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2005-10-24 Iraq

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Posted by Dan Darling 2005-10-24 13:33|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm, Sweden?
What do they teach there? How to stay neutral and play both ends against the middle? Seeing how they haven't been in a war since about 1815 and all...

Posted by tu3031 2005-10-24 13:58|| 2005-10-24 13:58|| Front Page Top

#2 "As long as there are Americans in Iraq, Islamists will want to go and fight them," said Dia'a Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Muslim militant groups.

shhh..don't tell them that that's the idea.

Posted by 2b 2005-10-24 14:08|| 2005-10-24 14:08|| Front Page Top

#3 Actually tu they sent a military medical unit with the Coalition in Gulf War I. First foreign deployment since 1815.

Posted by Slomble Ulolung9962 2005-10-24 14:24|| 2005-10-24 14:24|| Front Page Top

#4 The Swedes provided a good number of combat troops and aircraft for the UN operations in the Congo in the early 1960's and saw some fighting. They were working in conjunction with the Indians and the Irish in actual peace-making instead of useless peace-keeping. That was the last time the UN was ever effective IMHO.

Posted by buwaya 2005-10-24 14:39|| 2005-10-24 14:39|| Front Page Top

#5 "...some U.S. commanders say the Iraqis need 18 months to two years before they can fight the insurgency unaided."

That is *not* what was said. They journos weren't listening. The general very carefully phrased it, and what he actually suggested was that it would take the Iraqis from 18 months to two years to fight a conventional defensive war.

All the difference in the world.

Fighting terrorists is peanuts. Being able to fight a conventional defensive war against Iran (since there is no one else in the area who is belligerent), is a major, major accomplishment.

If they can do *that* in 18 months to two years, then the US military will have accomplished the miraculous. Not impossible, but miraculous. And I would suggest they intend to do just that.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-10-24 16:52|| 2005-10-24 16:52|| Front Page Top

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