[Dean's World] Dave Price: Maliki vs. Militias

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Maliki vs. Militias
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1160494854.shtml


   It appears the Iraqi government is [1]becoming increasingly serious
   about cracking down on the Shia militias. Some had said this would
   never happen, which I suppose we can add to the long list of predicted
   failures (Iraqis want a theocracy, Iraqis won't vote, Iraqis can't
   form a coalition government) in Iraq that never materialized.
   Interesting tidbit here:

     In a first step, officials said Tuesday that all security
     checkpoints in Baghdad would soon be manned by an equal number of
     Shiite and Sunni Arab troops to ensure the security forces do not
     allow sectarian attacks.
     Al-Maliki's overall plan called for the creation of local
     Shiite-Sunni committees that will oversee policing in each district
     of Baghdad, reporting back to a Central Committee for Peace and
     Security to coordinate with the security forces and the prime
     minister.

   They really do seem to be trying to create some trust and cooperation
   between sects. This particular plan may or may not work out as hoped,
   but ultimately if the will is there, as it appears to be, a way will
   be found.
   Back here in the U.S., [2]some in the media are now totally invested,
   emotionally and politically, in declaring Iraq as not just lost but
   irretrievable, but they tend to remind me of coverage of the [3]Tet
   Offensive, in that when one looks at the actual facts of what has
   happened it becomes clear that our major objectives (removal of the
   Saddamists and the establishment of a relatively free and democratic
   Iraq, and training the ISF to handle security) are being achieved
   while the enemies' are not.

     The Tết Offensive can be considered a crushing military defeat
     for the Communist forces, as neither the Viet Cong nor the North
     Vietnamese army achieved any of their tactical goals. Furthermore,
     the operational cost of the offensive was dangerously high, with
     the Viet Cong essentially crippled by the huge losses inflicted by
     South Vietnamese and other Allied forces. Nevertheless, the
     Offensive is widely considered a turning point of the war in
     Vietnam, with the NLF and PAVN winning an enormous psychological
     and propaganda victory... The Tết Offensive is frequently seen as
     an example of the value of propaganda, media influence and popular
     opinion in the pursuit of military objectives.

   Tet is an important lesson for Americans that should never be
   forgotten: while a free society should have an open debate on all
   issues, it's vitally important to recognize what statements are
   reckless, feckless defeatist tripe, as failure to properly apprehend
   reality can lead to self-inflicted defeat, with terrible consequences
   for all involved.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061010/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_061008194021;_ylt=ApU02VC6vPzfvlVfLatobAFX6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
   2. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23972_5054472,00.html
   3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_offensive