🚀 go-pugleaf

"Charlie Wilkes" <charlie_wilkes@easynews.com> wrote in message
news:do3jkusv6aq27tuauoehnjntbvcjlcglkp@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 1 Aug 2002 00:37:40 -0700, "gatt" <gatt@hevanet.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Andrew" <
> >
> >> : She does have a few good points. Like why does he assume that Iraq
> >> : continues to be a threat?  If you go into Iraq, it could be another
> >> : Vietnam or worse.
> >>
> >> I'm not arguing in favor of America simply invading Iraq, but I think
> >> it's silly that everyone categorizes any military engagement since
> >> Vietnam as "another Vietnam".  Vietnam was a unique situation, and
> >> just about everything is different between Iraq today and Vietnam in
> >> the 1960's:
> >
> >Exactly.  It could be another Panama.  Or Belleau Wood.  It could be
another
> >Waterloo.  Hannibal and the Elephant Brigade...it could be
> >another...another....IRAQ!
> >
> >Which is not to say it couldn't be a disaster for the US.  Just not the
same
> >kind.  In fact, it's far less likely simply because of the open terrain
and
> >lack of conflicting cultures sharing the same space.
> >
> >-gatt
> >
> I'd double-check that "lack of," gatt.  My broad impression is that a
> traditional, non-populist heirarchy exists in the Middle East, and you
> can't really plant the seeds of democracy in Iraq without upsetting
> this order and knocking over the beehive.

Except that Iraq is already one of the few secular governments in the
region. I don't know what tribal feuds exist other than the Kurds. This
isn't to say tribal feuding won't start up - look at what happened in the
Soviet Union's western satellite countries when they weren't there to put
down unrest.


>
> The military goal of eliminating Saddam seems trivial next to the job
> of constituting an effective gov't for Iraq without a mandate to do so
> that has at least some regional buy-in.

I expect you are right. You have the Kurds and Turkey wanting a piece of
Iraq, Iran and the Shiites wanting something on their side, and the Saudis
wanting land. oil, and stability. My guess is that if the Saudis back us
then Iraq will end up Saudi run.