Mark Kleiman says:
Posted by DeLong at April 18, 2004 09:53 AM | TrackBack | | Other weblogs commenting on this postAnthony Zinni is not a happy camper: Gen. Zinni isn't surprised things in Iraq are going badly:
I'm surprised that [Rumsfeld] is surprised because there was a lot of us who were telling him that it was going to be thus.
Anyone could know the problems they were going to see. How could they not?
I think that some heads should roll over Iraq, I think the president got some bad advice.
We're betting on the U.N., who we blew off and ridiculed during the run-up to the war. Now we're back with hat in hand. It would be funny if not for the lives lost.
In the end, the Iraqis themselves have to want to rebuild their country more than we do. But I don't see that right now. I see us doing everything.
I spent two years in Vietnam, and I've seen this movie before. They have to be willing to do more or else it is never going to work.
There is no lack of sources who were saying essentially the same things that Zinni is now. You have to wonder why reasonable men would not have taken them seriously before going to war. Oh... I see... "reasonable" men is the key.
Posted by: stumpy on April 18, 2004 10:47 AMA key as to what regular military really thinks. They may not poll against the prez until they walk into the voting booth.
Posted by: Lee A. on April 18, 2004 10:50 AMI think Zinni is too easy on Bush, saying he got bad advice. Bush got exactly what he asked for. He is as complicit as the advice givers.
Posted by: Jesus H. Christ on April 18, 2004 10:50 AMBush made it clear what kind of advice he wanted. And he punished anyone who gave him advice he didn't want to hear.
Posted by: SW on April 18, 2004 11:33 AM
Prior to the Iraq Catastrophe, Rumsfeld was at war with the Pentagon over fundamental concepts of troop strength and war strategy. The generals have a lot of room and motivation for schadenfreude. Yet in the broader culture war, military men are very comfortable with Bush. For much of the electorate, the real war isn't in Iraq; it's here in America. Zinni, Clark, Shinseki, et al, may be witnesses to the incompetence of the Bush regime, but it's someone like Boykin who hears the deeper music of all-out religious war.
Prior to the Iraq Catastrophe, Rumsfeld was at war with the Pentagon over fundamental concepts of troop strength and war strategy. The generals have a lot of room and motivation for schadenfreude. Yet in the broader culture war, military men are very comfortable with Bush. For much of the electorate, the real war isn't in Iraq; it's here in America. Zinni, Clark, Shinseki, et al, may be witnesses to the incompetence of the Bush regime, but it's someone like Boykin who hears the deeper music of all-out religious war.
They have to be willing to do more
The Iraqis are the Republicans of the Middle East
Posted by: Moe on April 18, 2004 02:25 PMO.P. Smith would kick the crap out of Zinni for talking in a negative, defeatist way while the troops are in harms way.
Posted by: Richard on April 18, 2004 02:51 PMDependes. If Smith agreed with Zinni's assessment of the required troop smith, he would say so. Publicly.
Posted by: Steven Rogers on April 18, 2004 03:20 PMHe is not a defeatist. Iraq is unwinnable. Zinni probably agrees to as much in private.
Unless the Americans are willing to use WMD, B-52s with the old-fashioned iron bombs, torture, humiliation, etc., anything to win (whatever a "win" is), they are going to lose.
If the Americans would change and decide to do anything to win, I'd change my mind. They won't, too pagan and the American public wouldn't stomache it. Until the withdrawal, it's wasted blood and wasted treasure...unless of course you have an equity stake in the Carlyle Group.
Posted by: phil on April 18, 2004 04:01 PM"Iraqis must want to rebuild their country, I don't see that..." Is Zinni blind? Most Iraqis are hungry, sick, angry, stressed, mourning, and miserable....what they want is what we want-to make our country a wonderful place to live, and to keep our resources and profits in our own sphere. Why must there always be a divisive difference between 'them' and 'us' presented by 'leaders'...the answer is right there in your face everyday...so we can kill them and take their property!
Posted by: lilybridge on April 18, 2004 05:39 PMIs Watts underdeveloped because its residents don't want to rebuild their neighborhood? or because they lack the means necessary? Is Iraq underdeveloped because its residents don't want to rebuild their country? or because they lack the means necessary? This is basic economics.
Who is responsible? The residents? or the government that is responsible for the infrastructure?
