Iraq in a nutshell.

[Capn Amerika]

The problem with Iraq is that a military junta did not emerge after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The U.S. needed an authoritarian regime(read dictatorship)to fill the power vacuum. This talk about splitting the country into three districts is shear nonsense.

One, the Kurds will never gain independence. Turkey will never allow that. Remember during the drive to Baghdad in '03 the Turks where chomping at the bit to invade northern Iraq? They hate the Kurds and have their own problem with Kurdish factions within Turkey itself. Turkey will never allow an independent Kurdish state.

Two, a Shia autonomous region is also out of the question, it would basically become a puppet realm of Iran. The southern Shia area of Iraq would control the ports, so in turn, would also control the flow of oil from Iraq through the Persian Gulf. U.S., Saudis, Kuwaitis ain't gonna let that happen.

Three, the central Sunni region, well we all know why that ain't gonna happen, Saddam loyalist and Baathist party members would be empowered again and control Baghdad.

So, in a nutshell what the U.S. wanted for Iraq was another Saddam, a Saddam Lite if you will. In the absence of that the U.S. is willing to stand by until one emerges. In the mean time the genocide that was started with the first Gulf War and Bush the senior will continue. After all, a war of attrition is a waiting game. And U.S. public opinion? They don't give a shit about that.

[pnorman]

1. They now have Saddamism, but WITHOUT the secular state,

and WITHOUT the OIL!

pnorman

[Capn Amerika]

2. I don't think Saddam was ever as cruel to his own people.

The U.S. has destroyed far more lives than Saddam ever did. Right, I know, I'm not even going to preface this with the usual, "Saddam was a brutal dictator... blah, blah, blah" routine. I shouldn't have to, we are supposed to be better than that.