April 18, 2004

For the record

Posted by John Quiggin
Ahmed Chalabi, being interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission,, and urging that Australian troops remain in Iraq, had this to say (emphasis added).
I think that we wasted a year now. The security plan for Iraq that was put forward by the Coalition has collapsed. We must face this fact and we must involve Iraqis right away in the training and the recruitment of the police. I believe that a year to 18 months of hard work on the right track will be sufficient to train an important and significant security force.
Obviously, this assessment suited Chalabi’s argument on the day, but it’s closer to the truth than anything anyone else associated with the Administration has been willing to say.
Posted on April 18, 2004 01:12 PM UTC
Comments

Training? The Iraqis are the most trained people on earth outside of North Korea. They know perfectly well how to run a police state, for example.

The real question is: will Iraqis DIE for Chalabi?

The answer is zero.

He won’t even die for himself! How many will die for Sadr?

Thousands.

Posted by Elaine Supkis · April 18, 2004 01:54 PM

Good post, Elaine!

A recent poll shows that while Saddam Hussein is distrusted in Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi is distrusted even more. Chalabi is the least trusted Iraqi leader in the survey, with less than one percent saying they trust him the most.

Why does he get ink? Apparently because many outside of Iraq still see him as the American heir-designate, and they may be right.

Posted by No Preference · April 18, 2004 03:13 PM

I agree with these comments from NRO:

    link Iraq seems to have returned to relative stability for the moment. The militia of Moqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn from cities in the south. The power play by the radical cleric did not herald the broad Shiite uprising that many feared, and that was played up by the American press. But his mini-putsch gave the U.S. a glimpse at the abyss in Iraq.

A lot of people see the war in terms of chinese water torcher, dying by every drop. Yes, it’s a messy war but the larger picture is not so dire as many tout.

originally posted here

Posted by Justin · April 18, 2004 05:03 PM

Take a look at Chomsky’s blog — at his take on the “Iraq Occupation.”

Posted by Bean · April 18, 2004 05:10 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.