'not a day more'

CDI.org

Interesting article...

After reading this, would members say that pulling out of Iraq is likely to happn anytime soon?

I have always thought the the coalition would be in for the long haul... but as this article states.. compare this situation to the Uk experience in N Ireland and Malaysa and the US will prob have to increase troop numbers dramatically to keep a handle on the population... but as Bush says himself... this will be a matter for a future president to worry about...

Q

Heck, you could just compare the US situation in Iraq today to the British situation in Iraq earlier.

www.foreignaffairs.org...

Y'know what... that totally slipped from my mind!

I guess it doesn't get the mentions these days as the British were there for the sake of the end of the Ottoman Empire in the Great War (unlike the recent invasion)... but still...

If I remember correctly Churchill wanted to drop mustard gas on the troublesome bedoin tribal bands who didn't support the Brits or the fledgeling client government... hmm...

Q

Originally posted by Qoelet
Y'know what... that totally slipped from my mind!

I guess it doesn't get the mentions these days as the British were there for the sake of the end of the Ottoman Empire in the Great War (unlike the recent invasion

They invaded and destroyed an autocratic dictatorship that was allied against them and a threat. Similiar to hussein's iraq.

But the important things are that the british were there, in occupation, trying to sort out the mess, promoting the growth of democratic insitutions. THe war became unpopular at home, fueled by activists and the media, while sectarian violence in iraq, some internal, some run by outside islamist extremists, made the situation seem more bleak. Eventually popular pressure resulted in the conversatives in government over stating the successes, hiding the failures, lowering their standards for success, and preparing for a withdrawl, regardless of the situation on the ground, which eventually did happen. The country fell apart, into chaos, and the british had to return, again, to re-occupy the country, from the beggining. And when they didn't stay that time, it jeopardized, to a certain degree anyway, their effort against the nazis. Then, after leaving again, they find....50 years later they are back, and the situation is the same!

So, the lesson is perhaps that, once you break it, you've gotta stay until its fixed.