Analysis: Why Iraq Isn't Korea

[maddezmom]

Analysis: Why Iraq Isn't Korea
Tuesday, Jun. 05, 2007 By BILL POWELL/SHANGHAI Article ToolsPrintEmailReprints In the early days of the Iraq war, the analogy of choice for the Bush administration was the post-World War II occupations of Japan and Germany. They had been bitter enemies of the United States; were both destroyed in a merciless world war; and eventually turned into peaceful, democratic allies of the first order. Anyone who said democracy couldn't come at the barrel of a gun was denying the obvious.

That talking point lasted until about the fall of 2003, a few months after the invasion, when it began to become clear — at least to those of us who were there reporting at the time — that a deadly insurgency was building, and that the United States was frittering away, mainly through ineptitude and a lack of manpower, whatever goodwill was there in the wake of Saddam Hussein's fall. (And there was a reservoir of goodwill at the beginning, even among the Sunni community in Baghdad, in the summer right after the invasion.)

As it became clear that victory was nowhere near, the reflexive, default position for critics everywhere was that Iraq had become Vietnam. As the insurgency intensified, and the incompetence of the occupation became dismayingly clear to all those paying attention, the Vietnam analogy (despite its flaws) took hold in the public mind and hasn't let go.

Now, in the midst of the administration's surge strategy, comes the latest — and, alas, most preposterous — historical analogy: according to the New York Times, the Administration is now kicking around the idea of Iraq as Korea. White House spokesman Tony Snow made the comparison publicly last week as the Administration acknowledged that it was looking into keeping long-term bases in Iraq. The appeal of the comparison is obvious: the U.S. has had large numbers of troops in South Korea for more than half a century, without engaging in a major conflict once the Korean War ended.

more:http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1628185,00.html?xid=rss-world

[Lasher]

1. Junior and his neocons have a deliberate intention that we will NEVER leave Iraq

I have been saying this all along. Their Korea argument is revealing in this respect.

We're not going to get out of Iraq until we take Junior, Lord Vader, and the rest of the Bush cabal out of the equation.

[Eagle_Eye]

2. The comparison just isn't there

Korea has no oil ... Iraq has lots of oil we want to control

In 1950 we wanted land bases close to China and Russia to base atomic missiles ... today we have nuclear submarines and land bases are not necessary

What is apparent though is that violence is not going to work in Iraq. We need to withdraw our troops and seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.