Leid Stories - Iraq: An Ancient Land, A Modern Conundrum - 06/16/14

President Barack Obama’s wait-and-see on the rapidly evolving crisis in Iraq won’t last the week under intense pressure from congressional, military, corporate and media hawks that he “do something”—especially since President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has offered to help Iraq repel the hardline, al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadists waging a brutal military campaign to take over the country.

A war-weary nation cringes at the very real possibility of renewed military engagement, no matter how “limited” the president says it will be.

Obama’s in a no-win situation, says our guest, Prof. William O. Beeman, chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota and a scholar of Middle East studies for almost 40 years. His predecessor, President George W. Bush, had all but succeeded in the principal objective of his 2003 invasion of Iraq—the disintegration of the oil-rich country and acquisition of its resources. Will “help” from Obama finish the job?