The Return of the Islamic State of Iraq (and the Levant)

For 2014 Iraq War maps go here

When I left Iraq in 2009 I was feeling good about its future. However, in my final thoughts post I gave a bit of a warning

Is the War Against Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) Won?Some bloggers who never were in Iraq and some who were have declared victory. I meanwhile see AQI as lying on the ground, bleeding from all orifices.While near AQI is near death anyone who says they are defeated is wrong. The greater command network of AQI is destroyed so now AQI is more or less a grouping of quasi-independent regions that relay on themselves for logistical support. Right now most of the fighting against AQI is done by the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. These organizations still need the help Coalition Forces can supply including advanced targeting and large, overwhelming force.

Sadly we did not follow through.  The Syrian Civil War allowed al Qaeda in Iraq (renamed the Islamic State of Iraq and later Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) to regroup.  Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki used the courts to steal the promising results of the 2010 elections.  The Sunni militias that helped us defeat AQI/ISI were not properly paid and heroes like Colonel Faruq in Haditha were ignored.


Now in a series of blitzkerg attacks ISIL now has combined their war against the Syrian Arab Republic (Assad-regime), their war against the Syrian anti-Assad rebels, and their war against Syrian Kurds with their renewed war against the Iraqi government.  ISIL is moving units back-and-forth across the Syrian-Iraq border because it considers all these wars the same and so should we.


We should consider them the same war not only because ISIL does but so does the other side: the Iran-Hezbollah-Syria-Iraq axis.  In fact, the main reason ISIL has been stopped 100 miles north of Baghdad is because they are now fighting Iranian-trained, Shia militias full of veterans of the American and Syrian wars.  Iran and the Iraqi Shia militas will pull units from Syria to fight ISIL in Iraq.


Meanwhile, I am stuck here thinking about the Iraqis I served with trying to figure out if they are alive or, maybe even, fighting in Sunni militias against the Government of Iraq.  Elsewhere, Mosul has most likely lost its entire Christian population due to death and the exodus in the past 72 hours.

Database of Grand Army of the Republic Monuments

The Grand Army of the Republic was the first major veterans group in the United States.  This collection of Union troops did much to perverse Civil War history and became a power player in politics (the Republican Party is known as "the Grand Old Party" because of its relationship with the "Grand Army of the Republic").


One key legacy of the GAR is the many monuments and memorials it funded.  However, as time passed by some impoverished local governments sold the monuments for scrap.  Fortunately, now the successor to GAR, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, is working on ensuring GAR monuments are protected.  Part of their effort involves creating databases of GAR monuments throughout the country.  While their list is incomplete and a work in progress, the state departments of SUVCW are creating pages documenting monuments with locations and pictures.


As a member of SUVCW and the Civil War Trust, I am a huge supporter of protecting and promoting Civil War heritage.  The story of Joe Hooker Camp statue and cannon of Sioux Falls, South Dakota is a tragic example of what happens when people no longer understand the sacrifice of others and their physical memory is mistreated.

The Most Efficient Way to Drive Through All the Contiguous United States

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Stephen Von Worley of Data Pointed has found the most efficient way to drive through all the forty-eight connected United States.  Needless to say it is quite creative and relies in part by quick drive through certain states.  I do not know if this would meet TDAXP's requirement of visiting states (getting out of the car and buying something) but bravo to such a neat, fascinating effort.  Interestingly thinking outside the box, the trip ends in Montana while I would probably of had the trip in California or Washington.

Map of Apostasy Laws

Only Israel and Lebanon allow for religious change in the Middle East core.

The Pew Research Center and Washington Post created the above map showing where apostasy is against the law on any governmental level.  All countries with apostasy laws are in the Muslim gap with the excpetion of Nigeria.  Nigeria does not break the Islamic rule, however, because the apostasy laws are in the northern state run by Nigeria.  The presence of these laws show the difficulty in separating religion and state on even the most basic levels in the Islamic mindset.  However, this is not so surprising since Islam and the state were meant to be one from the beginning while Christianity and Judaism (and even Dharma religions) had their beginnings separate from the state.

Interestingly enough, the Assad-run Syrian Arab Republic only forbids apostasy when public order is 'disturbed' by it.  There are no legal cases which cite apostasy disturbing the public order.  Anti-apostasy laws are only enforced in Islamist rebel controlled parts of Syria.

The People's Republics of Ukraine

A variety of unofficial, pro-Russia statelets have appeared in eastern Ukraine.  The movements are primarily limited to Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Right now no country, not even Russia, recognizes these people's republics as independent. 

