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2007-06-19 Iraq

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Posted by anonymous5089 2007-06-19 06:18|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top
File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1 I have a lot of respect for Michael Yon's operational reporting, but as a political opinionmeister, he's, uhhh... problematic (to put it kindly).

For instance:

When we failed to secure the streets and to restore the stability needed to get Iraq on its feet, we sowed doubt and mistrust.

After nearly thirty years under the heel of one of the cruelest dictatorships in history, a Stalinist society that even Uncle Joe would have envied, a Western army crushes the Iraqi army (which evaporates) with minimum civilian casualties - AND IT IS OUR FAULT THAT LOOTERS FILLED THE STREETS? Should we have instituted martial law and gunned down Iraqi civilians? Called the Iraqi ~~Baathist secret~~ police (oh, wait, they stopped answering the phone!)?

Good grief. Perhaps Mike oughta take another look at the 1992 LA riots video.

When we disbanded the government and the army, and tolerated corruption and ineptitude in reconstruction, we created a vacuum and filled the ranks of an insurgency-hydra with mostly local talent.

The mostly-Shiite conscript forces fled home as soon as possible. The more disciplined Republican Guard eventually did the same. The Fedehyeen melted into the cities and countryside as part of Saddam's pre-invasion planning. As for stopping corruption and ineptitude in the Middle East, I suspect a far greater power than CENTCOM is required for that mission.

But when we flattened parts of Fallujah not once, but twice, primarily in response to the murders of four of our people, we helped create a spectacle of injustice and chaos, the very conditions in which Al Qaeda thrives.

Dishwater. Zarqawi & Co. were in control of Fallujah and they occupied the city in strength before the second attack in Nov. 2004. We didn't clobber Fallujah because of four American contractors getting waxed; we did it because Fallujah was not only an important link in the Syria-Baghdad rat line, it was also ID'd as AQ's hq in Iraq.

There sure is a lot of "our fault" "our incompetence", etc. in his political analyses. If it weren't for his obvious disregard for facts, it'd merely be grating, but given the evidence in his own postings, I have to say he's parked an agenda on his website. Too bad.

Posted by mrp 2007-06-19 10:07|| 2007-06-19 10:07|| Front Page Top

#2 What mrp said. In spades.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-06-19 10:50|| 2007-06-19 10:50|| Front Page Top

#3 What he means, mrp, is that you (USA) treated Iraqis as rational people capable of enlightened self interest---a huge mistake.

Posted by gromgoru 2007-06-19 11:36|| 2007-06-19 11:36|| Front Page Top

#4 What he means, mrp, is that you (USA) treated Iraqis as rational people capable of enlightened self interest---a huge mistake.

Can you support that he believes that with a direct quote?

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-06-19 12:52|| 2007-06-19 12:52|| Front Page Top

#5 Shortly after the VE day, a few shots were taken at US forces occupying the former Nazi Germany. The US mobilized 50-100,000 of its troops to go door to door, seize weapons & make arrests. The problem went away. The number of troops used then was but a small fraction of all available in Germany at the time. Actions like this were nevery possible in Iraq due to the staffing levels. However, in Iraq, every family was allowed one AK-47 for self-defense for obvious reasons. It was the US's job to create a modicum of stability in Iraq. It has failed in that.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-06-19 14:39|| 2007-06-19 14:39|| Front Page Top

#6 There is indeed a 'modicum' of stability, just not enough. They have an elected government, an army and a police force however corrupt and incompetent. They have a rapidly growing economy, stable currency, decently performing equity markets, booming real estate market and a k-college education system. Kurdistan and much of Southern Iraq is realtively calm.

What stability they do have is just not enough. Iraqi cultural norms and our mistakes in handling the situation plus the relentlessd negativity of the media unchallenged by our government have turned success into failure.

Now we are making some of the comprimises our initial occupation refused to make, such as basically siding with the Shia, working within the tribal system in Anbar. This provides hope for 'stability' along with the so called surge. However we are no longer threatening Iran which was part of the original geopolitical rationale for going into Iraq in the firstplace so even if we achieve stability, I am concerned that we have lost the initiative.

Posted by JAB 2007-06-19 18:54|| 2007-06-19 18:54|| Front Page Top

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