Vietraq

Many of the 60's and 70's generation is sure to remember the scenes when thousands of anti war demonstrators stormed through Washington in opposition of the war in Vietnam. Iraq today, is looking much like the disaster of Vietnam. George W. has promissed that he will withdraw from Iraq, but with dignity. No one sees a clear route to a dignified pull out.

In a great nation, there can be many views and expressions. The flurry of demonstrators itself is a colourful group. The harsh truths are that bloodshed in Iraq continues on a daily basis, and the Bush's reputation has collapsed. The State of The Union speech of last week has not received any acclaim and no one has defended it.

Opposing the war in Iraq has received two international faces. Jane Fonda, fondly named "Hanoi-Jane", rose back up on the barricades. Hilary Clinton attacked Bush's Iraq policy when she officially announced she would run as a Democratic candidacy in the next election.

Any non Rebublican politician wishing for a shot at the White House will ride high on the wave of Iraq criticism. Up untill now, Clinton has avidly supported Bush's actions that the nation accepted after the tragedies of 9-11.

Criticising the occupation of Iraq is easy, but withdrawing is extremely difficult. The congress can deny to fund the troops promissed by Bush, but the truth is that 21,000 troops will not solve the crisis one way or the other. the congress is preparing a statement, which is rumoured to attack Bush's policy and initiatives.

The Democrats are petrified of being labelled as the party who stabbed the president in the back, when the road to a deserved and earned victory has already opened its gates. Similar propaganda was spread by Hitler in his time. Bush is a crippled duck, but he will hobble his term till the end. The surgent troops in Iraq don't have the same power of force as the Vietkong when it forced the yanks to the roof of its embassy to wait for a chopper.

George Makes Bids Against Time

George W is trying to buy time in Iraq, by sending in more troops, but can he find enough men and women who are willing to die?

In his last address regarding the war in Iraq, he used his familiar words to gain support for adding troops. Some of these words included: Victory, Freedom and Terrorism. However for the first time he admitted that he had made mistakes with Iraq, but at the same time he rejected plans put forwards by a committee, appointed to find a resolve in Iraq. Instead of recommendations, Bush is sending an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

The situation is starting to take Vietnam like features all the time. More troops were sent in stages, and then when the public turned against the war, it was “vietnamised”. A few years after that, the final American troops were evacuated via chopper from the roof of the embassy.

Even though the USA is not facing an ‘enemy’ supported by great communistic superpowers or an ‘enemy’ that has a clear and concise leadership, but are facing a number of ethnic and religious groups. The mystified al-Qaeda is seen more as a way of thinking than an organisation.

The USA seem to be drifting into war on three different fronts. The troubles in Afghanistan are mounting up to a serious conflict and to top it all off USA is engaged in a conflict with Somalia as well.

On all three fronts it seems that USA is fighting it’s much publicised number one enemy: Muslim extremists. Maybe the cowboy/world police attitude will only result in an uprising against the USA and the US troops.

One thing that the Yanks do have at the moment is war machinery and dollars, but do they have enough willing men and women, who are willing to die for a cause that people are losing their faith in? The military cannot set high standards for new recruits, as all willing and able bodies must be shipped off on a tight schedule. One option the USA need to consider is national service, that George W cunningly escaped during the Vietnam war.

Everything that the USA is doing is plagued by the appalling knowledge of foreign cultures. Not all nations in the world understand to ask for Bush’s freedom offers. Many in fact are happy with the order that the extreme Islamists have installed. Though they paid a high price for this in Afghanistan as well as Somalia.

Bush is trying to buy time and the democrats are afraid to ask for Bush to admit defeat. PR stunts wont be enough for securing a victory over time.

The Hummer Is Stuck In The Sand

Back home, when my car got stuck in the masses of snow, I had to put some bark or branches under the wheels to get going again. In a desert you can’t find bark, nor branches and the car must be equipped by sand ladders if it gets stuck in a dune. This is the current state of affairs for American’s in Iraq and George W. Bush can’t extend a helping hand. James Baker’s report confirms that a hummer is pretty much useless in sand. It can’t go forwards, nor reverse. The wheels are running on empty.

However the deepest problem with the situation is the new conservative missionaries. Democracy must be implemented to the whole of the Middle East and of course in the truest American form. Revolutionizing a society is a bad product to take abroad as nations and societies need to choose their respective paths by them selves.

Even before the Baker report was published the new defense secretary, Robert Gates, said that USA is not winning the war in Iraq. It is however, painfully difficult for a superpower to retreat from Iraq, without losing its face.

Baker suggests that responsibility should be transferred to Iraq’s own government. Undoubtedly this reminds many, who have studied history or lived at the time the Vietnamisation of the South East Asian war in the 70s. Troops of Saigon crumbled fast and the last yanks flew off with a chopper from the roof of the embassy.

In Iraq the USA does not have the similar threat as Vietnam, where a communist regime would capture power. After the American’s pull out, Iraq might be torn in a bloody power struggle between the Kurds, Shia muslims and Sunnies. As harsh as it may seem this may be the best solution. The main problem of this is the equal distribution of the wealthy oil reserves between the three.

Bush is against the ideas that Baker put forward and was hugely upset by the Israeli, Palestine conflict and its effect on the Muslim community. When Iran and Syria jumped into the talks, Bush set a number of suggestions, much of which were to divert discussions to other subjects. On the other hand the Democrats are avoiding a strong attack against Bush as they are afraid of being stabbed in the back.

So here we are then. The Hummer might be stuck in the desert sands of Iraq until 2008. The bloodshed will most likely carry on a daily basis, as a reasonable resolve will never be reached in Iraq. It is with heavy heart that the president to follow Bush into the office has to admit the whole disaster we know as the war in Iraq