peacenik

wonders for peace and stability in the Middle East. And we all know that our "liberation" of Iraq will make us safer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/22/in...&ex=1051588800

Isn't this great. An Islamic state will make us all so much safer. After all they would never harbor terrorists, and its bound to do great things for women in the Middle East. After all, Iraq, which was the only predominantly Muslim state in the Middle East where women were free to have careers and dress as they choose, will become much more hospitable for women once it becomes an Islamic Republic.

fando

This article shows that the Bush admin and gang were not prepared for the revival of the Shi'a:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Apr22.html

According to it, policy has one-upped intelligence, a classic bungle.

Happy Wonderer

Golly, you can't blame them for not predicting this. After all, when the Shah of Iran fell the country became a secular capitalist democracy, right?

Oh wait, that is an unfair comparision. After all, Iran is dominated by Shiites and large parts of Iraq is dominated by, well, er, Shiites.

Well, you certainly couldn't tell from the names of the opposition groups -- like the SCIRI (Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.) Oh wait, they call themselves Islamic Resistance now. Compare title to text body

hw

Godless Dave

Hey, Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state that treats women like dirt, and they're one of our closest allies! Well, except for the 15 9/11 hijackers who had Saudi passports, but I'm sure there a reasonable explanation for that will come to light whenever the Saudi government gets around to investigating it. And all the Saudi money that goes to Al Qaida will be blocked eventually. And I just know the Saudi government will crack down on all the mullahs inciting violence against Israel any day now. Because the Saudis are our friends! They couldn't possibly be playing both sides!

Optional

I can NOT believe this. How could they POSSIBLY not have realized this was gonna happen?? *I* knew it was gonna happen, and I'm not even close to being a diplomat, how could they not have known??

*sigh* It's easier, sometimes, to think that the people in control are firmly in control, pursuing a different agenda than mine but doing it intelligently. The alternative is that my country is being led be a bunch of f*cking morons. Not only is that scary in and of itself, it says something about the people who are allowing them to lead. I hate it when they prove their own stupidity.

-me

Sci_Fidelity

It would seem that the worst possible outcome (an Islamic theocracy) is preventable only by the second worst- a puppet regime. Either way, we lose in the long run.

If we really intend to bring democracy to Iraq, we have to allow this to occur (unfortunately.) You would think that anyone with half a brain would have realized that the majority is shia, and they are going to vote for one of their own. But since when do Bush et. al. have half a brain?

Cap'n Jack

Its a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situation in the middle east. I doubt that any outcome from the Iraq problem would have been in anyones favour.

Evangelion

Nobody held a gun to America's head and forced her to deal with it.

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

I have no sympathy for the fools in this case.

Gurdur

"Act in haste, repent in leisure"

Evangelion