Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

Donate

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Email
  • RSS
  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2023 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Uncategorized

Moving To More Secure Camp Daniel

Juan Cole 05/18/2004

Tweet
Share
Reddit
Email
0 Shares

Moving to a More Secure Camp

Daniel Williams of the Washington Post wonders if Iraq can be salvaged. The article is one of the more clear-eyed I have seen:

Some quotes:


‘ “We could not imagine the deterioration leading to such a point. It’s getting worse day after day, and no one has been able to put an end to it. Who is going to protect the next government, no matter what kind it is?” said Abdul Jalil Mohsen, a former Iraqi general and member of the Iraqi National Accord . . ‘

‘ “There’s no question: A small band of people can paralyze the country,” said Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish member of the council. “They are armed and organized and this is the difficulty. The people who did this have no respect for anything of value. It’s a real danger to Iraq, the Iraqis and to an agenda to achieve any kind of democracy.” ‘

‘ “Just look around,” said Bakran Ohan, who sells baby clothes. “Do you see any police? Any soldiers? There is a complete lack of security. It won’t change from day to night on June 30.” ‘

‘ [Gen.] Kimmit denied that the Italians had retreated [from Nasiriyah]. “They just moved to a more secure camp,” he said. ‘

One thing Williams does not bring up is the degree to which much of the turmoil is the direct result of poor American decision-making. The decision to dissolve the Iraqi army. The decision to try to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr. Decisions, the rationale of which most observers would have difficulty seeing. The whole Iraq enterprise has been run from the beginning as a plot, with no transparency and all kinds of ulterior motives, and that is what has sunk it.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

Uncategorized

Moving To More Secure Camp Daniel

Juan Cole 05/18/2004

Moving to a More Secure Camp

Daniel Williams of the Washington Post wonders if Iraq can be salvaged. The article is one of the more clear-eyed I have seen:

Some quotes:

‘ “We could not imagine the deterioration leading to such a point. It’s getting worse day after day, and no one has been able to put an end to it. Who is going to protect the next government, no matter what kind it is?” said Abdul Jalil Mohsen, a former Iraqi general and member of the Iraqi National Accord . . ‘

‘ “There’s no question: A small band of people can paralyze the country,” said Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish member of the council. “They are armed and organized and this is the difficulty. The people who did this have no respect for anything of value. It’s a real danger to Iraq, the Iraqis and to an agenda to achieve any kind of democracy.” ‘

‘ “Just look around,” said Bakran Ohan, who sells baby clothes. “Do you see any police? Any soldiers? There is a complete lack of security. It won’t change from day to night on June 30.” ‘

‘ [Gen.] Kimmit denied that the Italians had retreated [from Nasiriyah]. “They just moved to a more secure camp,” he said. ‘

One thing Williams does not bring up is the degree to which much of the turmoil is the direct result of poor American decision-making. The decision to dissolve the Iraqi army. The decision to try to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr. Decisions, the rationale of which most observers would have difficulty seeing. The whole Iraq enterprise has been run from the beginning as a plot, with no transparency and all kinds of ulterior motives, and that is what has sunk it.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

Primary Sidebar

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter and have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.

Twitter

Follow Juan Cole @jricole or Informed Comment @infcomment on Twitter

Facebook



Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2023 All Rights Reserved

Posting....