Why are we having a tough time in Iraq?

Answer 1

1. We don't seem to have a clear objective there. "Destroy the terrorists" is something everyone can agree on but is actually pretty vague.

2. Our soldiers are not receiving the equipment, attention and support they need.

3. There are 3 different Muslim sects there. They are not going to agree on things....to the point of killing each other (and us) over it.

4. Rightly or wrongly, many Iraqis see us as occupiers. How would we feel if another country overthrew our president and we were under martial law?

5. Terrorists are not a clear target. They are everywhere. It is hard to know where they are and who is and isn't one.

6. Rightly or wrongly our use of torture and other "interregation techniques" plays into the hands of the press and makes us look bad.

7. Rightly or wrongly we are perceived as just "wanting the oil".

Answer 2

Ok, first off ask yourself who says we are having a hard time in Iraq? Yes we hear/see it on TV all the time, but it is normally problems around Baghdad and such. In actuality, I'd love to see what's not being reported from Iraq. I know plenty of troopers who have returned home and are pissed off beyond no doubt because of what's not being reported. I have been doing some research on-line and have found some stories showing the improvements but at nearly 4am to tired to look them up again. Many of the stories came from foreign press agencies and sadly not our own here in the States.

However, to answer you question a bit more....The Middle East has been a place since the Crusades full of those who are firm believers in their religion. Some would say due to the lack of education it's easier to corrupt the young to believe in a harsh interpretation of the Koran then the true interpretation of peace. Also, its nearly impossible to get thousands of people to change their mind and see America as the good guys when for decades they've been told we are the bad guys.

After all as an example, imagine the turmoil and fights that occurred when it was said the Earth was not the center of the Universe but the sun was. Yeah that case may not have lead to so much violence but hopefully it helps.

Answer 3

The war never ended after the collapse of the Iraqi regime that is where the mistake was made, the whole population had to be subdued first and martial law and 20 hr curfew imposed, the whole country had to be brought to a stand still and no media allowed, then maybe this would have been resolved by now.

Answer 4

Because the American troops need help. President Bush should bring in more international troops to Iraq to quell the Iraqi insurgents. Since 3000 American soldiers died in Iraq, America must win the Iraq War.

Answer 5

Because it was a really, truly, mind-bogglingly STUPID thing to start in the first place.

Then we went and left the borders open to anyone and dismantled the ENTIRE civil service, including police and teachers. It's like we just opened the door and said "C'mon in."

More Iraqis have died under U.S. occupation than under Saddam Hussein. THINK ABOUT THAT.

We have been abysmally slow to restore the infrastructure that we blew up, wee things like electricity, water, and proper hospital services.

Anyone who was paying attention realised long before this that civil war between Sunnis and Shi'ites was likely, along with some Kurdish rebellion if they didn't get self-governance.

If Iraq under Hussein was a pressure cooker, we managed to blow the lid off without releasing any of the pressure first. Why is our government so continually surprised at the ensuing mess?

Answer 6

The fact of the matter is that things are not as bad as the media makes it appear.

One example of the media misleading you is another poster's comment that we are 'forcing' democracy down the throats of the Iraqi people. In three elections the voting rate in Iraq was 60-70% - despite death threats from the terrorists against anybody who voted.

And they voted overwhelmingly for democracy.

Now we have a people who want democracy and need time to learn, stabilize their government, train their police and armed forces - before they can protect themselves from the terrorists.

How can anybody who believes in basic human rights want us to abandon them now?

Answer 7

Bottom line?.....We are trying to force 'democracy' down peoples throats who really have no concept of what that is or what it means. Plus the country of Iraq, any islamic country for that matter, does not have the political or civil infrastructure condusive to any kind of democratic government. At best we could hope for a mild dictatorship similar to Saudi Arabia or Egypt.

Answer 8

We are having a tough time because the radical element of Islam (only 1%, but that in and of itself means over 3 million people) have a near endless supply of fanatics that are intent on destroying the west and establishing a new Caliphate, with Baghdad as its center. They will kill any and all (including other Muslims) to reach this goal. If the US leaves, it may just happen faster, if the US stays, they need to be eradicated.

Answer 9

Because we are fighting insurgents who don't wear a military uniform, they look like all the other people over there, much like how it was in Vietnam. How would you know who to fight? It's hard to know who's an Iraqi citizen and who's an insurgent! Isn't that clear?

Answer 10

As another poster so aptly said, we are usually only getting one side of the story regarding Iraq -- the side that the liberal, anti-war media wants to paint.

As he/she said, a LOT of troops over there are pissed off at the biased nature of the media's Iraq coverage. Among the troops, CNN is commonly known as the Crap News Network. The BBC is, to them, the Bullshit Broadcasting Company.

Now the media is making a big deal over the "change in strategy" thing -- which isn't a big deal at all. Changes in strategy happened in World War II. They happened in Korea. They happened in World War I. In the Civil War. They happen in every war.

But our liberal media is painting it as some kind of admission of failure. It's a load of crap, to be blunt about it.

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