Tashah
DP Veteran
- Joined
- May 25, 2005
- Messages
- 18,379
- Reaction score
- 9,232
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
• Milestones
· The United States commences the Iraq War in March of 2003.
· George Bush announces the end of major hostilities in May of 2003.
· Saddam Hussein captured in December of 2003.
· Iraq elections held in January of 2004.
• Private Analysis
The United States initiated the preemptive war in Iraq in the spring of 2003. The major goals of this initiative were to eliminate all Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, remove Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party from power, eliminate terrorist elements from Iraq, free the Iraqi people from a repressive government, and introduce democracy to Iraq.
It is now the summer of 2005. No Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have been discovered to date. The United States military admits that many regions and cities of Iraq remain beyond its control. The borders of Iraq remain porous. Iraqi insurgency forces continue to inflict heavy casualties on the US military and civilian population. Scandals such as Abu Ghraib have heavily damaged the image and reputation of the United States. Tribal and religious animosities persist. Coalition partners are removing military assets from Iraq. The Iraqi infrastructure remains decrepit and problematic. Unemployment is rampant. It is impossible to secure the hundreds of miles of oil-pipeline that is essential to the Iraqi economy. High ranking officials of the Iraqi government continue to be assassinated along with foreign ambassadors. The Iraqi constitution as it is currently being formulated denies the equality of law to Iraqi women. The occupation of Iraq has not diminished global terrorism. The financial cost of the war and occupation is well beyond all initial estimates. The morale of US forces in Iraq is on the decline. The occupation continues to rend the very social fabric of America.
All in all, not a very pretty picture. The US has indeed uplifted Iraq in many ways... but at a tremendous and increasing cost in blood and treasure. Additionally, the core problems persist with ferocity. The Iraq of today in no way resembles the dynamic neocon visions of a liberated Iraq. Instead, the worst nightmare has become reality... Iraq has morphed into a quagmire.
• Alternative?
The United States cannot just pack up tomorrow and withdraw from Iraq. The consequences of a total abandonment would be staggering. Mindful of this, I present a different alternative path for your consideration... a partition of Iraq.
Iraq is in essence an artificial construct of European colonialism. It was cobbled together from the defunct Ottoman Empire without benevolent regard of the ethnic, sectarian, and religious differences that existed and flourished over the breadth and scope of this territory. Indeed, it was purposefully constructed in this manner to maintain the divisions which deny a cohesive unity to the collective population. Despite the eventual Iraqi independence from the colonial powers, these divisions remain as valid and vibrant today as they were under Ottoman and European rule.
The critical element in a partition of Iraq would be the establishment of an independent Kurdistan. The Kurds of northern Iraq have always bristled under the yoke of the Arab dominance that emanated from Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands have perished in fierce resistance to Saddam and the Ba'ath. The Kurdish peshmerga forces have never hesitated to assist the United States in any military endeavor in Iraqi territory. Indeed, it was the Kurdish peshmerga who filled the military vacuum when Turkey refused to allow US military forces access to Iraq from its territory. Although predominantly Muslim, the Kurds have never allowed Islam to frame their political ideology.
The strategic and tactical advantages of an independent Kurdistan to the United States has many upsides. A consolidation of military forces into a smaller and more managable geographic area. The Kirkuk oil fields could be better secured and pipelines better protected. Arab insurgent attacks would be drastically minimized. Syria would be bracketed between Israel and Kurdistan. US military strength could be redirected to the neglected Afghan theater. The US would continue efforts to instill democracy to the remainder of Iraq, and from a more secure base of operations. Pressure on the US military would lessen, and troops could be rotated more frequently. Those are some of the upsides, but realize also that there are also many dangerous and debilitating downsides.
In closing, I will neither assault nor defend this alternative because I well appreciate the domestic and global ramifications of this radical approach. Embryonic and skeletal in this initial sketch, modification and tweaking would be both expected and incumbant. This is simply a political/military alternative I have been mulling over. I would be very interested to read your thoughts on this proposal and invite everyone to boldly comment.
