Raining on the victory parade
Michael Totten offers up a less-than-rosy assessment:
BAGHDAD – For the past two weeks I’ve been embedded with the United States Army in Baghdad, and I find myself unable to figure out what to make of this place. Baghdad, despite the remarkable success of the surge, is as mind-bogglingly run-down and dysfunctional as ever, even compared with other Arabic countries. Iraq is a dark place. At times it feels like a doomed country that has only been temporarily spared the reckoning that is coming. Other times it is possible to look past the grimness and see progress beyond the mere slackening off of violence and war. Is Iraq truly on the mend, or has a total breakdown been merely postponed? Opinions here among Americans and Iraqis are mixed, but nearly everyone seems to agree about one thing at least: terrorists and insurgents will respond with a surge of their own in the wake of the upcoming withdrawal of American forces.
Sergeant Nick Franklin took me to meet an Iraqi woman named Malath who works with the local Sons of Iraq security organization in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad. When I asked her if she thought her area was ready to stand on its own without American help, she bluntly answered “Of course not.” She doesn’t think Iraq needs another year or two or even three. She thinks it will need decades. “We won’t be ready until young people replace the older generation in the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. They need to replace the old Baath Party members who are still inside.”
Her view is the darkest. But Iraqis who think the job should only require a few more years are still pessimistic about what they think is likely to happen when the negotiated Status of Forces Agreement goes into effect and American troops withdraw from Iraqi cities in 2009.
Read on, folks. One reason I didn’t have anything to say about the various premature “victory” celebrations seen throughout the blogosphere and elsewhere the last week or two is that, frankly, I think the take Totten presents is the more realistic of the two. We’ll see.
- Entries
The blogosphere Victory Roll was just a bit of 'in-your-face' stuff; and I didn't join in either (mostly because I hate being served crow). I understand the desire to serve some crow to the left, though. They need that from time to time.
I haven't read the status of forces agreement, but I will note that like any other agreement it can be modified as conditions dictate. We will be in Iraq for quite sometime to come.
I do want to say - again - that Totten, Yon, Roggio, and others are better than over 95% of the credentialed journalists.
I think you've missed the point of the "victory celebrations" and I if may offer a simple anecdote?
I participated full-throttle. Not just by supporting the idea with a piece of website bandwidth, but by calling on friends to join me in forming a flag line on the busiest blvd in my nearest city.
A Marine stopped in the parking lot behind us, and walked down the line of flag wavers. He shook each hand and said simply "Thank you". I was the last one he visited. I realized immediately why he was almost silent, as his eyes were bulging with tears.
That was the point.