The " Will " to fight !

If Iraq has taught the West anything, it must surely be the futility of standing between two sides in a religious war.   Despite a mounting death toll from a wide range of countries and the sacrifice of trillions of dollars over a decade of trying to mould Iraq into a democratic country, at the first challenge - it has fallen apart.

The worst fanatics of the Sunni led Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL ) have poured out of the Syrian civil war and carved a victorious path towards the capital.   Major cities such as Mosul and Tikrit have fallen without a shot being fired and the Iraqi army - so carefully trained and equipped with modern weapons - has shed it's uniforms and fled in terror before it's enemy.

Barak Obama has wisely decreed that there will not be a return of American boots on the ground..  If the squabbling Iraqi government succeeds in whipping together some sort of civilian defence of Baghdad there may be some degree of air cover and possibly the use of drones to hold back the enemy, but first the Iraqi people have to demonstrate that they have the " will " to save their own lives.

The future scenario is unclear.   Saudi Arabia backs the Sunni side.  Iran backs the Sh'ites, and there is a very real chance that Iraq may be divided into Sunni, Sh'ite and Kurdish zones with both men and military equipment pouring in from sponsor countries.

The real losers will be the Iraqi people with moderate religious views.   ISIL represents the worst elements of religious persecution and deploys a form of Islam that demands total obedience.   It's fighters dish out summary punishment that includes amputations and be-headings - and living under their rule is tantamount to a return to the dark ages.

We can expect to see countless numbers of refugees pouring over the borders to seek refuge in other countries, and adding to those that have fled the war in Syria, the world is facing a refugee problem well beyond it's capacity to cope.     The countries of the west - and that includes Australia - are likely to see added pressure from those seeking asylum.

These events point the finger at what is likely to befall Afghanistan when the last of it's western defenders leave.   Once again, it will be the clash of two great religious divides that will decide the outcome - and the most likely prospect is a repeat of the events happening in Iraq.

Perhaps the only saving grace from this debacle may be a lesson learned - at great cost.   It is not possible to impose peace on people whose religious inclination is to make war on one another.   Such outcomes will only be settled when both exhaust each other  - to the point of mutual settlement.

A wise observation that the west should ponder when next religious hostilities commence somewhere in the world !