Saturday
(0)Looks like the US is playing hardball and refusing to compromise with the Islamists in Iraq. All to the good, I suspect.
The best chance for a reasonable long term political settlement in Iraq will come when Moqtada al-Sadr and as many of his supporters as possible are dead. Getting there will require resolve in the ongoing attrition battle but if the casualty numbers are even close to accurate, then things are going as well as can be reasonably expected in such a grim business.
Our position improves as the folks like this get killed one by one on the ground. I think that it would be better to just sever our depandance on oil with new energy sources. This whole regions seems like a money pit to me.
Posted by Mike at August 15, 2004 04:46 AM
I polished my right wing nutcase cred the other day. When I saw the headline "Peace Talks Collapse," I said "good."
The coalition forces are superb at military victory. But I do not have the same confidence in our peace negotiators. As I recall Al-Sadr used the previous truce to raise an army. Long term peace will come only after military victory.
Posted by jk at August 15, 2004 05:33 PM
I don't like having to say it (as it is tragic people will die) but I think you're right!
Posted by Edward at August 16, 2004 02:26 PM
Sadly you are right But i somehow doubt that it will be our armies that will be victorious
Posted by c at August 18, 2004 05:17 AM
Well the attack (either by American or Iraqi forces - or both) could be going in even as type this.
However, so far, city of N. has been like the city of F.
Remember that one - "we will get the people who killed and mutilated the Americans" - the trash still infest the city. Deals, pull outs (the usual stuff). "We want to deal with the enemy, without hurting the civilian population of the city" is not possible (partly because the enemy is made up, in part, of civilians from the city)
I am not snearing, nor do I have a plan for dealing with either the city of F. or the city of N.
Although the population is a VASTLY bigger than it was, Iraq is still the same pest hole that it was when my old Uncle Bill served there in between World War I and World War II.
That was liberation to (liberation from the Turks) and the goal was the same (to set up an independent constitutional government - actually that it is better than the present aim of setting up a social democracy, lots of "public services" and other such stuff).
There was a lot of hard fighting (never show emotion - cold indifference seems to confuse and unnerve the locals, they seem to be used to shouting and screaming as they kill) and there was even a victory of sorts. But a few years later it all fell apart.
I suppose there is the hope of local autonomy under local leaders (Kurds in Kurdish areas etc). Certainly strong central government has been tried and has never worked well for long.
Still (as I said) a pest hole (oil or no oil), but we are in the bloody place now, so let us hope for the best.
Posted by Paul Marks at August 19, 2004 12:49 AM
