Disclaimer: What I am going to say in this post is purely my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of any government, international organisation or their associates. The views here are likely to be controversial and debatable. So if they offend, I apologise but otherwise, I shall exercise my rights to civil liberty and free speech.
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There have been a couple of interesting programmes on TV in the last 2 weeks. They were mostly about the war in Iraq (see, a contentious topic in itself). Watching these programmes reinforced my opinion(s) that it has all been a mistake. A BIG fat mistake. The result of one man's (was it really that one man?) recklessness has led an entire country into anarchy.
Before I go any further, some might say 'why bother with such politics?' Of course, one has to show some interest in such politics. Each of us are beings on this planet and whether we like it or not, whatever politicians do, however remote they are in relation to us, will have an impact on our daily lives. Take a look at fuel prices. They have been climbing. Why? It's politics. Even if you don't drive, your electricity and gas bills will be affected. No interest in politics? That's fine. Then perhaps you might want to generate your own energy by ermmm...rubbing your palms together :)
When Bush was pushing his case for war in Iraq, he got his poodle, Blair, to join him in the cause. So they came up with the argument that Saddam was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and therefore, he should be stopped lest he went berserk and release one of those WMD. Of course, we now know that there were no WMD but that paranoia has certainly unleashed WMD (wide-spread mass destruction) of Iraq.
5 years on and still no end in sight. Sectarian wars. Random shootings and bombs going off. Hunger. Poverty. That's why I laughed out loud when Bush said, "We are here to give the Iraqi people food, hope, life and freedom."
Think about it. The coalition soldiers, led by the Americans went in, threw Saddam out and went on a manhunt for him which ended some 9 months later. But as the initial euphoria of victory died down, the Iraqis became increasingly frustrated and dismayed because life never got better. Looting and chaos. It was revealed by officials that there was never a plan for post-war reconstruction in Iraq. (They took only 3 months or less to plan the war. It took about nearly 3 years, from 1942 or thereabouts, to plan the reconstruction of Germany after the end of WW2).
So enter smart alecs who disbanded the Iraqi army of 400,000 and did away with the Baath (government servants of the previous government). What did the coalition forces know about running Iraq? Nothing. And they got rid of the ones who knew the country and the people best. That decision to dismiss such key roles in the country resulted in a few more million poor and hungry people. Think about it: 400,000 soldiers lose their jobs. They have wives and children to feed. And we all know that hungry men are angry men. How many people have gone hungry? Do the math.
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There have been a couple of interesting programmes on TV in the last 2 weeks. They were mostly about the war in Iraq (see, a contentious topic in itself). Watching these programmes reinforced my opinion(s) that it has all been a mistake. A BIG fat mistake. The result of one man's (was it really that one man?) recklessness has led an entire country into anarchy.
Before I go any further, some might say 'why bother with such politics?' Of course, one has to show some interest in such politics. Each of us are beings on this planet and whether we like it or not, whatever politicians do, however remote they are in relation to us, will have an impact on our daily lives. Take a look at fuel prices. They have been climbing. Why? It's politics. Even if you don't drive, your electricity and gas bills will be affected. No interest in politics? That's fine. Then perhaps you might want to generate your own energy by ermmm...rubbing your palms together :)
When Bush was pushing his case for war in Iraq, he got his poodle, Blair, to join him in the cause. So they came up with the argument that Saddam was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and therefore, he should be stopped lest he went berserk and release one of those WMD. Of course, we now know that there were no WMD but that paranoia has certainly unleashed WMD (wide-spread mass destruction) of Iraq.
5 years on and still no end in sight. Sectarian wars. Random shootings and bombs going off. Hunger. Poverty. That's why I laughed out loud when Bush said, "We are here to give the Iraqi people food, hope, life and freedom."
Think about it. The coalition soldiers, led by the Americans went in, threw Saddam out and went on a manhunt for him which ended some 9 months later. But as the initial euphoria of victory died down, the Iraqis became increasingly frustrated and dismayed because life never got better. Looting and chaos. It was revealed by officials that there was never a plan for post-war reconstruction in Iraq. (They took only 3 months or less to plan the war. It took about nearly 3 years, from 1942 or thereabouts, to plan the reconstruction of Germany after the end of WW2).
So enter smart alecs who disbanded the Iraqi army of 400,000 and did away with the Baath (government servants of the previous government). What did the coalition forces know about running Iraq? Nothing. And they got rid of the ones who knew the country and the people best. That decision to dismiss such key roles in the country resulted in a few more million poor and hungry people. Think about it: 400,000 soldiers lose their jobs. They have wives and children to feed. And we all know that hungry men are angry men. How many people have gone hungry? Do the math.
Sectarian wars. One can easily argue religious divisions are treacherous grounds to tread on and that it was just a matter of time that that would erupt at some point. But if Bush promised peace and freedom, why do the women on the street beat their chests in agony when their children are killed by a random bomb all because they were playing a game of ball on the streets? Clearly, this was something that the Bush administration never thought of because they were simply unfamiliar with the intricate dynamics that laid beneath the surface of the fragile country. It has come to a point where people start calling out for Saddam to come back because things were better in his time. While he might have been a tyrant, ordered killings and made life miserable, at least they were somewhat organised but these days, it could be anyone anywhere. Did the Bush administration even think about that? Hope, life, food and freedom? Only in their dreams. It's Bushsh*t.
(Aside: I'm not surprised if Bush has a personal agenda here. Besides being the C-grade prez he is, I'm sure he has interests in the defence industry, perhaps as a director or shareholder because he cannot afford to perpetuate his C-grade performance. So with the ongoing war, US Defence has to buy weapons from the defence industry. The industry profits and so will their stakeholders, which might possibly include Bush. Think about the billions/trillions that have really been blown off, literally.)
This makes one wonder if the Americans were actually thinking at all, or were they just rolling out plans to suit personal agendas (if you think about it, Dick and Donald were behind most of it. - probably entertaining some D&D. And Donald quit sometime later. What a quack.). Whatever that was, it has certainly made the Americans more enemies. Ignorance, arrogance, cockiness, dominance, disrespect...at least that's what the war was all about, in my opinion. Or is that a display of what the people are like?
With just a few more months to the end of the presidency, I think it was foolish of Bush to tell members of Middle Eastern countries that Iran is another potential time-bomb. Just what was he talking about?! He has obviously dug in too deep into the hole and he can't get out. If he did go back on his tracks, he would only be proving his critics right. Either way, it's a lose-lose situation. The next president, I hope, should have a lot more intelligence than Bush. Whoever assumes the space in The Oval Office has a lot to repair in the area of foreign policies.
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I know. I have rather strong opinions. There are a lot more I have to say but I shall leave it for now. Look what I've got myself into...hurhur!! I still have my humour. Maybe next time.
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