Why is every one calling the situation in Iraq a war?

Question

The war ended years ago when Saddam was toppled. Our commitment in Iraq now is to establish law and order, at which we are failing.
We are failing because we do not have enough troops committed to secure the borders and maintain civil order. Prior to the invasion, the military advised the White House that a force of serveral hundred thousand men would be needed to install law and order in Iraq. That advice was ignored because it would have required reintatement of the draft.
If the crime rate increases in your city, do your hire more police or abandon the town? Our troop level in Iraq is only about 130,000 men, which is far short of the 500,000 men Saddam needed to secure Iraq.
So, the question is: If the police force in your city was doubled, would your city be safer or more violent? Think about it.

I don't get starchy with anyone. LOL. Powell is correct. And the Powell doctrine predicted the current situation in Iraq. His own suggestion was a force of overwhelming power to settle Iraq.

Colen Powell for president in 08. :-)

A civil war will erupt anywhere when there isn't enough of a stablizing force to prevent it.

Answer 1

Your absolutely correct in stating that to call what we are doing a war is a misnomer. If anything it is an attempt at marshal law, and it is one that is failing dismally. I suppose people employ the term “war” because it is easier to say that than marshal law, or maintaining the peace. War, in the popular consciousness, has become synonymous with any armed conflict with inhabitants of a foreign nation. So it doesn’t matter whether it is a peace-keeping mission, an all out invasion, or a patrolling of an area, we all categorize it under the banner of war. Many times the common usage of terms doesn’t comport with the textbook definitions of them.

The arrogance of this administration from the very get go, where they willfully ignored the advice of seasoned military generals and think tanks as to the necessary man power required to maintain order, is a mentality that very much pervades the Bush Whitehouse today. All news outlets have just reported the publication of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan research team that is to fairly and impartially assess how the Iraq situation is doing. The Iraq Study Group just made their findings public and addressed the President about their findings. Now keep in mind one of George Bush’s father’s key allies, Jim Baker, makes up one of the major heads of this team. Yet even this close political ally, being a part of an investigation into the Iraqi conflict, could not put a positive spin on the Iraqi predicament. It is just that stark that not even a well intended friend could spin it in an optimistic way. The gist of the reported stated that violence against troops, and numerous sectarian conflicts are escalating with no sign of letting up. The humanitarian crisis is getting more dreadful every day. Baker, in his own words stated that this “Stay the Course” mentality will not do.

This BIPARTISAN commission was far harsher on Bush’s handling of the war, than even his most vehement democratic detractors. This is how bad things are over there. Yet even with that stated Bush’s only response, was that we will take the Iraq Study group’s suggestions seriously. Not that he will HEED their suggestions; just that he will take them into consideration.

I honestly think Bush and his cohorts are so full of hubris that if God all mighty came down and told him to rethink his approach to Iraq, Bush would rebuke him.

Would the nation be better off with increased troop levels at the suggested range of 400,000 to 500,000 troops? I think it would greatly neutralize much of the conflict we have today in that country, just as a doubling of the police force in a city would also have similar results in any crime ridden area in America. However, I would like to offer one caveat to that suggestion. It takes more than increased manpower to quell internal conflict and rebellion in a foreign country. It takes a keen understanding of the culture of that country. That is something that Bush and his minions, in their foolhardy attempt to be the cowboys of the Middle East, never took into account. The Iraqi population, and the Middle Eastern culture in general, is made of a spirited people that are not easily broken or swayed from tribal loyalty. Conquerors have learned this lesson all too painfully throughout history. Its sad that any kid who takes a freshmen level college course on World History can grasp this simple fact, but the Bush administration, which should be comprised of learned men and women, seem absolutely oblivious to this fact.

Answer 2

Do I accept as true with a statistic? That's an excessively foolish query. My reply is "no", I do not think that unlawful extraterrestrial beings are killing precisely 12 Americans an afternoon. The reality is that all of us got here from different nations at first, until you're a Native American, and who're we to place legislation on who else can come and prosper right here? The humorous factor is that an terrible lot of those Republican anti-immigration nutjobs are professing to be Christians, and what would be extra rightious than telling folks to stick in thier possess impoverished nation, undergo, and die in order that we will be able to have a little bit extra elbow room. If you're significantly involved that illegals are killing extra of those "rightful" Americans than this needless and greed fueled struggle why do not you advocate some thing wise, like preventing the struggle and spending the billions of bucks that grow to be in Haliburtons wallet on solving our poverty main issue via growing jobs and investment methods for whoever wishes to be a effective facet of our society.

Answer 3

Technically, yeah. But I'd say that's more a matter of semantics. Calling what's going on in Iraq a "war" or a "situation" or a "civil war" or an "insurgency" doesn't change the basic situation (heh).

I agree with everything you've said about this. If we want a stable Iraq, it's going to take a lot of time, money and troops.

Answer 4

We are failing because Iraq is in the middle of a civil war. You cannot establish stability when two halves of a whole don't agree. And before you get starchy with me about the phrase Civil War, Colin Powell said that Iraq IS in the middle of a Civil War. Since he is a former general, I am betting he knows what a civil war is...

Answer 5

EXACTLY man. The war ended when we took Iraq, now were trying to maintain it, NOW its an occupation. Even the Democrats can see that! (The ones in Congress anyway) Theyre thinking about reinstating the draft for Iraq becuase they know its not about war anymore, its about numbers and policing the Iraqis. They need to either reinstate the draft with a set time when it will end (that might be changed later on if needed) or they need to convert the MOS's not being used to 31B (Military Police) and put them in Iraq.

Good to see someone else out there gets it

Answer 6

Iraq is a war, a civil war at this point, and if Mr. Gates doesn't have a better idea than the current one we are royally butt-diddled, and here's a question: why is everyone comparing this to world war three, when in WWII we lost over 200k soldiers, or something like that, and in this war we've only lost about 3k......think about it.

Answer 7

You illegally invaded a country on a false premise. Just because you didn't like their politics. Just like the US always does. Get out of Iraq and law and order will work itself out. Or is the US to stupid to work that out.

I do not see the connection between more police and invading another country and expecting its citizens just to sit their and take it on the chin. If you invaded my country their likewise would be resistance, just as their was the French Resistance to the Nazi's in WW2.

The question is who is next on the US hit list??????

Answer 8

I perfer The Daily Show's "Mess-O-Potamia"

We still have not learned our lessons from Vietnam. This kind of war cannot be won with weapons. We need to explain ourselves, and try to win minds.

Answer 9

As long as there are people in that country shooting at and blowing up our military, I'd say it is a war.

Answer 10

We call it war because the govt is still sending soldiers to Iraq .... and many americans soldiers are dying....... death + spending money on iraq + weapons = war.