They hate us. Let's give them guns.

[Bruce]

Building a new Iraq army (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20030623/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq)

They hate us. They think Western culture and civilization is to blame for all their problems. They continue to attack us in rage. I know! Let's organize the angriest citizens into a new army, train them to kill, and give the weapons, all funded by the US. Maybe then they will leave us alone.

RAMADI, Iraq - U.S.-led civil administrators announced the creation of a new Iraqi army Monday and said recruitment will begin next week, hoping to contain Iraqi anger over desperate unemployment and to curb a rash of attacks against U.S. forces.

[richardm]

It worked pretty well for the British in India - organize them into a proper army, and they stop fighting you, and each other.

It wasn't 100%, but it certainly helped.

[LuxFerum]

Its a f*cking good ideia,
They will be fighting for you sooner than you think.

[Diamond]

Originally posted by Bruce
Building a new Iraq army (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20030623/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq)

They hate us. They think Western culture and civilization is to blame for all their problems. They continue to attack us in rage. I know! Let's organize the angriest citizens into a new army, train them to kill, and give the weapons, all funded by the US. Maybe then they will leave us alone.



Seems like the liberation of Baghdad was such a long time ago, doesn't it?

[Crossbow]

Why is the USA forming an Iraq Army?

If you will consult your basic history, then you will see that forming an army from the citizens of conquered country in order to help maintain the security of that country is a very old technique that has proven to be quite useful in delaying the time it takes for the citizens of the conquered country to rise up against the people who invaded them.

- These types of armies are much cheaper to field than are the armies of the conquering nation.
- It keeps a good portion of potential rebels (men who are young, fit, and motivated) busy doing something that serves the interests of the conquerors.
- It also makes revolution far less attractive since the rebels would be forced to fight their own citizens as opposed to the foreign conquerors.

[Diamond]

Originally posted by Crossbow
Why is the USA forming an Iraq Army?

If you will consult your basic history, then you will see that forming an army from the citizens of conquered country in order to help maintain the security of that country is a very old technique that has proven to be quite useful in delaying the time it takes for the citizens of the conquered country to rise up against the people who invaded them.

- These types of armies are much cheaper to field than are the armies of the conquering nation.
- It keeps a good portion of potential rebels (men who are young, fit, and motivated) busy doing something that serves the interests of the conquerors.
- It also makes revolution far less attractive since the rebels would be forced to fight their own citizens as opposed to the foreign conquerors.

Vietnam.

[Monketey Ghost]

Originally posted by Diamond


Vietnam.

Hm. If memory serves, Vietnamization didn't produce soldiers who then joined the Cong in revolt against "conquerors".

I don't think Vietnam is a good response.

[Bruce]

Osama Bin Laden

[Bruce]

Fidel Castro

[Diamond]

Originally posted by No Answers
Hm. If memory serves, Vietnamization didn't produce soldiers who then joined the Cong in revolt against "conquerors".

As far as you know....

I don't think Vietnam is a good response.

I think its an excellent response. The entire point was the liberation of the South Vietnamese people, but a foreign army with no interest in the sensitivities of the population turned the South Vietnamese little by little and massacre by massacre, against their supposed "saviors".

The parallels between Iraq and South Vietnam are extremely clear. Any foreign army that cannot distinguish between "terrorists" and the general population becomes a liability to the authorities and comes to be seen as a menace by that same population.

George Bush's obsession with WMDs is his obsession alone (and for which he should be impeached for lying to Congress and the people). Most Iraqis would like a job, but most are struggling to feed themselves, and would like their country cleared of the mines that litter the countryside, while this foreign army tries to find something that in all probability does not exist and ignores the needs of the population.

Already the tide of opinion is turning against the Allies. They should get out now, rather than later flying people from the roof of their embassies.

[Bruce]

Any historians in the house? How many times in history have we supplied weapons and training to a broken country only to have them turn on us years later?