The suicide bombing today in Iraq that killed five U.S. soldiers is another example of how deadly and dangerous Iraq remains, despite the success of the surge. Meanwhile, author Thomas Ricks has argued that while the surge improved security, it didn’t achieve a primary goal — creating space for Iraqi political leaders to move forward. “The bottom line is that none of the basic problems facing Iraq have been addressed — the relationship between Shia, Sunni and Kurds, or who leads the Shias, or the status of the disputed city of Kirkuk, or the sharing of oil revenue,” Ricks has said.
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18 Comments
Iraq would have to spend decades in the Twilight Zone before it would stand a shot at becoming a Western democracy. Time would have to stand still for the rest of the world — Iran, Syria, the Taliban, and the rest of the Middle East would have to go into suspended animation — while Iraq incubates a demand for Western philosophy and the solutions it presents to the ancient problems existing between the governed and their rulers since time immemoriam.
Obviously that ain’t gonna happen.
What we’re doing in Iraq right now is twofold. One, we’re building a fort in Indian territory, Crusades style, that we’ll man until we can wean ourselves off oil energy. Two, we’re allowing the US Senate, Foggy Bottom, and the DoD to salvage what remains of US honor. As soon as we’re out of the oil bidness we’re outta Dodge (reputation be damned).
That’s about it, too. Anybody who thinks Iraq stands a snowball’s chance in becoming something akin to Canada East or West Hawaii is kidding him- or herself.
I believe we’ve been over this before, too.
Rather than get into a long-winded discussion about how awful our current foreign policy is impacting Iraq, I will defer to George Washington and his Farewell Address:
Friends with all nations, alliances with none.
I think we can all agree that the empire is coming to an end. We can end it gracefully, or come home bankrupt and forced out.
God Bless
I have not mentioned it, but about a week ago my son’s FOB was attacked with three rounds of Anti-personal munitions. Lucky on one person was hurt and he was a civilian who worked at the coffee shop?
They found a painted hand which is said to be the sign that S.O.I. use ( son of Iraq).
I wondered since SOI is a Sunni group and my son is in a strictly Shiite area.
They would have came through a Shiite area at night and attacked a U.S. Base then fled back to the Sunni area.
Or, on the other hand, a Shiite group planted a sign w/SOI hoping that US retaliation wouldn’t occur in a Shiite backyard and would strike Sunnis instead.
In Iraq it only appears that we got rid of Saddam Hussein. Whether we admit it or not, we’re all just waiting around for Saddam II to come along there and take our burden away.
Thanks to visionary Brit, TE Lawrence, we Westerners have seen a mirage in the desert around Baghdad for nigh on a hundred years now. Project “Iraq the Nation of Tribes” was, is, and shall remain a lose/lose proposition for the West and those tribes of Arabs we arbitrarily call Iraqis. Their future is their hands, not ours.
At least they Iraqi’s don’t have conceal and carry!
They have hide and carry.
At least they Iraqi’s don’t have conceal and carry!
==================
And they are still safe from gay marriage.
Pedant,
We certainly hate to admit it, but only Saddam was evil enough to keep the Shiites and Sunnis off of each other and focused on him. As hard as we try, we’ve only partially matched his success.
I had thought it was Al-Qaeda, neither the Sunnis or the Shiites have a benefit in us staying in Iraq.
The only one by increasing the violence in Iraq and causing us to stay is Al-Qaeda.
We are finally going to get after those who did attack us, they will lose their safe haven both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. So they need to continue the distraction of Iraq that has kept them safe for the last 7 years.
Public opinion
Abdel Wahab Al-Qassab from the Strategic Studies Centre in Doha, Qatar, which researches political and military strategies, said that Iraqi public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of US forces leaving the country.
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“The US has said verbally that it will end the occupation but we do not know what the real ambition of the invaders is. They could yet say there is no stability in the country and extend their presence there.
“The US has already said that 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq for what they say is training Iraqi troops. But I think that every Iraqi wants US troops out of the country because what has occurred is the shattering of the Iraqi society.”
The Shia community in Baghdad has been hit by a series of bomb attacks in recent weeks, fuelling fears that Iraqi soldiers could face an uphill struggle in keeping the capital secure when US forces leave Iraq.
