thedrifter
05-06-04, 05:00 AM
05-04-2004
Guest Column: Good News from Baghdad
By Mark Divine
BAGDHAD – Probably the best news that came out of the daily briefing at the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Baghdad on Apr. 30 is that in Al Ramadi and Najaf the local population has finally taken up arms against the bad guys. There have been attacks on the Saddam Militia, as well as against accused murderer and petite Shiite Imam of Najaf, Muqtada al-Sadr, and his thugs.
Most Iraqis are tired of the constant threat and fear tactics of these former Saddam loyalists. And the degradation of an already poor quality of life grows increasingly unacceptable when the die-hards take hold in a town like Fallujah and Najaf. So they are finally taking matters into their own hands. This seems to be good news.
However, it is also an indication that they have come to the conclusion that they cannot rely on the Americans for their security.
It is also true that there are just not enough Military Police here to protect every street corner, and the police action we do here is met with cowardly attacks and IED (Improvised Explosive Device) hits daily. So the Iraqis are right to not expect protection from the Americans - it is not possible.
What is possible, with enough time and effort, is to rout out many of the thugs, and train enough Iraqi militia and police to take responsibility for the safety of the civilian population. It is going to take five years or more to accomplish this, so patience is the name of the game here.
The biggest threat to our success (beyond our wonderful media back home) is a descent into civil war. There is a fine line between a local militia response to someone like Sadr, and civil war. When viewing Iraq, most Americans, myself included, tend to impose our Western point of view on the situation.
That point of view is that Iraq is a country with citizens who recognize the country as having sovereign right to govern them. We in the West do not question that - we are Americans first, then New Yorkers, Californians or Texans; then San Diegans, etc.; mostly loyal to a local football team and our families (frequently last!). In Iraq, loyalty is to the tribe, and only to the tribe.
And guess what - there are hundreds of tribes in Iraq. They don’t really like each other, and have been in a relatively recent, two-century-long struggle for power and land. Iraq has been glued together out of abject fear under Saddam. That fear tactic is now being used to keep the populace from supporting the U.S. and coalition forces.
After we turn over sovereignty on June 30 - what then?
It is very likely that we will see insurgent activity escalate in an attempt to incite civil war. It will take every ounce of energy and resolve to stay the course and quell it before it gets out of control. The United States has come too far to let this train careen off the tracks - but the peril is very real that it could. Our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen will do what it takes - as we just saw in Fallujah.
If given the green light, the Marines would have routed every insurgent from Fallujah and buried them in the desert. Unfortunately, the political pressure has been too intense and that plan was replaced with yet another round of “discussions” and “cease-fires.”
Even as terrorist insurgents fire at Marines from Mosques, Al Jazeera and European news agencies hail them as heroes fighting to rout the imperialist invader from their homeland.
Obviously, our nation’s further, strenuous resolve is still required.
I firmly believe that we are here fighting for the next generation of Iraqis. The current reigning generation of Iraqis is, in the majority, still loyal to the tribe first, and will support those who threaten to kill their families if their new government and/or U.S. forces cannot protect them.
But as we open more schools every day, we bring the internet and outside news and exposure of the world to the younger set. And when we finish putting the economy on a course toward prosperity, I believe the next generation will throw off the tribal shackles and regain their proud national identity.
Let us hope that we stay the course for their future, and that we do not have to sacrifice many more American lives to bring this honor called freedom to a people we barely know or understand.
Guest Contributor Mark Divine is founder and editor of NavySEALs.com, a website dedicated to military and Special Operations enthusiasts, particularly the Navy SEAL community. He is a veteran of the Navy SEALs, having served at SEAL Team THREE, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE and Naval Special Warfare Group ONE. He has been recalled to active duty for a year to support the War on Terror. He can be reached at mark@navyseals.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=465&rnd=991.0874773639726
Ellie
Guest Column: Good News from Baghdad
By Mark Divine
BAGDHAD – Probably the best news that came out of the daily briefing at the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Baghdad on Apr. 30 is that in Al Ramadi and Najaf the local population has finally taken up arms against the bad guys. There have been attacks on the Saddam Militia, as well as against accused murderer and petite Shiite Imam of Najaf, Muqtada al-Sadr, and his thugs.
Most Iraqis are tired of the constant threat and fear tactics of these former Saddam loyalists. And the degradation of an already poor quality of life grows increasingly unacceptable when the die-hards take hold in a town like Fallujah and Najaf. So they are finally taking matters into their own hands. This seems to be good news.
However, it is also an indication that they have come to the conclusion that they cannot rely on the Americans for their security.
It is also true that there are just not enough Military Police here to protect every street corner, and the police action we do here is met with cowardly attacks and IED (Improvised Explosive Device) hits daily. So the Iraqis are right to not expect protection from the Americans - it is not possible.
What is possible, with enough time and effort, is to rout out many of the thugs, and train enough Iraqi militia and police to take responsibility for the safety of the civilian population. It is going to take five years or more to accomplish this, so patience is the name of the game here.
The biggest threat to our success (beyond our wonderful media back home) is a descent into civil war. There is a fine line between a local militia response to someone like Sadr, and civil war. When viewing Iraq, most Americans, myself included, tend to impose our Western point of view on the situation.
That point of view is that Iraq is a country with citizens who recognize the country as having sovereign right to govern them. We in the West do not question that - we are Americans first, then New Yorkers, Californians or Texans; then San Diegans, etc.; mostly loyal to a local football team and our families (frequently last!). In Iraq, loyalty is to the tribe, and only to the tribe.
And guess what - there are hundreds of tribes in Iraq. They don’t really like each other, and have been in a relatively recent, two-century-long struggle for power and land. Iraq has been glued together out of abject fear under Saddam. That fear tactic is now being used to keep the populace from supporting the U.S. and coalition forces.
After we turn over sovereignty on June 30 - what then?
It is very likely that we will see insurgent activity escalate in an attempt to incite civil war. It will take every ounce of energy and resolve to stay the course and quell it before it gets out of control. The United States has come too far to let this train careen off the tracks - but the peril is very real that it could. Our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen will do what it takes - as we just saw in Fallujah.
If given the green light, the Marines would have routed every insurgent from Fallujah and buried them in the desert. Unfortunately, the political pressure has been too intense and that plan was replaced with yet another round of “discussions” and “cease-fires.”
Even as terrorist insurgents fire at Marines from Mosques, Al Jazeera and European news agencies hail them as heroes fighting to rout the imperialist invader from their homeland.
Obviously, our nation’s further, strenuous resolve is still required.
I firmly believe that we are here fighting for the next generation of Iraqis. The current reigning generation of Iraqis is, in the majority, still loyal to the tribe first, and will support those who threaten to kill their families if their new government and/or U.S. forces cannot protect them.
But as we open more schools every day, we bring the internet and outside news and exposure of the world to the younger set. And when we finish putting the economy on a course toward prosperity, I believe the next generation will throw off the tribal shackles and regain their proud national identity.
Let us hope that we stay the course for their future, and that we do not have to sacrifice many more American lives to bring this honor called freedom to a people we barely know or understand.
Guest Contributor Mark Divine is founder and editor of NavySEALs.com, a website dedicated to military and Special Operations enthusiasts, particularly the Navy SEAL community. He is a veteran of the Navy SEALs, having served at SEAL Team THREE, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE and Naval Special Warfare Group ONE. He has been recalled to active duty for a year to support the War on Terror. He can be reached at mark@navyseals.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=465&rnd=991.0874773639726
Ellie