The term people's republic does not reflect Marxist socialism.  Instead it is representative, as the New Republic as pointed out, of a very old school of Russian conservatism which connects Eastern Orthodoxy and societal collectivism of a Christian socialist variety.
 
Here is a quick guide:

Donetsk People's Republic

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Located in Donetsk Oblast, this was the first "people's republic" to declare independence from Kyiv.  Most of the fighting has been done in Donetsk. 

Luhansk People's Republic

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Located in Luhansk, this people's republic has been slower in forming but picked up speed as Kyiv focused most of its "anti-terrorist" operations in Donetsk.

Federal State of New Russia aka Novorossiya 

 It is unclear whether or not The Federal State of New Russia, also known as Novorossiya, exists.  The leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic all states it does but the leadership of the Luhansk People's Republic is divided on whether or not they belong to it.  This implies Novorossiya may be an effort by the more successful Donetsk People's Republic to control Luhansk People's Republic.

While some have noted the flag of Novorossiya mirrors the Confederate battle flag, this is a concidence.  Red, white, and blue are the colors of Russia and the Novorossiya flag is almost a dead copy of the Russian naval jack.

Odessa People's Republic

Declared on the internet to the shock of anti-Kyiv protesters in Odessa, this people's republic seems to exist online only.

Kharkiv People's Republic

Crushed within one day of its founding.

Overview

The only "real" people's republics are in Donetsk and Luhansk.  While these claim their respective oblasts, their real control is demonstrated in the map below showing where Ukrainian elections were unable to be held.

Grey shows areas of no voting, i.e. people's republic hold on territory.

Jerzy Popieluszko: Religion and Geography

Jerzy Popieluszko: The Messenger of the Truth has one of the most suspenseful climaxes for a documentary I have ever seen.  The film is about a Polish priest who sets out to remind Poles about their natural rights as workers and humans.  His struggle shows the dark side of utopian visions such as Communism due to its disconnectedness with natural law and the world.  I strongly recommend this film.

Several factors make Father Popieluszko's effort note worthy to even secularists (or geographers disconnected to religious issues) and play key roles in the documentary:

The Papal Effect was Only the Beginning: 1980s Poland was revolutionized by the Polish pope, Saint John Paul II.  John Paul's election and visit to Poland allowed for the popular culture to come out of forced hiding due to Communist rule.  However, after a week the pope went back to Rome.  The labor union Solidarity and its chaplain, Popieluszko, seized the momentum the pope started.  The union united not only blue collar Poles but also academics and rural populations in making a popular culture peaceful resistance.

Communism - A "Vanguard" is not the People: Solidarity was an independent labor union and that scared the "Workers of the World, Unite" Communist Party of Poland.  Communist and major leftist movements had long moved past any serious care for the worker.  Solidarity's goals were laborist, not leftist, and that scared the party.

Faith is dangerous, it's why Caiaphas killed Jesus: There is a reason why Poland crackdown on Catholicism after the rise of Solidarity.  It is the same reason the People's Republic of China bans independent Christianity and why Caiaphas killed Jesus.  When an authoritarian regime encounters someone claiming there is a "universal truth" above the party/regime/king then the regime is shown to be limited.  It must either strike out or fold, there is no middle ground.

The documentary is well done and the narration by Martin Sheen sets a professional tone.  Clocking in at about 90 minutes this film is best viewed in one sitting but I recommend parental guidance before letting children watch it. 

How to Succeed in Business with a Degree in Geography

Justin Holman linked to an article by Dr. James Chan about how to succeed in business with a geography degree.  Here are key points I really enjoyed

How much is your success in consulting related to your degrees in geography? I apply what I know about Chinese geography and cultural geography to day-to-day problems in business. I’ve worked with more than 100 U.S. manufacturers, trade associations, and service organizations. Businesses need people with geographical and cross-cultural knowledge.

Could you give an example of how you applied geography to a business problem? A company spent $1,000,000 on postage each year to mail catalogs worldwide. I looked at its bloated mailing list and found that there were many duplicate records. This means that quite a number of people received multiple copies of marketing materials. Many names on the list were misspelled and out-of-date. I surveyed our worldwide customer base and eliminated duplication and waste. Management was very happy because I reduced their costs.

What advice would you give to someone with a geography degree about succeeding in business? Start at an entry level and learn a business. Geography is not a trade. It is an academic discipline. Once you know enough of a business, you can apply your unique training as a geographer to look at things in a way that people trained in other disciplines may not come up with. This is how you differentiate yourself and become competitive. Few businesses pay us to teach them geography. They just want us to solve their problems and get things done. It’s up to us to invent ourselves.