Quote:
Originally Posted by Max2147
You're talking about my post?
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Yes.
There are some statements in it that I could not disagree more with, for example dismantling the Iraqi army. You said it was not enough to do so. In fact it was one of the most terrible mistakes during all the Iraq adventure. You said one should have collected their weapons. I think it is easier to bring gun control to the US. You philosophised about bringing the Sunni to the new army, and called it brilliant to arm them. I point at the bitter hostility between them and the heavily Iran-influenced Shia, the widespread torture on ethnic grounds commited by secret police, and that the weapons you have given to the Sunni militia sooner or later will be directed against your own troops again, and the Shia cojmplaining and turning hostile for you having armed their enemies. You asked for the future of Iraq, and that problems have been solved that could be solved. I say the Iraq war only acchieved one thing: to bring it closer to the Iranian theocracy and under it's influence - all they had to do in the past 12-18 months was to keep a low profile and wait, they even did not had to fight. Maliki very closely cooperates with Teheran already. And if he wants to avoid open civil war fueled by Teheran, he probably has no other choice.
From a geostrategic point, Iraq with Saddam was much better than what it is now. Saddam's teeth had been pulled, he was not in a position to pose a military threat in the region anymore. But Iranian Iraq is a bigger problem than Saddam ever was. The more stable and peaceful Iraq becomes, the stronger and more influential in Iraq Iran becomes as well.
The 2003 war is just a giant boomerang. The more the influence of Western troops in Iraq fades, the more obvious it will become.
It already does. The winner of it all is Iran. It is playing an extremely strong hand anyway. and if you hold democratic elections there, Shia will democratically for a policy inviting Iran even more. super! Just what we need, everything that we want - the only thing missing is that we pay Iran money for all this. However, activities of secret polices and militias and the level of torturing is said to even exceed that of the times of Saddam, so all this talking about having liberated Iraq and bringing democracy to them so that they have the freedom to vote for Iran, leaves a foul taste in the mouth.