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| Fifth Column |
| BelmontClub looks at Stratfor Claim of US-Iran deal on Iraq |
| 2007-08-05 |
| Looks like a sort term profit win for this group but a long term loss for the people of the USA. ... Which means that if Iraq is to have a future, it will be determined either by the independent or collaborative actions of the major outside powers -- the United States and Iran. For the past five years those two states have been at odds over Iraq, but over the past several months fleeting clandestine negotiations have turned public and become substantial. Task lists have been drawn up and implemented, with benchmarks established to demonstrate trust and progress. Among those tasks and benchmarks is achieving the buy-in of the various Iraqi factions -- by force if necessary -- with the Iranians responsible for the Shia and the Americans responsible for the Sunnis and Kurds. But not everyone likes what Tehran and Washington are cooking up -- and this leads to various, shall we say, objections. Some powers object by challenging the prime minister, others by threatening secession, yet others by backing Kurdish militants or interfering with military operations. The jihadists object by blowing up cheering soccer fans. ... |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #1 I'm not sure I'd believe Stratfor if they told me the sky was blue. (Remember when they said the capture of Kabul by the Northern Alliance meant that the Taliban had us where they wanted us?) THey do not appear to have any special insight. All they ever do is recycle conventional wisdom--which is often coextensive with wishful thinking among the Realist set. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-08-05 13:50 |