I came across this article today, and it reminded me of something SamCD said regarding the present situation in Iraq. Here's what she said: Now this article from the Wall Street Journal says much the same thing, but says we can manipulate the situation to our advantage by playing one side against the other in a game of divide and rule. Here are some of the facts The result of all this: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009521http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009521 Some good stuff there. The author makes note of many of the same facts as Sam, but points out how we can turn it to our advantage.
Guess we'll be getting a lot more inflammatory comments of Sunnis vs Shias and vice versa in the media now. Wait! Hasn't that started already?Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=62124 http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=62158 Trust the Americans to twist a civil war to their advantage. I just hope they are able to contain the massacres.
I think there is a simple answer for the middle east: 1/ we get our asses out of oil, there are hundreds of alternatives now, its only greedy politicians who are keeping us in it. 2/ we build a new chinese wall dividing the middle east from the rest of the world, many of there ideas belong in the stone age, simple we let them live in the time of there choice, we stop supplying them with anything other than clubs, stones & matches. 3/ we let them have a mother of all holy wars with eachother, & after 100 years if there is anyone left alive, we see if they are ready to join the rest of us again...
vincent28uk, I agree with your Ideas except for #1, none of the technologies available today are mature enough to replace oil yet, But from what I am finding in my research there is more than enough oil to carry us through out side the middle east, there are many reserves that are known that haven't been tapped yet.
If we were really the imperialists everyone makes us out to be, we'd treat the middle east the way Rome treated Dacia. Dacia was giving Rome some trouble and had a huge gold mine that Rome wanted. Rome invaded, killed most of the Dacians, and stold the gold. The aniliation of Dacia was so complete, that that area is now known as Romania (land of the Romans).
I thought divide and conquer was already the strategy in Iraq? It's not like there's been a single, unified opposition since we've been there(at all?).
The original plan was to create a functioning democracy in the middle east to catalyze further changes and create an environment hostile to terrorists. This doesn't seem to be going well, but the author of this article points out that we can still turn things to our benefit and be better off then if we hadn't invaded by playing the different groups against each other. I'd say try Bush's "surge" strategy while simultaneously pursuing the strategy recommended here. We need the Iraqis to be able to police their own country with our troops there to back them up. At the same time, we should try to seperate Syria from Iran and pursue some of these other ideas.
The only way we can win is if we adopt this type of strategy, either by killing the civilians ourselves, or supporting brutal dictators that do it for us. How comfortable are you with slaughter?
We HAD devide and conquer, or at least contain, with Iran and Iraq. With a civil war in Iraq, it is Iran's dream scenerio. Far from requiring less troops, it would require many more than are available to control Iraq. The result will be that US troops will leave, and the Shia likely take over, aligning with Iran. However, Saudi Arabia is predominately Sunni, which means a big problem. As much as conservatives hope that Bush has pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat, the opposite has happened. He is not a strategist, not even accidentally. About the oil, Iraq's oil is in the process of being privatized. Permanent fortress bases are being built (by American contractors). We have spent so much money it is the equivalent of $400 dollars every minute since the birth of Christ. Who is getting that money?
Based on what I read here most Americans appear to be very comfortable with slaughter that does not involve Americans. As long as its other people elsewhere that are dying, they can reconcile themselves to it, even justify it as something that will benefit future progress. Like they do for Hiroshima/Nagasaki. I do believe that if it brought gas prices to 25 cents a gallon most would find a way to be comfortable with nuking all people in the ME including Israel.
That's a good quote. It's hard to find fault with Christ. In order to fulfil his destiny he had to live a life without sin. Sadly most Christians fall far short of this. Of course, were this not the case he wouldn't have needed to make the sacrifice he did.
Based on what you read here, most Democratic Americans are very comfortable with slaughter that does not involve them. Plausible deniability is an important Democratic party plank. Some of us here are not Democrats. Some of us here are more comfortable with discriminate culling. It's a form of democracy: Voting, of a nature.