Political Crossfire Forums

[Gilgamesh]

Here's a revealing interview of the American journalist Nir Rosen on Democracy Now. He's the author of the book In the Belly of the Green Bird, an excellent account life outside the Green Zone, he's arguably the most informed American journalist about the reality on the ground Iraq (he even managed to spend some time in Fallujah...after the US army withdrew):



Some of the more interesting statements he makes in this interview:

- "Shias own Iraq now and Sunnis can never get it back...what you're going to see in Iraq is a virtual genocide of the Sunnis, and the Americans are going to be able to stop that."

- "Bush and Maliki are absolutely irrelevant."

- "Virtually every young Shia male in Iraq supports Muqtada Al-Sadr today."

- Describing a surprise appearance of Muqtada at a mosque: "it was like being at a Michael Jackson concert...the crowd just went crazy"

- The Americans are powerless at this point. They can't really distinguish between factions or make any sense of the situation, the US troops mostly kill and harass innocent people.

- Anbar province may eventually join Jordan. Jordan may become destabilized in the process.

- "There's no solution, we've (US) destroyed Iraq"



Here's a long but fascinating account of the civil war in Iraq by Nir Rosen:

Anatomy of a civil war.

[Cal-Pak]

What I find humorous, in a sick demented way, is that Muqtada Al-Sadr is like the poster child of why we invaded Iraq. Now that everyone admits it was not about WMD's.
He is a Shiite. They are the people who Saddam oppressed. They were the people we told to rise up after the first gulf war. And then stood by while Saddam slaughtered them.
His father fought against Saddam. And was eventually killed by him.
Muqtada Al-Sadr has been opposed to Saddam for all his life, and took up the leadership when he father was killed.
He represents what we went to Iraq to liberate.

Now he is most hated man by America in Iraq.
Is that Irony?

[wyldejackyl]

One would think, if Islam is such a peaceful religion, they'd be able to either find a way to get along, or they'd separate into two different areas of the country and be held loosely under some sort of a federal arbitration. They won't do that though. They'll slaughter each other like heathens. I say let them. There's no way to do the right thing, thanks to our idiot president and his lies. You can't quell the unrest you helped to instigate now that the disagreements have been fueled so much. Oh wait..GWB just denies that there's is even a civil war. Kinda like putting your head under the sheets - if you can't see it, it won't hurt you and isn't really there!

[Kilo Tango]

He doesn't sound very informed.

He apparently never heard of the Badr Brigade, the largest shiite group and militia in Iraq and one that opposes al sadr.

[wyldejackyl]

Quick, plame the CIA.

(pun intended)

[Gilgamesh]

Kilo Tango wrote: He doesn't sound very informed.

He apparently never heard of the Badr Brigade, the largest shiite group and militia in Iraq and one that opposes al sadr.


No actually he's well aware of the Badr brigade. He argues that Al-sadr has a great deal more populist appeal and controls more on the ground.

[Gilgamesh]

wyldejackyl wrote: One would think, if Islam is such a peaceful religion, they'd be able to either find a way to get along, or they'd separate into two different areas of the country and be held loosely under some sort of a federal arbitration. They won't do that though. They'll slaughter each other like heathens. I say let them. There's no way to do the right thing, thanks to our idiot president and his lies. You can't quell the unrest you helped to instigate now that the disagreements have been fueled so much. Oh wait..GWB just denies that there's is even a civil war. Kinda like putting your head under the sheets - if you can't see it, it won't hurt you and isn't really there!


It's hard to negotiate your way out of chaos and anarchy.