Why the Iraqis keep fighting: From a soldiers perspective

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/030407/opinions_20070304023.php

A soldier looks at the war in Iraq

You asked me to put together some thoughts on my experience in Iraq. First, Iraq is a very complex nation with huge differences between regions and locations. The experience of one battalion can be completely different from the experience of another next to it. Every area is different. My views reflect my very narrow vantage point after less than 12 months in a tiny corner of a very large country.

Bottom line up front: I do not believe that we are winning in Iraq. This is not because we screwed up or because we lack the will, the leadership or the resources to win. I think we have thousands of smart, brave and talented people who are giving everything they have to make us successful. I think the American people have given us their very best sons and daughters and more than enough money and equipment to achieve our goals. Despite this, it is clear that our current strategy is not likely to produce a secure, stable and democratic state in the Middle East. I don't know who is to blame for this and I don't really think it matters. Since we are spending the blood and treasure of the American people at an unprecedented rate, we owe it to our nation to figure out a strategy that has some hope of success or to find an alternative end state that protects our long term interest. I don't know what that strategy is, but I can offer some insights from my limited experience. This may help those smarter than me to sort out what might work from what won't work. snip

This may seem like a minor difference in viewpoint, but I think it is extremely important. Every region is different, but if a unit goes into Iraq with a focus on killing bad guys, they will find more than enough bad guys to kill. After a year, their region will be as bad as or worse than it was when they arrived. On the other hand, if they focus on waging a political campaign that builds relationships with key opinion makers, and tips public opinion in their favor, they will start to see real, permanent change. Sitting down and eating goat with a prominent and respected sheik can be more valuable than a hundred midnight raids. snip

Enemy motivation

During the course of the year, I had the chance to talk to a few leaders from the Mahdi militia and a few jihadists from the Sunni side. What amazed me about these guys is the total lack of any collective, long-term vision about why they are fighting us. There is no practical end state that they are trying to achieve. The radicals from both camps are absolutely convinced that they are under obligation from Allah to kill non-Muslims who occupy Arab lands regardless of the long-term consequences for their country. There is no amount of practical reasoning that will change this viewpoint. We have invested millions of dollars in public works projects in some towns to improve the lives of the people, only to see citizens from those same towns attack and, in some cases, kill our soldiers. This is not rational behavior.

I believe that the majority of the insurgents fight us because they want the prestige and respect that other Muslims in their history and in neighboring countries have obtained by fighting foreign occupation. This reality should impact our national policy and our expectations. We have to accept the inconvenient fact that there will always be a significant level of insurgency in Iraq so long as non-Muslim troops occupy the country. No amount of political settlement or economic development will change that. This is something that our Congress and our administration have to come to terms with. Unfortunately, I don't have any brilliant ideas on how to deal with this, but I am convinced that the insurgency in Iraq will not end one day before the last American soldier leaves the country. This is a reality that we must accept and must plan for.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Bush's whole strategy, unfortunately,

is to "kill the bad guys", which is one reason this whole thing is a mess. The other reason is that we are invaders-and the Iraqis, like the Vietnamese before them and the American colonials before them--want foreigners off their soil. Only difference this time is the thin veil of Islam--but I would venture to say if Iraq was overrun by Turks, they would fight just as vigorously as they do now.

[GreenZoneLT]

2. A lot of it is very rational, culturally based

In Arab families, you are either a highly respected patriarch, or to a greater or lesser degree a dependent. If your clan is on top, you get ALL the graft, all the educational opportunities, all the good jobs. If your clan is not on top, you get shoes in the face and pick garbage.

If you're a clan leader or a hotblooded young man proud of his clan, and your quite well-founded belief is that your fight will determine whether your family is prosperous or destitute, you're gonna keep setting off bombs. There is a sizable religious-fanatic element, but I don't know if that's most of it.

The Americans, I think, are a target in large part because we're in the way of the civil war. They want us gone so they can get down to determining who's going to own Iraq -- the Saddam-friendly Sunni tribes who did it for decades, or somebody else.

[Toots]

3. Remember how Kerry was hammered for saying we should talk with the Iraqi people?

Kerry basically said everything tis person has said and was scoffed at by the USA and Bush* was once again anointed emperor...Talking to one's adversary shows weakness by GOP standards..How in the hell did they ever get anyone in America to pay any attention to them is totally beyond me...