues Randall H. Nunn

Haditha aftermath: Political correctness on the battlefield: Regardless of what may have happened at Haditha, writes Jim Kouri, forcing American soldiers to take sensitivity training isn't the right way to win a war

Ethics and morality training for the media?: Randall H. Nunn wonders if perhaps it isn't America's media which needs to be trained in response to the incident at Haditha

Iraq's Band of Brothers (and their mothers): Brave men are needed to patrol the Iraqi city of Ramadi, writes Michael Fumento. It's easily the most dangerous city in the entire country

The second battle for Fallujah: The continuing battle for Fallujah illustrates, reports Michael Fumento, what needs to be done before the American-led force in Iraq can declare victory over the insurgency

Democracy for Iraq: Another Mission Impossible?: If there is only one hope for democracy in Iraq Dr. Saul B. Wilen believes he knows what it is

What if Bush had never invaded Iraq?: By invading Iraq, writes David Pyne, George W. Bush has thrown away opportunities to use America's power in legitimate ways

Re-thinking Iraq: Alan Caruba is no Pollyanna -- he always thought that post-war Iraq was going to be a mess. That said, doing something was better than doing nothing

A Reagan realist cost-benefit analysis for the war in Iraq: David T. Pyne, on the other hand, argues that whether the war in Iraq was right or wrong, there are a number of questions that its supporters need to answer

Weimar Iraq: The Iraq of 2006 reminds Bruce Walker of the Weimar Republic of 1918. The world must work together to ensure today's Iraq doesn't turn into 1933's Germany

Bombing of mosque in Iraq a pivotal event: Until last week Jim Kouri was completely in favour of America's rebuilding project in Iraq but the bombing of a Sh'ia mosque in Samarra has him rethinking the issue

Saddam tapes being distorted by news media: Tapes which unequivocally prove that Saddam Hussein was manufacturing and hiding WMDs are being spun by the media as a minor story, says Jim Kouri

She can't be serious: Hillary's inane war analysis: Daniel Clark argues that Hillary Clinton's recent 'analysis' of the war against terrorism is nothing short of sophomoric

Water: A simple comfort for the citizens of Baghdad: Turning on the tap and enjoying a glass of clean water is something that most Americans have known for decades. In Iraq, says Kerry L. Marsala, some are finally realizing that dream

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