Paul Rogers
The political use of a religious vision spells danger for Israel, America, and the world.
A world of conflict and fear means boom time for big military companies. Wars and rumours of wars require constant supplies, and this is where that perennial of human activity, the arms bazaar, comes in.
The intense aerial assaults in Iraq and Syria are being seized as an opportunity by forces, both ISIS and other jihadi, on the receiving end.
The complex military operation to seize Iraq’s second city from ISIS’s grip is a microcosm of the long war. Wise observers, though, should wait at least six months and quite possibly a couple of years before judging its true success