Friday, April 09, 2004
On the other hand...
From Adnan Pachachi, a member of the US-appointed governing council:
“These operations were a mass punishment for the people of Fallujah," Pachachi told Al-Arabiya TV. "It was not right to punish all the people of Fallujah and we consider these operations by the Americans unacceptable and illegal."
Great. On the other hand, if Saddam Hussein was ruling the country and the people killed were part of a security detail for his forces, and if Fallujah had been as restive as its proved over the past year, Fallujah would now be a parking lot.
It simply isn't acceptable that Fallujah persists in fighting against American forces. Yes, Iraq belongs to Iraqis, but lest we forget, Iraqis didn't depose Saddam Hussein, a leader that the UN decided was so dangerous that it was better to starve his people in order that the leadership couldn't get the funds it needed to do some nasty things. America deposed Saddam (and waited 11 long years to do it, in hopes that Iraqis might manage change themselves), and now America is going to drag Iraq (kicking and screaming, if necessary) to democracy.
Fallujah benefited from the old regime, and quite selfishly, would prefer Saddam was still around. It's worth remembering that if America left, Iraq might well have a Shiite dictator (al-Sadr sure seems like a candidate), and then Sunnis might end up the ones filling mass graves of the sort found in southern Iraq. Either way, America didn't go to the trouble of invading the country so they can abruptly leave as competing interests destabilize the region through civil war. America won't use Saddam's tactics, but then again, America isn't going to sit idly by while Marines - or contractors - get repeatedly killed in Fallujah.
Just to show how bad things had gotten in Fallujah, consider this explanation of what happened to the contractors (from MSNBC):
The security firm that employed the four men, Blackwater USA, told the New York Times that they were lured into an ambush by members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
The Iraqis promised the Blackwater-led convoy safe passage through the city, but instead, they suddenly blocked off the road, preventing any escape from waiting gunmen, Patrick Toohey, Blackwater's vice president for government relations said in Friday's editions.
Sorry, but that's not acceptable. America IS going to hand Iraq back to Iraqis. Heck, I think it's safe to say that America wants to get out of Iraq as fast as humanly possible.
But America will NOT leave if the outcome is civil war, or another dictatorship. Some might think getting involved in Iraq in the first place was stupid (I don't). It would be even MORE stupid to leave Iraq now, while the whole place bristles with armaments and there is no consensus on what kind of government should exist for a future Iraq.
From Adnan Pachachi, a member of the US-appointed governing council:
“These operations were a mass punishment for the people of Fallujah," Pachachi told Al-Arabiya TV. "It was not right to punish all the people of Fallujah and we consider these operations by the Americans unacceptable and illegal."
Great. On the other hand, if Saddam Hussein was ruling the country and the people killed were part of a security detail for his forces, and if Fallujah had been as restive as its proved over the past year, Fallujah would now be a parking lot.
It simply isn't acceptable that Fallujah persists in fighting against American forces. Yes, Iraq belongs to Iraqis, but lest we forget, Iraqis didn't depose Saddam Hussein, a leader that the UN decided was so dangerous that it was better to starve his people in order that the leadership couldn't get the funds it needed to do some nasty things. America deposed Saddam (and waited 11 long years to do it, in hopes that Iraqis might manage change themselves), and now America is going to drag Iraq (kicking and screaming, if necessary) to democracy.
Fallujah benefited from the old regime, and quite selfishly, would prefer Saddam was still around. It's worth remembering that if America left, Iraq might well have a Shiite dictator (al-Sadr sure seems like a candidate), and then Sunnis might end up the ones filling mass graves of the sort found in southern Iraq. Either way, America didn't go to the trouble of invading the country so they can abruptly leave as competing interests destabilize the region through civil war. America won't use Saddam's tactics, but then again, America isn't going to sit idly by while Marines - or contractors - get repeatedly killed in Fallujah.
Just to show how bad things had gotten in Fallujah, consider this explanation of what happened to the contractors (from MSNBC):
The security firm that employed the four men, Blackwater USA, told the New York Times that they were lured into an ambush by members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
The Iraqis promised the Blackwater-led convoy safe passage through the city, but instead, they suddenly blocked off the road, preventing any escape from waiting gunmen, Patrick Toohey, Blackwater's vice president for government relations said in Friday's editions.
Sorry, but that's not acceptable. America IS going to hand Iraq back to Iraqis. Heck, I think it's safe to say that America wants to get out of Iraq as fast as humanly possible.
But America will NOT leave if the outcome is civil war, or another dictatorship. Some might think getting involved in Iraq in the first place was stupid (I don't). It would be even MORE stupid to leave Iraq now, while the whole place bristles with armaments and there is no consensus on what kind of government should exist for a future Iraq.
