What is the US doing to help quell the potential civil war in Iraq?

[auburngrad82]

I heard two quotes on NPR this morning. A US official said that the Iraqi government is well equipped to take care of security without US intervention.

Then an Iraqi official said "Why aren't the Americans helping?"

Mission accomplished.



Liberal bumper stickers

[The Sleeper]

1. Quell ??

That means the same thing as foment, right ?

[gratuitous]

2. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no

It's not a "civil war," silly! It's sectarian violence. Please get the Bush administration-approved locution right. See, Bush's idiot followers know what a civil war is, so we all have to say "sectarian violence," which will cause those followers to stop for a moment before thanking George the Great and Powerful for not starting a civil war in Iraq.

[auburngrad82]

5. That's funny because I've been thinking, they finally got what they wanted

They finally revived the Civil War but it's not the war they've been reliving for the past 140 years. I live in the south and you still see the "Forget, Hell" bumper stickers with the little Johnnie Reb character on them. And the ones you see are usually attached to a vehicle with a big ol' W sticker.



Liberal bumper stickers

[gratuitous]

16. Best reply I've seen

Best reply I've seen to the "heritage" and "forget, hell" arguments was someone else -- I think here at DU -- who said, "Oh, you're all about heritage and tradition? Well, my great-great-grandpappy fought with the 134th Indiana Irregulars, and it's my family's tradition and heritage to fire on any traitorous rebel sumbitch flying that flag."

[Neil Lisst]

14. Yeah, it's not the "Civil War," it's the "War Between the States"

Ah, yes, that sounds soooooo much better.

[leftyladyfrommo]

3. Last nite on Lehrer the two Iraqi guests said there wasn't much

the US could do now - just try to mediate.

And one went into a long list of US complete screwups that led to this.
It certainly wasn't very encouraging.

I think now all we can do is stand back and just let things play out.

[Dhalgren]

4. The main US attempt at helping Iraq during their civil war

appears to be denying that there is a civil war. For whatever reason, the US authorities and some of their lackeys in the Iraqi Puppet Government seem to want to make believe that there is no civil war, even while hundreds of bodies are turning up every day from clashes and death squads. No civil war is double-plus good!

[mtnsnake]

6. Bush & Cheny have been planning this civil war from the start

Civil war in Iraq is just what they want. It keeps the Iraqis weak and keeps our boys there for the duration. The fringe benefits for companies like Halliburton are endless, and so are the benefits for war mongering Republicans.

[cali]

9. No it's not.

They wanted a stable puppet government. Full tilt civil war does not benefit them. Dangerous for Halliburton employees, oil doesn't get produced, etc. They've been making money to date, but that ends in the face of bloody civil war. the pressure to get out will only intensify. Losing the confidence of the American people doesn't advance their agenda. I wish, when people assert things like, "The fringe benefits for companies like Halliburton are endless, and so are the benefits for war mongering Republicans.", they'd elaborate. What are the endless fringe benefits?

[mtnsnake]

11. Fringe benefits are an endless supply of lucrative rebuilding contracts

for Bush and Cheney's friends. The more damage and destruction, the more contracts. The rich get richer while the poor kill each other.

[cali]

12. for pity's sake.

You can't produce oil in the midst of a bloody, widespread civil war. For one thing, oil production infrastructure is a primary target. Halliburton can't operate unless there are American troops there. The American people are increasingly in favor of leaving Iraq. Even if troops stay, there aren't enough of them to protect Halliburton's assets.

[mtnsnake]

13. What gives you the idea that Amercan troops are leaving?

[Virginia Dare]

17. I'm not arguing that this is the case but one potential benefit

for them would be that this would inevitably draw Iran and Syria into the conflict, giving us a reason to invade them as well. Just playing devil's advocate.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. I think what Bush/Cheney have in mind to quell this civil war

would be the equivalent of pouring gasoline on a fire. They don't have a plan, they have never had a plan past the point of invasion. That's why things have gone from bad to worse, and I don't see things getting any better in the near future.

[madokie]

8. Big FANS, blowing hard, the * regime needs civil war in Iraq

as they want here.

and send their collective asses off to the Hague
Time is a wast'en

[cali]

10. reasoning please.

These confident statements without evidence or reasoning are just silly.

[mtnsnake]

15. "as they want here". Exactly

A divided country is a weaker one. Bush and Cheney know a little something when it comes to divisiveness and how it can play right into their hands.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. The same way they "helped" quell the civil war in Vietnam.