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October 21, 2006

Men From Mars Iraq

An excellent short film from the Guardian and BBC, Iraq: The Real Story. It pretty much demolishes all the talk of Iraqi security forces "standing up" so US forces can "stand down". The US troops in the film might as well be men from Mars, stomping around Iraq pretty much devoid of any understanding or empathy for the people they are supposedly liberating.

Guerrilla wars are won by the superior use of minds, not of weapons. One of the soldiers in the film says US forces will never be able to leave Iraq because Iraqis are "too lazy". But it's the Americans who appear to be too lazy to even try to understand the reality of what they see around them. Learning another language, absorbing new customs and political facts of life, fitting into an alien cultural milieu, those things are hard work. Way too hard for Americans.

Posted by Jonathan at October 21, 2006 02:03 PM  del.icio.us digg NewsVine Reddit YahooMyWeb

Comments

Does this administration want a strong Iraqi force that can stand up for itself? If Middle East oil is in fact the real reason we're there, then a strong Iraqi force - capable of taking care of itself - means the U.S. would have no plausible reason for staying. A weak Iraqi force gives us an excuse for being there, doesn't it?

Posted by: Jeff at October 21, 2006 06:47 PM