Posted by: bakho on April 18, 2004 06:49 PMBillmon's back. www.billmon.org
Posted by: pol on April 18, 2004 07:43 PMFour years from now Bush will be as fat and contented as Sharon, and running for his
third term in office, having changed the Constitution to allow President-for-Life's.
Iraq will be a shambles, one warring tribe
against the other, their infrastructure and
oil fields in ruins. Periodically they will
blow up a bus in Mecca, and Bush will laugh.
While America:Iraq may be a stalemate, just
as is Israel:Palestine, a stalemate is only
painful if your skin is dark and you live in
bombed out hovels on $1/day. Bush will laugh.
The price of oil, given OPEC, Middle East
instability and the loss of Iraqi oil, will
shoot to unbelievable, unimaginable heights.
We will pay anything for it. Bush will laugh.
And play his zydeco while the world burns.
Posted by: Dale LePlace on April 18, 2004 08:59 PMhttp://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
For the link-challenged:
Baghdad Burning
... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Media and Falloojeh...
There has been a lot of criticism about the way Al-Arabia and Al-Jazeera were covering the riots and fighting in Falloojeh and the south this last week. Some American spokesman for the military was ranting about the "spread of anti-Americanism" through networks like the abovementioned.
Actually, both networks did a phenomenal job of covering the attacks on Falloojeh and the southern provinces. Al-Jazeera had their reporter literally embedded in the middle of the chaos- and I don't mean the lame embedded western journalists type of thing they had going at the beginning of the war (you know- embedded in the Green Zone and embedded in Kuwait, etc.). Ahmed Mansur, I believe his name was, was actually standing there, in the middle of the bombing, shouting to be heard over the F-16s and helicopters blasting away at houses and buildings. It brought back the days of 'shock and awe'...
I know it bothers the CPA terribly to have the corpses of dead Iraqis shown on television. They would love for Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia to follow Al-Hurra's example and show endless interviews with pro-occupation Iraqis living abroad and speaking in stilted Arabic. These interviews, of course, are interspersed with translated documentaries on the many marvels of... Hollywood. And while I, personally, am very interested in the custom leather interiors of the latest Audi, I couldn't seem to draw myself away from Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia while 700+ Iraqis were being killed.
To lessen the feelings of anti-Americanism, might I make a few suggestions? Stop the collective punishment. When Mark Kimmett stutters through a press conference babbling about "precision weapons" and "military targets" in Falloojeh, who is he kidding? Falloojeh is a small city made up of low, simple houses, little shops and mosques. Is he implying that the 600 civilians who died during the bombing and the thousands injured and maimed were all "insurgents"? Are houses, shops and mosques now military targets?
What I'm trying to say is that we don't need news networks to make us angry or frustrated. All you need to do is talk to one of the Falloojeh refugees making their way tentatively into Baghdad; look at the tear-stained faces, the eyes glazed over with something like shock. In our neighborhood alone there are at least 4 families from Falloojeh who have come to stay with family and friends in Baghdad. The stories they tell are terrible and grim and it's hard to believe that they've gone through so much.
I think western news networks are far too tame. They show the Hollywood version of war- strong troops in uniform, hostile Iraqis being captured and made to face "justice" and the White House turkey posing with the Thanksgiving turkey... which is just fine. But what about the destruction that comes with war and occupation? What about the death? I don't mean just the images of dead Iraqis scattered all over, but dead Americans too. People should *have* to see those images. Why is it not ok to show dead Iraqis and American troops in Iraq, but it's fine to show the catastrophe of September 11 over and over again? I wish every person who emails me supporting the war, safe behind their computer, secure in their narrow mind and fixed views, could actually come and experience the war live. I wish they could spend just 24 hours in Baghdad today and hear Mark Kimmett talk about the death of 700 "insurgents" like it was a proud day for Americans everywhere...
Still, when I hear talk about "anti-Americanism" it angers me. Why does American identify itself with its military and government? Why is does being anti-Bush and anti-occupation have to mean that a person is anti-American? We watch American movies, listen to everything from Britney Spears to Nirvana and refer to every single brown, fizzy drink as "Pepsi".
I hate American foreign policy and its constant meddling in the region... I hate American tanks in Baghdad and American soldiers on our streets and in our homes on occasion... why does that mean that I hate America and Americans? Are tanks, troops and violence the only face of America? If the Pentagon, Department of Defense and Condi are "America", then yes- I hate America.
