| Only America is in a position to impose a comprehensive settlement. Israel labored under constraints we do not have. Iraq had the biggest, best trained, best armed military in the region, and its troops were worthless, with the exception of the relatively small elite guards, whom we could have slaughtered at the end anyway. No one doubts we could have marched on Baghdad and conquered it, either, we were constrained by coalition politics and the fear that the public would not put up with a long term occupation. The other states are less formidable than Iraq, and there is no meaningful integration of forces in the region, either. Desert Storm took exactly one day longer than I anticipated, because I had not made allowances for inclement weather. As long as we have the resolve, and an adequate degree of international support, this is not going to be very protracted, nor very bloody, nor will it effect the homefront too dreadfully. We can knock out their main ability to mount large actions, such as the one on the 11th, within a year......... |
