John R. Houk
© June 13, 2014
Isis (Ancient Greek: Ἶσις, original Egyptian pronunciation more likely "Aset" or "Iset") is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patroness of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans and the downtrodden, but she also listened to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats and rulers.[1] Isis is often depicted as the mother of Horus, the hawk-headed god of war and protection (although in some traditions Horus's mother was Hathor). Isis is also known as protector of the dead and goddess of children.
The name Isis means "Throne".[2] Her headdress is a throne. As the personification of the throne, she was an important representation of the pharaoh's power. The pharaoh was depicted as her child, who sat on the throne she provided. Her cult was popular throughout Egypt, but her most important temples were at Behbeit El-Hagar in the Nile delta, and, beginning in the reign with Nectanebo I (380–362 BCE), on the island of Philae in Upper Egypt.
The above info is what I thought when I heard the word “Isis”. But I have learned that ISIS is the English acronym for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – ISI and Levant or Greater Syria (Unexpectedly CNN has a great Backgrounder – Fox News though less detailed fills in some blanks). Not paying as much attention as I should have to the happenings Iraq. Apparently this ISIS terrorist organization has conquered enough territory in Iraq to actually form a nation to match their name.
From random listening on Fox News, it seems the collapse of the Shia controlled Iraq government that Obama has bequeathed will imminently collapse. I understand that if a collapse occurs it is because Obama refused to sign up for any commitment to maintain a military presence.
Which brings us to the third reason. When the Americans invaded, in March, 2003, they destroyed the Iraqi state—its military, its bureaucracy, its police force, and most everything else that might hold a country together. They spent the next nine years trying to build a state to replace the one they crushed. By 2011, by any reasonable measure, the Americans had made a lot of headway but were not finished with the job. For many months, the Obama and Maliki governments talked about keeping a residual force of American troops in Iraq, which would act largely to train Iraq’s Army and to provide intelligence against Sunni insurgents. (It would almost certainly have been barred from fighting.) Those were important reasons to stay, but the most important went largely unstated: it was to continue to act as a restraint on Maliki’s sectarian impulses, at least until the Iraqi political system was strong enough to contain him on its own. The negotiations between Obama and Maliki fell apart, in no small measure because of a lack of engagement by the White House. Today, many Iraqis, including some close to Maliki, say that a small force of American soldiers—working in non-combat roles—would have provided a crucial stabilizing factor that is now missing from Iraq. Sami al-Askari, a Maliki confidant, told me for my article this spring, “If you had a few hundred here, not even a few thousand, they would be coöperating with you, and they would become your partners.” President Obama wanted the Americans to come home, and Maliki didn’t particularly want them to stay. (You Really Should Read this Entire article - IN EXTREMISTS’ IRAQ RISE, AMERICA’S LEGACY; By DEXTER FILKINS; The New Yorker; 6/11/14)
AND the Shi’ite Prime Minister Maliki disbanded the Sunni Muslim militias that formed a loose confederation that helped the U.S. Military strategy of The Surge led by then General Petraeus to eradicate the al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorists in Dunbar Province thus for one brief moment uniting Sunnis and Shias into a united Iraq. Maliki’s Shi’ite domination agenda resulted in the Sunni Militias (Sahwa Militias) in not finishing the AQI eradication. The Sunnis again began to trust the Islamic terrorists more than the Shi’ite dominated government of PM Nouri al-Maliki. AQI evolved into ISIS under the leadership of a still enigmatic Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (perhaps a pseudonym for Ibrahim Ali al-Badri). AND I do mean enigmatic. Here are four newspapers profiling al-Baghdadi and all four have similarities but each has information that the other does not – one American and three British newspapers:
1) The Telegraph – 6/11/14
2) BBC – 6/11/14
3) The Guardian – 6/12/14
4) Miami Herald – 6/13/14
The existence of a new Arab nation, that is ultimately psycho Sunni version of Iran’s psycho Shia-Mullocracy, has HUGE geopolitical implications for the Middle East region. The players of these Middle East implications have an extreme volatility between Iran, Sunni ISIS, Shia Iraq, Syria – Assad’s Shia-Alawite government and Sunni Syrian Rebel controlled land, Lebanon as ran by Hezbollah, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and foremost as the current bastion of Liberty and protector of Israel – the USA. There are two other regional powers that probably would be forced to choose sides and that is Turkey and Egypt. I am unsure of the level of involvement Turkey and Egypt will play; however the area is so volatile a decision of importance would have to be made by those two Muslim nations.
Due to Russia’s increasing entanglements with Iran in the sale of military hardware and nuclear technology I suspect they will become involved if for no other reason than to be a thorn to the USA.
