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| Iraq |
| Time to make the Iraqi people our allies? |
| 2003-03-27 |
| Kanan Makiya, a leading Iraqi exile, and professor at Brandeis University, asks why the coalition is not utilizing the Iraqi opposition. He calls for the destruction of Iraqi television, and explains why the Iraqi people are afraid to rise against the regime. |
| Posted by:Liberalhawk |
| #12 LH - Isn't that what I said? "There are still too many Hussein goons out there, and not enough organization to deal with them. I'd bet large bills on there being Coalition Special Forces units in Baghdad working with the local population to respond, at the right time, against the Republican Guard and other Baath party targets." The special forces people are working with the indigenous population, training people to take out Hussein's "fedayin goon squad" as soon as the military folks are ready to make a concerted attack on the main military folks. The one thing we don't want in this situation is a repeat of the "Polish uprising", where the Russians encouraged the Poles (mostly Jews) in Warsaw to stage a rebellion, then waited outside the city for the Germans to crush it before attacking. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-03-27 17:56:41 |
| #11 "...in WW2 some Americans found De Gaulle far too prickly. The Brits worked with him much better." Liberalhawk: Churchill detested de Gaulle (I don't think that's putting it too strongly). One of his famous quotes was: "I know that every man must bear his cross, but why must mine be the Cross of Lorraine?", and I've heard variants describing De Gaulle as the "heaviest cross" he bore during the war. Plus ca change... |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-27 17:04:16 |
| #10 Of course letting the French keep their pride after WWII may not have been the best long-term thing to do... |
| Posted by: someone 2003-03-27 16:24:34 |
| #9 Is this something going around today? Is this something going around today? |
| Posted by: FredFred 2003-03-27 15:39:46 |
| #8 oops double post - the latter has a minor edit. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-27 15:19:37 |
| #7 This is what he says: Makiya:The coalition needs the Iraqi opposition--Iraqis who can sneak into the cities and help organize other Iraqis, men from the same families and social networks that hold these places together, who know how to communicate with their entrapped brethren, who can tell them why this time Saddam is finished, and who are able to root out his cronies when they try to melt away into the civilian population. LH: You see Old P, this is about HOW we deal with the goons - its a suggestion that we use not only US and British Special Forces, but that we use IRAQIS to help us reach the local population. Makiya:One cannot liberate a people--much less facilitate the emergence of a democracy--without empowering the people being liberated. Did not a Free France need its wartime resistance to help, partially at least, redeem the nation's sense of self-respect and honor, as De Gaulle demonstrated when he rode into Paris? It is a million times easier for an Iraqi soldier to join his fellow Iraqis in rebellion than it is to surrender his arms in humiliation to a foreigner. LH: This makes alot of sense to me. Of course in WW2 some Americans found De Gaulle far too prickly. The Brits worked with him much better. I think they may be better at this sort of subtle thing than us impatient, goal oriented Yanks. Makiya: To date, however, my meetings with administration officials have given me the impression that some quarters of Washington are at war with Saddam Hussein and others are at war with the Iraqi National Congress. LH: Yeah, notably the CIA and the State Department, like their Saudi friends. This is very much about what kind of Iraq emerges from the war - soft authoritarian state or a democracy - the "pro-stability" crowd seems frightened of democracy - we left the Iraqi people in the lurch in 1991 because we wanted a military coup, not a popular uprising. The focus on decapitation and negotiations with the Republican Guard gives me the impression the same concerns continue. Its time we had the courage of our democratic convictions. Makiya: The administration still adamantly refuses to let the Iraqi opposition activate our networks to make the fighting easier for the coalition in the cities, towns, and villages. Why? LH:As far as I can tell this question is still unanswered. Our senior people are afraid of the post-war squabbling - well, thats what democracy is all about, squabbling - they are putting at risk the lives of our troops and of anti-Saddam Iraqis in their concern to have an easy transition and to avoid democratic squabbling. Its time the people of the Middle East got used to democratic squabbling. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-27 15:18:30 |
| #6 Prof. Makiya has been active in the Iraqi opposition for some time, and has been a strong and articulate advocate for US intervention. I think his advice is worth considering. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-27 15:06:50 |
| #5 If the INC is brought in they will start squabble for power. Its better for the US to keep control of things, perhaps with help from the Iraqi masses. I don't see why the US doesn't start broadcasting in Arabic on the same frequency as Iraqi tv and convince the population and the Iraqi military to rise up. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-03-27 14:54:01 |
| #4 It's too soon, yet. There are still too many Hussein goons out there, and not enough organization to deal with them. I'd bet large bills on there being Coalition Special Forces units in Baghdad working with the local population to respond, at the right time, against the Republican Guard and other Baath party targets. It's not a good time to be a Baath party member right now... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-03-27 14:13:42 |
| #3 A better question would be: Time for the Iraqi people to become our allies? It's their country. And what is Professor Makiya doing other than giving us advice? |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-03-27 14:06:39 |
| #2 Of course letting the French keep their pride after WWII may not have been the best long-term thing to do... |
| Posted by: someone 3/27/2003 4:24:34 PM |
| #1 Prof. Makiya has been active in the Iraqi opposition for some time, and has been a strong and articulate advocate for US intervention. I think his advice is worth considering. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 3/27/2003 3:06:50 PM |