Posted by zeugma on November 10, 2006, at 21:22:27
In reply to Re: The Ongoing Effects of War ***Trigger*** » zeugma, posted by Dinah on November 10, 2006, at 18:27:09
I don't know the answers to any of your questions.
I was reading Fareed Zakaria, and he says that things are bad, but not impossible to fix yet. However, he doesn't convince me. He says that the Iraqi military performs badly when unaccompanied by U.S. troops, but that they improve significantly when accompanied. He says (and I am quoting from memory) that "major human-rights abuses take place much less freqeuntly when Americans are there to keep them in line."
Ugh.
So the Iraqi military that will stand up when we stand down will feel free again to commit "major human-rights abuses"?
Yes, I'm sure we are making the Iraqis better fighters. But Zakaria makes it sound like that's the last thing we want to do, despite his claimed enthusiasm for this development.
No good options, in my opinion.
In fact, Zakaria makes it sound like every day we spend there, we will worsen the chaos that will come.
It sounds like that to me, at least.
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:702096
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20061009/msgs/702452.html