Do you know if the war in Iraq is making America safer? If so, how can you possibly know?

Question

General Petraeus says he does not know, so if he doesn't know, how can anyone else know? How can America be expected to support the mission if the guy in charge of carrying it out does not if it will work?

From Reuters:

Warner asked if the general's recommendations would make the United States safer -- a reference to Bush's argument that Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism.

"Sir, I don't know, actually," Petraeus replied, saying he was concentrating on his military mission in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070911/ts_nm/iraq_dc

Answer 1

Well, General Petraus may not be particularly well positioned to answer in the negative here.

However, when you ask other military professionals and other regional experts, you get only one answer.

We can say with some certainty that it's not making us safer.

What it effectively has done is to do several things simultaneously.

1. It has been ruinous to our economy, which increases the likelyhood we will have to default on our debt or otherwise be in a position where other states will do as China did in March , and strategically buy up our debt over long timeframes and then suddenly "dump" it to harm us economically. This costs jobs and business and devalue our currency just as if it was a physical bomb on Wall Street, and does so almost imperceptably to the American people.

2. To my understanding almost all of the directly affected services, Marines, Army and National Guard are extremely overtaxxed, understrength and generally demoralized, this stems directly from this Administration's abusive overextension of our forces without institution of a draft or placing the nation on a wartime footing, this disrespect the professional commitment our voulenteer professional soldiers, and will take years if not decades to recover to pre-war levels.

3. It has provided the best possible training environment for insurgency across the middle east. To suggest that Saudi militants or Iranian militias or Yemeni's or whomever decides to perform Jihad in Iraq, should they survive will be more able and ready to commit further acts of violence both in Iraq and in other countries throughout the world.

4. We have taken our eyes nearly fully and completely off of the threat of actual international terrorism, Al-Qaeda and other groups still operate with a nearly free hand in Indonesia, Malaysia , and the Wahiri and Pastun section of Pakistan and Afghanistan - still.

5. There is strong evidence to suggest that it is probably the case that Al-Qaeda may have aquired either the know-how or are in the posession of limited nuclear capability (whether this is a weapon-grade bomb , a hiroshima type device or "just" a dirty bomb is unknown).

6. There is an antipathy towards colaboration with nation-states which are vital towards our interests, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Iran, Turkmenistan , Pakistan and Syria all could be doing quite a bit more to assist our intelligence services but to some extent these governments are compromised by elements which are more than a little sympathetic to Islamic extremists who mean us harm.

7. Probably fatally for the nation of Iraq, the middle class and trade classes of Iraq are leaving in droves. So were some magical wand to be waved and a peacable occupation were to commence, it would take that country decades or centuries to effectively recover , all the oil money in the world will not help them at a certain point.

Eventually we will leave, either because we have to
- due to a more relevant/pressing military concern
- domestic economic concerns
- military ineffectiveness - due to continued attrition
- a regional stablization force is formed to replace US forces.
- a state of non-catastrophic status-quo is formed, which we can call victory and draw down our forces.

Or some combination of the above.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Here is the problem, is we don't really know except what we are told in the press.

After working in the business of news for a decade, I came to the stark realization that in many cases, what is reality and what we are told are two different animals.

The ignorance on these pages and throughout the western press about the country I now live in is borderline criminal.

Therefore, when it comes to an honest assessment of a county and situation, probably the worst place to go is our government followed very closely by the press. Because the press, in their lazy incompetent under funded ways are reporting pretty much what the government is saying.

Back in the Waler Cronkite era, where he was regarded as one of the most honest people in America - news has now morphed into nothing more then tabloid journalism.

There are ways to get honest unbiased news, but they are small independents that don't print word for word AP and Reuters and can think for themselves. The Christian Science Monitor is one, but years ago, because of budget constraints, even they are not doing such a good job anymore.

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As far as the general, his answer was a cop out. He should have simply told the truth and said that the USA is probably in more danger because of the increase of those that hate us because of these wars.

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As far as the excuse we are fighting terrorists over there and not here is the most inhuman reason I can think of. We went to war with one innocent country to put their people in danger and another country that at best had a very distant relationship with the perps who slamed their planes into the WTC. That is the most selfish reason I can think of. No wonder the world has lost respect for us and pretty much hate what our government stands for. Thank god that hatred doesn't spill over to the American people who are unusually highly regarded almost world wide.

Signed, an ex pat from the USA living in the heart of China.

Peace

Jim

.

Answer 4

Allowing a radical group that wants death to America go on unabated doesn't make the USA safer. It didn't in the 70's any more than it does today. If they're upset that we're fighting back and it's making more scum terrorists, that's life. No American should be blackmailed into submission for fear of more terrorists.

And, the General's job is not to decide whether the war in Iraq is making the USA safer. That was a just liberal talking point in the making.

That's strange, RKO, war brought peace to the USA and Japan.

Answer 5

I don't know. I do know that Saddam had to go. And I do know that we cannot and should not just abandon all of those people before we stabilize their government. Is that even possible considering how backwards they have been for so long... I don't know.

I do know that Iran wants Iraq as a stepping stone to Europe to assist the implementation of the caliphate (Eurabia) and I do know that terrorist groups would love to have Iraq as a safe haven to train for, stage and fund further attacks.

Overall… I do know that I would rather it all be over there than over here.

Answer 6

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, millions of American men joined the U.S. military to defend our country.

Since Iraq was attacked, millions of men have joined AlQaeda to defend their country.

Hatred begets hatred.
War does NOT bring peace.
War begets more war.
Guns don't kill people - cowards kill people.

As the Dali Lama said in a recent magazine interview: "The use of the power of the gun is a sign of weakness."*

Are we safer? Definitely NOT!!! -RKO- 09/11/07

Answer 7

The war in Iraq can NOT make us less strong, unless we do what the Left wants and GIVE UP AGAIN!
Bush has managed it poorly, but even with his screw-ups, it keeps them busy planning to defeat us there instead of attacking us here.
When we QUIT it will give them more free time to plan attacks over here.
We MUST keep hammering them harder and harder until Islam finds it in their best interest to put an end to terrorism on their own.

Answer 8

I do not know whether the invasion of Iraq could make America safer but I do know that the invasion made Bush richer. Need there be more reasons.

Answer 9

The blow back from invading Iraq and stealing their oil and threatening Iran may actually worsen the situation. If they didn't hate you before...the whole middle east do now.

I am sure Al Quada has no problems in recuiting now.

Answer 10

patraeus says we've done a little better the past 5 weeks.