Re: Iraq: the case for decisive action

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Jan 19 2003 - 15:04:34 MST


--- Rüdiger Koch <rkoch@rkoch.org> wrote:
>
> --- BillK <bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > "Military intervention in the Middle East holds many dangers.
>
> It does indeed. The US could lose the war, for instance. Saddam's
> strategy in the last wars was stupid, to say something polite. Both
> against Iran and the US he was copying the Verdun 1916 situation. It
> wasn't successful against Iran and against the US, it was a pure
> desaster because the US forces did not need to fight this way.
> Instead
> they used their superior air force to smash them. Now what happens
> if:
>
> 1. Saddam distributes his army in the cities, basically hiding behind
> children and women. The US forces would need to fight for each and
> every house. Is the US prepared for another gorilla war after
> Vietnam?

A guerrilla war occurs when the insurgents are un-uniformed, do not use
heavy weapons, and have the support of the common people. Iraqi
soldiers have none of these, they will be using their own people as
hostages. All we need to do is go in at night, when our NVG technology
works and they don't have any. Street fighting is not so difficult with
such a tactical advantage.

>
> 2. The US forces get too lax and make a mistake. Iraqi ground forces
> launch a fast attack on Saudi/Kuwait territory, forcing the surprised
> US forces into a large scale ground battle?

I am sure the last thing the iraqis want is to piss off Saudis. What
they will more likely do is attack Israel with missiles, likely laden
with WMD. This will bring dancing in the streets across the muslim
world, and the reply by Isreal will make things difficult for us, but
no impossible.

>
> After a first success there might be other Arabian leaders joining
> the
> war on Saddam's side and suddenly we have the war here in Europe. I'd
> hate to see Daimler, Volkswagen and BMW produce robots-of-war instead
> of luxury cars.

yeah, it's too bad they might impact the european economy to the degree
ours already has been by 9/11. It would just be 'orrible if your
average european couldn't afford as much brie and wine as s/he is used
to.

>
> > It is because we believe that, if Saddam does not yield,
> > military
> > action may eventually be the least awful necessity for Iraq, for
> the
> > Middle East and for the world."
>
> .... since awful oil prices like we have now are not good for the
> economy. Bombing Iraq into the ground will lead to plenty of orders
> after the war. Siemens can sell a pro West Iraq all the nuclear power
> plants they don't need and Lockheed can rebuild the Iraqi air force.
> All payed with cheap oil. Wonderful.
>
> Who in his right state of mind believes that humanitarian issues are
> in the Bush family's equation?

I am positive that Dubya's primary personal goal is to settle a score
and right a mistake of his father. However, this does not make what he
is doing wrong. It is alright to do the right things for the wrong reasons.

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