Communist China has also developed a National Interest in Iranian resources so you can be sure they will weigh in; however China has its own regional hegemonic aspirations and could possibly remain neutral and join a side that seems to benefit China more than the self-serving National Interests of a Middle Eastern regional power struggle. Indeed, China may test the waters by unleashing North Korean entanglements which would favor Iran’s agenda.
It is my opinion that Obama’s multiple apology tours making America look like a villain has a contributing factor for this President’s Foreign Affairs debacle emerging in Iraq.
All that being said, these thoughts came about from Gatestone Institute article I read from an email alert. The article’s title is quite thought provoking. Below is the cross post.
JRH 6/13/14
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ISIS Threatens to Invade Jordan, 'Slaughter' King Abdullah
June 12, 2014 at 5:00 am
The recent victories in Iraq and Syria by the terrorists of ISIS -- said to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda -- have emboldened the group and its followers throughout the Middle East. Now the terrorists are planning to move their jihad not only to Jordan, but also to the Gaza Strip, Sinai and Lebanon.
Failure to act will result in the establishment in the Middle East of a dangerous extremist Islamic empire that will pose a threat to American and Western interests.
"The danger is getting closer to our bedrooms." — Oraib al-Rantawi, Jordanian political analyst
Islamist terrorists in Iraq and Syria have begun creeping toward neighboring countries, sources close to the Islamic fundamentalists revealed this week.
The terrorists, who belong to The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS -- known as DAESH in Arabic] and are said to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda, are planning to take their jihad to Jordan, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula -- after having already captured large parts of Syria and Iraq, the sources said.
The capture this week by ISIS of the cities of Mosul and Tikrit in Iraq has left many Arabs and Muslims in the region worried that their countries soon may be targeted by the terrorists, who seek to create a radical Islamist emirate in the Middle East.
According to the sources, ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi recently discussed with his lieutenants the possibility of extending the group's control beyond Syria and Iraq.
One of the ideas discussed envisages focusing ISIS's efforts on Jordan, where Islamist movements already have a significant presence. Jordan was also chosen because it has shared borders with Iraq and Syria, making it easier for the terrorists to infiltrate the kingdom.
Jordanian political analyst Oraib al-Rantawi sounded alarm bells by noting that the ISIS threat to move its fight to the kingdom was real and imminent. "We in Jordan cannot afford the luxury of just waiting and monitoring," he cautioned. "The danger is getting closer to our bedrooms. It has become a strategic danger; it is no longer a security threat from groups or cells. We must start thinking outside the box. The time has come to increase coordination and cooperation with the regimes in Baghdad and Damascus to contain the crawling of extremism and terrorism."
The ISIS terrorists see Jordan's Western-backed King Abdullah as an enemy of Islam and an infidel, and have publicly called for his execution. ISIS terrorists recently posted a video on YouTube in which they threatened to "slaughter" Abdullah, whom they denounced as a "tyrant." Some of the terrorists who appeared in the video were Jordanian citizens who tore up their passports in front of the camera and vowed to launch suicide attacks inside the kingdom.
A Jordanian ISIS terrorist wearing a suicide bomb belt and holding his Jordanian passport declares his willingness to wage jihad in an ISIS video. (Image source: All Eyes on Syria YouTube video)
Security sources in Amman expressed deep concern over ISIS's threats and plans to "invade" the kingdom. The sources said that King Abdullah has requested urgent military aid from the U.S. and other Western countries so that he could foil any attempt to turn Jordan into an Islamist-controlled state.
Marwan Shehadeh, an expert on Islamist groups, said he did not rule out the possibility that ISIS would target Jordan because it views the Arab regimes, including Jordan's Hashemites, as "infidels" and "apostates" who should be fought.
The recent victories by ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria have emboldened the group and its followers throughout the Middle East. Now the terrorists are planning to move their jihad not only to Jordan, but also to the Gaza Strip, Sinai and Lebanon.
This is all happening under the watching eyes of the U.S. Administration and Western countries, who seem to be uncertain as to what needs to be done to stop the Islamist terrorists from invading neighboring countries.
ISIS is a threat not only to moderate Arabs and Muslims, but also to Israel, which the terrorists say is their ultimate destination. The U.S. and its Western allies need to wake up quickly and take the necessary measures to prevent the Islamist terrorists from achieving their goal.
Failure to act will result in the establishment in the Middle East of a dangerous extremist Islamist empire that will pose a threat to American and Western interests.
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The ISIS Threat that could LEAD to Global War
John R. Houk
© June 13, 2014
See Also:
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ISIS Threatens to Invade Jordan, 'Slaughter' King Abdullah
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