- posted by river @ 8:10 PM
Sunday, April 11, 2004
One of Those Countries...
We've taken to sleeping in the living room again. We put up the heavy drapes the day before yesterday and E. and I re-taped the windows looking out into the garden. This time, I made them use the clear tape so that the view wouldn't be marred with long, brown strips of tape. We sleep in the living room because it is the safest room in the house and the only room that will hold the whole family comfortably.
The preparations for sleep begin at around 10 p.m. on days when we have electricity and somewhat earlier on dark nights. E. and I have to drag out the mats, blankets and pillows and arrange them creatively on the floor so that everyone is as far away from the windows as possible, without actually being crowded.
Baghdad is calm and relatively quiet if you don't count the frequent explosions. Actually, when we don't hear explosions, it gets a bit worrying. I know that sounds strange but it's like this- you know how you see someone holding a rifle or gun and aiming at something, ready to fire? You cringe and tense up while waiting for the gunshot and keep thinking, "It's coming, it's coming...". That's how it feels on a morning without explosions. Somehow, you just *know* there are going to be explosions... it's only a matter of time. Hearing them is a relief and you can loosen up after they occur and hope that they'll be the last of the day.
The hostage situations are a mess. I watch television and it feels like I'm watching another country. All I can think is, "We've become one of *those* countries..." You know- the ones where hostages are taken on a daily basis and governments warn their civilians of visiting or entering the country. It's especially sad because even during those long years during the blockade and in between wars and bombings, there were never any attacks on foreigners. Iraqis are hospitable, friendly people who always used to treat foreigners with care... now, everyone is treated like a potential enemy.
The case of the Japanese hostages is especially sad- I'm so sorry for their families and friends specifically, and the Japanese people in general. We keep hearing conflicting reports about their situation. This morning I heard that the kidnappers agreed to free them but someone else told me that it was just a rumor... it's so hard to tell. It's heart-breaking to see them on television and I wish there was something that could be done. Will the Japanese government pull out the troops? Not likely... three people won't matter to them. I hope they come out of this alive and well and I hope they don't hold a grudge against Iraqis. There's hostility towards Japan because of the fact that they sent soldiers... Japan became one of 'them' when they decided to send over troops and these are the consequences. I'm so sorry... in spite of the fact that dozens of Iraqis are abducted and killed each day, I'm really sorry.
They say around 600 Iraqis were killed in Falloojeh- 120 children and 200 women... it's an atrocity and horribly sad. They have let one or two convoys in and the rest were sent back. The refugees from the area are flowing into Baghdad and it's horrible to see them. Women and children with tear-stained faces, mostly in black, carrying bundles of clothes and bottles of water. The mosques are gathering food and clothes for them... one of the storage areas for the refugee stuff was hit by an American tank today in A'adhamiya and the scene is chaotic... scattered food, medication, bandages, blankets, etc.
The south is a bit calmer because of the 'Arba'een' of the Imam Hussein which will last for a couple of days... no one knows what will happen after.
- posted by river @ 5:56 PM
Friday, April 09, 2004
One Year Later - April 9, 2004
April 9, 2004
Today, the day the Iraqi Puppets hail "National Day", will mark the day of the "Falloojeh Massacre"… Bremer has called for a truce and ceasefire in Falloojeh very recently and claimed that the bombing will stop, but the bombing continues as I write this. Over 300 are dead in Falloojeh and they have taken to burying the dead in the town football field because they aren't allowed near the cemetery. The bodies are decomposing in the heat and the people are struggling to bury them as quickly as they arrive. The football field that once supported running, youthful feet and cheering fans has turned into a mass grave holding men, women and children.
The people in Falloojeh have been trying to get the women and children out of the town for the last 48 hours but all the roads out of the city are closed by the Americans and refugees are being shot at and bombed on a regular basis… we're watching the television and crying. The hospital is overflowing with victims… those who have lost arms and legs… those who have lost loved ones. There isn't enough medicine or bandages… what are the Americans doing?! This is collective punishment … is this the solution to the chaos we're living in? Is this the 'hearts and minds' part of the campaign?
