Comments on: Psst…the war is won http://www.bloggernews.net/118683 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:38:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Bump0naPickle http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-779450 Bump0naPickle Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:22:02 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-779450 edited for bigotry and ignorance edited for bigotry and ignorance

]]> By: Nancy Reyes http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-778228 Nancy Reyes Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:14:08 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-778228 Paddy Briggs is right...but the war in that area isn't just shiite sunni: It goes back to 3000 BC (maybe longer...history started to be written down in 3000 BC). The real winner is Iran...if the moderates prevail, they can develop a regional Persian Prosperity sphere and get rich...if they can control their nut cases... but the US part of the war is won: Saddam is gone, Iraq is now pro Iran, and no longer can threaten Iran with nukes or WMD...so this makes a war in the area less likely... and personally, I'd prefer a moderate Iran to the Saudi "we're friends/but export terrorism with mullahs for your mosques"... Paddy Briggs is right…but the war in that area isn’t just shiite sunni: It goes back to 3000 BC (maybe longer…history started to be written down in 3000 BC).

The real winner is Iran…if the moderates prevail, they can develop a regional Persian Prosperity sphere and get rich…if they can control their nut cases…

but the US part of the war is won: Saddam is gone, Iraq is now pro Iran, and no longer can threaten Iran with nukes or WMD…so this makes a war in the area less likely…

and personally, I’d prefer a moderate Iran to the Saudi “we’re friends/but export terrorism with mullahs for your mosques”…

]]> By: Bump0naPickle http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-777249 Bump0naPickle Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:21:10 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-777249 edited for bigotry because it implies those joining the service are ignorant and stupid. Some of us aren't Nancy Reyes CPT AMEDD (ret) edited for bigotry because it implies those joining the service are ignorant and stupid.

Some of us aren’t

Nancy Reyes CPT AMEDD (ret)

]]> By: Paddy Briggs http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-777116 Paddy Briggs Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:43:16 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118683#comment-777116 Nancy Delusion piled upon delusion – you obviously have never been near the Middle East and have no understanding of the factors at play. The US has not “won” the war as you so jingoisticly claim. Why? Because the war is not winnable. Not now. Not ever. The “enemy” are will in the wisp who can afford to take a long term view – a very long term view. America’s incursion into Iraq has now lasted longer than World War 2 – had it been a winnable war it would have been long over. The US Forces can gain ground, can have pyrrhic victories and can delude themselves that real progress has been made – even after five long years and more. But this is not a conventional war against a conventional enemy. Just like in Vietnam the enemy is a fluid thing – it withdraws and regroups and waits. And it is indefinable as well. The US knew where it was with Hitler and Tojo but it struggled with Ho Chi Min. And it struggles even more when it can’t even define the enemy – as in Iraq. Who leads the enemy forces? No idea! Where are they based? No idea! What is the goal of the enemy forces? No Idea! Those in the Middle East region opposed to the US intervention in the area (that’s nearly everyone by the way) are happy to play a waiting game. At the appropriate moment the Sunni vs. Shia battle will escalate into open conflict – as it did throughout the 1980s. The US will be powerless to stop this – as they were when Iraq fought Iran. It is true that the US may be able to withdraw sometime in the next couple of years but that will just be a precursor to the outbreak/renewal of the real war in the region. That’s why Iran is re-arming, just as North Vietnam once did. In reality the North Vietnamese wanted hegemony in their region. And in the Middle East there can only continue to be Shiite/Sunni conflict in perpetuity – unless one side wins and ethnically cleanses after its victory. And that is a prospect that must fill anyone with horror. Nancy

Delusion piled upon delusion – you obviously have never been near the Middle East and have no understanding of the factors at play. The US has not “won” the war as you so jingoisticly claim. Why? Because the war is not winnable. Not now. Not ever. The “enemy” are will in the wisp who can afford to take a long term view – a very long term view. America’s incursion into Iraq has now lasted longer than World War 2 – had it been a winnable war it would have been long over. The US Forces can gain ground, can have pyrrhic victories and can delude themselves that real progress has been made – even after five long years and more. But this is not a conventional war against a conventional enemy. Just like in Vietnam the enemy is a fluid thing – it withdraws and regroups and waits. And it is indefinable as well. The US knew where it was with Hitler and Tojo but it struggled with Ho Chi Min. And it struggles even more when it can’t even define the enemy – as in Iraq. Who leads the enemy forces? No idea! Where are they based? No idea! What is the goal of the enemy forces? No Idea!

Those in the Middle East region opposed to the US intervention in the area (that’s nearly everyone by the way) are happy to play a waiting game. At the appropriate moment the Sunni vs. Shia battle will escalate into open conflict – as it did throughout the 1980s. The US will be powerless to stop this – as they were when Iraq fought Iran.

It is true that the US may be able to withdraw sometime in the next couple of years but that will just be a precursor to the outbreak/renewal of the real war in the region. That’s why Iran is re-arming, just as North Vietnam once did. In reality the North Vietnamese wanted hegemony in their region. And in the Middle East there can only continue to be Shiite/Sunni conflict in perpetuity – unless one side wins and ethnically cleanses after its victory. And that is a prospect that must fill anyone with horror.

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