Viet Nam vs Iraq

[sabbat hunter]

is Iraqization of the fighting troops in Iraq doomed to fail just like Vietnamization did in Viet Nam?

I think that we are between a rock and a hard place in Iraq. Much like Nam, we should have never been there in the first place. but now we have pretty much caused chaos throughout the country, civil war is breaking out. if we reposition within iraq of do a phased withdrawl, will that cause the situation deteriorate even further into anarchy?

yes our troops will be out of a war and country we had no right to be in, but will our leaving cause more harm to the Iraqi people than staying and fixing the mess we started?

can the mess even be fixed?

[Jacobin]

1. I think you are right

I remember 'vietnamization' very well. The hubris of americans telling vietnamese how to be vietnamese and how to fight their countrymen.

Same with Iraqization. They aren't going to fight their fellow countrymen on OUR behalf. They'll do it with their own goals in mind....civil war

[PATRICK]

2. Variation on a theme

North Vietnam was doing very well. Iraq is all internecine disaster from three sides. Even the Kurds have no capacity to defend themselves from their real problem with Iran and Turkey. You can only increase the likelihood of more deaths by arming and training more people at this point in the chaos. And the outside intervention that might have helped is the US counterproductive efforts to date.

Hanoi could defend itself against all comers. Iraq cannot and cannot organize internally without a really bloody dictatorship that realistically must let go of the Kurds.

Congratulations the US has birthed a problem as intractable as Israel/Palestine and both have the same solutions. Massive global intervention and assistance.

[DaveJ]

3. I'm wondering about the giant embassy

Anyone know what happened with that?

[BrotherBuzz]

4. Maybe they can turn it into the mother-of-all...

date packing houses?