A convoy carrying food, medication, blood and doctors left for Falloojeh yesterday, hoping to get in and help the people in there. Some people from our neighborhood were gathering bags of flour and rice to take into the town. E. and I rummaged the house from top to bottom and came up with a big sack of flour, a couple of smaller bags of rice, a few kilos of assorted dry lentil, chickpeas, etc. We were really hoping the trucks could get through to help out in the city. Unfortunately, I just spoke with an Iraqi doctor who told me that the whole convoy was denied entry... it seems that now they are trying to get the women and children out or at least the very sick and wounded.
The south isn't much better… the casualties are rising and there's looting and chaos. There's an almost palpable anger in Baghdad. The faces are grim and sad all at once and there's a feeling of helplessness that can't be described in words. It's like being held under water and struggling for the unattainable surface- seeing all this destruction and devastation.
Firdaws Square, the place where the statue was brought down, is off-limits because the Americans fear angry mobs and demonstrations… but it doesn't matter because people are sticking to their homes. The kids haven't been to school for several days now and even the universities are empty. The situation in Baghdad feels very unstable and the men in the neighborhood are talking of a neighborhood watch again- just like the early days of occupation.
Where are the useless Governing Council? Why isn't anyone condemning the killings in the south and in Falloojeh?! Why aren't they sitting down that fool Bremer and telling him that this is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong??? If one of them were half a man or even half a human, they would threaten to resign their posts if there isn't an immediate ceasefire… the people are enraged. This latest situation proves that they aren't Iraqi- they aren't here for the welfare of the Iraqi people.
The American and European news stations don't show the dying Iraqis… they don't show the women and children bandaged and bleeding- the mother looking for some sign of her son in the middle of a puddle of blood and dismembered arms and legs… they don't show you the hospitals overflowing with the dead and dying because they don't want to hurt American feelings… but people *should* see it. You should see the price of your war and occupation- it's unfair that the Americans are fighting a war thousands of kilometers from home. They get their dead in neat, tidy caskets draped with a flag and we have to gather and scrape our dead off of the floors and hope the American shrapnel and bullets left enough to make a definite identification…
One year later, and Bush has achieved what he wanted- this day will go down in history and in the memory of all Iraqis as one of the bloodiest days ever...
- posted by river @ 4:32 PM
Occupation Day - April 9, 2003
The last few days, I've been sorely trying to avoid a trip down memory lane. I flip the channel every time they show shots of Baghdad up in flames, I turn off the radio as they begin to talk about the first few days of occupation, and I quietly leave the room as family members begin, "Remember how…" No, I don't *want* to remember some of the worst days of my life. I wish there was some way one could selectively delete certain memories as one does files on a computer… however, that's impossible.
Today, I'm letting my mind wander back to last April quite freely. April 9, 2003 in particular. The day our darling Puppet Council has chosen to represent our 'National Day'… the day the occupation became not a possibility, but a definite reality.
The day began with heavy bombing. I remember waking up at 5 a.m. to a huge explosion. The hair almost stood on my head. We were all sleeping in the living room because the drapes were heavy and offered some small security against shattering glass. E. instantly jumped up and ran to make sure the Klashnikov was loaded properly and I tried to cover my cousin's children better with the heavy blankets. The weather was already warm, but the blankets would protect the kids against glass. Their older daughter was, luckily, still sound asleep- lost in a dream or nightmare. The younger one lay in the semi-dark, with eyes wide open. I sensed her trying to read my face for some small reassurance… I smiled tightly, "Go back to sleep…"
After a few more colossal explosions, we all knew sleep would be useless. It was still too early for breakfast and no one was in the mood anyway. My mother and I got up to check the bags we had packed, and waiting, by the door. We had packed the bags during the first few days of war… they contained some sturdy clothes, bottles of water, important documents (like birth certificates and ID papers), and some spare money. They were to remain by the door in case the ceiling came crashing down or the American tanks came plowing through the neighborhood. In either case, we were given specific instructions to run for the door and take out the bags, "Don't wait for anyone- just run and take the bags with you…" came the orders.
Our area was one of the more volatile areas. We had helicopters hovering above, fighter planes and explosions. An area just across the main street had been invaded by tanks and we could hear the gun shots and tanks all night. My mother stood, unsure, at the window, trying to see the street. Were we supposed to evacuate? Were we supposed to stay in the house and wait? What was going to happen? E. and my cousin volunteered to ask the neighbors their plans.
