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2004-06-29 Iraq-Jordan
Early Iraq Handover Signals Serious Loss of Ground
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Posted by Mark Espinola 2004-06-29 2:31:17 AM|| || Front Page|| [11127 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Nope, no slant here. sheesh.
Posted by JerseyMike 2004-06-29 8:45:55 AM||   2004-06-29 8:45:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Now that sovereignty exists,how can a Iraqi claim "political refugee" status ?
Posted by rich woods  2004-06-29 10:22:18 AM||   2004-06-29 10:22:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Debka reminds me of the liberal arts students who tried to BS their way past technical questions back in college. Instead of looking at trends in American KIA, Debka looks at qualitative measures like handover mechanics. This Debka article reminds us that a lot of Israelis are Euro-style appeasers, except they're keep on getting jerked back into the real world by mass murdering Muslim Arabs.
Posted by Zhang Fei  2004-06-29 10:33:39 AM|| [http://www.polipundit.com]  2004-06-29 10:33:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 If I was a foreign terrorist in Fallujah, I'd sleep lightly. Allawi can whack em like we never could, sensitivities be damned. He knows that getting control of that rathole is job number 1 (same for Ramadi)
Posted by Frank G  2004-06-29 10:36:05 AM||   2004-06-29 10:36:05 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Debka is just spiked cause they can't get rid of the paleos..
Posted by Dan 2004-06-29 10:44:01 AM||   2004-06-29 10:44:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 I have no idea of the validity of the Debka analysis (Grain of salt usually advised) but Jeez Zhang,
Speaking on behalf of liberal arts majors everywhere, it has never been firmly established, to my satisfaction anyway, that BS is limited exclusively in the school of Liberal Arts. It may only seem that way to those who have difficulty interpreting large amounts of ambiguous information.
Did some Liberal Arts bully steal your lunch money one day?
Posted by Capsu78 2004-06-29 11:29:41 AM||   2004-06-29 11:29:41 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 I too think the hand over early was designed to keep the detractors off-balance and good for Bush/Blair for making it happen that way. I bet it took the wind out of a lot of talking heads, demonstrators, and malcontents that were looking to make a ‘political statement’ both inside and outside Iraq. Now the reality is that there is a sovereign government in place most of the conspiracy theories that were being sold are debunked. I really think that the new PM needs to stomp out the bad guys in the Sunni triangle ASAP (the more brutal the better). Also a speedy trial/execution of the former leadership would bolster his standing amongst the people and remove a banner that all the nutballs are clinging onto. If these fail his government won’t last until the promised January elections.
Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter)  2004-06-29 11:49:37 AM||   2004-06-29 11:49:37 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 So now what happens in the WoT. Does Iraq stay the front lines or does the front change.

The idea that the new PM will move hard and fast on insurgency is very appealling. I hope he uses our F-15 wisely and decisively.
Posted by Lucky 2004-06-29 12:23:50 PM||   2004-06-29 12:23:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 good question lucky. Zarq has a lot invested in Iraq, and despite the handover, theres a long way to go to get to security needed for elections. So i think zarq (assuming hes alive) stays and fights in Iraq for some time. If shifts fronts I assume it would be to Saudi. Note that Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to be important fronts as well. This will remain a fluid war (insert Rumsfeldian comment here)
Posted by Liberalhawk 2004-06-29 12:31:36 PM||   2004-06-29 12:31:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 DEBKA is asserting the obvious here, that the situation is still very dangerous and that the enemy, being a terrorist force, has the ability to initiate attacks when/where they see fit.

Frank G. makes the critical point looking foreward and it is the one that I believe will determine the success of the new government. If Allawi had the stones, he will declare martial law in Fallujah and other select hell holes. He will then send in combined US and Iraqi forces to crush the terrs, all the while exhorting his countrymen to support his efforts to build a free Iraq.

The last point is key and is something that Bremer and the CPA did a miserable job of. Hopefully Allawi will have a better understanding of how to reach out to the Iraqi populace and get them to turn en masse against the terrs. Once the tipping point is reached, the terrs will be finished. To get to that point will require some hard pushing. I hope that they can get it done.
Posted by remote man 2004-06-29 1:03:44 PM||   2004-06-29 1:03:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 My understanding is that the interim government is going to announce "special security measures" tomorrow.

Posted by Shipman 2004-06-29 1:07:55 PM||   2004-06-29 1:07:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 I don't suppose that anyone thought that maybe they were just going to avoid the obvious terror attack at the ceremonies?
Posted by flash91 2004-06-29 1:38:00 PM||   2004-06-29 1:38:00 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 --three Turkish civilians.--

Not anymore.
Posted by Anonymous2U 2004-06-29 3:30:30 PM||   2004-06-29 3:30:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 Iraq will remain the focus for now in the WoT. This is the Guadalcanal of the ME. If Iraq is successful in forming some kind of working govt that expels or kills the Islamic terrorists, or at least makes them a minor player, then the terrorists have lost a major battle. So it is really up to Allawi to move rapidly and decisively in eliminating this threat to the life of his new nation. He also has Iran to deal with, who are stoking things up, too. We will have to use our assets in dealing with them.

Saudi is the golden egg goose. Al Q is not destroying oil industry infrastructure---they know where their bread and butter comes from. If they succeed in shutting down Saudi oil production, who will get it going again after the "revolution"?

I would really like to see an analysis of terrorist funding sources and percentages. That is going to drive our efforts in the WoT. I can't help thinking that the terrorists also want flexibility in financing for their continued survival.
Posted by Alaska Paul 2004-06-29 4:53:59 PM||   2004-06-29 4:53:59 PM|| Front Page Top

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