NationStates Jolt Archive

Why does this not surprise me?

Report finds Iraqi government precarious (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070824/ap_on_go_ot/us_iraq)

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government is strained by rampant violence, deep sectarian differences among its political parties and stymied leadership, the nation's top spy analysts concluded in a sobering assessment released Thursday.

With the country teetering between success and failure in the next year, Iraq's neighbors will continue to try to expand their leverage in the fractured state in anticipation that the United States will soon leave, the new report found.

It predicted that the Iraqi government "will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months" because of criticism from various Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions. "To date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively," it said.
Better question:

Why did the US administration believe that overthrowing Saddam would lead to a workable democracy in Iraq, especially since Cheney accurately depicted in 1994 that Iraq would become a "quagmire" if Saddam had been thrown out in 1991?

I'd say a return to Baathist fascism under a new strongman would remedy this.

I'd say a return to Baathist fascism under a new strongman would remedy this.
The Shiites would never allow that to happen again?

Well, hindsight is always 20/20.

Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
What......Bush's in 2001 or Cheney's in 1994?

Well, hindsight is always 20/20.

Based on what is said about Vietnam, no it really isn't.

The Shiites would never allow that to happen again?

meh, a little ethnic cleansing never hurt anyone.

meh, a little ethnic cleansing never hurt anyone.

Except for the cleansed...;)

why would this suprise ANYone? go into some country, destroy thier infrasturcture, stand over what remains of them with a gun killing and harrassing people willy nilly, only allow them to elect a government that will kiss your own ass, it goes on and on, and then expect some myraculous domocratized civilization to somehow magicly materialize? as a reasult of THAT treatment?

kind like the biggest "well duh!" of all times if you ask me.

=^^=
.../\...

This might sound way off course, but what if, just what if, Bush's advisors actually knew a little bit of what they were doing?
How do you think the world would look like if the US had not put a military presence between the two nations of Iran and Syria by overthrowing a leader who sent missiles onto thousands of innocent civilians in 1991 (does anyone else remember that except for me? if you dont look up Gulf War I re: Israel) to prevent a middle east crisis and the annihilation of israel and with it all hopes of democracy whatsoever?

Pointless , Its pretty obvious Iraq government is in a precarious state without the U.S declaring it as if it wasn't obvious.

Well, hindsight is always 20/20.

Yes, but many people predicted this scenario before G W Bush invaded Iraq.

This might sound way off course, but what if, just what if, Bush's advisors actually knew a little bit of what they were doing?
How do you think the world would look like if the US had not put a military presence between the two nations of Iran and Syria by overthrowing a leader who sent missiles onto thousands of innocent civilians in 1991 (does anyone else remember that except for me? if you dont look up Gulf War I re: Israel) to prevent a middle east crisis and the annihilation of israel and with it all hopes of democracy whatsoever?
Well now, we will never know will we?

Since you are trotting out "what ifs", what if:

Reagan hadn't removed Iraq from the list of state terrorists back in 1982?

Reagan/HW Bush hadn't backed Iraq in the war against Iran, and an exchange of ambassadors?

Reagan/HW Bush hadn't supplied Iraq with chemical and biological agents?

Reagan hadn't sold arms to the Iranians to help prevent the Iraqis from winning their war?

Ambassador Gillespie hadn't told Saddam that the US would not get involved in his dispute with Kuwait?

Yeah indeed.......what if?

Yes, but many people predicted this scenario before G W Bush invaded Iraq.
Absolutely, including Dick Cheney back in 1994:

Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I)

Yet in 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq, Cheney was making this prediction (http://www.usatoday.com/educate/war28-article.htm):

March 16, Vice President Cheney, on NBC's Meet the Press: "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. . . . I think it will go relatively quickly, . . . (in) weeks rather than months." He predicted that regular Iraqi soldiers would not "put up such a struggle" and that even "significant elements of the Republican Guard . . . are likely to step aside."


Also of interest:

The Untold Story of the Cheney 'Quagmire' Video (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2007/08/the_untold_story_of_the_cheney.html)

:D

Why did the U.S bother doing a report ... Just to point out the obvious ? and why do they keep on doing that ?

Why did the U.S bother doing a report ... Just to point out the obvious ? and why do they keep on doing that ?
It is called accountability? The Republicans keep grinding out BS propaganda to justify their mistakes, and carry on their ill conceived war, and the opposition continues to ask for an accounting.

No surprises here. Iraq is fucked, and anyone caught within the fuck radius is also going to get fucked.