They came back 5 minutes later. E. was pale and my cousin looked grim. Everyone on our street was in the same quandary- what was to be done? E. said that while there were a few men in the streets in our immediate area, the rest of Baghdad seemed almost empty. We negotiated leaving the house and heading for my uncle's home on the other side of Baghdad, but my cousin said that that would be impossible- the roads were all blocked, the bridges were cut off by American tanks and even if we were lucky enough to get anywhere near my uncle's area, we risked being shot by a tank or helicopter. No, we would wait it out at home.
My cousin's wife was wide awake by then. She sat in the middle of her two children and held them close on either side. She hadn't spoken to her parents in almost a week now… there were no telephones to contact them and there was no way to get to their area. She was beyond terrified at this crucial point… she was certain that they were all dead or dying and the only thing that seemed to be keeping her functioning was the presence of her two young daughters.
At that point, my mind was numb. All I could do was react to the explosions- flinch when one was particularly powerful, and automatically say a brief prayer of thanks when another was further away. Every once in a while, my brain would clear enough to do some mindless chore, like fill the water pots or fold the blankets, but otherwise, I felt numb.
It was almost noon when the explosions calmed somewhat and I risked going outside for a few moments. The planes were freely coming and going and, along with the sound of distant gunshots, only they pierced the eerie silence. My mother joined me outside a few minutes later and stood next to me under a small olive tree.
"In case we have to leave, there are some things I want to be sure you know…" she said, and I nodded vaguely, studying a particularly annoying plane we were calling 'buggeh' or 'bug', as it made the sound of a mosquito while it flew. We later learned it was a 'surveyor' plane that scanned certain areas for resistance or Iraqi troops.
"The documents in the bag contain the papers for the house, the car…" I was alert. I turned to her and asked, "But why are you telling me this- you know I know. We packed the stuff together… and *you* know everything anyway…" She nodded assent but added, "Well, I just want to be sure… in case something happens… if we…"
"You mean if we get separated for some reason?" I finished quickly. "Yes, if we get separated… fine. You have to know where everything is and what it is…" By then, I was fighting hard against tears. I swallowed with difficulty and concentrated harder on the planes above. I wondered how many parents and kids were having this very same conversation today. She continued talking for a few moments and seemed to introduce a new and terrible possibility that I hadn't dared to think about all this time- life after death. Not eternal life after death- that was nothing new- but the possibility of *our* life, mine and E.'s, after *their* death.
During the war, the possibility of death was a constant. There were moments when I was sure we'd all be dead in a matter of seconds- especially during the horrific 'shock and awe' period. But I always took it for granted that we'd all die together- as a family. We'd either survive together or die together… it was always that simple. This new possibility was one I refused to think about.
As we sat there, she talking, and I retreating further and further into the nightmare of words, there was a colossal explosion that made the windows rattle, and even seemed to shake the sturdy trees in the little garden. I jumped, relieved to hear that sound for the very first time in my life… it was the end of that morbid conversation and all I could think was, "saved by the bomb".
We spent the rest of the day listening to the battery-powered radio and trying to figure out what was happening around us. We heard stories from the neighbors about a massacre in A'adhamiya- the Americans were shooting right and left, deaths and looting in the south… The streets were unsafe and the only people risking them were either the people seeking refuge in other areas, or the looters who began to descend on homes, schools, universities, museums and governmental buildings and institutions like a group of vultures on the carcass of a freshly dead lion.
Day faded into night… the longest day of my life. The day we sensed that the struggle in Baghdad was over and the fear of war was nothing compared to the new fear we were currently facing. It was the day I saw my first American tank roll grotesquely down the streets of Baghdad- through a residential neighborhood.
And that was April 9 for me and millions of others. There are thousands who weren't so lucky- they lost loved ones on April 9… to guns, and tanks and Apaches… and the current Governing Council want us to remember April 9 fondly and hail it our "National Day"… a day of victory… but whose victory? And whose nation?
- posted by river @ 4:28 PM
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Teapots and Kettles...
Now it seems we are almost literally reliving the first few days of occupation… I woke up to the sound of explosions and gunfire last night and for one terrible moment I thought someone had warped me back a whole year and we would have to relive this last year of our life over and over again…
We haven't sent the kids to school for 3 days. The atmosphere is charged and the day before yesterday, Baghdad was quiet and empty, almost… the calm before the storm. The area of A'adhamiya in Baghdad is seeing street fighting: the resistance and Americans are fighting out in the streets and Al-Sadr city was bombed by the troops. They say that dozens were killed and others wounded. They're bringing them in to hospitals in the center of the city.
