Attempts to disrupt the election continue. They will no doubt continue after the election as well. Attempting to establish democracy in Iraq is a dubious enterprise, as I have long noted; not because the Iraqis are somehow less capable of it than other people, as the President has occasionally charged his opponents on this issue with believing, but because Islam is inherently political, and from its inception has contained a mandate for the governance of states. Modern-day jihad terrorism was not born when the US entered Iraq, or when Khomeini took over in Iran, or when Israel was founded, or when any number of other events took place that are now fashionable to point to as the root cause. In fact, the first modern jihadist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the father of Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and other groups, was founded in the late 1920s as a response to the abolition of the caliphate in Turkey in 1924.
This in itself should be enough to show people that political Islam, which was largely embodied before that in the caliphate (which in turn stretched in all its permutations back to the time of Muhammad), has been a constant of history; it is not a new invention and will not disappear no matter how much the United States changes its policies in Iraq or elsewhere. The ongoing attempts to disrupt the Iraqi elections can only be fully understood in this light.
From AP, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
BAGHDAD, Iraq – An al-Qaida-linked suicide bomber blew up his vehicle Monday near cars waiting to enter the Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraq's interim government, killing 13 Iraqis on the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein's capture.As insurgents continued to step up attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces ahead of next month's elections, the country's interim president said Washington was wrong for dismantling Iraq's security forces, including its 350,000-strong army, after last year's invasion.
"Definitely dissolving the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior was a big mistake," Ghazi al-Yawer told British Broadcasting Corp. radio, saying it would have been more effective to screen out former regime loyalists than to rebuild from scratch.
He added: "As soon as we have efficient security forces that we can depend on, we can see the beginning of the withdrawal of forces from our friends and partners. And I think it doesn't take years, it will take months."
U.S. military commanders, however, say American forces will be in Iraq for several years.
Commanders have said troop numbers will rise from 138,000 to 150,000 before the Jan. 30 national elections, which many Iraqis fear could be targeted by militants opposed to the occupation and bent on derailing the political process.
UPDATE: And again: "Seven killed in another blast in Baghdad."
If the musulmans weren't worried that Iraq might actually become a liberal democracy, they wouldn't be trying to disrupt the election - why bother?
Of course, it can go the other way too, and Iraq may become Yet Another Arab Theocracy. Anyway, I'll be following the situation with great interest.
Ever notice how the media and the pundits talk about every failed reason for the Iraq war but the real one - namely, it was a low-hanging fruit in the west's resolve in taking arms against jihad. This was i believe from the start the tacit rationale behind the Iraq war.
To insurrect in the heart of the Mideast what the jihadis fear most - freedom and its close companion openess (and thus, truth).
Vietnam revisited!
Been there, (can't say 'done it 'cause I could never get over it...) not quite over just yet...
Don't worry, I don't need counselling, Life goes on...
And of course: Iraq WILL become another Islamic cesspool, what else?
Shalom
Terminator:
Do you mean to suggest that Iraq wasn't an Islamic cesspoll prior to the US-led invasion?
Yes, this will be a long, drawn-out slog. But wasn't WW II?
Although the number of troops will be increasing so too are the number of US marines who need councelling.
I was reading that one of them hung himself and others are finding it hard to cope with activities like:
1) Childrens throwing grenedes at marines.
2) Insurgents firing from behind women & childrens.
3) US refuses to provide additional armour plating on Humvees.
Ofcourse in either of these scenarios the marines have to do "the right thing" and ehhhh... they are finding it hard going.
I heard that the US are flying 17 Physologists out to Iraq as a number of marines cannot cope with what they see or are subjected to.
Also Rummy was being grilled as to why the US cannot provide metal plates to weld on their humvees to prevent (some) injury from IEDs.
Rummy says... we are spending over
$4 billion/month and cannot afford everything.....now come on what more important...Arabic school books or Metal plating...Rummy should know that an extra pair of socks is no protection against IEDs.
Personally I think that democracy maybe possible in Iraq...but that it may take a couple of decades...the questions are:
1) "Are you willing to (spend $4Billion/month) become bankcrupt doing it".
2) IS this a vision that you want to leave your childrens?" Think about all the manufacturing going to China, all the IT going to India...all you are gonna be left with is a service industry and weapons producytion. "
Naseem:
Ever contemplated the costs of leaving regimes like Saddam's and Iran's in place, monetarily and in human terms? (It doesn't seem as though you ever visit JW's sister site, DhimmiWatch, which carries news of the travesties the mullahs have been perpetrating against the Iranian people since the Shah was deposed. You really ought to check DW out too.)
The shame of it all is that Saddam wasn't deposed in '93 and that this time out the French, Russians and Chinese accepted graft from Saddam while voting against the invasion at the Security Council. They helped Saddam cling to power and rearm. This same gang has also given succour to the mullahs next door who have certainly contributed to the "resistance" in Iraq.
These days I find it increasingly difficult to work out how the left still find it in themselves to blame the mounting death toll in Iraq on the US and Britain. We declared an end to all major operations last year, the insurgents (nowadays mostly foreigners, and iraqi sunnis) are the only ones keeping the fighting alive. The shias are sitting around waiting for the elections (even Porky pig Al Sadr), and most iraqis just want all the violence to stop, and us to fuck off (which ain't gonna happen while these dimwited, jawas keep blowing up civilians, and firing their spud-guns at our troops. We'll be sodding off a hell of a lot quicker if they'd give up and get the hell out of Iraq (but they no it will be a huge victory for us if they do, and they can't stand the thought of that).
They alone are responsible for the continued fighting, we're just retaliating and doing what must be done.
Finally, after 3 weeks I can sign in. It took a Windows update to allow it. If anyone else is having problems, try an update. I'm so excited about signing in I don't know what to say.
Here's a movie trailer from 1965, I found it interesting.
http://mp.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1132733&mid=5352&_AOLFORM=w656.h390.p7.R1