Current wars in ME are different

Few weeks ago, while I was visiting Washington, D.C., I received an email from a friend notifying me about a panel discussion hosted by the Middle East Policy Council. The topic of the discussion “Managing, Ending and Avoiding Wars in the Middle East” and the participants of the event made me smile all of a sudden. While going through those details, I decided not to miss the event at any cost. Attendance was free and above all the organizers would serve coffee and donuts.
The event held on Jan. 20 at the Rayburn House Office Building lasted for two hours. I enjoyed every bit of the discussion. My interest in the discussion was very natural; as it outlined the steps to manage and end conflicts in the very region I belong to. It is a region, which is currently in turmoil and perhaps the most volatile part of the world. It only saddens me to see everything up in flames in a region with so much potential in terms of natural and human resources. It’s a pity that despite being blessed with natural treasures, the region lags behind the world in many ways.
However, today’s wars in the Middle East are more complex. The reasons are: We don’t know who is who in the conflict, we don’t know the intended objectives of the ongoing fighting and we are not aware of the true identity of the players involved in the turmoil.
Truth be told, nobody was prepared to the widespread violence in the region. During the past few years, the region saw the destruction of two invaded countries, Afghanistan and Iraq, and witnessed Syria, Libya and Yemen slipping into chaos.
On top of it, the presence of a well-organized terrorist organization like the self-ascribed Islamic State (IS) is making things all the more difficult. It is mainly due to the presence of the IS and its likes (though not as active as the IS), people in the region are calling for wider world intervention to root out these groups.
Apparently, the ongoing airstrikes are not yielding any result and need for deployment of troops on the ground is increasing with every passing day. It is, however, not as easy as it appears due to some factors like who is going to commit ground troops, the number of troops and the location of their command and control center.
The most important question is that who is going to command the ground forces. And when you ask these kinds of questions then all heads turn toward Washington. But, is Washington willing to do the job after its failure in Afghanistan and Iraq? Now, let us go back to the Middle East Policy Council discussion held in Washington.
The wars and conflicts are in the Middle East but the discussions about these wars and conflicts are held in places like Washington. And it always surprises me that conferences about the Middle East or the Arab world are held without the presences of an Arab or Middle Eastern analyst. And it always turns out that they get invited through official or non-official invitations. But they usually don’t show up. It is very important that Middle Eastern or Arab analysts should join in the discussions even if they don’t agree with the issue being discussed.
It always helps to listen to what the others are saying or intending to do. And with the current escalation of fighting in Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Syria, it is very important to have a closer look at the root of the conflicts. There will be no quick or decisive way to end the fighting. The region has been in turmoil since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring and there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel as yet.
The Middle East has natural resources in abundance but we have been wasting these resources and simply blame others. The region is witnessing hundreds of thousands of casualties almost on a daily basis, people are becoming refugees and many countries have been turned into ruins. It is all done by the enemy within. Wars should be avoided at all costs but we should not let gangs of terrorists to gain the upper hand.