by Agus Miswanto
Most people have paid much attention to what happen in Iraq and Syria today, including
Indonesian people. As Indonesian, I am very concerned what was popping up and
blowing up by several Medias in the world spreading about conflicts and war in Iraq and Syria on western perspective. Most people, from the west
to the east, from the north to the south, have blamed that problem maker in Iraq and
Syria is The ISIS (Islamic state of Iraq and Syria). Objectively and
critically, what happen in Iraq and Syria actually is not simple like we see in
the surface and reported in several media today. Therefore, all problems what
happen in Iraq and Syria burdened to the ISIS, is over simplified even cynical.
Why? Because root of problem actually, it is based on western act and treat,
especially American strategy to win domination over the Middle East area economically,
militarily, and politically. Even though, I also do not agree with what the ISIS
has done such torture, hatred, and killing innocent people, in which their treats
have bad implication to people and Islam.
Iraq Conflict: The US Interest
If
we root three decade ago even more, American, even western has double standard.
It could be seen in the conflicts between Iraq and Iran in 1980s. The US government
in that time, was prominent supporter to Iraq in which, every people knew, that
chief of Iraq was Sadam Husein; in later to be the most enemy of the US. Well-known
as a strongest military in Middle East in that time, all military equipment of
Iraq such air crafts, missile, bombs, was supplied by US and the Western. Why the US and Western countries was to be
supporters to Iraq? It was blatantly, that the US and its allies to defeat Iran
which is an important allies of Russia. Iraq and Iran in that time, were
prominent and the biggest exporters of oil in the world. So economically, the
US had advantages due to the conflicts between Iraq and Iran. The US could export
high technologies of arm to Iraq, in which of course, the need to arm equipment
was very high. And it could be bartered by oil, in where Iraq produced it.
Then, Iraq got the arm equipment and the US got oils which lowest cost. And
politically, the US had double advantages: the first, the US could reach more
domination in Middle East area, which made many allies of Middle East
countries. Second, the US could defeat Iran which to be Soviet allies, without sending
the troops in the battle area. So it was cheap cost to defeat Iran as Soviet
allies in those areas.
After
the end of Iraq and Iran wars, Iraq was to be a strongest country in the Middle
East. And the US did not want what Iraq had achieved. Because politically, the
US domination in the Middle East in danger. There for, the US searched ways and
strategies to block Iraq to be strongest military country. One of strategies was, Iraq to be provoked to
claim that Kuwait was one of parts of Iraq. Therefore, Iraq had rights to
invade Kuwait due to that claim. Due to this situation, war in Middle East started
in worst. The US has a key to take intervention
step through the UN, in which the UN released agreement toward the US military
intervention to Iraq. To defeat Iraq, the US invited its allies from many
countries to join military operation in Iraq. It was a brilliant strategy of
the US government to defeat Iraq, in which the US was not single fighter to
invade and occupy Iraq militarily and economically. So, the military operation
by the US and its allies was not merely to save Kuwait, as motivation, but there
was a hidden agenda; it was, actually operation of economical and political
interest of the US Government; that was oil.
When,
the US invading Iraq, the US did not merely release its troops in Iraq, but the
US develop several paramilitary groups in Iraq to battle Sadam Husain. After defeating
Sadam Husain, paramilitary groups want to develop a new country, a more
democratic country than before. One of paramilitary groups which supported by
the US was the ISIS like now. This group, actually, was small group which have
allegation with other groups having same platform. The development of the group
gradually has magnetic sympathy from diverse part of the world. Therefore, many people who have sympathy to
this group, they want to join although they have to take long journey to Iraq.
Arab Spring and the Syria Conflict: The US Proxies
In
2010, in which Arab spring started, it has contributions to the paramilitary
groups in Arab to battle to topple and defeat the dictatorship system spreading
in many Arab countries, including Syria. Syria although is well-known as having
presidential system, like in democratic country, but the system is run in that
country actually is not democratic. It is due to the concern of many western
countries. Assad as president of Syria is like king in monarchies system. He is
untouchable and powerful person. Therefore, there are many people who do not
want such situation, especially in Syria itself. Whenever, the Arab Spring
popped up in 2010, many groups in Syria took chance to challenge the government
system of Syria to change.
To
respond the challenge of several rebellions in Syria, Assad took hard action,
even took army strategy to destroy and dismantle the rebellion rising in several
Areas in Syria. The reason of Syrian government to take hard action is to
protect the stability of government and state.
But hard action took by the government of Syria did not success, even
give bad implication to people of Syria. Furthermore, many governments in Middle
East and western countries reacted negatively toward what Syrian government has
been taking. Even Syrian government was blamed to have mass killing in many
areas of Syria. Furthermore, the sad situation was still running, western countries
and the US government wanted that President Assad have to topple from the top
position of presidential; of course the option was not accepted by Assad. But
the western countries and the US did not have a key to take military
intervention directly to Syria. Therefore, they took other strategy to arm many
rebellion groups in Syria. Even this
strategy was also supported by the Saudi and turkey’s government. The US gave
arm equipment supply to the rebellion in Syrian through Saudi and Turkey. So
Saudi and Turkey actually are being proxies of the US government.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria: Unwanted American Proxy
 |
| Iraq and Syria |
The
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is actually integration of many groups
of rebellion in Iraq and Syria to be one in chief under Abu Bakar al-Bagdadi
commando. Many rebellion groups which separated and live in small group, they
group in one chief commando. So this group, ISIS, become more famous and
gradually accepted by people in Iraq and Syria. Even this rebellion could
promote the attractive ideology, Islamic plate form, to people. Why, people in
Iraq and Syria are interested? It is easy to answer; because of people in this
area have a long time, lived under secular regime which suppressed them;
dictatorship regime; Assad and Sadam is like. So whenever people in Iraq and
Syria choose their future by supporting the ISIS due to secular regime before
could not protect and secure them, their option actually is not fear of any
country, even to be enemy in the world. May be it would be different, if the
rebellion does not proclaim the state independently as Islamic state in Iraq
and Syria. They would be getting support from many countries; especially the US
and western Countries?
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