...at the latest edition of The New Republic, which offers the full spectrum of views regarding how we might extricate ourselves from Iraq. What is clear from almost all the accounts by the "experts" is that too many influential elements of Iraqi society WANT a sectarian civil war and have been spoiling for one for centuries. In fact, the only elements who DO NOT want such a struggle-to-the-death are corporate or business interests who are associated with oil. Saddam Hussein staved this off and was actually GOOD for the stability of the region, and by removing him WE unleashed chaos. My opinion is that the only leverage we have left is to threaten to withdraw over the period of a scheduled timetable. And we MUST MEAN IT, when we make this threat. It is not in the interests of Iran, Syria or Russia for us to withdraw precipitously, but they are the powers who can help us impose a political solution. That "political solution" MUST put a priority on protecting the West from the conflagration in the Middle East which is inevitable, in some form or other. Example: we may have to side with the Shiites and allow them to dismember the fairly vicious, intractable Sunni population, who want to continue to dominate the oil industry of the country, despite their minority status. On the other hand, it may be most useful to force a settlement that includes a continuing controling interest for the Sunnis in the oil industry there DESPITE their minority status. The only thing that can matter is the balance of power in the region, so that we can continue to extract the petroleum that our society depends upon, until we find alternatives. Please don't be too condescending, too sympathetic regarding the Iraqis. They are mostly a bloodthirsty, fanatical and barbaric people who are eager to kill each other and us for sectarian religious reasons. They generally got the government they deserved, which was, for a long time, that of Saddam Hussein. I think that, if the only purpose of the invasion had been to decapitate the Saddam Hussein region and then get out, the long-drawn-out and genocidal civil war that is now going on would have never taken place; there would have been, instead, a much shorter but equally bloody struggle for power that fundamentalists Shiites would have won and would have promptly aligned Iraq with Iran, and that THAT would have been preferable to what we're incurring now.
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timeasmymeasure
You Should Take A Look...
Date: 2006-12-06 12:17 am (UTC)My opinion is that the only leverage we have left is to threaten to withdraw over the period of a scheduled timetable. And we MUST MEAN IT, when we make this threat. It is not in the interests of Iran, Syria or Russia for us to withdraw precipitously, but they are the powers who can help us impose a political solution. That "political solution" MUST put a priority on protecting the West from the conflagration in the Middle East which is inevitable, in some form or other. Example: we may have to side with the Shiites and allow them to dismember the fairly vicious, intractable Sunni population, who want to continue to dominate the oil industry of the country, despite their minority status. On the other hand, it may be most useful to force a settlement that includes a continuing controling interest for the Sunnis in the oil industry there DESPITE their minority status. The only thing that can matter is the balance of power in the region, so that we can continue to extract the petroleum that our society depends upon, until we find alternatives.
Please don't be too condescending, too sympathetic regarding the Iraqis. They are mostly a bloodthirsty, fanatical and barbaric people who are eager to kill each other and us for sectarian religious reasons. They generally got the government they deserved, which was, for a long time, that of Saddam Hussein.
I think that, if the only purpose of the invasion had been to decapitate the Saddam Hussein region and then get out, the long-drawn-out and genocidal civil war that is now going on would have never taken place; there would have been, instead, a much shorter but equally bloody struggle for power that fundamentalists Shiites would have won and would have promptly aligned Iraq with Iran, and that THAT would have been preferable to what we're incurring now.