Article

2008-02-04 Iraq

What America's declining casualties reveal

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Posted by anonymous5089 2008-02-04 07:14|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 It is time to note the very important lessons learned from the Iraq war and occupation:

1) Using the nation, and areas and cities within, as a "roach motel" to attract foreign insurgents. This reduced conflicts in perhaps 10 countries to just one, with their insurgents fighting our troops in a place of our choosing, instead of attacking our civilians in the West, in our nations.

2) Every part of Iraq we rebuilt from scratch works a hundred times better than the parts we tried to salvage from the old regime. It was a terrible error to allow Iraq to keep its French-based legal system, instead of the far superior Common law based one, and to allow it to create its own constitution, instead of imposing one on them, in the manner of MacArthur in Japan.

3) It is yet unknown if the idealized economic system imposed by J. Paul Bremer will have the dramatic effect of making Iraq into a first world nation. This will take 10-20 more years to find out. But if so, Iraq will become so economically powerful that it will dominate much of the far side of the planet.

4) Hearts and minds was critical to the occupation. This was accomplished by numerous low-level military personnel under the guidance of a master counter-insurgency General. Unfortunately, we tried to use a "stabilization" General before Iraq was ready, which delayed victory for a year. Unlucky him.

5) By having the military directly disperse funds at a low level for reconstruction projects, efficiency was improved by a factor or two. This, despite bitter protests by Washington bureaucrats about these monies not being carefully accounted for, and passing through their control and discretion. Screw them. The military used these funds with the precision and timeliness of an epee.

6) We severely underestimated the number and type of prisons needed in Iraq, as well as the need for swift justice by the Iraqi equivalent of military tribunals, instead of traditional courts.

7) The use of civilian police criminal information and data mining software was brilliant. Early on, we should have ASAP conducted a biometric census of every Iraqi, to include fingerprints, DNA, and photo, as well as issued each one a biometric identification card. Such cards would be encrypted to conceal the identity from a casual glance, to protect them from their own enemies.

8) There is no practical limit to the use of surveillance during a military occupation. Optimally, we should have had 24 hour high altitude surveillance of every area of interest in the country, early on. The expense would have saved thousands of lives.

These are just off the top of my head.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-02-04 09:28|| 2008-02-04 09:28|| Front Page Top

#2 Still, we should all be ready for the Al Queda version of the tet offensive as they try to show they aren't done and bring Iraq to the headlines again in time to shoot down the Republicans.

That is if they can get enough suicide bombers, car bombs, to make it work.

Posted by rjschwarz 2008-02-04 10:52|| 2008-02-04 10:52|| Front Page Top

#3 MEHSUD > has reportedly claimed that Islam = Islamism will de facto destroy the USA + Britain but wiithout using NUCLEAR WEAPONS. BY EXTENS MEHSUD IS IMPLYNG THE PER SE DESTRUCTION OF THE ANGLO-SPHERE WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF WESTERN EUROPE/EURO + WESTERN DEMOCRACIES, ultimately includng even POST-COLD WAR/USSR, HISTORICALLY + SELF-PROCLAIMED EURO-CENTRIC RUSSIA.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-04 17:53|| 2008-02-04 17:53|| Front Page Top

#4 WORLDTRIBUNE > NOW AMERICA ROUTING Al-QAEDA IS NEWS. The SHOCK, the HORROR, the QUAGMIRE that is America winning a war.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-02-04 19:31|| 2008-02-04 19:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Anonymoose: Let me add one:

9) Instilling a sense of confidence that we are going to be there in time, every time, for as long as it is necessary to get Iraq on its own feet. They can't worry about whether or not we are going to be there next year, and they have to know that if they stick their necks out and give us a call to clean up another pile of dog$hit that we will be there quickly and clean things up so thoroughly in a manner that protects their identity that they won't have to worry about having to face retribution from the bad guys. I personally think this is a huge factor in gaining the confidence and help of a population that has a desire to help but has to play by very "practical" and summary rules.

Posted by gorb 2008-02-04 19:48|| 2008-02-04 19:48|| Front Page Top

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