Sir,
Once again the continuing imploding situation and consequent recent developments in Iraq have created such grave implications which may have for greater impact on the larger Middle East region. Yesterday’s fall of Mosul vividly shows that Iraq as we have understood it for the past no longer exists. In the north, the Kurdish region has become an autonomous State, and it cannot be long before it declares itself independent. Indeed, Iraq is passing through the pangs of deadly sectarian conflict that has seen Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seize the important cities of Mosul and Tikrit besides Falluja and Ramadi which have already been captured earlier. But the situation here is symptomatic of a deeper malaise- sectarianism mixed with Islamic radicalisation has produced a lethal virus that is fast spreading across West Asia and North Africa. As the US retreats into isolationist mode, the virus appears to be mutating into a more and more lethal form.
Iraq could be a precursor to what awaits Afghanistan once the US army begin their pull out at the end of the year. An emboldened Taliban could plunge Afghanistan into chaos and civil war reminiscent of the 1990s. This in turn would further exacerbate the jihadi onslaught across the region. Thing havecome to such a sorry pass because the US has failed to assist the formation of inclusive, democratic regional governments and is now looking to easy way out ie.cut and run. Even in the aftermath of the Arab Spring wave, it failed to stand by the elected government of Mohd. Morsi in Egypt. Instead, it allowed Gulf Arab states to support radical Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda to wage war against the Syrian regime of Basher al Assad.
For the sake of regional security and to prevent groups like ISIL, from making further inroads into the region, the US must chalk out a clear strategy for its long-term stability with heavy doses of economic progress and modernisation. This could create a modus vivendi with Iran to stabilise the situation in Iraq through a balancing of sectarian forces. Further, Washington must rework its withdrawal timetable from Afghanistan, giving the next Afghanistani President more time to consolidate his institutions inside the state. Having created this mess, the US simply can’t walk away from it now. That’t what India ought to convey to the US as there is no other way out for creating peace and security in the West Asian region in particular as well as the whole world in general.
Yours etc….
Dr. SudhanshuTripathi
Asso. Prof., Political Science Department, M. D. P. G. College, PRATAPGARH, (UP) Narsinghbhanpur, Naya Mal Godam Road.
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