The United States’ Tragic Role in Iraq admin, June 20, 2014August 15, 2024 The Progressive June 20, 2014 [Republished by Common Dreams] The dramatic rise of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—which even al-Qaeda deemed too extreme to remain part of its network—is a tragedy by any measure. It would also be tragic if we allowed the very forces that created this mess to explain it away. Iraq The Progressive not audio