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2009-02-27 Iraq
US military weaning Iraq's army from support
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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-02-27 09:49|| || Front Page|| [1 views ]  Top

#1 This is the $64 Billion question: Will Iraqi logistics work after the Americans leave, or will they revert to Arab levels of incompetence? If they revert to old habits, the gains in combat skills will rapidly disappear.

The only safety net the Iraqis have is that their enemies also have Arab levels of logistical "skill". This would result in armed mob fighting armed mob.

Also, has Obambi thought of how the Iraqi Air Force is going to defend Iraqi Air Space in 2011?
Posted by Frozen Al 2009-02-27 11:42||   2009-02-27 11:42|| Front Page Top

#2 But "giant gaps" remain in the Iraqi supply system, particularly a shortage of mechanics for vehicle maintenance and repairs, that may take "years and years" to close, he added.

Ah, yes. Insh Allah maintenance.
I doubt they'll ever close that gap...
Posted by tu3031 2009-02-27 11:45||   2009-02-27 11:45|| Front Page Top

#3 Iraq will fail. Afghanistan will fail.

You CANNOT give nations or cultures “Freedom”, they MUST EARN it.

Iraq will rapidly revert back to their old practices. Millennia of potentates, dictatorships, and occupations cannot be erased by a less then a decade of American occupation. Iraqis have proven they are reasonably functional with a lot of oversight and supervision. They adapted to the new American “landlord” like they did with Saddam, the British, the Ottomans, and the Persians. They are adept survivors and will follow rules given to them, but they do not posses the desire or motivation to independently manage themselves. I’m sure there some individual Iraqis that want and can, but the majority are still too tribal and local in their thoughts and loyalties.

Freedom is a uniquely Western concept based solidly on Judeo/Christian values and self reliance. I believe this is the reason it is only successfully found in cultures originating from these areas. The concept of freedom and democracy have been known and practiced for over 2000 years in various forms. It is not a new, radical, hard concept. What is hard about it is earning it and maintaining it.

Until a people as a whole can move beyond tribal, religious and local loyalties, freedom, democracy, and national identification, will not grow and flourish.
Posted by Yosemite Sam 2009-02-27 15:12||   2009-02-27 15:12|| Front Page Top

#4 The Hindus, Thais, South Koreans, Japanese manage. East Timor is learning as is Indonesia. It's not insurmountable. It helps to have some hand-holding for a while which is what we're doing in Iraq (as we did for the SKors, for example). I think the Iraqis get it.
Posted by Steve White 2009-02-27 17:04||   2009-02-27 17:04|| Front Page Top

#5 Goodness knows we're giving the Iraqis enough practice. They only just had provincial elections, then there's parliamentary elections again in December, I believe, no doubt followed by local elections... The U.S. and Great Britain actually have a pretty good record of forcing democracy and rule of law on unwilling recipients. It may be far from perfect, but so long as actual human beings are involved, it will be so anywhere. Look how the election went last November in the U.S., for instance.
Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife  2009-02-27 23:35||   2009-02-27 23:35|| Front Page Top

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