The current turmoil in Iraq is a direct result of our actions and inaction

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It wasn't very long ago that John Kerry stood in front of the world to convince us that bombing Syria in support of the 'rebels' (which at the time it was just being discovered that a large majority of them were actually al-Qaeda affiliates even though this was well known in intelligence circles long before) in an effort to help overthrow Assad was in everyone's best interest. Thankfully due to an unexpected question and the strategic insight of Russia this reality never came to be or the strength of the ISIS offensive in Iraq would be much stronger and Syria would be over run with ISIS fighters and if you can believe it even less stable then it is now.

Assad has been fighting a foreign invasion this entire time while our news told us it was a democratic revolution which we of course supported because we really really really don't like Assad and feel it's our place to decide the Syrian's political future. Can you imagine how western governments would respond to an al-Qaeda Jihad in their countries? You can just hear Mr. Burns shouting "release the drones". Did you once hear the west talk about getting involved against ISIS up until this point? No. We've been perfectly happy to allow them to build up their army as that was supposedly in the west's interest in taking out Assad.

But before Syria, there was Libya, in which the west actually supported these ISIS fighters in the overthrow of Gaddafi. Unlike Syria the news that we were actually aiding al-Qaeda in Libya never became mainstream. Western citizens in effect were cheering for the events that have now led up to this Iraq situation. The west isn't just responsible for the destabilization of Iraq with what is still an illegal invasion on false pretense to overthrow a dictator which the west installed, supported, and even aided in the execution of heinous war crimes but we're responsible for the strength of the invading ISIS fighters too.

We're responsible for the creation of al-Qaeda in the first place, we were responsible for the installation and support of Saddam.  No matter how you slice it the west is responsible for this situation, both directly in our actions and directly through our inaction in support of the west's real agenda to destabilize the Middle east and control the remaining non-renewable resources there. This is not a debate between whether it's "Bush's fault" or "Obama's fault"; it's both of their faults and it's your fault too. Yes, you, dear reader, for not holding our leaders to account as they set out on a quest for world domination using pathetic evidence and excuses to pave the way.

Supporting refugees created by our actions doesn't stop the number of refugees that need help from increasing. If you really want to help these countries, if you really want to help these people, then you must start calling out western governments on their bullshit. It's not a left or right agenda, it's a global agenda implemented and executed by multiple countries all being overseen by the same banking cartel. It is time for the citizens of western nations to start demanding trials for war crimes, those in the present and those done in the past. From Bush Sr. to Obama, from Cheney to Clinton, it is time we recognize that not one single fucking "intervention" has had the advertised results. It's time to recognize that the only thing the "war on terror" has accomplished is the radicalization of more people as the west indiscriminately kills and occupies.

The rest of the world isn't stupid, it may take awhile but the era of American and western "exceptionalism" is quickly coming to a close. I know it feels good to continue acting as though we're the beacon of freedom and prosperity and as though our opinion on the behavior of foreign governments actually mean something, but it doesn't. We have no legs to stand on, we are as corrupt as corrupt can be and the stench of our hypocrisy won't go un-addressed forever.

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Richard Fantin is a self-taught software developer who has mostly throughout his career focused on financial applications and high frequency trading. He currently works for CenturyLink

Nazayh Zanidean is a Project Coordinator for a mid-sized construction contractor in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys writing as a hobby on topics that include foreign policy, international human rights, security and systemic media bias.