Blame Obama

Regarding “Who is X?” (Page A16, Wednesday), the editorial blames the invasion of Iraq for creating a “power vacuum that empowered Iran and opened the door to ISIS.” For more than 60 years the Middle East has been called the “troubled” Middle East, as the nations there have been involved in one war after the other, and one regime after the other has fallen or risen to power. Do you not recall the wars between Israel and the Arab nations, the fall of the Shah of Iran, the long war between Iraq and Iran, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and so on? The strife between the Muslim sects has existed for centuries.

The nations united with the U.S. defeated the Iraq army and removed from power Saddam Hussein, a ruthless despot who had used poison gas against his own people, had made war against neighboring nations and was a continuing menace in the Middle East. That action was welcomed by many Iraqi people.

Only after the Obama administration withdrew our troops from Iraq did that country suffer further upheaval and the rise of ISIS. Also, it was during the Obama administration that the Russians invaded Ukraine and sent troops and aircraft into Syria. For eight long years of the Obama administration the North Koreans continued developing nuclear weapons and long range rockets; the Syrian tyrant used poison gas against the Syrian people; and the Chinese created and claimed islands in the South China Sea, openly challenging the U.S. and other nations in the area.

The Obama administration created a power vacuum in the world, and now the Trump administration has to deal with a dangerous world, while being attacked by the political left seeking to overthrow his administration.

Edmunds Travis Jr., Houston