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Wed 22 Jan, 2003 09:09 am
This thread posits that the cavalry has gone in, and we are on the ground in Iraq, with the war won. I would, thereafter, like your answers to two questions:
What do you feel the occupation of Iraq will be like?
How should we proceed to provide the survivors with a viable state?
(Please keep in mind the guidelines for debate posted in every forum.)
Assuming this happens (Saddam out of the picture, his army defeated), the US (and its, ahem, allies) would have to stick around to stabilize things. Given how it is in Afghanistan now--sort of under control and sort of anarchic--I wonder how well this will work. How long would we stay, given the cost in lives and money?
Have Bush et al. given much thought to this part of the process? One wonders...
I certainly do. And i posted this because there are many here (some thoughtful, some not) who are in favor of a war--i'd sincerely like to know if they have given consideration to these questions.
As someone who is vehementaly opposed to unilateral US action in Iraq - I have a strong suspision that this topic has not even entered the Bush administrations mind. There is a single point agenda - get rid of Saddam (or as the more cynical me says, get control of that oil) - what happens after that is least of our concerns !!! Iraqi people ? Who the smeg (thanks dlowan) are they ???
If at all the Bush administration had thought of bringing (percieved)stability to Iraq, then those plans would have been put infornt of the public, the international community, to ensure greater buy in from all quaters for the war on Iraq. Also worth nothing the fact is that everytime the reason for war is mentioned, it is because Saddam has WMD or is supporting terrorists - no one says that we want to get rid of Saddam because people are suffering under him. If there is no cause, there will be no effect, simple.
One of the other things which we will have to consider is how much are americans accepted by the Iraqi people. From what I know, Iraqis are fanatically Anti American (but that might just be propoganda) - and any effort to impose "american" order in that society will be met with resistance. So what will they do next ? Force the common man to accept that order at gun point ?
Let us also not forget that Iraq was a vibrant economy once upon a time. The economy has gone to shambles, taking the common man's life with it, after the UN sanctions were imposed on Iraq.
Gautam wrote:One of the other things which we will have to consider is how much are americans accepted by the Iraqi people. From what I know, Iraqis are fanatically Anti American (but that might just be propoganda) - and any effort to impose "american" order in that society will be met with resistance. So what will they do next ? Force the common man to accept that order at gun point ?.
This is one of the main things that worry me.
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