An Iraqi family tasting what former US President Bush called “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. After 14 years of War on Terror the West is great at fomenting barbarism and creating failed states.

By Vincent Emanuele

For the last several years, people around the world have asked, “Where did ISIS come from?” Explanations vary, but largely focus on geopolitical (U.S. hegemony), religious (Sunni-Shia), ideological (Wahhabism) or ecological (climate refugees) origins. Many commentators and even former military officials correctly suggest that the war in Iraq is primarily responsible for unleashing the forces we now know as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, etc. Here, hopefully I can add some useful reflections and anecdotes.

When I was stationed in Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 2003-2005, I didn’t know what the repercussions of the war would be, but I knew there would be a reckoning. That retribution, otherwise known as blowback, is currently being experienced around the world (Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, France, Tunisia, California, and so on), with no end in sight.

Back then, I routinely saw and participated in obscenities. Of course, the wickedness of the war was never properly recognized in the West. Without question, antiwar organizations attempted to articulate the horrors of the war in Iraq, but the mainstream media, academia and political-corporate forces in the West never allowed for a serious examination of the greatest war crime of the 21st century.

Read the full article at teleSUR English

Vincent Emanuele Interviewed on RT America

Marine veteran Vincent Emanuele, who spent years fighting in Iraq, penned a scathing article titled ‘I Helped Create ISIS,’ which documents how American foreign policy, the War on Terror,’ and military power, as well as religious and tribal schisms in the Middle East, have played into the growth of the terrorist organization. Emanuele speaks with RT’s Anya Parampil about his article and what made him want to inform Americans.