Falloojeh has been cut off from the rest of Iraq for the last three days. It's terrible. They've been bombing it constantly and there are dozens dead. Yesterday they said that the only functioning hospital in the city was hit by the Americans and there's no where to take the wounded except a meager clinic that can hold up to 10 patients at a time. There are over a hundred wounded and dying and there's nowhere to bury the dead because the Americans control the area surrounding the only graveyard in Falloojeh; the bodies are beginning to decompose in the April heat. The troops won't let anyone out of Falloojeh and they won't let anyone into it either- the people are going to go hungry in a matter of days because most of the fresh produce is brought from outside of the city. We've been trying to call a friend who lives there for three days and we can't contact him.
This is supposed to be 'retaliation' for what happened last week with the American contractors- if they were indeed contractors. Whoever they were, it was gruesome and wrong… I feel for their families. Was I surprised? Hardly. This is an occupation and for those of you naïve enough to actually believe Chalabi and the Bush administration when they said the troops were going to be 'greeted with flowers and candy' then I can only wish that God will, in the future, grant you wisdom.
This is crazy. This is supposed to be punishment for violence but it's only going to result in more bloodshed on both sides… people are outraged everywhere- Sunnis and Shi'a alike. This constant bombing is only going to make things worse for everyone. Why do Americans think that people in Baghdad or the south or north aren’t going care what happens in Falloojeh or Ramadi or Nassriyah or Najaf? Would Americans in New York disregard bombing and killing in California?
And now Muqtada Al-Sadr's people are also fighting it out in parts of Baghdad and the south. If the situation weren't so frightening, it would almost be amusing to see Al-Hakeem and Bahr Ul Iloom describe Al-Sadr as an 'extremist' and a 'threat'. Muqtada Al-Sadr is no better and no worse than several extremists we have sitting on the Governing Council. He's just as willing to ingratiate himself to Bremer as Al-Hakeem and Bahr Ul Iloom. The only difference is that he wasn't given the opportunity, so now he's a revolutionary. Apparently, someone didn't give Bremer the memo about how when you pander to one extremist, you have to pander to them all. Hearing Abdul Aziz Al-Hakeem and Bahr Ul Iloom claim that Al-Sadr is a threat to security and stability brings about visions of the teapot and the kettle…
Then Bremer makes an appearance on tv and says that armed militias will *not* be a part of the New Iraq… where has that declaration been the last 12 months while Badir's Brigade has been wreaking havoc all over the country? Why not just solve the problem of Al-Sadr's armed militia by having them join the police force and army, like the Bayshmarga and Badir's Brigade?! Al-Sadr's militia is old news. No one was bothering them while they were terrorizing civilians in the south. They wore badges, carried Klashnikovs and roamed the streets freely… now that they've become a threat to the 'Coalition', they suddenly become 'terrorists' and 'agitators'.
Now there’s an arrest warrant with his name on it, although the Minister of Justice was on tv claiming he knew nothing about the arrest warrant, etc. He basically said that he was washing his hands of any move against Muqtada Al-Sadr. Don’t get me wrong- I’d love to see Muqtada behind bars, but it will only cause more chaos and rage. It’s much too late for that... he has been cultivating support for too long. It’s like a contest now between the prominent Shi’a clerics. The people are dissatisfied- especially in the south. The clerics who weren’t given due consideration and a position on the Governing Council, are now looking for influence and support through the people. You can either be a good little cleric and get along with Bremer (but have a lot of dissatisfied people *not* supporting you) or you can be a firebrand cleric and rally the masses...
It's like the first few days of occupation again… it's a nightmare and everyone is tense. My cousin and his family are staying with us for a few days because his wife hates to be alone at home with the kids. It's a relief to have them with us. We all sit glued to the television- flipping between Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabia, CNN, BBC and LBC, trying to figure out what is going on. The foreign news channels are hardly showing anything. They punctuate dazzling reportages on football games and family pets with a couple of minutes worth of footage from Iraq showing the same faces running around in a frenzy of bombing and gunfire and then talk about 'Al-Sadr the firebrand cleric', not mentioning the attacks by the troops in Ramadi, Falloojeh, Nassriyah, Baghdad, Koufa, etc.
