tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post3285191167427634673..comments2024-03-29T02:03:49.151-04:00Comments on History Unfolding: Options in IraqDavid Kaiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05020082243968071584noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-17006519124152508972007-07-21T23:02:00.000-04:002007-07-21T23:02:00.000-04:00Anonymous said:"Most populated areas in Iraq are s...Anonymous said:<BR/><BR/>"Most populated areas in Iraq are safe to travel for the U.S. military,"<BR/><BR/>Meaning very large, heavily armed convoys.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"most Iraqis aren't involved in the insurgency (mainly Sunnis),"<BR/><BR/>Yes, the Kurds aren't, and the Shiites aren't, almost by definition - they're part of the government. <BR/><BR/>"most of the combat is contained in a geographical area made up of 20% of the country,"<BR/><BR/>Fresher bullsh*t, please - this is old, stale stuff. Most of Iraq, IIRC, is empty desert. The '20%' includes many major population centers - like, um, Baghdad.<BR/><BR/>"Most of the country isn't 'in flames'...well you get idea...truth a casualty of war and all that."<BR/><BR/>How much of the country is safe for a couple of Americans to walk in and have lunch?<BR/><BR/>-BarryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-69771002043882375352007-07-14T12:34:00.000-04:002007-07-14T12:34:00.000-04:00>. . . that the Congress can take charge and bring...>. . . that the Congress can take charge and bring a conflict to a halt. But that has only happened once, in 1973-- after all American ground troops were out of Southeast Asia. <BR/><BR/>Yet, "Congress," "liberals," and "Democrats" are blamed for cutting off funding to 'force' an end to the war.George Buddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10567769949113869344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-57166772047782687922007-07-10T17:27:00.000-04:002007-07-10T17:27:00.000-04:00...we cannot go back to where we were then any mor...<I>...we cannot go back to where we were then any more than we can reconstitute Yugoslavia or the Austro-Hungarian empire.</I><BR/><BR/>I think this overstates the case by quite a bit--though a federal system seems the key (no less because our own allies--the Kurds--want it as well). In Iraq I found the vast majority of Arab Shia and Sunni far more likely to identify themselves as Iraqis than not. If anything the Sunni would be considered the Austrians or Serbs, much more intent on keeping the integrity of an Iraq as a part of their own identity. <BR/><BR/>It resembles less a formal, artificial European 19th century state than an amalgamation of clannish, tribal and religious sentiments with a heavy seasoning of nationalism (two generations of Baathists and an epic war with Iran). <BR/><BR/>Be that as it may, after two tours in Iraq what is striking is how--even with modern communications technology--those far removed from Iraq see things. It's a bizarre informational game of 'chinese whispers'; some facts are lost, some are distorted while other are transformed. <BR/><BR/>Most populated areas in Iraq are safe to travel for the U.S. military, most Iraqis aren't involved in the insurgency (mainly Sunnis), most of the combat is contained in a geographical area made up of 20% of the country, Most of the country isn't 'in flames'...well you get idea...truth a casualty of war and all that.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to ramble off topic, still emotional about my time there perhaps. Great blog by the way, I've subscribed to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com