Editorial: chaos in Iraq would threaten broader security

Photo: SCANPIX

Sunni extremists encouraged in Syrian civil war, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant orISIL, have moved military activities over into Iraq. Quite successfully. Should Iraq be enveloped in chaos, neighbouring countries come under threat, thus impacting the bigger security picture.

For NATO, as well. With refugees totalling over half a million, normal life is getting complex in Iraq already. Should military activity spread and continue, people will flee, surely to develop into a European problem also. 

Battle lines in Iraq are altering daily, and we must keep a close eye. Even so, it looks like ISIL isn’t winning the war with forces too mighty gathering against them. Still, ISIL has managed to set the religious and national tensions aflame again, in Iraq. Thus, with ISIL out of the way, peace and security may not be restored.

Allies, Estonians included, aren’t there anymore. However, the fresh tensions may again draw near to us, in longer perspective. In these past months, we’ve hears of NATO unity and member states’ mutual assistance. Iraq is a neighbour of Turkey’s; as related to security issues – a neighbour of ours as well.

To repel Syrian civil war at its borders, Turkey seems to manage alone. Should Iraq fall into chaos, the danger would creep up from a border line of 1,100 kilometres. Not excluded that there comes the moment when Estonians are called to help allies.

In Syria, USA never intervened militarily; now, Obama appears ready to do a decisive move to halt ISIL. Important, here, to support the Iraqis while intervening. A situation must be eliminated where Shia Muslims start using US missiles launching these against opponents. Intelligence is on, apparently to locate the right targets. Curiously here, USA is helped by Iranians as well. War spawns unexpected allies.

What would the Iraqis want, is a legitimate question. Some would say: in Iraq, every larger people group ought to get a state of their own. The Shias, the Sunnis, the Kurds. Others claim the chaos of Iraq breaking apart needs to be avoided at any cost, as that would be fertile ground for extreme elements to surface.

One thing is clear: Iraqis do not want to live in an ISIL-planned ultra-conservative caliphate. Like mist Americans would not live like the traditional Amish rules. Alas: ISIL is the Arab Amish – with the difference, though, of standing ready to impose it by force of war.