tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16816866.post4753289371482196168..comments2024-02-29T02:10:56.878-08:00Comments on J O S H U A P U N D I T: Anbar Handed Over To Iraqi GovernmentFreedom Fighterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13649470110087808596noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16816866.post-47281654568688282592008-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:002008-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:00From the beginning the goals for Iraq were as foll...From the beginning the goals for Iraq were as follows: 1.) a democratic Iraq, 2.)a stable Iraq, and 3.) an Iraq that would be allied with us in the war on terror, as Mr. Bush and his advisors call it. For better or worse, the goals were in that order. I would have placed goal nubmer three first. If we achieve a situation where Iraq is allied with us in the war against Islamic terrorists and is stable, this would be a huge strategic victory for the US even if the country is not democratic. To have a democratic Iraq is hardly mission critical to American interests though. It would simply be icing on the proverbial cake.<BR/><BR/>The goal of a democratic Iraq has been achieved and we are well on the way to achieving a stable Iraq, however, an Iraq that is allied with us in the war against Islamic terrorism is problematic at best. I think about the best we can hope for at this point would be a situation where Iraq does not allow its territory to be used as a base for Islamic terrorists to plan for, train for, and launch attacks against America or its interests. I would expect little if any help from the Iraqi government beyond this. If we can achieve this situation, this would certainly be a vast improvement over the regime of Saddam Hussein who actively supported Islamic terrorists.<BR/><BR/>While this might not be the ideal situation, it would certainly be an improvement over the former situation. As such, it would be a strategic victory. Unfortnuatley, if Iraq becomes allied with Islamic terrorists and allows its territory to be used by Al Qaeda and others to train for, plan for, and launch attacks on America or its interests this would be a monumental strategic defeat for Aemrica even though we achieved a tactical victory against the insurgency. This would be likely be a catastrophic defeat for the US. It would be the kind of defeat that the country would be unlikely to recover from for decades, if ever. I pray it does not come to that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com