Over the last three days, over 150 Iraqis have been killed by troops all over Iraq and it's maddening. At times I feel like a caged animal- there's so much frustration and anger. The only people still raving about 'liberation' are the Iraqis affiliated with the Governing Council and the Puppets, and even they are getting impatient with the mess.
Our foreign minister Hoshyar Zibari was being interviewed by some British journalist yesterday, making excuses for Tony Blair and commending him on the war. At one point someone asked him about the current situation in Iraq. He mumbled something about how there were 'problems' but it wasn't a big deal because Iraq was 'stable'… what Iraq is he living in?
And as I blog this, all the mosques, Sunni and Shi’a alike, are calling for Jihad...
Posted by: Edmond Carlyle on April 18, 2004 10:01 PMJeez, Edmond. Can the verbal spam. If you think we should read this stuff, post a link. there are some people in this world who pay for actual bandwidth used, you know.
Posted by: Steven Rogers on April 18, 2004 10:07 PM"In the end, the Iraqis themselves have to want to rebuild their country more than we do. But I don't see that right now. I see us doing everything."
With all due respect to Gen. Zinni (and I have plenty of respect for the man), it seems to me that we've limited the opportunities for Iraqis to own the process of rebuilding. We've given jobs to Bechtel that could have been done by Iraqi engineers and contractors; we delayed on local elections, and didn't give the local governments much power once they did have elections; they had an army of their own but we got rid of it so we could build a new one for them.
So we've been doing the rebuilding; we've been doing their politics for them; we've been building their police and military.
We've deprived them of the room to take charge of their own country. Only the radicals and resisters are outside of our control. Can we wonder that they're popular?
This isn't Understanding The Third World; this is basic business management - so basic that even I know this stuff. Sheesh.
Posted by: RT on April 19, 2004 05:55 AMGood post RT. Letting the Iraqis do it their way is a point that is lost on both the Bush administration and his critics in the military. Of course, had we not disbanded the Iraqi army, the Iraqis would have more means to address their own problems. One of the primary training areas in the US Army is engineering. I assume that is also true for the Iraqi army. We fired their engineers.
Posted by: bakho on April 19, 2004 06:48 AMSigh. I am tired of Iraq. I am tired of middle eastern "oppressed" accusing us of ruining their day. Give them back to Saddam. Then let him flatten Fallujah and shoot every last person there, after raping their daughers and mothers. He would gladly flay Sadr and use his skin for a lampshade. Let these Islamic extremists have their "Islamic Law", all they do is kill their own anyway. Close the West. Close off Europe. They have immense population pressures as a result of the introduction of modern medicine and food imports- we will trade those for oil- otherwise I don't care about their problems at all. Let them build a civilization that they are happy with, complete with all of the things we find to be an anathema. But no more immigration to the West- no more of your best and brightest coming here to escape. Your prison is your culture and you bring it with you. It is time to reject that culture and cast it out. Go home and we will too. As for those who wish to "save" the Middle East- emigrate there and get started.
Posted by: Allen M on April 19, 2004 12:13 PMThe impetus to "save" the Middle East grows out of a realization that we have a strong interest in seeing that peace and stability become entrenched there. Sheesh, where to start... Terrorism, oil, simple humanity, alliances (the Turks looked out for us...so let's dump 'em!!?). You're right. It isn't our job to "save" the Middle East. That is for those who live there. But we have gotten in and we can't just walk away. Even if we do adopt a "humble" foreign policy, there is much to do, merely to make our own lives better.
Posted by: K Harris on April 19, 2004 12:55 PMAllen M, the Pakistanis have the Bomb. The Iranians will soon be getting it. And the Middle East is where the majority of the cheap energy which all modern human civilization depends on for survival is located. We CANNOT simply abandon this region. If we do, there will be one of two outcomes:
(1) Gory anarchy, in the course of which Bombs will get into the hands of terrorist groups and start being smuggled into cities worldwide;
(2) Bin Laden's beloved revived Caliphate, which will have a stranglehold on human civilization's main energy supply, plus a nuclear arsenal adequate to prevent any attempt to ever loosen its military grip -- and which will therefore be in a good position to make the rest of the world bow its knee. (And which, when it finally does collapse from within, will probably lead to a much larger nuclear arsenal than the Moslems have at present being released into the world.)
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