North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?
US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
Covid Vaccine Critic Doctor Barred From Medicine Sat Jan 11, 2025 09:00 | Dr Copernicus
Dr. Daniel Armstrong has had his name erased from the U.K. Medical Register and been barred from practice for making a video in which he argued that the Covid vaccines are unsafe, untested and cause harm.
The post Covid Vaccine Critic Doctor Barred From Medicine appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Miliband Picked the Wrong Week to Boast That Wind Power is Britain?s ?Biggest Source of Electricity? Sat Jan 11, 2025 07:00 | Ben Pile
Ed Miliband picked a bad week to trumpet wind power becoming Britain's "biggest source of electricity", says Ben Pile, as a cold snap sent costs spiralling and brought gas-starved Britain to the brink of deadly blackouts.
The post Miliband Picked the Wrong Week to Boast That Wind Power is Britain’s “Biggest Source of Electricity” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Sat Jan 11, 2025 02:10 | Toby Young
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Is Facebook Really Committed to Free Speech? Fri Jan 10, 2025 18:25 | Rebekah Barnett
Depending on which echo chamber you get your news from, this week Mark Zuckerberg took steps to either save democracy or to end it. But how far is he really going in his new commitment to free speech, asks Rebekah Barnett.
The post Is Facebook Really Committed to Free Speech? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Reform Candidate ?Sacked? by Housing Association for Reposting ?Racist? Daily Telegraph Cartoon Fri Jan 10, 2025 15:10 | Will Jones
A housing officer was sacked for being a Reform UK candidate and reposting a Daily Telegraph cartoon after being told Reform?s policies on immigration and Net Zero were "in direct conflict" with his employer's "values".
The post Reform Candidate “Sacked” by Housing Association for Reposting “Racist” Daily Telegraph Cartoon appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?114-115 Fri Jan 10, 2025 14:04 | en
End of Russian gas transit via Ukraine to the EU Fri Jan 10, 2025 13:45 | en
After Iraq, Libya, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, the Pentagon attacks Yemen, by Thier... Tue Jan 07, 2025 06:58 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en
Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en
Voltaire Network >>
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
opinion/analysis
Wednesday June 14, 2006 16:35
by Peter Magee
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (1 of 1)
Jump To Comment: 1Your analysis seems to be based on a number of flimsy arguments and assumtions:
1. "their superior firepower is the only force which is keeping Iraq from completely fragmenting and descending into complete chaos"
Superior firepower or no, the simple fact is that is not enough US (or viable Iraqi) troop numbers needed to effectivly police Iraq or put down a guirilla movement. Needless to say, also, the reason a majority of insurgents are fighting is the presence of foriegn troops, sectarian Iraqi army, and a puppet government.
2. What if America decide that Iraq is another Vietnam and withdraw their forces in haste recreating in the Green Zone the same scenes on the rooftop of the US embassy in Hanoi in 1975?
Firstly, it is not possible at the moment for any Coalition civilians to leave the green zone or associated areas (even to the airport) without a military escort. As for leaving the green zone and military bases permanently, I believe most polls show Iraqis in favour of this.
3. What if America cuts funding for the Iraqi government, military and police?
The current govenment has to hold sessions in the heavilly fortified green zone. The police/military are heavilly integrated with both insurgents and sectarian militias (interior ministry?). Funding indeed would be better served in other areas, perhaps even a government/policing force freely elected after foriegn troops have left.
4. In the space of a few months the Iraqi government would be replaced by military junta fighting for power.
I dont think the term "military junta", quite applies, it is more used for expressing a military dictatorship. Iraq is full of militias, some rivalling, but also most take guidance from spiritual leaders. The main militias (badr brigas, Kurdish peshmerga) have showed themselves in the past to be quite open to discorse. They also have nothing to gain from warring for power, none is strong enough to effectivly topple the others (allthough the kurdish groups could vie for autonomy). Again, the militias are currently "fighting for power" in the puppet government, and most (if not all) show support for the speedy withdrawal of occupation troops.
5. At the moment infrastructure in Iraq is poor and law and order is arbitrary - these would be entirely nonexistent if full scale civil war broke out. Militia and insurgents have established and consolidated their power in the Kurdish, Sunni and Shia areas.
Full scale civil war? And what may I ask is happening at the moment? Also the reason militias and insurgents have established power in many areas is because they have far more puplic support than the current government and they can provide some semblence of law and order. As for infrastructure, was it not the americans who destroyed it in the first place? This is an area for compensation.
As I read the rest of your post I realise your... not all there... But anyway...
Iran has nothing to gain from american withdrawal, it allready has power (the whole sistani bloc), and therefore has the americans in a compromising position. As for Jihadi's etc, do you not think that the current situation benifits them more? The country is indeed screwed at the moment, but It is only our western superiority complex (or money in our pockets) that thinks that the Iraqis are not capable of oragnaising their own (free) system of government.