Why is Iraq in such chaos?

Answer 1

No endeavour in the history of human civilization has more precedent, documentation and analysis than warfare, conquest and nation building. However, it is as though this administration took the textbook for proven success on this topic and did the exact opposite.
First, after deposing the existing government, we held back from taking control of law and order, creating a power vacuum.
Next, we told tens of thousands of iraqi soldiers "You're fired! Go home and take your guns with you!"
Then, we took the only people experienced and qualified to run anything and fired all of them because they were Bathists (everyone was a Bathist if they wanted to get anyewhere in iraqi society).
They also allowed a poorly supervised and undirected military to run loose, resulting in isolated yet aggregious abuses. These abuses and aggressive tactics alienated the general population.
Then add all of this to a mind bogglingly incompetant, understaffed and underqualified 'transitional authority'.

This debacle has done more to undermine American credibility and strength than anything in history. It will take generations to recover from this embarrassment, if ever.

Answer 2

I watched a documentary on Iraq yesterday made by a man who had grown up there, was Iraqi, but ran after he was forced into the military to fight the Iranians. Very many people in Iraq are armed.

The culture of Iraq is tribal. It is very different than what we understand here. There is no effective police force or any way to keep peace. There are shootings and bombings all over.

Iraq has been in chaos for over a century. How
to bring any sanity there is probably beyond us. All the neighbors of the Kurds would like to exterminate the Kurds. Al Sadr has his militia and sends out his followers for political assassination in an attempt to start a civil war between Shiias and Sunnis.

I could go on and on, since I read about the history of the area and try to understand the causes for the current conflicts. When the Shiias say they are directly related to Mohammad and they blame the Sunnis for killing that direct link, it is hard see where a peaceful solution could ever be. The Sunnis claim they are the true followers of the Prophet and the Shiias are false. Where's there a compromise?

Answer 3

There are two factions of Muslims - the Shia and the Sunni. The Shia, the majority of Muslim in Iraq, were suppressed under Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni Muslim. They see their chance to get back. The Kurds are a completely different culture and religion.

There is no military strongman to hold it all together, so it's falling apart. We broke the peace, such as it was, by taking out Hussein and now we're sitting ducks by the two factions and their many off shoots who are hoping for supremacy. There is no solution for us. Our soldiers cannot win a civil war like this, and if Bush had listened to the right people, this is what they were telling him.

Also Eric Shinseki, the Army Chief of Staff until 2003, told Donald Rumsfield that it would take several hundreds of thousands to hold the peace together after the war, but Rumsfield didn't want to hear it, so he made Shinseki resign.

We deserve our defeat beause we didn't do our homework. Unfortunately, the American soldiers, both those killed and those who are coming home without limbs and injured, will pay the price for many years to come.

Answer 4

When Saddam ruled, it was with an iron fist, and with the backing of 1/3 of Iraqis (the Sunni's), Hitler had less of a base.

His security structure had spies from each agency of government spy on each other so there was no trust.

Without this type of structure the 3 different fractions that had never had gotten along in the past renewed centuries old differences, with Saddam leaving the country a goldmine in weapons anybody that wants to get in on the act can.

Add to this that most Muslims don't want American troops in any Muslim country, and the hundreds of millions of American dollars stolen form Iraq's central bank to fund terrorism prior to the invasion with a promise of Paradise with a harem of virgins when a mujaheddin blows themselves up, and it adds up to trouble.

News is that Afghanistan is going back to the Taliban in about 6 months, I don't see how Pakistan with its nuclear arsenal is going to hold together as it is.

Oh, ya, Osama still wants the U.S. out of Saudi Arabia, when these people pick up some more steam, draft or no draft we can't win.

Leave it to Israel, they never lose, and they don't take no crap.

Answer 5

The spike in violence is a planned attempt to influence the November elections. The Iraqi militias and foreign terrorist fighters know that the war in Iraq is unpopular. They know that the Republicans are determined to win no matter what. They also know that the Democrats could care less about a real victory, and are ready to claim a fake one and leave. The Iraqi militias and foreign terrorist fighters would like nothing more than to see a party change in Congress. That would mean victory for them as well as a loss for the Iraqi people.

Answer 6

Although I am sure the media is making it seem much worse than it actually is, we do have to remember that chaos is a given when you are talking about a country that just had a revolution. Their whole government recently completely changed, as well as all their rights and freedoms. It will take time for Iraq to become a peaceful country, but it can happen, as long as the Iraquis want it bad enough to work for it. Post-revolutionary Americans had to work incredibly hard to take care of their instability, and our current society is a testament to their hard work and dedication.

Answer 7

The media only show the bad . They are doing everyone a great disservice. If a car bomb never got covered the shock value would be gone and fewer people would feel passionate enough to carry out those attacks.

Answer 8

Because we are acting like police officers.

Historically Iraq was divided into three sections, Kurds, Sunni
Shiites. I apologize for my misspellings...I believe this is how
the Byzantine empire kept this country in check for hundreds of
years. It is simply impossible to Unite the whole country, they
are fanatical concerning their religious differences.

It would be like having Alabama get along with Mass right after
or before the civil war.

But war is hell, the winner usually wins by beating its adversary into submission, I.E. WW2.

They are too uncivilized to treat them like an American city.

Answer 9

It just is what it is the people make it that way they do not want to live with each other so ther you have it a coo-data' and that's the way they want it life is choices and that is Iraq's choice! What's the big deal they have been killing each other since the beginning of time anyway and will probably continue until the end of time!

Answer 10

Chaos is the plan of action for the insurgents. It generates fear and discredits the freely elected gov't and our troops. The dictators and the islamic Gov'ts in Syria and Iran don't want a free state in their midst.