At least seven people were killed and 23 injured when a bomb planted in a plastic bag exploded close to the site of a Shia mosque in Baghdad’s Kadhimiyah district on Wednesday.
Nine people had been killed the day before in a car bomb blast in the same neighbourhood.
At least 37 people were killed and more than 100 hurt in a string of attacks across the city on Monday.
This is why “deadlines” are bad. Violence has stepped up considerably since we announced a withdrawl date. It’s simple, don’t map out your plans and timelines for your enemy.
As far as hope for Iraq, I do not know, time will tell. Their are a lot of great Iraqi people left who weren’t killed by Saddam. I’ve been there. But their are bad neighbors around Iraq, and they like to stir up crapola. It’s pretty much why Saddam was the way he was, in his twisted way, he thought he was the solution, but the solution was worse than the problem itself.
At one time Iraq was a pretty cool country, very western in nature. Even Saddam was a very moderate Muslim. It was other ambitions that drove him to be a tyrant.
I feel for those kids over there. Many of my brother have fallen. But one thing about Marines, we complain about just about EVERYTHING, but most of us do not complain about having to fight, it’s just what we do.
A smart enemy will take advantage of a withdrawl. The minute they see non wounded troops loading up and leaving without replacements, they will pounce. I believe a smarter way to leave would have been unannounced. Wait awhile and when the lib’s start crying about the war, then announce the fact that their are only xx number of troops left. Better yet, if the lib’s would stop making the war a political issue, they could play along, instead of aiding the enemy.
Blaming the “libs” is a fool’s errand.
Turning Iraq into Hawaii West was an idea that the neoconservatives sold to Augustus Stupidus, not the “libs” (although the neoconservatives were mostly a bunch of old guys, naturally liberal in their yoot and who, just as yoots who could cut barbed wire with pee turn into old guys take forever to pee, turn conservative in their dotterage).
I guess you could find traction in blaming old-guy liberals for somehow finding a way to convince an idiot like W to pull the trigger — THAT was the original sin we Americans committed in Iraq. Seems to me, though, that when it comes to Iraq the buck stops in the Oval Office. Lord knows W used the blank check issued by the 107th Congress as a way to consolidate Republic power in the 108th.
If there’s blame to be distributed, it lies with George W Bush and the Congress who gave him a blank check to indulge his idiocy. Once we broke up the China shop, we owned it.
LIke I said, a fool’s errand.
Now the man above this post ( SEMPERFIGUY ) KNOWS what the FREAK he’s talking about . . . THANK YOU !!!
Libs aiding the enemy . . . you got that one right
peace
http://www.nwrnetwork.com/radiostations/RealAnswersRadio/player/embedded_player.php?bw=high
“Turning Iraq into Hawaii West was an idea that the neoconservatives sold to Augustus Stupidus”
Hey SEMPERFIGUY . . . don’t bother dealing with an idiot . . . I know I won’t . . . . . . Peace
lol
Translating dadman: YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!
Bullseye!
dadman sez that bucks issued by the Oval Office stop in … Congress.
lol, wtf? Only in the la la land that the 22%-ers call “reality.”
Just one more reason that Augustus Stupidus couldn’t even carry Harry Truman’s jockstrap, much less have his “presidency” compared to that of Truman’s.
hehehe
It’s pretty sweet when idiots paint themselves into corners….
lol
SEMPERFIGUY
Posted April 10, 2009 at 8:32 pm | \l “comment-552597″
This is why “deadlines” are bad. Violence has stepped up considerably since we announced a withdrawal date. It’s simple, don’t map out your plans and timelines for your enemy.
The question is with this is who is the enemy?
The Sunnis? Now we being there might be what keep the Shiites from wiping out the Sunnis.
But such an occurrence would draw a reaction from S.A. Who is a Sunni country within striking distance.
And a lot more aligned with the Sunnis in Iraq then the Shiites of Iran is with the Shiites of Iraq.
The Shiites? The majority of Iraq and a proud people not to mention Nationalists.
Could be that with us there they think that it keeps Iran in check. Iran would rather turn Iraq into Iran West.
The problem is that not all Shiites are the same, the two sects have their own holy cities and heroes.
But then with us there it does keep the Shiites from enacting against those whom has oppress them.
