He’s been covering the region for more than 35 years. Based in Beirut, he goes regularly into Syria. Earlier this year, he spent nine days travelling along the front lines of that country’s bitter civil war.
When it comes to knowing the region, he's it. Naturally, a lot of his attention of late has been focused on ISIS and the West's air war against the Islamist movement that Fisk describes as a "cult."
His take on our "coalition" air war is that we should just shut it down, it's not working. In Fisk's opinion the key to shutting down ISIS (link is external) is getting the Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, to clean up their own mess, to take down the monster of their own making.
To Fisk, ISIS is not an ideological movement, however misguided. Rather, it is an emotionless machine — a weapon designed to counter any American shift toward Shiite Iran.
Whose weapon? He didn’t exactly answer that question. But he did say that peace can come only when Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar make clear to ISIS that the game is over.
Meanwhile, their military effort is focused on beating the hell out of the Houthis in Yemen who, just coincidentally, are battling al Qaeda and ISIS in their country. In other words, the Saudis and their Sunni allies are flying airstrikes in support of al Qaeda and ISIS forces in Yemen. Yet they're our allies.
As Fisk notes our noble bombing campaign is not having any meaningful impact on ISIS. For all the good we're doing - leaving all the bull**** aside - we might as well pack it in and come home.
Fisk calls the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria “preposterous.” America, Canada and other nations taking part claim to be targeting so-called command and control centres of the Islamic State (ISIS). But in this war, he says, such centres simply don’t exist.
“I don’t think the U.S. is serious,” he says. “Very occasionally, you can hear the rumble of American bombs. But they’re certainly not having much effect.”
Nor is he optimistic about Western efforts to train Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian ground forces to fight the Islamic State.
Persuading locals to fight the West’s wars is a traditional strategy in the Middle East, he notes. But this one isn’t working.
Iraqi Kurds, including those trained by Canadian soldiers, have held their ground. But they have not been able to make major advances against ISIS.
Attempts to arm and train so-called Syrian moderates have flopped miserably. A top U.S. general admitted to Congress last week that after a year’s effort, only “four or five” American-armed moderate rebels are still left fighting ISIS in Syria.
The aim had been to train 5,000.
Fisk speculates that America is getting ready to draw away from Sunni Gulf states and instead re-forge its historic ties with Shiite Iran
.
This is the context for the spectacular and unexpected rise of yet another Wahabi-inspired fighting group — ISIS.
Journalist Robert Fisk explains why Canada should abandon ISIS war: Walkom | Toronto Star
Cost of Canada’s mission in Iraq, Syria will hit $528 million in coming year
Cost of Canada’s mission in Iraq, Syria will hit $528 million in coming year | Toronto Star
When it comes to knowing the region, he's it. Naturally, a lot of his attention of late has been focused on ISIS and the West's air war against the Islamist movement that Fisk describes as a "cult."
His take on our "coalition" air war is that we should just shut it down, it's not working. In Fisk's opinion the key to shutting down ISIS (link is external) is getting the Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, to clean up their own mess, to take down the monster of their own making.
To Fisk, ISIS is not an ideological movement, however misguided. Rather, it is an emotionless machine — a weapon designed to counter any American shift toward Shiite Iran.
Whose weapon? He didn’t exactly answer that question. But he did say that peace can come only when Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar make clear to ISIS that the game is over.
Meanwhile, their military effort is focused on beating the hell out of the Houthis in Yemen who, just coincidentally, are battling al Qaeda and ISIS in their country. In other words, the Saudis and their Sunni allies are flying airstrikes in support of al Qaeda and ISIS forces in Yemen. Yet they're our allies.
As Fisk notes our noble bombing campaign is not having any meaningful impact on ISIS. For all the good we're doing - leaving all the bull**** aside - we might as well pack it in and come home.
Fisk calls the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria “preposterous.” America, Canada and other nations taking part claim to be targeting so-called command and control centres of the Islamic State (ISIS). But in this war, he says, such centres simply don’t exist.
“I don’t think the U.S. is serious,” he says. “Very occasionally, you can hear the rumble of American bombs. But they’re certainly not having much effect.”
Nor is he optimistic about Western efforts to train Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian ground forces to fight the Islamic State.
Persuading locals to fight the West’s wars is a traditional strategy in the Middle East, he notes. But this one isn’t working.
Iraqi Kurds, including those trained by Canadian soldiers, have held their ground. But they have not been able to make major advances against ISIS.
Attempts to arm and train so-called Syrian moderates have flopped miserably. A top U.S. general admitted to Congress last week that after a year’s effort, only “four or five” American-armed moderate rebels are still left fighting ISIS in Syria.
The aim had been to train 5,000.
Fisk speculates that America is getting ready to draw away from Sunni Gulf states and instead re-forge its historic ties with Shiite Iran
.
This is the context for the spectacular and unexpected rise of yet another Wahabi-inspired fighting group — ISIS.
Journalist Robert Fisk explains why Canada should abandon ISIS war: Walkom | Toronto Star
Cost of Canada’s mission in Iraq, Syria will hit $528 million in coming year
Cost of Canada’s mission in Iraq, Syria will hit $528 million in coming year | Toronto Star
