Iraq Study Group Report

[Crazy Gringo]

Yep the report is out and I just thought I might share Lou Dobbs thoughts on the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan/War on terror.

Link.

[Accounting Troll]

I think pride has become a big factor in the continuing Anglo-American presence in Iraq.

 

The idea that the reconstruction of Iraq would have been self funding due to oil revenues would have been correct had it not been for the insurgency. Britain and the USA overestimated the support we would get from the Iraqi people in the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein. The support we did get ebbed away when we failed to find Iraqi WMDs, mistreated prisoners and demonstrated that many of our soldiers have little understanding or respect of the local culture and politics.

 

Bush and Blair keep telling us the thing they want to believe - that the insurgency will be crushed within a few months and that the Iraqi forces are almost ready to take over the situation themeselves. They simply cannot bring themselves to admit, even to themselves, that their Middle Eastern policies are a failure.

[Zombie]

I don't know about this. Really, think about it for a second. The Middle East has always had a complete and utter hatred to the United States. Doesn't matter what the reasons are anymore as the hatred runs deep. (It's probably religious intolerance as that always plays a role). Removing the leader of a group may suddenly choke the resistance due to shock and morale loss but it will return in time if the people are loyal. And c'mon, who really thought that a democratic government could ever rule Iraq? It's an impossibility. The people have to want it. You can't suddenly force-feed democracy down someones throat when they have been brought up to believe that a dictatorship is is a better form of government. This has to be done very slowly (if at all). Will Iraq ever be ruled by a stable democratic government? I'd like to think so, but it wouldn't be in my lifetime.

 

- Zombie

[Crazy Gringo]

All this talking about democracy brings to mind something I once pondered over. What is the alternative to democracy? But I think the real question should be: 'What is the next step in the evolution of forms of goverment after democracy has become old and obsolete?'

The concept of goverment works fine in an 'western' enviroment where you have what I would call 'civilization' and/or have an well established and functional society.

The democratic nations of the world today has been undergoing couple of 100 years of headstart to build up their functioning and well oiled societies that they are today.

If you try to squeeze a couple of 100 years of progress/evolution down a country's throat it might backfire and set an regression chain of events in motion where the people of the country revert to their 'older' and more 'safe' ideals. Along with the usual fight for the power struggle when a power vacuum emerges.

[FullAuto]

Apparently, the report recommends reducing political, economic and military aid if Iraq doesn't meet its goals.

 

How on Earth that is going to help the situation is beyond me. Perhaps they mean just for a short while, to teach them what happens when they don't do as they're told.

[DeepOne]

All this talking about democracy brings to mind something I once pondered over. What is the alternative to democracy?

Muslims tend to want Sharia Law.

[Crazy Gringo]

All this talking about democracy brings to mind something I once pondered over. What is the alternative to democracy?

Muslims tend to want Sharia Law.

You mean this?

Interesting reading if you keep going deeper.

But I was more thinking in the lines of this.