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U.S. Lowers Expectations for Iraq

Foust is SO authentic

20:05 / 14.08.05

Choice clips from MSNBC:

The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society where the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say. . . .

We set out to establish a democracy, but we're slowly realizing we will have some form of Islamic republic," said another U.S. official familiar with policymaking from the beginning, who like some others interviewed would speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity. . . .

The goal now is to ensure a constitution that can be easily amended later so Iraq can grow into a democracy, U.S. officials say. . . .

Last week was the fourth-worst week of the whole war for U.S. military deaths in combat, and August already is the worst month for deaths of members of the National Guard and Reserve. . . .

"We've said we won't leave a day before it's necessary. But necessary is the key word — necessary for them or for us? When we finally depart, it will probably be for us," a U.S. official said.

03:32 / 15.08.05

If Iraq avoids a civil war it will be a miracle.

17:28 / 15.08.05

I came accross an interesting counterpoint to this whilst doing some background research on Karl Zinsmeister, journalist and writer of marvel's recent documentary comic Combat Zone, based on the journalist's experiences as an 'embedded' during the opening days of the US led invasion of Iraq.

The war is over, and we won.

So, opinions? Analysis?

Jake, Colossus of Clout

18:00 / 15.08.05

"satellite TV dishes sprout from even the most humble mud hovels in the countryside."

Well, thank God for that.

20:39 / 15.08.05

That article was a huge, steaming pile of horseshit. It was bullshit through and through, excluding the part where he mentions that most citizens do not like the insurgency.

21:08 / 15.08.05

Well, quite.

It is certainly an extremely rose-tinted view of events.

I did like the bit where Zinsmeister seemed to be attempting to justify the ongoing blackouts and brownouts in Bagdad by claiming that they were a result of a more democractic distribution of electrical power accross the country as a whole.

21:15 / 15.08.05

My opinion, after careful analysis--i.e., looking at the links at the bottom of the page--is that he's singing from the hymnbook of the American Enterprise Institute.

02:15 / 16.08.05

My biggest problem was how he ignores the continuing violence in the Al Anbar Province, where Marines in Iraq are getting killed all the time. The insurgency there is quite active and will probably remain so for some time to come.

If the U.S. forces were to pull out the Iraqi police forces would either A)get slaughtered, or B)quit before they get slaughtered.

08:58 / 16.08.05

Having now read a few articles (one, predictably railing against liberal media bias) as well as his comic, Zinsmeister's writing appears to be all about absences. Absences of disenting information, disenting American voices, and, to a large extent, of non-American voices. The American Enterprise proudly proclaims "We don't have a party line—just a requirement for non-wishy-washy, tightly reasoned, bravely honest arguments." which seems a bit disingenuous given the next paragraph states "Thousands of conservative activists, local leaders, congressmen, state and federal judges, writers, researchers, military officers, and business executives read us… Lots of non-conservative readers enjoy and respect us too (sometimes with one eyebrow raised)."

I can only conclude that 'non-wish-washy' means 'highly-selective and one-sided with a conservative bias'.

Incidentally I'd recommend reading, though probably not buying, Zinsmeister's OGN from Marvel "Combat Zone".It strikes me as very much being the Iraq war that was sold to American soldiers and the American people rather than the war as it happened. It portrays no mistakes on the part of the US military, no Pvt Lynchs only heroic American soldiers triumphing over adversity and Iraqi 'terrorists'.

15:32 / 16.08.05

If Iraq avoids a civil war it will be a miracle.

How do you figure they're not already in one?

Oh sure, I know, it could be worse, and fighting is contained to certain areas. Lovely. But look at what's going on in the attempts to draft a constitution right now - the Kurds want their own country, some Shi'ites on the committee also favor the federalism model so that they can have autonomy too and also want Sharia law, no one else wants Sharia law, the Sunnis are left out... they failed to meet the deadline for a draft.... Peter Galbraith (former US ambassador to Croatia) stated on NPR today that the committee members literally couldn't even make it through the first paragraph of the preamble to the constitution without a major disagreement.

Partly because of unrealistic deadlines strongly pushed by the US govt, it's looking ever more likely that the TAL will have to be scrapped and Iraq will have to start from Square One with new elections.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:26 / 16.08.05

Zinsmeister is clearly something of a dick.

How are the polls in the US looking now it's becoming fairly obvious Iraq's a total clusterfuck?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:27 / 16.08.05

I'm also wondering how they'll attempt to spin it if (as is seeming somewhat likely) the country becomes a Taliban-esque state- the very thing the coalition's been patting itself on the back for geting shot of in Afghanistan?

Jake, Colossus of Clout

21:43 / 16.08.05

Both Bush's approval ratings and support for the war are at all-time lows. It's funny to watch FOX try to spin it.

00:09 / 17.08.05

Here a bunch of recent poll results for Bush's approval & other relevant items.

14:00 / 17.08.05

Women's rights aren't high on the Bush agenda, so they can live with enforcement of sharia. This could have been a problem with the Soccer Moms, but now they've turned into Security Moms, so no worries there.

As long as the appearance of democracy is preserved, that's ok too. And Iraqization is under way; notice how Zinsmeister is saying the Iraqi police and army are almost ready to go it alone.

Barring a catastrophe, Bush has no immediate worries with Iraq, and that includes the failure to drum up a constitution on time.

11:49 / 19.08.05

Correct me if i am wrong, but wasn't women's rights one of the justifications for Invading Afghanistan?

13:09 / 19.08.05

Harboring terrorists.

The "now girls can go to school too!" was really a kind of minor passage in the PR symphony, along with other examples of fundamentalist barbarism -- the soccer stadium where they held public executions seemed to get wider play than the women stripping off the burqa (or not). It's part of the public relations effort, but not really a rationale.