Tashah
· The United States commences the Iraq War in March of 2003.
· George Bush announces the end of major hostilities in May of 2003.
· Saddam Hussein captured in December of 2003.
· Iraq elections held in January of 2004.
• Private Analysis
The United States initiated the preemptive war in Iraq in the spring of 2003. The major goals of this initiative were to eliminate all Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, remove Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party from power, eliminate terrorist elements from Iraq, free the Iraqi people from a repressive government, and introduce democracy to Iraq.
It is now the summer of 2005. No Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have been discovered to date. The United States military admits that many regions and cities of Iraq remain beyond its control. The borders of Iraq remain porous. Iraqi insurgency forces continue to inflict heavy casualties on the US military and civilian population. Scandals such as Abu Ghraib have heavily damaged the image and reputation of the United States. Tribal and religious animosities persist. Coalition partners are removing military assets from Iraq. The Iraqi infrastructure remains decrepit and problematic. Unemployment is rampant. It is impossible to secure the hundreds of miles of oil-pipeline that is essential to the Iraqi economy. High ranking officials of the Iraqi government continue to be assassinated along with foreign ambassadors. The Iraqi constitution as it is currently being formulated denies the equality of law to Iraqi women. The occupation of Iraq has not diminished global terrorism. The financial cost of the war and occupation is well beyond all initial estimates. The morale of US forces in Iraq is on the decline. The occupation continues to rend the very social fabric of America.
All in all, not a very pretty picture. The US has indeed uplifted Iraq in many ways... but at a tremendous and increasing cost in blood and treasure. Additionally, the core problems persist with ferocity. The Iraq of today in no way resembles the dynamic neocon visions of a liberated Iraq. Instead, the worst nightmare has become reality... Iraq has morphed into a quagmire.
• Alternative?
The United States cannot just pack up tomorrow and withdraw from Iraq. The consequences of a total abandonment would be staggering. Mindful of this, I present a different alternative path for your consideration... a partition of Iraq.
Iraq is in essence an artificial construct of European colonialism. It was cobbled together from the defunct Ottoman Empire without benevolent regard of the ethnic, sectarian, and religious differences that existed and flourished over the breadth and scope of this territory. Indeed, it was purposefully constructed in this manner to maintain the divisions which deny a cohesive unity to the collective population. Despite the eventual Iraqi independence from the colonial powers, these divisions remain as valid and vibrant today as they were under Ottoman and European rule.
The critical element in a partition of Iraq would be the establishment of an independent Kurdistan. The Kurds of northern Iraq have always bristled under the yoke of the Arab dominance that emanated from Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands have perished in fierce resistance to Saddam and the Ba'ath. The Kurdish peshmerga forces have never hesitated to assist the United States in any military endeavor in Iraqi territory. Indeed, it was the Kurdish peshmerga who filled the military vacuum when Turkey refused to allow US military forces access to Iraq from its territory. Although predominantly Muslim, the Kurds have never allowed Islam to frame their political ideology.
The strategic and tactical advantages of an independent Kurdistan to the United States has many upsides. A consolidation of military forces into a smaller and more managable geographic area. The Kirkuk oil fields could be better secured and pipelines better protected. Arab insurgent attacks would be drastically minimized. Syria would be bracketed between Israel and Kurdistan. US military strength could be redirected to the neglected Afghan theater. The US would continue efforts to instill democracy to the remainder of Iraq, and from a more secure base of operations. Pressure on the US military would lessen, and troops could be rotated more frequently. Those are some of the upsides, but realize also that there are also many dangerous and debilitating downsides.
In closing, I will neither assault nor defend this alternative because I well appreciate the domestic and global ramifications of this radical approach. Embryonic and skeletal in this initial sketch, modification and tweaking would be both expected and incumbant. This is simply a political/military alternative I have been mulling over. I would be very interested to read your thoughts on this proposal and invite everyone to boldly comment.
Tashah
rather like in Bosnia. Peace at the point of a gun !