Iraq: what are the options?

Question

Democracy is a pipe dream in this part of the world

Answer 1

1. Withdraw and let the country fall into anarchy and become a puppet of the Iranian and Syrian governments.

2. Withdraw and let the country fall into civil war and THEN become a puppet of the Iranian and Syrian governments.

3. Keep it in there a while longer and finish the job.

4. Set up a puppet regime run by an iron-fisted dictator, backed up with his own bloody secret police, who tortures, kills, maims, and gasses his people with equal vigor towards all majority and minority groups, sunni, shi-ite, and kurd.

5. Or do what we should do and that is ignore these artificial rules of engagement and start making captured Iraqi insurgents clear the roads of roadside bombs, then torturing them, decapitating them, and tossing them into the river. After all terror works best when you start terrorizing the terrorists. I would also set up roving death squads to publicly execute insurgents so as to leave no doubt that they will be dealt with severely. But since most of this suggestion violates international law and human rights, its a pipe-dream.

6. Continue doing what we do indefinitely until the Iraqi army can stand on its own two feet and successfully recruit LOYAL troops and use them to keep the peace.

Answer 2

* Continue trying to install a pro-American, multi-cultural democracy. Remaining embroiled in a nasty civil war until that goal is accomplished (possibly forever).

* Try to install a multi-cultural democracy with the help of the UN and regional powers. The coalition, and possibly some blue-helmets, would thus remain embroiled in the same nasty civil war until the goal is accomplished. (See Kosovo and Somalia, for possible outcomes).

* Pull out precipitously: Cut the funding and bring the troops home. The most likely result would be an eventual Shiite victory in a much, much bloodier (but shorter) civil war, and the estabilishment of a pro-Iranian Theocratic government.

* ('Iraqize the war:' Train and equip the Iraqi army so they can 'take over security duities,' and pull out slowly as they become more capable. Since the 'Iraqi army' is made up of the same factions as the rest of Iraq, this is basically the same plan as a precipitous pull out, just with better equipped and trained combatants in the ensuing civil war.

* Partition: Divide the nation into three autonomous zones - Kurdish North, Shiite South, and everyone else (mostly Sunnis) in the middle. Tacitly allow 'ethnic cleansing' in each zone. Would result in a pro-US 'Iraqi Kurdistan' (and annoy Iran & Turkey, since they have Kurdish sepratist problems of thier own), a pro-Al Qaeda Central Iraq, and a pro-Iranian Shiite Southern Iraq.

* Pacify the country: Increase troop levels and adopt draconian rules of engagement to purge the country of terrorists, insurgents, malitias and thier 'sypathizers.' The result would be a return to the level of oppression seen in Saddam's day, just as a de-facto US protectorate rather than as a beligerant fascist state.

Answer 3

Maybe now, but not forever. The generation growing up in Iraq has a good chance of accepting it, those who have lived their lives their probably won't.

Are you telling me they would rather have a strict dictatorship instead of democracy? Does that make any sense at all?

Answer 4

you see merv democracy in that part of the world does not work the way were trying to do it or our idiot in chief is trying to do it every thing we tried to do in the middle east has failed because democracy does not come from man or rules they come from Allah or the Koran there holy book so if we under stand that then things may get better we cant impose rules on them or democracy the way we want it will never work

Answer 5

You are so right. The clerics want to continue influence over business and culture and the diversity of the different factions are not reaching compromise. It will take time for the people to see their role on society because the leadership they are used to is a dictatorship. A dicktatership is hard to forget.

Answer 6

George....
If democracy comes from the Koran, why are they so screwed up over there?
( if I followed your comment correctly)

Answer 7

Thats your opinion,not mine

Answer 8

ATOM BOMB