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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices
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To: tejek who wrote (181419)1/26/2004 1:19:29 PM
From: TimF  Read Replies (1) of 1577375
 
1 - A much smaller percentage of the population is actively against us.

How much smaller?

I don't have exact numbers, probably no one does, but its a lot smaller. There where whole areas of Afghanistan that the oposition maintained control over. And yes opposition grew over time but that doesn't mean that opposition in Iraq will grow the same way. To this point it hasn't. Your analogy to Russia in Afghanistan is only valid if the opposition grows tremendously. Its not reasonable to simply assume it will.

2 - We are not trying to set up a puppet government and make Iraq effectively part of an empire.

Our very presence is a threat.

If you mean a threat that we may potentially try to fold Iraq in to an American empire the threat is slight indeed. If the mere existance of any threat was enough, that threat existed before Bush ordered the soldiers to attack. In any case my point remains valid unlike the USSR in Afghanistan we are not trying to effectivly make Iraq part of an American empire.

3 - There is no active superpower help for the opposition and there is less help from other nations that are not superpowers.

Not yet......how long do you think it will be before the larger Arab nations begin to support the insurgents?

That still won't be superpower help. And to directly answer your question I don't think any country in the region will aid the opposition in Iraq as much as Pakistan and other countries aided the mujahideen in Afghanistan.

However, American soldiers much like the Russians have not been all that effective when it comes to fighting the insurgents.

They have been extremely effective at fighting the insurgents. The question is are the other things besides direct conflict going to go as well in Iraq. We have to do more then win all the fights, but we have been doing that much at least.

5 - 9/11 has change the American mindset, the USSR had not had a similar recent attack.

This point is specious. Iraq is not about 9/11 not matter how hard you really try to believe it is.

Your attacking a straw man. I didn't say Iraq was about 9/11. I said 9/11 had changed the American mindset. It has changed the climate in which the war takes place.

The Russian economy was much stronger when the war started. In two years, the strength of our economy has diminished. How good will it be after multiple yearly deficits thanks to Iraq and a spendthrift president?

Much better then the Soviet economy ever was. Also the economy is getting stronger now not weaker, but if it does weaken it will be at the margin, not the kind of tremendous change that would make our economy anything like the old Soviet economy.

7 - The terrain is more favorable.

The terrain in the north of Iraq is the same.

Its hilly but overall Afghanistan is a lot more rugged, and even in the north you don't have something like the Hindu Kush. For that matter the most mountainous regions of Iraq are controlled by the Kurds who have shown the least opposition to the US. The area where we are meeting the most opposition varies from river valley to flat to somewhat hilly but it isn't an area of serious mountains.

Any other differences are neutralized by the Iraqi heat in summer. In case you hadn't noticed, our guys are really flagging under that heat.

The heat effects both sides. The Iraqis are a bit more used to it but much of our training is done in the desert.

Also see
weather.cnn.com

Baghdad 56°F (13°C)
5 DAY FORECAST High/ Low
Monday
62°F (17°C) | 33°F (1°C)
Tuesday
57°F (14°C) | 34°F (1°C)
Wednesday
56°F (13°C) | 35°F (2°C)
Thursday
63°F (17°C) | 42°F (6°C)
Friday
63°F (17°C) | 43°F (6°C)

Tim
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