Iran? It is like your worst enemy moving next door, why would you want them too not to move away?
With the violence going full tilt it was a way of gigging us but it also means that there is a large number of the enemy within striking distance of you. With the loose cannon to their North why would they want another enemy capable of striking from next door?
How about a loose order of Insurgents, both Shiites and Sunnis? They would be Nationalists, but now having a withdraw date it would be a simple matter of waiting, then the enemy leave on their own!
But then what about the intent to leave fifty thousand troops? Ok, here is the result of increasing the violence. By doing so you now are facing several thousand U.S. troop for an unknown number of years.
The Iraqis people would soon grow tired of the fighting and then those whom you are fighting in the name of turn against you!
Well this leaves one last one who might want us to stay in Iraq. AL-Qaeda? Fight the U.S. in Iraq is cost effective. A few of the dumber zealots send into to cause trouble, but that leaves the main organization free to operate in safety and being left alone. Our focus is on the insurgence, standing in the middle to stop a civil war caused by a few well-placed bombs and let the other sect take the blame. Bomb the Sunnis and make it look like it was Shiites. Bomb the Shiites and make it look like the Sunnis.
As long as we are not focusing on Al-Qaeda they are getting ignored and it makes us look like a bunch of fools. Is it not about time we stop being the dancing fools for Al-Qaeda?
WriterDog, I didn’t read your whole post, sometimes it’s just too painful, but let it be known to all, I am not a Republican as the party exists today. The Libertarians better serve my views, so I’m more a member of the Libertarian wing of the party I guess.
We made HUGE mistakes in Iraq. HUGE! But we also made EVEN WORSE mistakes in WWII. But back then we did not have a media that is anti-America like we do now. We may not have been able to successfully fight and win WWII with todays media.
But then again, FDR was a socialist utopian with severe left idealogy… so they MIGHT have given him a pass. Never the less, the only reason we EVER pulled out of the great depression is because FDR finally DIED… and WWII.
From generation to generation we forget the principles this country was founded upon. They do teach it a bit in the military. What ashame, 18,19 year old kids actually hearing our history for the first time because they happened to enlist and serve. They won’t get it straight in the public school systems, nor will they in most private schools.
Their is one conclusion we who serve come to over time. That we are standing firm and are willing to fight FOR EACH OTHER… and NOT for a grateful nation. We are all we’ve got, a unique society of warriors willing to lay down our lives for one another, while America just rots away back home.
I’m not here to promote the right wing principles either. They want a big bloated over spending government, just in a different way. Both sides need the other to advance their agenda. It’s disgusting. Little by little our lives our widdled away from us and turned over to the state.
The Rep’s are sounding pretty good right now, I must admit. They are definately a party that does well when they are an abused minority. I’m not sold on the fact that they would keep their act together once in power again though.
We are a Republic. Study that! Whose to blame for this cluster fudge of a country? LOOK IN THE G.D. MIRROR. H E double hockey sticks, we DEMAND our government do this, do that. It’s really not supposed to have the power to do much of anything. Even militarily! We have the power and will to individually DO SOMETHING, like feed a hungry child, provide cloths to those in need, to teach and raise each other up. If we all did that, the rug would be pulled right out from under the left. The beauty of hand ups is that it’s personal. It enriches the hearts of the givers, and provides hope and self esteem for those who receive. Instead we have a broad net that fails to enrich ones abilities and set them on the way no longer in need. We have built a safety net that enables peoples bad choices and unwillingness. IT DOESN’T WORK! They have had 45 years to prove otherwise, it’s time to scrap the whole plan. BUT THAT DOES REQUIRE EACH INDIVIDUAL TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
As I was saying, even military wide government is only authorized to maintain a Naval fleet to protect American interests abroad, with a small Corps of Marines to support that effort. The Army is supposed to belong to the states, organized in a way in which they could be organized together quickly if needed into a federal fighting force.
I know I anger many of you, but I will say this, I practice what I preach. I support my local community, I reach out ON A DAILY BASIS to those around me, I offer councel, financial help, and moral support to my community. It’s tough, my biggest competetor is the state. Its very difficult to show someone how to do it on their own when the state activly recruits dependancy in order to maintain the bloated programs.